UK - Rigging Services has announced its latest growth plans; these include a new location in west London and a re-location of its Birmingham branch to a new site "four times its previous size".

The latest and fourth location of Rigging Services is based at Pinewood Studios. Although supplying its services across the entire event industry, not only within TV & Film, there is a good synergy with Rigging Services and other complimentary services also operating from Pinewood.

"We are really pleased to be a part of the Pinewood community and look forward to working amongst like minded individuals," states Bob Dean - national sales manager.

From this new location Rigging Services can offer a quicker, cost effective and more local service to its clients on the west side of London. This site also allows quicker links to its other locations in the Midlands and Nor

UK - Since 2010, when Unusual Rigging covered the front of Earl's Court in 'grass' for that year's Ideal Home Show, a façade has become a trade mark for this long established exhibition. For the 2012 show, Unusual transformed Earl's Court - externally at least - into a grand country house.

The graphics, designed by Justin Southgate of Southgate Design for Media 10, feature both horizontal and vertical 2D architectural detail, so the Unusual Rigging team recommended keeping the printed mesh fabric panels as large as possible.

The central panel is the largest, measuring 30m x 20m and weighing a total of 335kg including accessories, while the side sections are made up of three panels. The outer panels are wrapped tightly round the sides of the building, and sheeted as close to it as possible, with tight guy lines to prevent air pressure getting underneath the facade and stressin

Germany - Interal T.C., the Dutch manufacturer of trusses for sale and dry hire, said the launch of its new heavy duty P100 Protruss at ProLight+Sound in Frankfurt has been a "great success".

Managing Director Jan Verheijen said the exhibition had been "our busiest ever, with a lot of enquiries about the P100 Protruss, as well as the rest of our product portfolio. We'll definitely be back next year and expect to be busier than ever."

Fellow director Frank Claessens noted that "visitor footfall was well up from last year and we spent a lot of time talking about our automated manufacturing, which basically benefits customers through extremely short lead times, even for complex custom-designed trussing projects."

P100 Protruss is a heavy duty truss for the most demanding applications. The P100 has undergone a battery of tests and stress analysis, i

UAE - The technical and administrative members of staff of Unusual Rigging & Engineering have moved to new offices in the European Business Centre at Dubai Investments Park.

Prior to the move, all staff were located at the company's warehouse facility, but with a 100% increase in staff over the past 12 months, the move ensures not just capacity for existing office staff, but also provides room for further growth.

The subsequent increase in warehouse space allows for increased stock holding of Prolyte truss and Liftket chain hoists, as well as easier test builds of rigs and equipment testing.

The postal address of Unusual Rigging and Engineering LLC remains PO Box 283586, Dubai, UAE; telephone remains +971 (0)4 885 9009, fax changes to +971 (0)4 813 5145.

(Jim Evans)

UAE - The technical and administrative members of staff of Unusual Rigging & Engineering have moved to new offices in the European Business Centre at Dubai Investments Park. Prior to the move, all staff were located at the company's warehouse facility, but with a 100% increase in staff over the past 12 months, the move ensures not just capacity for existing office staff, but also provides room for further growth, the company says.

The subsequent increase in warehouse space allows for increased stockholding of Prolyte truss and Liftket chain hoists, as well as easier test builds of rigs and equipment testing.

The postal address of Unusual Rigging and Engineering LLC remains PO Box 283586, Dubai, UAE; telephone remains +971 (0)4 885 9009, fax changes to +971 (0)4 813 5145; email alan.thomson@unusual.co.uk.

(Lee Baldock)

Germany - Last week's ProLight+Sound show was the busiest ever for Doughty Engineering, reports sales director Julian Chiverton. "It was the first time we'd had our own, rather than a shared, stand and the response was tremendous. We were incredibly busy the whole exhibition, with visitors from as far afield as Japan and Russia, and a lot of new contacts to follow up."

Doughty also reports that a lot of interest was shown in its new Baby Quick Trigger clamp. Intended for use on smaller truss sizes, this clamp is adjustable to diameters from 25mm up to 38mm and will be on show for the first time in the UK at PLASA Focus Leeds.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Backstage Academy has launched a range of short courses for Spring 2012. Based at the LS-Live rehearsal studios in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, the Academy benefits from its links to some of the world's leading productions and production personnel, tailoring courses to suit the evolving demands of the sector. Courses take place in its training centre and Apple Authorised Training Suite, adjacent to the studio where the likes of Kylie, Dizzee Rascal, P!nk, Robbie Williams, Lady Gaga and Tinie Tempah have all rehearsed.

The courses cover a range of backstage skills, from rigging and stage pyrotechnics, to the SPA Event Safety Passport (which everyone working on site at the Olympics must have this year) and Apple based technologies like Pro Tools and Final Cut for audio and video editing.

COO Robin Watkinson said, "Britain is going to host many exciting events this summer

UK - PLASA Focus Leeds will be the launching point for several new in-house developments from ShowTex.

The Acoustic Baffle from ShowTex proves ecology and noise level control can go hand in hand. The new acoustic fabric panels are made from 100% recycled material compressed together to optimize sound conditions. The Acoustic Baffle comes in two sizes and can be installed modularly for extra flexibility. By combining the two standard formats, nearly any height or area can be covered. The Acoustic Baffle can be installed as a ceiling lining or around curves and corners. Custom formats and /or colours are available by request. The panels are finished off with Velcro for connecting together easily and can be used for temporary and fixed installations.

Another development is the TMC 1000 track motor. A compact version of the ShowTex TMC track motor; it's designed for smaller theatr

USA - Flightcase and loudspeaker solutions specialist Penn-Elcom continued its support of the Breast Cancer Awareness fundraising initiative started by Janal Cases - a Case for the Cure - at the NAMM 2012 trade convention in Anaheim, southern California.

Janal cases - a long term and highly valued Penn Elcom customer - raised over $1150.00 with special signed T-shirts.

The Case For The Cure T-Shirts were signed on the Penn Elcom booth at NAMM by a selection of stars who were lined up by Janal Cases, including legendary funk bassist Bootsy Collins, Kelly Hansen of rockers Foreigner, drum addict Ya'el Biz, pop-rock band Hero's Last Mission and Canadian alternative actress and performer Molly Parker.

For a two hour slot on the second day of the exhibition, these T's were available from the stand for a donation to the Case for the Cure campaign of $10.00 .

A crew of Janal Case

USA - Following the outstanding response from Le Mark's recent LDI exhibition, export manager Matt Every returned to even more success on his follow up visit to the States this month. Set to gain eight new distributors in the little over two months with more imminently expected, the US is a rapidly growing market for Le Mark's export team.

"From first stop at the Total Structures training and event day in L.A. through to the final visit in NYC, the welcome I received was far beyond my expectations," says Le Mark's Matt Every. "All our distributors have been working so effectively to promote our range and have provided excellent feedback for our US research and development team.

"The combination of LDI and my return visit has created a huge leap in our attempts to make Le Mark Group and our range of products better known in the US. It's been our Dirty Rigger

UK - Tait Technologies has appointed two new members to its team at its UK office. Todd Vernon joins as project manager, after working for the last seven years as a lighting technician and rigger in both Australia and the UK. He has also worked as a video QC engineer for VER in Amsterdam. 2011 saw Todd working with the Tait Technologies team on the Doha Games project.

Also joining the company is new marketing manager for the UK, Kerryanne Nelson. Kerryanne will manage branding, communications and public relations for the group, as well as developing new marketing touch points for business development. Kerryanne is a New Zealander who moved from Auckland to London in 2011 and has previously worked in various marketing communication and event management roles for the likes of Expedia UK, MTV Networks and the Warner Music Group.

Tait Technologies was formed in 2010 by a collabora

UK - HHB Communications has announced the release of the new Mogami 3306 Ethernet cable drums, specifically designed for the most demanding mobile applications.

Available in 25, 50 and 100m lengths, the new Mogami Ethernet cable is flexible enough to lay flat on a floor, yet rugged enough for reliable performance, even with the frequent set ups needed in live sound and commercial venues. And it fully complies with TIA/EIA-568B Category 5e termination standards and performance characteristics.

The Mogami Ethernet cable is not a standard Cat 5e cable with a heavy-duty jacket; it is meticulously constructed to ensure that its four twisted pairs remain separated from each other, which helps to ensure consistent data rates, even under extreme conditions. Its durable construction also means that it can withstand being run over by a truck without loss of bandwidth, says HHB. Supplied

UK - Tower Productions have just completed supplying a package of synchronised generation and electrical distribution to the National Lottery Olympic Park run and Gold Challenges, the first ever events held at the new Olympic stadium.

Tower's James Mitchelmore managed the installation of eight machines around the stadium, including three 100kvas synched together for mission critical supplies. "It was a fascinating experience and great privilege to be involved with this auspicious event and be the first event power supplier to complete an event in the stadium," says Tim Shaw.

(Jim Evans)

UK - On 28 March 2012, Stage Electrics hosted the Association of Stage Pyrotechnicians 200th training course.

The one day Pyrotechnic Safety Awareness course was presented by well-known industry trainer Lincoln Parkhouse and took place at the Crescent Theatre, Birmingham. The course takes participants through practical hands on training sessions on the safe use and identification of pyrotechnics and their effects.

Twenty four delegates enjoyed the one day training event and were all presented with a certificate confirming their membership to the Association of Stage Pyrotechnicians and completion of the training course.

Hannah Parkinson who attended the course from the Redgrave Theatre, Bristol said, "The day gave me a good all round experience and knowledge and we'll all be safer in our workplace after being on this training."

"Stage Electrics sell a lot of

USA - J.R. Clancy was honoured at USITT's 2012 Annual Conference in Long Beach, CA, with the USITT Award for a lifetime of contributions to the performing arts. J. R. Clancy president Mike Murphy received the award on behalf of the company.

The USITT Award recognises a lifetime of distinguished contribution to the performing arts or entertainment communities in any capacity. The nomination notes that, in the case of J.R. Clancy, "the USITT Award recognises not just a lifetime but several generations of distinguished contributions to the performing arts and entertainment community".

The award nomination continues, "During this period, they have generously and willingly supported the Institute in many of its endeavours.... Their most recent support came in the way of funding for an initiative to enable secondary schools throughout the country to have their rigging

UK - Hall Stage will be exhibiting at PLASA Focus: Leeds 2012 with the innovative Chaindrive system for T60 & T70 track systems amongst the products on show. This new system enables heavy curtain motorisation through tight & complex curves, even in 'rearfold' format - without the need for additional & expensive 'off-stage' storage space.

Also on the stand will be samples of Skydeck wire grid floor systems (Hall Stage has recently completed a 1,200 square metre Skydeck installation in the UK) and the acoustically tested and analysed range of acouStac acoustic banners and rollers.

(Claire Beeson)

UK - Creative & Cultural Skills, Arts Council England, and Nesta have joined forces to commission new, independent research into the influence of the subsidised theatre on commercial theatre, with a view to gaining a greater understanding of the role of public investment in the arts.

The survey will track the careers of people in the industry, and the talent that has emerged from it, in order to better understand the impact that public investment in the theatre sector makes.

The aim is to collect the views of a range of theatre professionals currently or previously working in the sector, as well as those who have aspired to do so, on how their careers have developed. The wider the range of participants, the more valuable the research will be, and the more we will know about the success story of British Theatre.

TBR and BOP Consulting, who developed the survey, will also unde

UK - Creative & Cultural Skills, Arts Council England, and Nesta have joined forces to commission new, independent research into the influence of the subsidised theatre on commercial theatre, with a view to gaining a greater understanding of the role of public investment in the arts.

The survey will track the careers of people in the industry, and the talent that has emerged from it, in order to better understand the impact that public investment in the theatre sector makes.

The aim is to collect the views of a range of theatre professionals currently or previously working in the sector, as well as those who have aspired to do so, on how their careers have developed. The wider the range of participants, the more valuable the research will be, and the more we will know about the success story of British Theatre.

TBR and BOP Consulting, who developed the survey, will also unde

Germany - Flightcase manufacturer 5 Star Cases enjoyed its busiest Prolight+Sound exhibition to date in Frankfurt, where the company showcased its latest custom designs and innovations, together with a selection of standard and classic 5 Star case ranges.

UK based 5 Star displayed another flagship VJ console, kitted out with top of the range Pioneer equipment in the form of two DVJ1000 media players hooked up to an SVM1000 AV mixer. 5 Star created two 10.4" TFT monitors in bespoke housings to match the console's CNC machined internal housing.

The two DVJs were angled to the same pitch as the SVM for flexibility and ease of operation. The system also included twin VESA type mounting arms and poles, which fitted into the rear of the main frame.

All this was then built into one of 5 Star's 'Heavy Industrial' specification flight cases - a top-of-the-range product that is r

UK - Designed with feedback from Dirty Rigger's Facebook and international research campaign, the Dirty Rigger development team has just launched the new Comfort Fit workman's glove.

Now offering added durability, the gloves feature a new and improved double synthetic-leather layer, increasing resistance to wear and abrasion whilst retaining outstanding levels of dexterity.

The gloves also retain Dirty Rigger's heavy duty nylon double stitching. Offering all Dirty Rigger users an even more comfortable and reliable form of work wear than ever before, the Comfort Fit range is set to fully replace the 'Original' range later in the year, says the company.

Dirty Rigger product manager Steve Marshall says, "We always get great feedback from our distributors and excellent ideas & suggestions from our social media followers. This sort of information is invaluable, working with

Germany - Milos continued its busy schedule of trade fairs and exhibitions, enjoying a very busy and successful Prolight+Sound Exhibition in Frankfurt.

The company showed many new and innovative products, together with the most popular elements of its extensive standard ranges.

Products highlighted included x.Truss, the MT05 tower system, OV50 ramps, crowd barriers, staging and roofing systems, the T12 modular connection system and a water tank.

The x.Truss attracted much interest. This is a series of very useful and flexible connectors and mounting devices that interface with MILOS popular QuickTruss systems and suited to exhibitions, conferences and trade show applications. The x.Truss extras allow for the mounting of a diverse selection of materials both vertically and horizontally onto the trussing spans, visibly or invisible, quickly and effectively.

The new light loa

UK - PLASA focus Leeds will see pioneering rigging designers Rope Assemblies launch a new super lightweight 'Lighting Ladder' aimed at riggers and lighting teams working in venues and on tour.

Distributed by White Light in London and Black Light in Edinburgh, the Lighting Ladder provides a much-needed flexible, space-saving and rugged rigging solution for lighting. Lightweight and extremely strong the Lighting Ladder comprises black, galvanised rope wire and 50mm aluminium rungs, which can be fixed into place at evenly spaced end stops. In addition the Lighting Ladder has been independently tested for weight loading.

"The success of the Lighting Ladder design is in its simplicity," says Siobhan Hitchen of Rope Assemblies. "It's quick to unpack and assemble. In addition the Lighting Ladder's robust versatility ensures it can be used time and time again and in a v

Germany - At precisely 4pm on Thursday 22 March, in front of a comprehensive collection of the press, a celebratory photo of the MDG team was emailed from the MDG headquarters in Canada to Heinz and Sabine Siller of cast C. Adolph & RST Distribution as they stood on the MDG stand at Prolight+Sound.

The photo showed the staff holding an Inukshuk, a Canadian monument made of unworked stones which represents the energy of stone in a human image, traditionally used by the Inuit for communication and survival. The message read: "MDG is proud and honoured to offer this Inukshuk to cast C. Adolph & RST Distribution for our 20 years of partnership and many more to come!"

That same Inukshuk, having been transported in hand-luggage from Montreal to Frankfurt, was then presented on the stand to Heinz Siller by MDG's Martin Michaud. Michaud explained that, "In modern times,

UK - PLASA Focus will see the introduction of two new products from Doughty Engineering, Stand S-C25.

Being previewed at PLASA Focus is the BetaBar, a bar mounted dimmer unit which integrates Zero 88's Betapack into an internally wired bar (IWB) format and offers up to six channels with DMX control. The result of collaboration with Zero 88, the BetaBar may be specified as an option on custom or standard IWBs and will be ready for shipping in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Also being seen for the first time in the UK is the Baby Quick Trigger clamp. Complementing Doughty's Quick Trigger range of clamps, the Baby Quick Trigger clamp is intended for use on smaller truss sizes and is adjustable to diameters from 25mm up to 38mm. With TUV approval pending, the Baby Quick Trigger clamp will be available in polished aluminium or satin black.

(Jim Evans)

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