USA - Hall Stage will be exhibiting at this month's LDI expo in Orlando and will be showing the full range of high quality tracking systems now available from stock in the US. From the low profile T40 and industry backbone T60, through to heavyweight champion T70, all Hall Stage track products are built in the UK. Last year, Halls made over 18 miles of tracking for clients all around the World.

All three steel track ranges from Halls have been proven under the most demanding pressures over the last 50 years and can be found in hundreds of venues across Britain & mainland Europe.

Working closely with key partner, Thern Inc, Hall Stage North America will be showing the full catalogue of theatre products, including hoists, winches, roller systems & grid blocks to suit any venue rigging requirement.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Theresa Kelley has recently joined Total Structures as sales executive for the US Central and Mountain Regions and will be making her first 'public appearance' on Total Structures LDI stand. Prior to joining Total Structures, Kelley was western regional sales manager for fellow truss manufacturer Tomcat USA and sales manager for Barbizon Light of Arizona.

Kelley will be based mainly in Telluride, Colorado, however she intends to spend a large amount of time on the road visiting both old and new customers alike.

(Jim Evans)

Saudi Arabia - Five JumboLifts, which are designed for particularly heavy loads and have already been used to great effect in venues such as the SAP Arena in Mannheim and the Hondynk Arena in Moscow, along with eight VarioLifts, will shortly be dispatched to the Middle East, where they are scheduled for installation in a Saudi Arabian clinic.

The JumboLifts, each of which has a lifting capacity of up to 3,000kg, will be used to manoeuvre a chandelier in the 55m-high lobby of the new building. When the clinic opens, it will be possible to move this twelve-ton 'jewel in its crown' at variable speeds.

The 500kg VarioLifts are destined for a different purpose: moving the clinic's lighting trusses. These lifts, which conform to the BGV-C1 code of practice and are notable for the exceptional precision and reproducibility of their movements, will be subject to the direction of a comp

USA - The CyberHoist / InMotion 3D motion control system is to be exclusively distributed in North America by CyberHoist USA. The deal will be officially signed on CyberHoist USA's booth at this weekend's LDI show in Orlando.

CyberHoist USA, part of Tomcat Global Corporation, will provide a comprehensive sales, service, training and rental customer support operation for the USA and Canada from its base in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mitch Clark, president of Tomcat Global, said: "The future is looking incredibly exciting for the CyberHoist marque in North America. It's by far the best designed, fastest, and most flexible motion control system out there, as well as one of the quietest systems on the market. CyberHoist meets what our clients in the touring, theatre and corporate show markets have been asking for. I think they will be delighted to get access and full support, based r

UK - The opening of the High Speed 1 service at London St Pancras International this month saw the cream of the events world, including Arena Seating, work together to create one of the most spectacular launches this country has witnessed in recent years. With the Queen and Prime Minister Gordon Brown in attendance, security was at the highest possible level, while the production team worked under extraordinarily tight conditions to deliver a remarkable event.

The launch was produced by Flux Events for London & Continental Railways (LCR) under the technical direction of John Farquhar-Smith. The executive producer was Jon Teeman, with Mark Fisher providing creative direction.

Arena Seating's key role was to provide a temporary seating grandstand three metres above the level of the platform, with the additional challenge of having to position the structure over an eight metre de

Germany - Frankfurt-based Satis&fy is one of Europe's leading companies for professional events planning and technical production. Performing sound design for major events is one of Satis& fy's main activities. Their existing large format line-array inventory includes V-Dosc from L-acoustics and X-Line from Electro-Voice. The latest addition to their large format inventory is 24 Y18 True Line Source Array cabinets, and 12 T-21 Subs from Adamson.

"Geneally speaking it's like a car rental company that offers different models of similar grade. FOH engineers normally prefer a certain PA system and at Satis&fy they can now offer three alternatives: the Y-Axis, V-Dosc and X-Line." Satis&fy's business developer Werner Renz continues to explain the grounds for purchasing a third large format PA system: "I heard the Y18 the first time at a concert in Switzerland and I was

UK - Hawthorn's recently acquired Rex Howard has supplied drapes to three major TV shows this autumn in a reality TV hat-trick. Hawthorn has supplied drapes to BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, ITV's The X Factor and Sky One's Cirque de Celebrite.

Hawthorn's MD, Martin Hawthorn, commented: "We are delighted to have acquired Rex Howard and we are all really enjoying working with their clients in the TV and Film industries. It is a great complement to our theatre and corporate event work, and we look forward to increasing our joint stock of drapes on an ongoing basis."

(Jim Evans)

Europe - Brilliant Stages were approached by Chris Vaughan, production manager for Take That's Beautiful World tour, to create the main stage and effects for the European tour. With a design by Mark Fisher's Ray Winkler, Brilliant Stages had to devise a construction that would not only realise Winkler's design, but would be easy to assemble, breakdown and transport, and be durable enough to survive a 49-date road tour.

"I chose Brilliant Stages because their stages are always beautifully built. They present you with good 3D drawings at the design stage, which means alterations can be made early on and there is far less to change during production rehearsals," says Vaughan. "All the components fit together accurately and quickly which is vital in allowing me to fulfil our tight touring schedules."

The initial structural design was carefully thought ou

UK - Stage Electrics' new addition to its hire stock, the smartStage 45, was fully utilised during the Exeter city centre Christmas lights switch on.

The smartStage 45 is a mobile stage trailer with a characteristic lean-to roof and a set up time of only 30 minutes. It offers a tandem axle and overrunning brakes and the roof is lifted using an electro-hydraulic system with remote control. The stage conforms to the temporary demountable guidelines of 5kN/sq.m and was launched by Stage Electrics at the Showman's Show in Newbury in October 2007.

Stage Electrics has supplied the lighting and sound equipment for the Exeter event for the last three years, previously the official switch-on team performed from a traditional modular stage system, ground support truss and a tarpaulin roof.

Project manager for the event, Simon Foster explained: "Access into the area is very

USA - Rigging Seminars is the largest and longest established entertainment rigging training programme in North America. The 2008 dates have been confirmed as: Las Vegas - 10-13 March, Atlanta, GA - 28 April - 1 May, Chicago - 14-17 July, Seattle - 6-9 October.

Attendees learn safe and efficient rigging techniques for sound, lighting, video, scenery, and special effects. The methods taught apply to theatres, circuses, arenas, stadiums, schools, hotels, museums, conference centres, outdoor venues, and studios.

The Atlanta class is combined stage and arena rigging, taught by Bill Sapsis and Harry Donovan. The Seattle class is combined stage and arena rigging, taught by Jay O. Glerum and Harry Donovan. The Las Vegas and Chicago classes are intensive arena rigging classes taught by Harry Donovan.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Summit Steel is co-ordinating rigging for all departments on the massive Take That Beautiful World tour, as well as supplying over 110 chain hoists to the main system, 100 hoists to the "B" system and 28 points of Kinesys automation.

The project is being co-ordinated for Summit by Jon Bray - whose history with the band dates back to the early 1990s when they first burst onto the UK pop scene. Bray is working in close collaboration with the tour's production riggers Jez Craddock and Phil Broad, production manager Chris Vaughan from The Production Office, production designer Ray Winkler from Stufish plus all the other contractors including Capital Sound (audio), PRG (Lighting) and XL Video/CT (video).

One of Summit's major tasks for the tour was to produce a comprehensive rigging plot covering the requirements of all technical departments, and realise Stufi

France - ETC France enjoyed an exceptionally busy Heavent 2007 show in Paris, launching two innovative new products - OnlyView 3D and the Focal Triple.

The stand was the result of a collaboration with three other international companies - UK-based Stage One, specialists in automation systems, stage machinery and set creations; Anglo-French draping and material specialists Blackout and lighting, LED screen and sound rental house, Lumière et Son Paris.

The stand and the live show presentation on it were designed by Fabien Martineau of Scenographism, who was also integrally involved in the R&D of the new OnlyView 3D product launched by ETC at the show.

The show centrepiece was a revolving cube, projected onto with video controlled by OnlyView 3D. This was Martineau's brainchild for demonstrating the versatility and scope of the system, on which he collaborated with ETC France'

UK - Show organiser PLASA Events reports that interest in PLASA08 is running high, with over two thirds of exhibitors having already rebooked their stand space and further applications arriving at the PLASA Events' offices daily.

On the back of the success of PLASA07, many companies have increased their stand size and several have doubled their space, setting PLASA08 on course to be the major industry event of next year. The success of the 2007 show has also been a catalyst for drawing back former exhibitors and generating strong levels of interest from new exhibitors, impressed with the professionalism and energy of the event.

The show management team has identified a range of new initiatives to develop and strengthen visitor attendance and is also focusing on a number of key areas for further development.

"One of the key messages that came across very powerfully from

Singapore - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang completed its final night at the Esplanade theatre in Singapore last weekend. Following 24 successful months touring the UK, the production was loaded into a container and shipped out to Singapore in October. With just seven days to installation and commissioning the entire show, Stage Technologies' rental engineers worked hard to get the show's automation system up and running.

The first containers arrived at the loading doors of the Esplanade on Sunday 21 October. With two full days of hard graft, all the equipment was unloaded and put into position backstage; the show deck was laid down with the floor-track winches already installed inside and the Performer Flying sliders were motored up into the air by Chain Hoists on lengths of truss.

For the next three days, Stage Technologies' engineers set about commissioning the automation sy

USA - Polar Focus Audio Rigging has issued its new product catalogue. Mike Akrep, president of Polar Focus Audio Rigging, says that: "Audio rigging should be as easy as putting a mic on a mic stand."

The Polar Focus catalogue shows the company's large stock of standard hardware, and describes its Turnkey Audio Rigging Systems, as well as its Consultant Support Programme. From large systems using speakers such as JBL's newest VLA line array for stadiums, down to a pair of speakers neatly attached to wood beams in a small church, Polar Focus has what you need, says the company.

(Jim Evans)

UK - As part of a world tour to promote their latest album Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace, Foo Fighters undertook a nine date UK arena tour in November, culminating in two dates at the London 02 Arena.

Fronted by the irrepressible Dave Grohl, the band provided maximum entertainment via a complex live show, which included two stages. In order to cope with the ensuing Front of House audio requirements of the show, a pair of DiGiCo D5 consoles were put to use.

FOH engineer Bryan Worthen has been using DiGiCo consoles for three years, replacing the original analogue console he had been previously using with Foo Fighters. "I knew I needed to go digital or I would get left behind, although I fought it for a long time," he says. "But I had to make the leap and it was actually the band's management who told me about the DiGiCo D5. It was being used on the Be

UK - Stage One played its part in the lavish hour-long ceremony to name the latest ship to join the Cunard fleet - the Queen Victoria. The ceremony took place on the dockside at Southampton with the ship itself forming a stunning backdrop to the proceedings.

The company was asked by Robbie Williams Productions to carry out the scenic internal fit-out of a purpose-built temporary structure and was one of several key suppliers tasked with turning the space into a themed Victorian theatre fit for royalty, in this case: Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.

Steve Dolan, account director, Stage One, said, "This project threw up several challenges, one of which was manufacturing timber to realistically resemble Victorian cast iron. Our art department and CNC workshop worked extremely hard to achieve exceptionally effective results."

Stag

UK - Following its £1.3 million revamp the Wyvern Theatre Swindon is opening its doors on 4 February 2008 for a special Venue Technology Day. Coordinated by Stage Electrics the day promises the opportunity to explore some of the latest in venue technology in an operational setting.

On 25 September 2007 the Wyvern, a busy receiving venue, reopened after nearly a year in the dark following the discovery of asbestos in the auditorium roof (see Lighting&Sound International magazine November 2007). Stage Electrics was contracted by Swindon Borough Council to design, install and supply technical infrastructure and equipment to the venue.

The Wyvern Theatre is a truly multifunctional venue hosting everything from Shakespeare to ballet, live music to comedy and conferences to cinema. With a reasonably small team of staf

USA - Tony Forman has joined Theatre Projects Consultants (TPC) as a project manager in the group's US office. Forman has over 25 years of experience working in international, regional, and collegiate theatre. His responsibilities at TPC include project management, programming, theatre planning, and advice on both facility management and operations.

"I am excited to apply my accumulated experience in production, administration and community cultural organizing to the work of TPC." says Forman. "Building or renovating a performance space has always been a keen interest of mine, and I now feel well suited to this unique endeavour. I am thrilled to be part of the team."

(Jim Evans)

UK - Hoist UK is moving to bigger premises. The new offices, workshop and warehouse are based on the Wirral peninsula and are ideally located at the heart of the motorway network, says the company.

The move reflects Hoist UK's growth and success over the last year which has seen an expansion in the company, the product range and business generally.

Hoist UK is a UK distributor for the complete range of Verlinde industrial and entertainment lifting equipment.From 3 January 2008, the new contact details will be: Hoist UK Limited, Unit 11, Carrock Road, Croft Business Park, Bromborough, Wirral, CH62 3RA. Tel: +44 (0) 151 334 7682. Fax: +44 (0) 151 334 9373.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Global Truss America has introduced a white and black aluminium square truss. In-stock and ready to ship in a variety of lengths, Global's new white and black-coloured trussing makes a stylish statement that will complement and blend in with a variety of applications, says the company.

"Truss today is meant to be seen," said Ken Kahn, general manager of Global Truss America. "Architects, designers and lighting directors like the way it looks and are incorporating it into their aesthetic schemes. We came out with white and black truss in response to the growing role that truss is playing in event, production and interior design."

The underlying truss itself is TÜV approved and made of the same high-strength 6082-T6 extruded aluminium alloy as the rest of Global's line. Additionally, like all of Global's trussing, the new white and black truss utilises

Belarus - The city of Minsk recently celebrated the 940th anniversary of its founding. The grand celebrations were accompanied by a rich cultural programme. For the needs of the organizers of the celebrations, Milos supplied the roof - MR3 20x14m (65.6x45.9ft) in size with an S4 podium 2.5m (8.2ft) high - and M390L and M290B stands.

"Quality products, fast deliveries and maximum project support - these are the reasons why the organisers chose Milos. Our experts also took part in several training constructions preceding the official term of the celebration. Everything simply had to be 100% correct," said Vladimír Hasman, sales department manager for Milos.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Global Truss America reports that nine of its clamp models have received TÜV certification. The clamps join the company's popular TÜV-approved aluminum trussing in being awarded this internationally-recognised seal of safety and quality.

TÜV approval is granted only after rigorous testing of a product and its manufacturing facility. Consumers can therefore be assured that Global Truss clamps meet the highest quality standards and will perform with the utmost security and reliability in fastening fixtures and trussing, said Ken Kahn, general manager of Global Truss America.

"Clamps are an essential component of any trussing setup - they are, literally, what holds the whole rig together," said Kahn. "The mark of TÜV approval is a formal assurance to customers that they can rely on our clamps, like our trussing, to perform safely and reliably. We are very

Italy - Stage Technologies installed and commissioned the complete stage rigging system on-board Cunard's Queen Victoria, built by Fincantieri in their Marghera ship yard, near to Venice in Italy.

In early 2006 Stage Technologies was awarded the contract to supply the complete stage engineering package for the Royal Court Theatre and Queen's Room venues on-board. The Royal Court Theatre is an 830 seat venue and the first cruise ship theatre to feature a Royal Box and private boxes on each side of the auditorium, like those seen in Victorian style West End theatres.

The stage is well appointed with automated equipment, which includes motorised lighting trusses, both over-stage and front-of-house, two stage lifts with two-part sliding lids, two storage lifts, 18 flybars, six Serapid stage tracks, curtain tracks, safety curtain, and roller projection screen. The control system in

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