Rigging / Staging

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UK - PLASA Focus Leeds has begun its tenth birthday celebrations on 1-2 May at the Royal Armouries, Leeds. The popular entertainment technology trade show provides a stage for over 175 global brands, and the show’s reputation attracts thought-leaders and taste-makers who share their expertise through seminars and training sessions.
The show floor will feature products fresh from European launches, and the seminar programme is overflowing with enriching talks and lively debates. The show caters to everyone from lighting designers and sound engineers, to riggers and production managers.
Audio enthusiasts can get under the skin of digital mixers with Soundcraft’s Andy Brown and Sound Technology’s Ben Todd, and can get to grips with Line Array systems with Harman’s Ed Jackson and Sound Technology’s Stuart Strachan. Visitors can learn about frequency response wit

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Germany - This year’s Prolight + Sound show saw the worldwide debut of EXE Technology’s new dynamic stack tracks rail and trolley system – the EXE-DST66 – which draws on the success of its DST52 system.
To answer the call by live production professionals across the globe for a heavy-duty rail and trolley system for their demanding live productions, EXE Technology developed the DST66 system that draws on a total of 63 Nm of power (additional 38 Nm compared to the DST52 system) and achieves speeds up to 60 m/min at 50 Hz (an additional 36 m/min compared to the DST52).
Response to this system at the EXE Technology stand during the exhibition was absolute proof that they hit the bullseye, says the company.
(Jim Evans)

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Germany - James Thomas Engineering came to the Prolight + Sound show to officially debut its safety block system for its Thomas Tower TT4 that protects mother grids from both drop and lift.
The recently-launched conical truss series for the EMEA region was also on display, which builds on its pedigree and extensive knowledge in truss manufacturing. James Thomas Engineering now offers a total of three connection systems – conical, fork and plated – for a range of structures and projects.
Their conical range includes the JT22 light-duty display system in a compact format, JT30 / JT30H mid-sized system for multi-purpose use, multi-purpose JT40H / JT40HR / JT36 truss for mid-sized heavy-duty applications, JT52 high-capacity truss with super-sized conical connectors for higher loading capacities, and the extra heavy-duty JT100 truss for extra high-capacity loads.

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Germany - Automation specialist and manufacturer Kinesys enjoyed one of its busiest and most successful Prolight+Sound exhibitions in Frankfurt to date.
The UK-based company highlighted its new Apex chain hoist system, launched at Prolight 2017, which incorporates Kinesys’ extensive knowledge, practical experience and history as a pioneer in the world of variable speed chain hoist control technology.
Kinesys also launched a new product - the LibraNODE - which can enable the EXE RISE loadcell hook as well as other third party loadcells to be integrated directly into a Libra monitoring network or a DigiHoist.
Kinesys MD Dave Weatherhead commented, “The show was excellent and we saw lots of quality visitors throughout, from the first moment of day one to the very end. It was without a doubt the most positive Prolight we have experienced to date! We were very ha

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UK - Specialist manufacturer of flame retardant fabrics, drapery and stage engineering solutions J&C Joel has been named as one of Yorkshire’s top 100 best performing SMEs in Yorkshire Business Insider’s SME 300.
The SME 300 table is made up of companies in the county with a turnover of between £5m and £20m and this is the first time the Sowerby Bridge based firm has been listed featuring at number 86.
J&C Joel has seen significant growth over the past few years opening a new purpose-built facility in Vietnam last year as well as expanding operations in Europe and Australasia.
The award-winning business exports to more than 80 countries, providing products and services such as Front of House theatre drapes, stage backdrops, cycloramas, gauzes, acoustic solutions, projection screens plus an array of stage engineering solutions.
James Wheelwri

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Germany - This year’s Prolight+Sound exhibition saw the debut of several new Milos products and product lines.
Presentation of the Milos steel truss line, as well as its new steel tower, head section and base with outriggers, turned more than a few heads at the show and generated a lot of interest from companies that could appreciate extreme load capacity this truss line can deliver. The accompanying video next to the display, which documented the recent load testing on MILOS steel truss spans with up to 47 tons CPL, was a fitting addition to the already impressive power the steel line commanded at the show.
Additional new products that Milos displayed included its roof canopy tensioner that achieves 50% higher tensioning compared to their previous system and eliminates water pooling on roof structures, ceiling support for low headroom and safe suspension of all siz

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Germany - Litec debuted three new products at this year’s Prolight+Sound exhibition in Frankfurt. One of the stars of the show was its new MyT Virtue truss line, which is part of the MyT truss family and a smaller version of the MyT Folding Steroid truss line.
A compact solution, thanks to its folding design, it provides increased loading capacity for a truss of this size, as well as decreased deflection and longer spans for large-scale events. Made from EN AW 7003 T6 aluminium, it has 60mm main chords and features weld-free construction.
Another popular new item from Litec was its Hoist Box Truss that offers EXE-Rise 500kg hoist owners a convenient, space saving and low headroom method of hanging their hoist within a wide range of support structures. The hoist box has a standard length of 500 mm, which makes it compatible with selected trio and quatro Litec truss fo

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Germany - GUIL revealed its TMD-545/N rigging tower for flying sound systems at Prolight+Sound. "It’s one of the most compact towers on the market,” - says CEO Eduardo Hinarejos. “It can lift up to 500kg of line array to almost 6.5m and it is transported in a single package of only 1.48m3.” Visitors to the show were impressed by the design of the tower and also by the components that are included in the price: the complete truss structure with a double handled winch, a chain hoist for 2000kg and a chain bag.
Another new product which attracted a lot of interest was the ULK 600XL front loading tower, which allows the user to lift line array, truss structures and LED screens from ground level. With a double handled auto brake winch, this compact lifter of only 1.63m stowed can raise 350kg to 6m high.
“Nowadays professionals are looking for solutions that can of

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UK - Triple E’s heavy-duty curtain and scenery track took the weight for a new multi-function ‘innovation space’ at The Crystal, Siemens’ recently-completely sustainable UK headquarters on Royal Victoria Dock.
Rigid enough to serve as a suspension joist, UniBeam can be curved to a minimum radius of 2m and has the same dimensions and component range as UniTrack. As a result, The Crystal project benefitted from Triple E’s full range of accessories and carriers, capable of taking up to 385kg.
Commissioned by Siemens to create the space, design agency Jotta tasked Shape Studio with the build, specifying materials such as Bencore, a lightweight/light-permeable, honeycombed panel, custom moulded in Italy, to reflect The Crystal’s unique architecture and environmentalism.
Moving those elements, together with the other components, securely and efficiently,

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Germany - At the recent Prolight + Sound show in Frankfurt, Fantek and Work Lifters announced they will be incorporating an enhanced version of the existing Dynsys overload limiting system in their future products.
Dynsys is a patented safety feature developed to protect operators by preventing top-loading (telescopic) and front-loading lifters lifting under overload conditions, in accordance with the stringent requirements of the EU-wide safety regulation DIN 56950, an important part of the DGUV V17/18 Health & Safety (Industrial Accident Prevention) regulations.
Until now, if lifters incorporating Dynsys are overloaded, user control of torque is blocked. With the improved Dynsys v1.2 system, Fanterk and Work lifters will additionally be prevented from raising anything above Level 0. At the same time, the operator will be given immediate visual feedback to infor

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Germany - New trussing and staging systems manufacturer Sixty82 only came into being on 1 March, and shortly after made its successful first public appearance at Prolight+Sound 2018. “The show was incredible for us and we have been bowled over by the phenomenal response we have received from the start,” says Sixty82’s sales & marketing director, Rainier Smeding.
Sixty82’s stand was built using some of its own products to replicate a pub. Complete with bar serving bespoke Sixty82 beer, meeting areas and a full complement of its products, it was a suitable setting for staff to welcome its many new clients. The arrangement reflected the friendly, approachable nature of the company whose team has a genuine enjoyment of their jobs and puts customer service at the forefront of their operations.
“Having good product is paramount of course, but we believe that gi

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UK - A new lightweight lighting stand will take centre stage on the Doughty stand at this year's PLASA Focus Leeds. The prototype product, which has been designed with the events and conference market in mind comprises a flat, round plate and slim tube, slotted at each end to allow cables to run unseen inside it. Described as ‘extremely robust’, the stand has a sleeker appearance than the standard Tank Trap and comes with a stacking slot which allows for the stands to be stacked together as well as a carry handle.
Dan Phillips, project sales co-ordinator at Doughty comments: "We really encourage everyone to come and take a look at this piece of kit on stand N-C25 while it's still in its development stage. We take feedback extremely seriously and use it to fine tune the product so that it ticks all the right boxes. We think our customers will really like the Lightweight L

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USA - Known colloquially as RodeoHouston, The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR) is the world’s largest livestock show and richest regular season rodeo, dedicated to benefiting youth, supporting education, and facilitating better agricultural practices through exhibitions and presentation. It draws more than 1.4m people each year to the 72,000-capacity NRG Stadium and over 2.5m people to NRG Park to enjoy the entire festivities.
Running for 20 days in February-March, it attracts the very top names in country music, from Garth Brooks through to Brad Paisley, who perform after the main rodeo event each day.
Such high calibre artists demand top concert production values and this year the Rodeo boosted its technological infrastructure by purchasing a new stage - built by TAIT in Lititz, PA. Working closely with TAIT, and leaning heavily towards GLP fixtures, were H

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UK - Global Truss has developed the truss Silencer, a rubber damper that is simply pushed on to the end of a truss pin to reduce noise when assembling truss structures.
The Silencer will decrease the volume when hammering truss pins by around 50% whilst dampening the high pitch frequencies significantly, says the company. A special rubber blend is being used in production which makes the Silencer flexible yet hard enough to transfer the force of the hammer effectively, and whilst preserving the material of the pin and the copper hammer.
The Silencer has been designed to be left on the truss pins, whilst fitted to the truss, providing protection not only to the truss but also the surface it is sitting upon. Another added feature is that it offers camouflage when silver pins are used on black truss.
“Audio measurements were conducted by audio specialists under r

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UK - Unusual Rigging has appointed four new directors to the board in response to the company's exponential growth over recent years. The new directors, all current employees at Unusual will, in time assume specific leadership roles within the company.
Senior project managers Steve Porter, Simon Stone and Simon Tiernan, together with Tom Harper, Unusual's sustainability coordinator, have accepted positions on the board.
Alan Jacobi, managing director at Unusual, comments: "Unusual has grown at an unprecedented rate in recent years and now has responsibilities in very defined but different sectors where the clients expect to deal with officers at the highest level. This, together with the ever-increasing compliance requirements meant that we had to take measures to ensure the board is not overstretched."
He adds: "We needed to regenerate the thread of continuity

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Germany - Manufacturer of flame retardant fabrics, drapery and stage engineering solutions, J&C Joel is launching several new products at PL+S 2018.
Visitors to the tradeshow will be able to see four new velvets, the widest IFR Canvas on the market, a new addition to the Wool Serge range a new 3D digital print fabric and an exciting new acoustic system.
At the event J&C Joel will launch Empress - a new NDFR Velvet manufactured with an upright pile direction giving it a very black appearance. The Velvet meets BS5867, B1 and M1 flame retardancy standards and is also acoustically tested to Class B Absorber making it perfect for European and touring markets.
Andrew Walsh, J&C Joel’s sourcing and product development manager, said: “Empress is a Velvet with a high-density construction more typically seen offered to the high end domestic market. Its comp

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UK - Richard Black has joined stage track and engineering specialist Triple E in a newly created technical sales and marketing role.
Previously the projects manager at Flint Hire and Supply, Black’s new job will utilise his 10 years’ experience in scenic construction and rigging with a focus on client relationships, training and marketing Triple E’s expanding portfolio.
David Edelstein, managing director, says: “We’re delighted to have Richard on board. He’s familiar with our products and ambitions and fully equipped to communicate the company’s product solutions.”
Richard Black comments: “I’ve admired Triple E since I started working in this business. David wants people in tune with his designs, who recognise their merits. The tech sales and marketing position is a perfect fit for me and I’m looking forward to exciting challenges as Triple

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USA - VER has entered into an agreement to merge with an entity controlled by Production Resource Group LLC (PRG).
To facilitate the implementation of this pre-negotiated transaction, VER has filed voluntary petitions for reorganisation under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. These filings only affect the company's North American operations, says the company. The agreement is part of a transaction supported by VER’s second lien lenders, including funds managed by GSO Capital Partners.
VER expects to continue normal operation during the restructuring and says clients “can be confident that their project will not be interrupted”.
Digby Davies, CEO of VER, comments: "Entering into this agreement and undertaking the court-supervised restructuring process will greatly reduce VER's outstanding debt

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UK - PLASA Focus Leeds is bringing the world’s latest entertainment technology to the North of England on 1-2 May at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds.
Visitors can expect new releases from top brands, an array of immersive workshops, and leading-edge seminars covering lighting, live sound, rigging, AV and staging.
The show is the perfect place to see brand new products for the first time in the UK, including the highly anticipated grandMA3 lighting console. Visitors will also see Martin Audio’s Wavefront Precision Series, Vari-Lite’s VL2600 range, Sennheiser’s Wireless G4 System and Robe’s MegaPointe.
The seminar programme serves many different tribes, from immersive audio and theatre refurbishment, to festival lighting and set design software. There is something for everyone at the industry leading show.
The reinvention of the Chester Storyh

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China - Star Events’ technology and inspiration was on the menu at a lunch for major promoters, production suppliers and principal venues in Shanghai recently.
Hosted by Shanghai Mercedes-Benz Arena, China’s second busiest music venue, the event focused on the launch of the China PROM (Production Rigging Operations Manual) and the arena’s new house reduction solution, designed and installed by Star Events China, which was demonstrated to the lunch guests.
Conceived by Star Events China, with input from engineers, local and international experts, rigging publications and the arena architect, PROM is the first rigging safety manual of its type in China.
Built in 2010 for Shanghai World Expo, the Mercedes-Benz Arena has an extensive gallery level serving its sports commitments, which include NBA and NFL games. A roller blind mechanism, designed to scre

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Germany - Doughty's Lightweight Lighting Stand will make its Prolight & Sound debut this year. Visitors to Hall 3.0 stand E11 can see the new stand, which is currently in prototype format and takes the principles of a Tank Trap but packages them into a neater, more aesthetically pleasing model.
Dan Phillips, project sales co-ordinator at Doughty, comments: "The new Lightweight Lighting Stand comprises a flat, round plate and slim tube, slotted at each end to allow cables to run unseen inside it. A 28mm receiver is incorporated in the top of the stand which will take an industry standard 28mm spigot. When used in conjunction with a spigot adapter, the stand can also be used to hold small speakers. This robust piece of kit has a sleeker appearance than the standard Tank Trap and comes with a stacking slot which allows for the stands to be stacked together as well as a carr

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Germany - BroadWeigh is set to unveil “exciting new pieces of kit” at this year's Prolight and Sound in Frankfurt including the TwistLink, updated Wind Speed Sensor and a new advanced handheld.
With five of the company's product partners from across Europe taking stands at the show, Jonathan Purdue says Prolight + Sound is a good place to debut new products before a truly international audience.
"We've been attending the show for some years now and we are always impressed by the turnout and the number of leads that come our way as a result of the networking opportunities it affords us. This year we'll have a presence on the stands of AC-ET (Hall 3.0, Stand F65), Hof Alutec (Hall 3.0, Stand A44), Scanrig (Hall 3.0, StandF33) and SONOSS and Louis Reyners (Hall 3.0, Stand D18) who are exhibiting together, and I will be making appointments with customers and potential

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UK - The curtain goes up at Pleasance Theatre’s third London theatre space next month, 80-seat temporary structure Downstairs.
Launched at the Edinburgh Fringe 2017 as ‘Beside’, and due back there in August, Downstairs is the first major UK application for Triple E’s large-scale Meccano-style ModTruss and will be in Islington for 10 months of the year.
A versatile space, which provides for rehearsals during the day and performance in the evening, the theatre consists of 6” and 12” ModTruss with sleeve blocks running up the masts to raise the theatre grid and roof in one piece via electric chain hoists.
In London, Downstairs has a new capacity and layout for its focus on longer-run text-based theatre. It will present both transfers and premieres from the most exciting emerging and mid-career companies and playwrights.
Anthony Alderson, director

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USA - InCord made their second donation to Behind the Scenes on 16 March during the recent USITT Stage Expo reflecting a percentage of profits from sales of their Theatrical Safety Netting Systems.
The Behind the Scenes is a charity that provides entertainment technology professionals who are seriously ill or injured with grants that may be used for basic living and medical expenses.
Joe Menhart, InCord’s theatrical sales manager, presented the cheque. He comments: “All of us at InCord take pleasure in supporting such a worthy charity as Behind the Scenes. Both InCord and Behind the Scenes are dedicated to the well-being and safety of personnel. I can’t imagine a better pairing and this contribution gives much greater meaning to our Theatrical Safety nets.”
Rick Rudolph, the chair of Behind the Scenes, accepted the cheque along with other BTS Board member
  1. PL+S 2018: Kinesys puts focus on Apex system
  2. PL+S 2018: Sixty82 to make debut appearance
  3. Rigging symposium exceeds expectations
  4. Rigging course success in South Africa
  5. RWS Invests in Kinesys for Melodifestivalen
  6. CPL glams it up for AHDB annual event
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