The deal boosts LS-Live's stock of staging and trussing equipment so that it has become one of the largest staging rental companies in the marketplace. The company, which offers complete staging solutions for festivals, concerts, theatre productions and corporate events, now stocks ranges of Space Roof, Dome Roof, Mini and Midi stages, and staging equipment that comprises 17,500sq.m of Layher Event Deck alone.
Andy Nutter joins LS-Live as operations director, having headed up Acorn Event Solutions since 2006, during which time it has provided staging solutions for Swansea's BBC Proms in the Park, Leeds' Opera in the Park, the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Frieze Art Fair, the Silverstone Grand Prix, Mini's 50th Birthday at Excel in London and the BBC Frankenstein Live production at Kirkstall Abbey in Leeds.
Following the merger, LS-Live has introduced a new fully modular Space Roof stage into the UK, which general manager Ben Brooks said would "revolutionise" the outdoor staging industry.
"We have worked together with Acorn to combine a traditional space roof design with a Layher Event Deck system and other custom elements to produce the ultimate outdoor stage," says Brooks.
"In comparison to similar sized festival stages in the marketplace, this will require around a sixth of the truck space and a third of the time to build. Because it goes on fewer trucks and uses less crew, we believe we will be the most competitive stage solutions company on the market.
"Unlike a traditional truss roof, our design isn't limited to the next length or corner, you can just keep adding pieces as you go. It really is the most flexible stage available and has huge implications in cost savings and reduction in environmental impact."
The combined resources of the two companies will see LS-Live offer a complete package for stage hire, supplying their own crew, trucks and taking control of the entire build process from start to finish. The Space Roof has already been booked for Summertime Ball at Wembley and multiple events for Liz Hobbs Group.
Andy Nutter comments, "With our years of expertise in creating temporary structures and running a large-scale business combined with LS-Live's rock 'n' roll knowledge and entertainment industry experience, we look set to become one of the premier forces in the UK staging market."
Brooks adds, "Our merger with Acorn Event Solutions means we now have access to one of the largest staging hire stocks in the UK and with our expanded crew base we are fully equipped to provide complete staging packages for outdoor events, festivals, concerts, corporate events, sporting shows, or product launches."
(Jim Evans)
