The HSE announce that CDM Regulations will be enforced for the events and entertainment industry from April 2015.

To date the current CDM legislation  has not included the events and entertainment industry as it has been specifically structured to apply to construction sites only. However for the last few months the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) have advised that from April 2015  the new version of the CDM regulations will now apply to the events industry, it comes as part of an overall simplification of the regulations and to conform with European law.

What are CDM Regulations?

CDM regulations created in April 2007 for the construction industry in a bid to cut the disproportionately high level of fatalities and major injuries when compared with other industries. The discussions to enforce this in the events sector started 12 months ago due to the HSE’s increased interest in events following their  successful management of the 2012 Olympic Games and their newly appointed position as the regulatory authority for Temporary Demountable Structures, previously managed by the local authorities.

How will CDM Regulations affect Losberger?

It comes as no surprise to us that this regulation will now be enforced in the events industry. When considering the sheer scale, diversity and quantity of temporary event structures on the market that are built each year with little or no enforcing regulations (just industry guidelines, which we know are only followed by a handful) we completely support this new legislation, for us it means those that have the associated costs with carrying out construction work safely and properly have a fair chance when competing against those who are inevitably cheaper by cutting corners.  Losberger strictly follow the guidelines set out in BSEN 13782:2005; whilst currently not a legal requirement it is an industry standard with guidelines designed to be followed in full by temporary structure manufacturers and suppliers ensuring the safety of employees, the public and others at an event who could be affected by the construction and use of a Temporary Structures over 50m2.

“Losberger are more than ready for the changes” Nick Edwards MD Losberger 

What does CDM Regulations mean for the events industry?

The events industry have voiced concerns that the new regulations could be costly and a inconvenience  for those businesses who manage small scale, low risk building work, who currently manage  well  through compliance with the Health and Safety at Work  Act 1974, The Work at Height 2005 and other similar regulations. CDM regulations will inevitably mean more training, more investments and educating event organisers, but surely this can only be a good thing? The new regulations will not only mean changes for those building the event structures it will also apply to how sites are managed and how events are run, affecting most aspects of the event industry. This could prove difficult for event organisers, it might mean that temporary structure suppliers move into more of an event management role to deal with the construction site safety issues.

The HSE realise that this will be a big learning curve across a broad spectrum of event types and event professionals that will affect the biggest and smallest of players from huge music events to wedding marquees. The good news is that they have stated the industry will be consulted with regards to helping put that guidance together, on a kind of learn as we go process. It’s also comforting to know that event experts will have a practical input into the legislation and it won’t all be down to safety professionals who may not necessarily understand the challenges event construction workers face on a day to day basis.

 

 

 

Losberger UK Win ‘Best Temporary Structures’ at the Inaugural Festival Suppliers Awards 2014

Losberger UK were delighted to be awarded ‘best temporary structures’ at the Festival supplier awards last week, described by the judges as “fantastic quality in every detail of these structures”. The Awards are designed to recognise the best suppliers to the fast growing festival industry. The inaugural Festival Supplier Awards showcased the companies and individuals that help to create the UK’s most well-loved festivals.

The event hosted by comedian Andrew Ryan was organised by A.M.P. Events, more than 350 guests from the festival and event industry attended the awards at Newbury Showground, following the first day of the Showman’s Show. A total of 26 awards were presented at the event with categories honouring all aspects of festival production from temporary structures to safety barriers and catering.

To enter the awards companies were asked to submit a relevant up to date case study with supporting images, videos and client testimonials. The case study needed to clearly demonstrate the impact of their products and services supplied to the festival and how they worked with the organiser to deliver solutions to suit the festival’s needs. Entrants also had to demonstrate why the festival organiser chose them, what special features distinguish their products and services from their competitors and what new services or initiatives they have developed or launched in the last 3 years.

Losbergers chosen case study was the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Each summer over 200,000 people flock to the immaculate grounds of The Goodwood House to enjoy this unique automotive festival. Losberger are Goodwood Events preferred contractor, providing over 20 separate structures for Goodwood and a variety of other clients such as, Renault, TAG Heuer, Mercedes Benz, and BMW & Mini in various shapes and sizes including 4 luxury hospitality pavilions.

Losberger are chosen year on year because of their outstanding commitment to quality, impeccable health and safety standards, excellent services, on site professionalism and fantastic working relationship with the Goodwood Events team.  Each year Losberger up their game with something new and innovative! Providing new ideas, solutions and products for their various clients.

Losbergers project management team members, Laura Hutchinson and Matthew Bartlett accepted this fantastic award on behalf of the whole team. We would like to thank the organisers and the judges for our award.

Congratulations to all the 2014 Winners!

Best Temporary Structure
Losberger UK Ltd

Best Staging
No-nonsense (Group) Ltd

Best Admission Control
Intelligent Venue Solutions

Best Temporary Roadway / Walkway
LION Trackhire

Best Fencing / Hoarding
Eve

Best Crowd / Pit Barrier
Eve

Best Crew / Artist Catering
Eat to the Beat

Best Crewing Company
Diamond Event Services

Best Concession / Bar
Creative

Best Event Branding
Newsubstance

Best Toilets

Qdos Event Hire

Best Temporary Water Supply
Watermills Events Ltd

Best Crowd Management
Showsec International Ltd

Best Festival Production Team
EnTEEtainment Ltd

Best Lighting
Hawthorn

Best Sound
SSE Audio Group

Best Power
Power Logistics

Best Festival Support Service
Event LED Signs

Rising Star
Frankie Tee

Green Festival Supplier Award
Midas UK

The judges

Nic Howden, a journalist with 12 years’ experience covering UK/Europe’s largest festivals

Hannah Farnham, Live Nation’s head of production and events (UK)

Dan Craig, head of ops at Loudsound, event director for Field Day, Ops director at Barclaycard Presents British Summer Time.

Lee House – Senior Event Officer for Coventry City Council.

Colin Rodger, Head of Event Management at DF Concerts & Events

Zac Fox, Head of operations, Kilimanjaro Live

Jon Drape, managing director, Ground Control UK
Headline sponsor

 

 

Not all event organisers think to check the credentials of their temporary structure suppliers, merely requesting risk assessments & method statements does not ensure a company’s compliance with all current safety legislation, safety can be taken for granted as if it should be part and parcel of a contractual agreement.

Follow our 6 top safety tips on hiring an event tent

1) Check your supplier meets current industry guidelines

Obvious right? Not all organisers will know the current legislation, its important to familiarise yourself so you can ask the right questions. Current industry guidelines include the Temporary Demount-able Structures Guidance on Design, Procurement and Use (March 1999) For more information visit, https://www.hse.gov.uk/event-safety/temporary-demountable-structures.htm

More importantly BSEN13782 the European standard which specifies safety requirements needing to be observed when taking into consideration the design, calculations, manufacture, installation, maintenance, operation, examination and testing of mobile, temporary installed tents of more than 50m² ground area. We want customers to know our prices will reflect not only the cost of hiring or  buying first class equipment but also first class safety. Every structure we build is handed over with an independent structural engineers report conforming to BSEN13782.                                           

2) Make sure the quote includes everything.

No one likes nasty surprises! When getting an initial quote make sure all aspects of the build and de-rig have been taking into consideration. You will find a lot of suppliers will just give you a standard quote based on ‘perfect’ site conditions i.e. a flat grass site, with great access.  These quotes are not based on a site specifics and will not take into consideration any special anchoring requirements, extra packing, scaffolding, plant equipment or extra man hours.  These standard quotes often leave out essentials like ramps, doors, and perimeter skirts and leveling all items that are required to make the structure safe, secure and presentable.  Losberger consider all aspects of a job when sending out  an initial quote, if we cannot complete a site survey before sending a quote we will advise of the extra things you need to consider, offering estimates where possible. We don’t believe in hidden costs, all extras will be agreed prior to completing the work.

3) It’s cheaper for a reason

Is the equipment your being offered right for the event? Low specification equipment, with smaller profile frames may well suffice for a intimate back garden or private functions but for larger events only professional equipment ensures the quality and safety of your event. All Losberger temporary structures are manufactured in house using the latest CNC laser technology each designed by our own team of highly qualified structural engineers. Every temporary structure range has its own set of static calculations and are manufactured to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

4) How well cared for is the equipment.

In order for temporary event structures to maintain their structural integrity and appearance the equipment needs to be cleaned, maintained & renewed regularly; shiny photos on websites and in brochures can be deceiving, they will not guarantee when your equipment  arrives it’s been stored, maintained and cleaned correctly. Losberger equipment is meticulously cleaned, inspected and renewed regularly, its stored in the correct environments and packaged appropriately for transportation to and from site.

5) On site professionalism

If the crew assembling your structure look and act professional you can probably assume the equipment they are installing is built correctly too. Check the crew are wearing the appropriate PPE, do they have a site manager in charge? Do they hold the correct licences to operate plant and machinery? Has the site been secured and cordoned off suitably to protect staff and the public? Have you been given a full site specific risk assessment and method statement? Losberger in line with current temporary structure regulations we will complete a full site survey before work commences on any site, the client will then be issued with a site specific Risk Assessment and full Method Statement, along with a copy of our Health and Safety Policy. All our temporary structures are built in accordance with the engineers assembly guidelines, all crew members are formally trained in house on the correct installation and dismantling of each unit that’s why we are trusted to work in some of London’s busiest and most treasured Grade 1 listed sites including Somerset House.

6) on an official handover

Check and double check your structure; where possible seek advice from a H&S professional. Check the structure for defects and distortions, has it been built correctly? Most importantly does it have the correct bracing and anchoring? Ask the site manager to show you where the appropriate exits are; ensure these are the correct type and number of exits and that they include ramps, handrails or steps where necessary, do these exits follow DDA regulations? Discuss an evacuation plan and what the correct procedures are during extreme weather conditions. Insist on an official handover document where both parties can sign over the structure/structures ready for use. Finally ensure you are given the relevant fire certificates, wind loading certificates, insurances and  a site specific independent engineer’s report  for BSEN 13782.

 

 

 

 

Octink chooses Losberger to create future-friendly modular marketing suites. 

Utilising exciting new products from the group’s latest acquisition; Graeff modular buildings,  Losberger UK together with partners Octink have supplied a brand new future-friendly modular marketing suite for Sherrygreen Homes and A2Dominion; both leading house builders and regeneration specialists. This brand new marketing suite sits at the heart of a stylish new collection of one and two bedroom apartments besides  London’s scenic River Lea.

As one of the UK’s leading designers and marketing suite developers, Octink selected Losberger to supply 2no 6m x 2.5m  3001 plus room modules to create the building envelope incorporating office, kitchen and WC facilities. Octink then managed specialist trades to install the kitchen, floor, room partitioning, stretched fabric ceilings, electrics and low energy lighting. The exterior of the modular building was prepped by Losberger with a wooden hoarding ready for Octink to add their impressive facia and branding panels, while inside Octink dressed the walls with large format printed wall coverings and graphic panels to complement their complete interior design and furniture scheme.

Why choose modular marketing suites?

Modular construction is booming and its uses vary considerably from events and temporary applications to high-rise apartments, student accommodation, warehousing, hotels, hospitals, offices, marketing suites and retail. Modular construction used to be conceived as the ugly duckling of construction however today over 98% of contractors, architects and of engineers use pre-fab modular construction methods. Unlike conventional buildings modular construction is on average 30% quicker to install.

Future friendly modular construction; offsite construction combined with recycled materials,  improved thermal values,  reduced build times, less on site vehicles and a significant reduction in noise pollution demonstrates how modular construction products are both economical and future-friendly,  ideal for both long and short term applications.

Shopfitting interiors; Losberger are branching out!

Our specialist shop fit joiners have enjoyed great success over the past years completing superb interior installations for our high end events, impressed with these installations clients are now employing us to complete specialist joinery & shopfitting for full and partial fit outs of new premises, refurbishments and extensions.

Losberger awarded luxury boutique shopfitting contract

We have recently been awarded the contract to do a complete shop refurbish including back of house, office & kitchen inside a luxury Jewelry manufacturers boutique, we are also designing a new style of display cabinet.

Here is a  3D shopfitting render done by our in house designers. 

Installations starts this week!

 

Losberger Event Tents at the World Cup

From June 12^th to July 13^th, the organisers of the FIFA World Cup 2014 relied on MVD Losberger for the construction of the temporary structures. Losberger event tents were an important part of the infrastructure at several FIFA locations.

The event tents from Losberger were provided during the Soccer World Cup in Brazil primarily for use as organizational, press and meeting areas as well as for the logistics center and “Fan Miles”. Particularly in the stadium locations of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Curitiba, tents from the globally active group of companies were chosen. In the course of this, the diverse experience in providing equipment for large events was one of the main reasons that lead to the choice of Losberger and its subsidiaries as the official tent provider in Brazil.

They were particularly proud of the temporary construction of the FIFA Head Office and Press Center directly at the Forte de Copacabana, originally a military installation that today houses the Historical Museum of the Brazilian army. From there was a fantastic view of the four kilometer long sand beach, the sugarloaf and the surf of the Atlantic Ocean. The tent hall from the series Maxiflex Arcum was situated in the immediate vicinity of the FIFA Open Media Center; it was 30 m wide and 80 m long and was erected on a special framework construction, which equally served as a useable ground floor. Both levels covered an area of approx. 25,833 square feet and offered room for employees and organizational offices, press rooms and conference rooms.

A further highlight was the temporary transmission rooms and TV studios, which were built for the television production company Host Broadcast Services ( HBS). In the immediate vicinity of the FIFA headquarters and above the Avenida Atlantica, Rio’s most famous beach promenade at the Copacabana, the two-story building easily offered enough room for nine studios, such as Al Jazira, BBC or CNN.

Losberger event tents were situated on the area that was used for the historical horseracing track “Hipodromo de Gávea Jockey Club do Rio“, in the south of Rio de Janeiro. The oval inner area of the racetrack was home to the official “World Cup Park” during the FIFA World Cup. There, sponsors, countries and different institutions presented themselves. In the Losberger tents erected in the “Park” over an area of approx. 32,291 square feet, there were fan merchandise shops, different restaurants and lounge clubs with an extensive range of offers. The perfect mixture for all fans who followed the broadcasted games from there in a shirt from their favorite team and well provided for.

During the tournament in Brazil, “Fan Miles” and the associated Public Viewing were again an integral part of the framework program. Each of the 12 FIFA World Cup venues hosted its own official “Fan Fest”, which enabled fans from all around the world to follow their team’s games regardless of the venue and in a real World Cup atmosphere.

In particular, the Fan Fest in Rio de Janeiro, which was situated right on the Copacabana beach, was worth a visit if nothing else, just because of its location. For this purpose, Losberger constructed an approx. 10,763 square foot tent landscape as a VIP area directly on the beach. Thus, both German as well as all other soccer fans could celebrate the fourth star of the national soccer team together at the final match.

 

Modular Building, the first of many for Losberger UK

In 2012 The Losberger Group acquired the  assets of  GRAEFF Container and Hallenbau GmbH to further strengthen its position in the market for temporary space solutions. Since then Graeff have continued to show success and strength as a market leader within its field. Recently Losberger UK employed Simon Pauffley former MD of Northampton based Mobile Technik  to develop an exciting new domestic market for modular construction.

We are pleased to announce our first UK project using GRAEFF products, working with our partners Airport Capacity Solutions, Heathrow Airport employed us to build a 2 storey office facility. Work commenced last week on the 2 storey office complex within the logistics centre of the airport. The complex includes, ladies, gents & disabled WC’s plus shower facility and offices, the building consists of 12 modular buildings 6m x 2.4m joined together and double stacked with an internal staircases.

“In less than one month from concept to installation Losberger UK in conjunction with our airport partner ACS delivered and installed 24 refurbished cabins to LHR logistics centre, all delivered on time well within the agreed schedule” Nick Edwards MD Losberger

 

The Rising Popularity of Modular Building

Modular building is booming and its uses vary considerably from events and temporary applications to high-rise apartments, student accommodation, industry, hotels, hospitals, offices and retail. Modular construction used to be conceived as the ugly duckling of construction however today over 98% of contractors, architects and of engineers use pre fab modular construction methods!

Why choose modular Building?

lead times –  Unlike conventional buildings modular construction foundations and the buildings can be done at the same time, along with the pre-fabrication done in the factory modular building is on average 30% quicker to install.

Time lapse modular event construction 

Time Lapse Industrial Modular Building

Time Lapse Retail Modular Building

Return on investment – The quicker you’re up and running the sooner your business is making money. The construction and logistics cost are also considerably lower, reducing your initial outlay.

Increased cost savings – Modular building can cut costs by 20-30%. A shorter build time saves money on overall construction. Labour costs are less, as prefab construction uses more factory workers and less skilled  tradesmen like plumbers and electricians.

Green – Modular building is energy efficient, improved thermal values, materials and layouts means that these buildings cost less to run and are future friendly. Most materials are produced in the factory meaning fewer vehicles on site reducing air and noise pollution. Off-site modular manufacturing also reduces waste plus prefab construction materials are easier to recycle.

About GRAEFF modular building

GRAEFF Container und Hallenbau GmbH develops containers and steel halls from prefabricated components to be used in various applications for events, trade, retail and industry facilities. GRAEFFs headquarters are in Mannheim, Germany, since its founding fifty years ago. GRAEFF has national sales offices in all major economic regions of Germany as well as at international locations that ensure appropriate sales consulting and immediate support for its customers. www.graeff-gmbh.de

Trump that!

Losbergers unsung hero of London Fashion Week!

The last person you would expect to see feature in the new Autumn Winter ELLE Collections magazine has got to be our MD Nick Edwards (considering most of his wardrobe consists of Losberger branded Polo shirts) Any how we would like to congratulate Nick on being nominated as one of London Fashion Weeks unsung heroes, the feature in the Autumn Winter print magazine has been laid out like the popular top trumps games. Nick has a list of stats on his card including a super power of his choice, we are proud to say he is also the only man nominated in the feature! We would like to thank Emma Campbell at the BFC for the nomination and for recognising Nick’s hard work over the years along with the rest of the Losberger team. Congratulations to the all the other nominees too Alice Ratcliffe, Charlotte Lurot, Emily Burrell, Sue Park and Natascia Chiavarini. 

Elle Collections is on sale now: the biannual magazine focuses solely on each season’s catwalk shows, it’s the ultimate fashion-lover’s guide to autumn/winter 2014. ‪

The Perils of counterfeit marquees

The manufacture of fakes is widespread and it is not just Calvin Klein underwear and Louis Vuitton bags its anything from iPhone’s to mechanical diggers, no technology is immune from lawless and dangerous copies. Defending what’s yours can be tough! But this example might make people think twice about so called ‘bargain copies’ To protect our ability to create world-class ideas in the future, we must make sure that we warn people about the perils of cheap copies.

A potential Losberger customer was tempted away from our genuine products by the promise of cheap prices for counterfeit marquees; a copy of our uniflex range. From face value the product mimics the genuine Losberger uniflex structure with the same look, connection parts and signature gusset plates etc. The customer proudly proclaimed that it was designed in Germany then copied in the Far East; he went onto say that he purchased the equipment for 50% less than if he purchased it from Europe.

Counterfeit Marquees endanger lives

After the product was built for the first time it was checked by local engineers, the results were quite astonishing; yet not surprising! The product was deemed completely unsafe and did not meet the wind and snow loads required for that country. As a result the structure had to undergo major re-enforcement and an excessive amount of bracing was needed in every single bay. The unconfirmed eventual cost to the customer was over 150,000.00 Euros. So the cheap copy was a complete false economy! Lesson learnt?…well maybe, but that sale has already been lost, the customers reputation damaged and a huge amount of money wasted, not to mention lives and livelihoods put at risk.

Extra bracing required after engineers check to make the product safe and stable

New products and ideas are fair game to unscrupulous manufacturers and defending them is relentless, the copycat culture is rife and stopping the culprits is almost impossible! Buying a counterfeit product may seem financially beneficial and perfectly innocent with a sense of getting one over on the higher cost alternatives – but it damages the firms that invest in the research and development, and slows the progress of new ideas.

While we might not be able to compete in large-scale cheap manufacturing of counterfeit marquees, Losberger can still rival rogue manufacturers when it comes to engineering new, breakthrough technology. It is this breakthrough technology that will keep us economically sound, our research and development is undertaken in the knowledge that the idea is ours and we will be rewarded for its success, but it is also extremely expensive, risky and labour-intensive and it’s only the support of our customers that will make honest manufacturing prevail.

Pop up stores; Elle Fashion Cupboard, Lovebox Festival

Last weekend London’s Victoria Park, Tower Hamlets was once again home to the Lovebox Festival. This was a 2 day celebration of the best British and international music talent. Our customer Blonstein created pop up stores for their client Elle, using two Losberger Cyclone event structures, complete with exterior cladding facades for branding. The ELLE fashion cupboard; as its named is usually housed within Elle’s headquarters, any fashion items that feature in the magazine will pass through this creative space. This year for the first time ever the Elle Fashion Cupboard ventured outside of their HQ to the LoveBox festival to let all fashion lovers be a part of it. Festival goers were welcome to pop along for a make-over with beauty giants Rimmel, have a manicure and meet the Elle team.

Pop up stores in event tents.

Temporary retail, pop-up stores, pop-up shops or experiential marketing; whether retailers are launching a new product, sponsoring an event or reaching out to new audiences. Pop up shops are taking over the way people market a brand, retailers are changing; moving from traditional bricks and mortar to pop up shops, enabling them to get right to their target markets at the right time and in the right places.

#ELLEFASHIONCUPBOARD

#RIMMELROCKSLOVEBOX