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Blackout Expands Rigging Division
Drapes and rigging specialist Blackout has recently expanded its rigging operation by investing in large quantities of James Thomas SuperLite and SuperTruss. This enhances Blackout’s ability to offer a variety of rigging solutions across the live production industry, and complements their drapes installation division. The new rigging operation is headed by Ken Nock.
Recently appointed by live brand communications agency Pci:Live, Blackout played a pivotal role in realising the colossal set for Microsoft’s TechEd 2004 Europe. This is the definitive Microsoft conference for building, deploying, securing, and managing connected solutions and the largest conference and exhibition of its kind in Europe.
Over 7,700 IT professionals and Microsoft developers attended the 4-day event to up-date their knowledge of the latest integrated solutions from the world’s largest software developer.
Collaborating with Pci:Live’s Project Director, Myra Collingridge and Lead Production Manager, Aine McElwee, Blackout’s Project Manager, Ken Nock, deployed over two kilometres of the Thomas trussing, plus kilometres of black drape to transform the RAI Centre in Amsterdam into a practical and functional environment for this high profile event.
To provide the supporting infrastructure, trussing was flown by Blackout team in five huge exhibition halls, using 250 electrically operated hoists to create nine of individual session rooms in addition to the main Keynote and Party areas.
This supported a myriad of lighting fixtures supplied by Essential Lighting for a scheme designed by Gary Collins. Additionally, the trussing carried a host of projection equipment supplied by Blitz Vision, the weighty V-DOSC sound rigs supplied by Delta Sound and a variety of large set elements supplied by Bicknells.
Blackout also installed hundreds of metres of catenaries, required to support the vast area of draping needed to create and sound proof the session rooms.
As part of the Keynote build, Blackout’s team flew three large projection platforms – each measuring 5m x 3m to support the massive projectors. This proved invaluable to the AV crew as they were able to set up at ground level. The platforms were then raised by Blackout to the required height before adding support legs for increased stability. This process not only saved time and manpower, but promoted safer operations.
The main set element for the Keynote area, measuring 50 metres long by 11 metres high and weighed 3,500 Kg. It included the three large projection screens and was also flown into its final position by the Blackout team.
An integral part of the rigging design was the installation of a number of spreader beams in both the Keynote and the Party areas within the venue’s steelwork. These allowed the weight of the V-DOSC systems (1750 Kg and 1,200 Kg respectively) to be distributed across a larger area, in line with the venue’s weight restrictions.
12th August 2004
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