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Rigging / Staging

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UK / Italy - Following a meeting at SIB Rimini in March, Hall Stage has secured a UK distribution deal with JAB Italy for their superb ranges of riggers' tools, bags, torches and accessories, all of which will be available from Halls direct, or from their many distributors around the Country.

"We've been looking for a good manufacturer of this type of kit for a while and came across JAB in Rimini this year," said Charles Haines, Hall Stage commercial director. "They have a fantastic sense of design, quality and detail and fit very well into our catalogue."

Featured here is the WingNut spanner set, for use on 13mm, 17mm and 19mm wings as well as the standard bolt hex heads. The second spanner in the set is specially designed for mini Omega bracket hooks and wing nuts found on moving heads. The set is laser cut from aero-grade aluminium and comes in a neat b

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UK - Star Events Group supplied Homelands' organizers with an Orbit structure that was used as the 'Hydration Station' for the festival. Star Orbit erected a 12m, two-bay structure at the centre of the event site. With Orbit-style structures usually used for performance stages at Homelands, this year the 'Hydration Station' was created using a Star Orbit stage and became a central sales outlet for refreshments. The stage stood out from other structures with its distinctive dome shaped roof and contained a dance floor with a lighting rig and screen, together with a kiosk selling water and energy products.

The 17-hour event took place at Matterley Bowl in Hampshire, and brought together live bands and DJs for thousands of visitors. Faithless and the Scissor Sisters topped the live act bill, with the likes of Erik Morillo, Paul Van Dyk and Judge Jules taking to the decks. Star Orb

ISE 2026 - Banner - Oct 2025

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UK - Chain hoists are normally selected by a number of criteria - the weight they can lift, speed of travel, height of lift and so on. They are rarely, however, chosen for their aesthetic qualities. That is, until Andi Watson, lighting designer for Dido's current North American and European tour, became involved. Fundamental to the show's lighting design were clean lines and minimal intrusion by the hardware involved in moving the lighting and video panels around.

The chain hoist of choice was the CM Prostar, but a problem still existed in how to achieve repeatable and reliable positioning. The solution was the Prostar Elevation, a product that Kinesys believes is the only variable-speed Prostar solution in the world. Kinesys was able to combine their Elevation 1+ control units with a conversion to the Prostar chain hoist to allow precise positioning and a full range of speeds t

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Industry maverick John Jones is leaving Pfaff-Silberblau after 21 years service to pursue other professional and personal interests. Jones is probably best known as the MD of lifting, moving, turning and flying specialists PCM, the entertainment and leisure division of the German owned Pfaff.

He set up PCM in 1993. The company was responsible for establishing the CM Lodestar motor as the UK and European concert touring industry standard motor in the 1990s. Another major achievement for Jones was the establishment of a comprehensive infrastructure of motor and rigging training programmes based at PCM, and open to all. Training is one of the many areas he is passionate about.

Jones comments with trademark Liverpudlian dryness: "I've had a fantastic time with the company, but the time was right to move on - or I was in danger of becoming part of the furniture!" Jones is also a

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UK / Germany - After extensive periods working on loading galleries and seeing many colleagues suffering with lumber and associated body injuries, the Hall Stage design team decided to bite the bullet and solve the problem. Highly experienced stage rigging and flying crew with years of backbreaking toil behind them have designed the DGS system, using the patented ASM steel band suspension, which fits directly to an existing counterweight system. The system can be seen working live on the Hall Stage stand at the ABTT Trade Show in London from 16-17 June.

Hall say that as much thought and effort has been put into the pricing and purchasing options available to potential users as to the design of the hardware itself. A full range of finance is on offer to support the purchase, with leasing, hire purchase - and even rental - provided directly by Hall Stage and the Bank of Scotland -

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USA - Total Structures' new wave truss is now the proud winner of six widely recognized awards, making it one of the most decorated products in entertainment and exhibition history. The latest award is First Place in the Professional Category - Commercial of the 2004 International Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition held by the Extrusion Technology for Aluminum Profiles Foundation.

Since its launch at LDI 2002, the innovative new wave, with its carbon fibre technology and nine-port aluminum extrusion that is used for the shear webs, has caught the eye of entertainment and exhibition industry professionals. The truss and, in particular, the shear webs have now been recognized by the global aluminum extrusion industry.

Ian Coles, president of Total Structures Inc, said: "I am delighted that the product has now received recognition outside of the entertainment and exhibiti

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UK - The ILMC Safety Focus Group is well on its way to raising the €40,000 euros it needs to secure a €160,000 grant from the European Community. To date, the total amount of money either donated or pledged to the ILMC Safety Focus Group (SFG)'s European project stands at €44,628 euros. The core of this support has come from live music agents, promoters and support services.

In addition, the ILMC Safety Focus Group is hoping to raise further funds to help secure the future of the group and to start work on other industry-led safety projects, in particular a crowd safety project. It is planning a second fundraising campaign for Autumn 2004, with a target of €20,000.

Meanwhile SFG member Bert van Horck of ICMS urged live music professionals: "Please continue to donate. Any funds raised for the ILMC Safety Focus Group above the original target will allow us to research f

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UK - Vertigo Rigging were called in to action at The Odeon, Leicester Square for the launch of the new Harry Potter blockbuster, Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban. Vertigo's brief included the rigging of a giant 5m wide by 9m high Dementor's claw, made by Brighton-based Phil Donoghue, at the top of the cinema's tower - strategically placed to curl round the tower, appearing to grip onto it.

Working in conjunction with Service Graphics, Vertigo covered the entire front fascia of the Odeon with adhesive vinyl panels, creating a massive Harry Potter picturescape and branding. The suspension of another 10m wide by 4m high sign weighting over half a tonne required the installation of a substantial rigging infrastructure over the building's balcony. The initial stages of the vinyl cladding detail of the project started the Monday before the Bank Holiday Sunday of the Premi

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UK / International - Out Board has recently seen significant growth in international demand for its chain hoist controllers and accessories, with the support of several new international distributors for the range.

In Spain, Carlos Martinez-Itturalde of Pro-Lighting SL has sold CM4 units to Trui Espectaculos, a leading production company in Palma de Mallorca, and also into a new rigging installation for the principle theatre in Valencia. A CM6 six-channel controller went to Madrid-based Quasar, owners of the largest mobile roof system in the country. In Sweden, long-term CM users Spectra+, whose credits include the Latvian Eurovision, have added 10 CM4 four-channel controllers to their inventory, supplied by Per Olof Lungmark of Intersonic.Dutch CM hoist distributors Louis Reyners have been supplying large numbers of their chain-hoist clients with Out Board's Smart Safe modules,

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UK - Only 18 months after its management buy-out, Hall Stage picked up the Rigging and Engineering Product of the Year Award from the Association of British Theatre Technicians tradeshow, for the second year running.

Following on from the Widget of the Year success of the 'HoldOn' clip, launched in 2003, the company unveiled the DGS Counterweight Drive system, designed in conjunction with the company's German partner, ASM Steuerungstechnik.

The DGS is the first genuine drive hoist that means an end to counterweight loading, with all of its inherent Health and Safety, cost and time implications, say Hall Stage. Fitting directly onto an existing counterweight frame, the DGS uses twin steel bands with a combined safety factor of 20:1 to raise and lower the weight cradle at speeds of up to 1.5m/second - in virtual silence.

Hall Stage are also offering full financial support pack

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UK - Stardraw has now announced that all of its subscription-based applications have been upgraded to support Autodesk's AutoCAD 2005. Support is bi-directional, which means that users can read and edit any DWG version and save to any DWG version. This enhancement represents a total rewrite of Stardraw's DWG engine, say the company. Indeed, improvements may be noticed in earlier versions of DWG files, and among the advances is the addition of support for TrueType fonts.

According to marketing director Rob Robinson, it was crucial that Stardraw implement support for AutoCAD's latest release as quickly as possible. "Full compatibility with AutoCAD in both directions is an important part of the value we offer systems integrators. It allows them to communicate and exchange information with architects and planners quickly and easily, because nothing is more frustrating than find

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UK - A co-development between the Le Mark Group and the Technical & Production Arts Department of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) picked up the Widget of the Year Award at the recent ABTT Show in London.

Le Mark was presented with the award for the CAD Tag system, a simple but effective means of high level printed identification for all types of flown equipment. It utilizes a special self-adhesive tape that bonds rigid PVC laminates to form a printed 'tag' that can be secured directly to all types of lighting bars and trussing.

Commenting on the award, Le Mark's Stuart Gibbons said that the system was seen as a major breakthrough in visual awareness, both in terms of load safety and the positioning of flown equipment.

(Barry Howse)

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UK - Drapes and rigging specialist Blackout has recently worked with Endemol UK Productions, providing a variety of set design solutions for the live sets of 'Big Brother' and 'Shattered'. Blackout's managing director Steve Tuck collaborated with one of the artistic directors Paul Drake and production manager, Janine Terry, on both productions.

Drake commissioned Blackout to design and supply a host of acoustic black-serge drapes, which were deployed on the new series of Channel 4's blockbuster, 'Big Brother'. Paul Drake says: "The time-scale to supply the acoustic drapes was extremely tight. Blackout were great to work with and provided the perfect practical solution, softening the acoustics of a highly reverberant set into a functional live broadcast environment."

'Shattered' was the show investigating the effects of sleep deprivation on contestants living in a pur

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USA - In mid-July 2003, Mice Creative awarded Total Structures the contract to fabricate the elliptical acoustic canopy which is flown under the new Hollywood Bowl structure in Los Angeles, California. The Bowl dates back to the late 1920s and several attempts have been made over the years to improve the acoustics so that members of the orchestra could hear each other. The last incarnation included the installation of 11 fibreglass spheres of various sizes under the direction of renowned architect, Frank Gehry.

The Design Architects for the new facility was Hodgetts + Fung Design Associates, with Gruen Associates acting as project architect for the main client and owner, Los Angeles County. The project, essentially comprised demolishing the existing Bowl and rebuilding from the ground up - the buildings on either side of the main roof structure to house new dressing rooms and p

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UK - Event company Logistik co-ordinated and produced the Athens 2004 Ball - a high profile charity live event staged at London's Battersea Park Marquee, for Sparks, The British Olympic Association and The Sir Steve Redgrave Charitable Trust.

Over 1,000 people enjoyed the event during an evening of entertainment hosted by Radio 2's Jeremy Vine and Sir Steve Redgrave - an official 'send-off' party to wish the GB Olympic team success at the upcoming Athens Olympics. Leeds and London-based Logistik were called in to oversee the event's creative and technical production including the design, graphics, dressing and venue themeing for the event.

The night culminated in live performances by international artists including Gabrielle, Mike & The Mechanics and Amy Winehouse. It was recorded for broadcast by Radio 2, and a post-event DVD will be produced by Logistik Vision, the company's

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UK - Sunbaba Screens created a range of branded screening across the sell out Isle of Wight Festival site. This year, 35,000 music lovers enjoyed bands and artists including the Stereophonics, The Who and David Bowie across the three-day event.

Sunbaba Screens was contracted by production company, Hot Hammer to create a range of branded screens. Headline sponsors Nokia used Sunbaba screening on Heras fencing around the site to reinforce their support of the festival. In all, 67 panels were covered with giant 'Nokia Rocks' branded screening, around the backstage and various perimeter positions. These were produced using Digimesh, a screening material that allows images and logos to be digitally printed onto the fabric with great accuracy and precision for highly effective branding.

Sunbaba also used Digimesh for banners used at the festival's entrance, producing four 10m head b

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UK - Harlequin Floors' new website provides a useful reference resource for anyone involved with the world of dance and in choosing a dance floor to suit their needs. With the growing understanding that the right floor can allow dancers to perform with confidence and protect them against the risk of injury, Harlequin's new website is a helpful asset.

A simple three step online guide steers through the process to selecting an appropriate floor and presenting the possible options. Product detail and specification as well as help direct from British Harlequin is easily accessed. The site also includes testimonials from many of the world's leading dance companies, case studies of recent projects, as well as useful guides for installing, maintaining and transporting floors.

The site includes a comprehensive coverage of all Harlequin's activities, history, products and services as w

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UK - Busted's production company, Productions North, recently approached LiteStructures with a model box detailing exactly how they wanted the set of their tour and summer festivals to look. "The only instructions we had were to make the real thing look like the box, using mainly rental stock," explained LiteStructures' project manager Lou Hall. Unlike some jobs which we turn around in under a week, we had three months to put this set together using a mixture of our existing stock but also making some custom pieces to set the Busted stage apart from other boy-bands. We also had to take into consideration the number of summer festivals and concerts they were performing at and devise a stage that would be flexible for a variety of venues and easy to downsize if necessary, without ruining the overall effect."

Project manager Chis Bridges and Hall set about creating s

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UK - The ABTT Theatre Show is known for its relaxed and intimate atmosphere, combined with a good visitor profile. This year's show, however, was able to maintain that quality and claim a 15% growth over the previous year - with an impressive 127 companies represented.

Autograph Sales debuted the Swedish LDS 'invisible' true line source theatre loudspeakers. New to Autograph's portfolio is Aviom, whose new A-Net digital multicore system, available with a Yamaha interface, was demonstrated with the DM1000 digital mixer.

Lee Filters added to its 700 series of filters, created by lighting designers. New from Dave Davey: Provence (701), Twickenham Green (736), Dirty White (744), Hampshire Frost (749) and Burnt Yellow (770); from Kate Wilkins - Virgin Blue (723) and Easy White (747) and from Rick Fisher - Cool Lavender (708).

Alcons Audio debuted at ABTT with a complete line of

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UK - Rigging training and equipment supplier Lyon Equipment has just opened a brand new, purpose-built training facility in the north of England. Robin Johnson paid it a visit.

Situated by the M6 motorway in Tebay, Cumbria, it's only a dark-green tower that gives away the location of Lyon Equipment's brand new rigging training facility.

Such is the amount of training now undertaken by Lyon that the company's previous training centre - 10 miles away at its HQ in the picturesque village of Dent - was not enough to satisfy demand. Although training at Dent will continue, building a new facility gave Lyon the chance to design a practical training facility literally from the ground up.

Taking time out from instructing a Greenpeace group doing IRATA Level 1, Lyon's Paul Witheridge showed me round. "We already owned this building and used it as extra warehouse space," he says. &

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UK - Hall Stage Limited are very happy to announce another new addition to their staff. Peter Woods joins the company as engineering design manager after many years in the industry with Glantre Engineering and most recently Stage Technologies, where he spent four years as mechanical designer and site engineer.

"Peter adds a tremendous amount to our business" says Charles Haines, Hall Stage managing director: "He obviously brings a wealth of experience in engineering design and project management and he fits in with our core work ethics! We needed someone with his qualities and qualifications to support the development and supply of new products, such as the 2004 ABTT Rigging & Engineering Product of the Year award-winning DGS counterweight drive - and we're absolutely delighted to have him here."

Woods adds: "Its a great opportunity for me to be part

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UK - PCM has supplied Lodestar double-braked motors to Adlib Audio for its high profile audio installation at the Villa Marina complex in Douglas, Isle of Man. The Lodestars, flying the main PA arrays, were chosen because their high spec' and double-braking feature means the venue doesn't have to call a rigger to adjust the safety steels every time the installed PA needs to move for maintenance or other adjustments. The same applies if a visiting production brings in their own PA which has to be flown.

Adlib's Andy Dockerty thinks this will become much more common in the future, because it saves time, and at the end of a show, a visiting crew can get their equipment in and de-rigged with a minimum of hassle. Dockerty has used Lodestars supplied by PCM for Adlib's touring work for many years, because of their proven reliability and excellent safety record.

The double-braked ver

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UK - Harlequin has announced that its ever-popular Harlequin Reversible - a vinyl flooring for dance and stage applications that can be reversed to offer an alternate colour - is now available in a wider range of colours. As well as the established range of black/white, pale grey/dark grey and black/grey, the company is now adding red/blue, hazelnut/beige, tan/fog (a grey in between the existing medium and dark greys) and, finally, green/yellow. Widths and weights remain the same.

There are now seven combinations to choose from, each quick to roll out and lay flat to provide a slip-resistant dance surface. Ideally suited to touring companies, Harlequin Reversible is lightweight, easy to handle and hard-wearing for a long service life. Also available are colour matching adhesive tapes for the whole range.

Harlequin has also announced the release of the Summer 2004 issue of its

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UK - Le Mark has announced its expansion into new premises. As from Monday 26 July, both sales and administration will be located in 3,000sq.ft of modern air-conditioned offices, once again located in St Ives, near Cambridge. Le Mark's existing buildings will remain, and are currently being converted in to warehousing and conversion facilities. The company has adopted an open plan format for the re-designed building, bring together both its existing Arts & Entertainment team and the new Industrial Innovation division, which will see additional staff join the company from August, under the control of Linda Gibbons - sales director for the Group.

The last 12 months have seen consistent growth in specialist self-adhesive applications, say the company, particularly where ultra-high bond tapes are needed to work in high temperatures and extreme conditions. "The support from our

  1. SmarT summer for Summit
  2. Star Events: Staging for 410,000 in Hyde Park
  3. ChainMaster joins PLASA
  4. LiteStructures sets up Musicians Channel
  5. Group performance on Summer Nights
  6. Rigging training for White Light and ATG
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