Live Technologies, Inc. is hosting the 2008 Harry Donovan Rigging Seminar February 11–15. Harry Donovan is perhaps one of the most widely known professional riggers in the country. His 22-year touring career has provided him an impressive resume, working with such names as Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, Johnny Cash, Aerosmith, Elton John, and the Eagles, just to name a few.
Donovan’s education in engineering and theatre and extensive experience enabled him to write his self-published book Entertainment Rigging to explain his method of calculating forces and geometry for working riggers. He also developed a software program called RigRight 1.0, in which length and forces are calculated to aid in design and management of suspended systems. The success of his methods speaks for itself, having hung over 200,000 points in his career with an accident-free record.
More recently, Donovan has continued to work as a consultant and designer for architects and engineers. Founder and president of the Seattle, Washington-based Donovan Rigging, Inc., and Rigging Seminars, Harry teaches intensive rigging seminars for the public and corporations around the country. Live Technologies scheduled the seminar in the interest of expanding and reinforcing their associates’ knowledge of rigging techniques and theories
An invitation to participate has been extended to outside organizations and individuals in addition to the engineers and technicians within Live Technologies. Director of operations for the Rental/Production Division, Chad Higgins, has taken the lead on organizing and coordinating the class states, “The value of hosting the seminar rather than sending the techs to a public one affords us the opportunity to provide a valuable service for other local professionals in the industry. It’s mutually advantageous to ensure that the individuals and companies that we regularly work with can benefit from the same training as our associates.”
The five-day course will cover arena and stage rigging principals and practices as well as safety and liability, with plenty of hands-on training. The material also contains key information relevant to ETCP Certification (Entertainment Technician Certification Program), a program which Harry Donovan, along with other industry leaders, worked diligently to develop. The seminar location has yet to be determined, class size is limited, and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Live Technologies is pleased to present this opportunity to associates and local peers, and continues to boast a high-quality final product provided to valuable customers. With 80 full-time associates, the company supplies over 60 permanent installations and over 800 live event production packages each year throughout the United States.
Anyone interested in participating in the seminar may email chiggins@livetechnologiesinc.com for more information.