UK - The only entertainment and installation technology show in the North of England, PLASA Focus: Leeds 2010 has launched its website with news of a near sell-out show. The success of the first ever PLASA Focus event this year has already seen next year's event fill two exhibition halls and now you can check out the brands bringing their new technology to Leeds, on Tuesday 27 - Wednesday 28 April 2010 at www.plasafocus.com/leeds

April 2010 will be the second time that venue owners, consultants, show designers, producers and technicians working on the North's leading events, installations and venues have a dedicated event where they can meet and find the new technologies to use in future facilities and productions.

Over 100 manufacturers from all over the world will be on show and the free Education and Learning Programme that runs alongside the exhibition brings

Argentina - The sixth Edition of the Personal Fest took place on 16 and 17 October, with Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys as headliners and with many national and international bands including Nile Rodgers & Chic, Zero 7, Cafe Tacuba and Tahiti 80.

More than 60,000 people attended the show which took place in the famous Club Ciudad de Buenos Aires. As in previous editions of the festival the sound and lighting was provided by Buenos Aires Live Show, who chose to use 15" stage wedges from the Proel Edge series.

The monitoring system consisted of Proel Edge15CXPB wedges amplified by Powersoft Q4002 and processed by the Proel DSO26 processors.

All involved were very satisfied with the high power, punch and intelligibility of the Edge monitors throughout the event.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Hoist UK, master distributors for the complete range of Verlinde lifting products for the industrial and entertainment industry has launched a new website (www.verlindespares.co.uk).

Tony Dickson, director of Hoist UK comments, "As part of our ongoing development we are proud to introduce our online spare parts enquiry service available through the new website.

"With direct access to the Verlinde spare parts stock and hoist archive, Hoist UK are proud to offer a quick delivery time on most spare parts. If the part is not available from our UK site, it will be available from the factory in France.

Louise Dickson, sales executive of Hoist UK comments, "The process could not be easier; all you need to do is access our new website and select the hoist you have. This will take you to an exploded view of the hoist, where you will need to note the part numbers r

Royal News - The Queen has been entertained by a host of stars at the first Royal Variety Performance to be held in Blackpool since 1955. The town's illuminations had lit the way as the royal party made its way to the Opera House in the Winter Gardens. The charity event's host, comedian Peter Kay, welcomed the Queen to "the entertainment capital of the world". The show's performers included Lady Gaga, Bette Midler, Whoopi Goldberg and Britain's Got Talent winners Diversity.

Blackpool's Opera House, which seats 2,900 people, was used to host the show in the 1950s era of acts such as Morecambe and Wise, Arthur Askey and George Formby. The annual event was first staged in 1912 and the proceeds go towards the Variety Artistes' Benevolent Fund. The show's staging in Blackpool comes in the wake of BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing being staged at the resort's Tow

Canada - CAST Software of Toronto has announced the arrival of Vivien2010 - Virtual Event Designer, available now for download for members only.

Vivien is an intuitive, 3D event design and sales software designed and built by CAST Software (makers of wysiwyg) for the full spectrum of event professionals who work in the special events and meetings industry.

By making use of its wide array of tools, onboard Wizards, a library of more than 3000 proprietary industry-specific objects and textures, and the ability to import external files in a variety of formats (including Google SketchUp), individual or multiple users from all areas in an organization can become more professional, more productive and more profitable.

Through the use of Vivien's accurate 3D images, event planners, designers, venue sales teams, caterers, furniture rental specialists - can design winning proposals,

Sweden/Germany - Wireless Solution Sweden has announced JB-Lighting of Germany as the latest OEM partner to build W-DMX into its products. The technology will be installed directly at their Blaustein-Wippingen headquarters in the south of Germany.

"We are extremely pleased with this partnership," says Stephanie Walloner, sales and marketing manager for JB-Lighting, "Wireless Solution is the leading manufacturer of wireless DMX tools and the products are widely used in Europe and the USA. We consider ourselves as manufacturers of high quality products and we received nothing but positive comments from our clients on our decision to go with W-DMX."

JB-Lighting will be adding W-DMX to its JBLED product line. The moving-heads feature state-of-the art technology and high light output and are used in TV studios, theatres and live touring.

"This is a valuab

The Netherlands - It was today announced by liquidator Marcel Willems that Rent-All BV is to take over all the assets of Focus Show Equipment BV, which was declared bankrupt on 17 November.

Rent-All is a versatile rental company headquartered in Bemmel, The Netherlands, with a second branch in Bottrop, Germany. Rent-All offers a wide range of lighting, sound, rigging and video equipment, and the purchase of the assets of Focus Show Equipment contributes to the further development of its rental range.

Focus Advanced Event Technology will continue their activities, with a slightly smaller staff, the company reports.

Focus Show Equipment provides technical and logistics services for numerous events including large theatre productions, conferences, fairs, product launches and corporate events. Focus will now be partnering Rent-All, and will be better able to meet the needs of it

UK - Redburn Transfer, one of the leading players in the specialist market of music transport Logistics, has recently announced a mutual merger with the giant transportation and container firm, Deben Transport. With a family history in haulage dating back nearly 140 years and an enviable reputation within the music industry for the last 28, what motivated the MD Chris Redburn to make this move?

"This summer I was forced to turn down contracts from existing clients embarking on major touring productions,' explained Redburn. "We just couldn't cope with the amount of work being offered to us and I was not prepared to just sub-contract work and risk not delivering the quality of service that I believe is synonymous with our name and reputation. I realised that we needed to expand - and not just by a couple of tractors and trailers but by a significant amount along with an

UK - Arena Seating supplied the temporary theatre which seated over 40,000 people as Clothes Show Live enjoyed six successful days, marking the exhibitions 21st year at the NEC, from 4-9 December 2009.

The temporary theatre had a capacity of 6,200 (larger than the Royal Albert Hall) and was installed over five days by an experienced team led by senior project manager Martin Clark. The Fashion Theatre featured 130 models wearing £5million of the latest high fashion, presented in a high energy one hour spectacular that ran up to seven times per day.

Group operations director Bernard Cottrell who has been at Haymarket Exhibitions for 15 years, said, "I have used a range of suppliers and Arena Seating have shown themselves to be head and shoulders above their competition.

Health & Safety is of paramount importance to us and the Arena Seating teams are very safe

Qatar - Stage One were recently involved in creating a little Christmas spirit in the state of Qatar, when they were asked by marketing and events agency WRG to provide some super-sized Christmas decorations.

Destined for the newly developed area of Porto Arabia, the first phase of a dynamicupmarket shopping, dining and residential district of Doha, the developers of the area wereaiming to provide some festive cheer for Porto Arabia's international clientele.

Stage One were asked to construct: a giant 16m-diameter wreath, which weighed in at two tonnes and was attached to one of Porto Arabia's entrances; 30 scenically wrapped gift boxes, which were placed in various locations around the development and varied in size up to the largest at 4m x 4m; and two enormous scenic Christmas trees, one at 6m high, the other at 12m high.

"Sourcing then constructing the amount of ite

UK - The organisers of EvenTech Scotland exhibition, which was due to take place on 10-11 February 2010 in Glasgow, have announced that the event has been postponed.

A statement issued by Scattered Media blamed the "current economic climate and the strain this is having on many companies' budgets at present" and said that they were "in the process of looking at the calender to find suitable dates later in the year".

(Lee Baldock)

Czech Republic - Trussing, roofing and staging systems manufacturer Milos is in the final stages of completing a new 60,000sq.ft building at its already extensive premises near Prague.

This will be fully operational from the start of 2010 and will be utilised to expand and streamline the current manufacturing process.

The new building has become necessary to meet the demand for products and orders that has continued throughout 2009, and this expansion has been financed entirely from existing cashflow, says the company.

Milos is known for its fast turnarounds. The additional space will ensure that even more efficiency and speed can be applied to deliveries, and it will also create more space for the construction of special and custom projects.

Milos' facility is designed to provide the space and the latest technologies to deal with all manufacturing needs in-house.

Facili

USA - The RapcoHorizon Company is showcasing its Road Hog Series of cables at WNAMM 2010. The Road Hog Series includes instrument cables, microphone cables and speaker cables, all designed for heavy-duty use.

Each Road Hog cable is equipped with pure copper conductors encased in a durable, thick jacket that lays flat and coils easily. The instrument cables feature a pure copper 20ga centre conductor and a 95% serve shield. The Road Hog microphone cables are designed with dual 24ga pure copper conductors and a 95% pure copper serve shield. Rounding out the Road Hog line are 14ga speaker cables with stranded twisted pair conductors for low noise operation.

"Road Hog is among the highest selling cable series from the RapcoHorizon family of products," says Lucas McCulley, marketing specialist at The RapcoHorizon Company. "Once a performer uses our Road Hog cable on

UK - Showsec provided the event security for the 2009 Sports Personality of the Year Awards in Sheffield. The company supplied its own team of UK security professionals, who ensured the safety of guests in the VIP pre-show party, securing all transport between venues and strategically placing response teams around the VIP audience.

With a live audience of 11,000 guests including some of the world's leading sporting personalities, the 2009 awards were the biggest ever staged.

Showsec is the in-house security partner of the arena and security manager Julian Kumah took on the role of head of security for the awards, supported by special projects manager Steve Reynolds and supervisor Mark Wilcock.

Kumah reports, "The multi-faceted security operation started by ensuring the safety of guests as they travelled from various preshow events into Sheffield Arena. The first

UK - Tower Productions of Edinburgh has just taken delivery of the first batch of the new powercube lighting and power system. Offering a saving on transport costs, extra-long run fuel systems, on/off control by timer, or photocell and simple quick one man operation, the system is designed for the outdoor events industry.

The units have a hydraulic mast reaching to 8.5m, wind tested up 80 Km/h and four, adjustable stabilisers. The mast can be rotated through 340° ensuring easy focusing. Illumination is provided from four 1000w metal halide lamps.. The unit can be self-powered or run from another supply.

There is a useful 9.0kVA of auxiliary power. With compact closed dimensions of just 1330 x 1225 x 2330mm and weighing in at only 1180kg, an operator can deliver up to 20 Hydropowercubes on one single truck. The extra large 200-litre fuel tank allows for up to 32 hours runni

UK - London-based drapes specialist Cover It Up has supplied a substantial quantity of drapes and scenic surfaces to Phil McIntyre Entertainment for the current Ricky Gervais Science UK tour.

The company has supplied many previous projects for McIntyre's including Dancing on Ice, Peter Kay, Bottom, Chris Rock, Russell Brand, The Mighty Boosh, and not forgetting - notably - a pair of giant 20ft red underpants for one of the Little Britain tours.

The basic touring package was specified by Adam Scott, the tour's production manager, complete with a selection of "get out of trouble" items.

Cover It Up's Rhys Sion says, "It's been great working with the team at Phil McIntyre Entertainment again and especially with Adam Scott. The drapes give the stage clean edges and the versatility of the touring package has made the tour possible in ven

UK - Event safety specialists Stagesafe have produced two new event information documents, available as free PDF downloads from the Resource Centre of its web site, www.stagesafe.co.uk.

The first is entitled the Stagesafe guide to on site working practices and safe working procedures in the technical production industry, and is aimed at event companies to give to their staff as a basic guide - and can equally be used by individuals and freelancers as a handy reference. It contains a wealth of professional advice, hints and tips about safe working, says the company.

Stagesafe has also updated its Stagesafe guide to self employment in the live music and events industry, a guide for the self-employed and for those who use the services of the self-employed.

(Jim Evans)

UK - 5 Star Cases was recently contacted to design and supply a complete exhibition display system and flight case solution for CPU Holders 4U and Pro Audio Stash.

From an initial brief from Pro Audio Stash's Rob Platt, the design team at 5 Star came up with some ideas and following some minor tweaks, the project was born, comprising two main product categories.

Pro Audio Stash distributes a range of 19" rack mount cabinets, both free standing and wall mounted, plus a host of rack-mounting accessories like plain panels, drawers, ventilation panels and castors.

CPU Holders 4U manufacturers and distributes a range of 'Under-Desk' CPU holders, laptop security drawers and cable management trays.

(Jim Evans)

Europe - Brilliant Stages were approached by Jon Perry of Perry Scenic to collaborate on the supply of the staging for German band Rammstein who tour Europe and the Eastern block from November 2009 and well into 2010.

The brief from designers Roy Bennett and Peter Aquinde was for a heavy metal 'iron foundry' look which would incorporate the main stage into the array of lighting pods, collapsing tower blocks and the vast quantity of pyrotechnics which even includes a shower of exploding dolls.

Brilliant Stages collaborated with Perry Scenic on this venture and employed project manager, Nick Evans, to work alongside Rammstein's production manager, Nicolai Sabottka, and Perry Scenic's project manager, Tony Guest, in delivering this taxing piece of set.

The staging mainly consists of tiered band platforms surmounting the main stage, with four collapsible towers forming the indus

UK - Event branding specialist Sunbaba provided site and stage branding at Edinburgh's Hogmanay for client Unique Events Limited.

80,000 revellers in Edinburgh city centre ensured that the new decade was welcomed in style over a massive five days of celebration across five live music stages.

Sunbaba provided its branding for the Concert In The Garden area of the celebrations. PA scrims in the company's digisound material flanked the stage as headline acts Madness and the Noisettes preformed in front of a capacity audience.

Sunbaba director Jonathan Booth comments, "Using this speciality air permeable material ensured that all performers were heard at their very best with minimal sound distortion whilst sponsors logos maintained a highly visible presence."

(Jim Evans)

The Netherlands - Mojo Barriers brought 2009 to a close with three different public events in three cities across Holland, delivering tailored crowd barrier systems to each one.

New Year's Eve celebrations in Rotterdam and Amsterdam and a Christmas charity event in Groningen brought together tens of thousands of people in each city with each presenting different challenges for crowd safety. International barrier company Mojo Barriers worked with production companies on each events to supply tailored barrier systems to ensure each event was safe.

For the double New Year's Eve events Mojo Barriers used two teams to work in both Rotterdam and Amsterdam. In Rotterdam a floating stage on the canal hosted a music concert and The Production Factory commissioned Mojo Barriers to install 750m of barrier along the canal bank. 20,000 people attended and the Mojo team used their experienc

UK - The PLASA 2010 Show has officially launched with the opening of a free registration month, enabling early bookers to gain admission to this year's show, at Earls Court on 12 - 15 September 2010, at no charge. Registration is now open on the new-look PLASA 2010 website (www.plasashow.com) with free visitor registration available until 11 February.

Following the highly upbeat reaction to PLASA09, with exhibitors expressing delight at the quality of visitors despite the financial climate, expectations for PLASA 2010 are also high.

Early exhibitor news includes confirmation by Martin Professional; a doubling of stand space by Nexo; and the return after a one-year absence of Zero 88.

PLASA's Events manager Sophie Atkinson said, "Last year the free registration offer helped boost exhibitors' confidence in the show's compelling drawing power by attracting thousands of ear

Belgium - Stageco used its engineering expertise to create the infrastructure for an ice skating rink and surrounding structures in Bruges.

As one of the oldest and most picturesque cities in Belgium, Bruges was the host to winter shopping and ice skating for locals and visitors to the city.

Stageco was brought in for the seventh consecutive year to create the framework and infrastructure for the city centre attraction. The Stageco team of four transported 80 tons of equipment to the site to build the 20m x 30m ice rink structure.

Tom Bilsen, project manager for Stageco comments, "The ice rink was a challenge due to the uneven ground level. Across the rink there was a difference of 1.5m in height which meant we had to design the structure to overcome this."

This year, Stageco also built 12 scaffolding towers surrounding the ice rick which were used for decoration

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies has introduced to the entertainment industry the IEC-lock, a power lead specifically designed to guard against accidental disconnection of electrical appliances powered using a standard IEC inlet.

The IEC-lock is an IEC female line plug with an integral locking system that is backwardly compatible with existing IEC male inlet sockets. An internal latch clamps the earth pin, making it resistant to accidental disconnection and vibration. The IEC-lock is used just like a normal power cable, except to unplug it, the user simply pulls back a red button on the underside of the connector to release the lock.

This makes the IEC-lock's locking mechanism suitable for protecting entertainment technology electrical appliances, including computer equipment and data communications applications that require a secure power source.

The IEC-lock is availab

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