Peter Coltilda, aka Peter Morrell, was arrested on 14th February for failing to appear at a court hearing in September 2011. He  was due to answer charges of “putting the public at risk” by carrying out an “unsafe modification” on a bouncy castle. At Caernarfon Crown Court he admitted failure to attend the hearing. His lawyer said Coltilda had gone to South Africa in early September to be with his former partner who was terminally ill. The judge ordered he remain in custody until a further hearing.

After over a year of preparation, the Health and Safety Executive and the Event Industry Forum have produced a draft revised version of the Event Safety Guide (also known as the Purple Guide).  MUTA has been involved in the drafting of the guidance and we are pleased to see that our Code of Practice for Temporary Demountable Fabric Structures and the PIPA scheme are highlighted as examples of best practice in the chapters on Structures and Amusements respectively.  The draft guidance has been made available for consultation until 11th November at http://www.eventsindustryforum.co.uk/event_safety_guide/.

MUTA’s fabric structures inspection programme found an increase in compliance rates among members of the MUTAmarq accreditation scheme in 2011, the Association for the fabric structures industry reveals today. An analysis of the on-site safety inspection reports submitted by the MUTA inspectorate over the course of last season shows an average score of 206.3 out of a maximum of 220. This compares to an average of 203.3 over the previous two years. Cases of non-compliance continue to fall from 11% in 2010 to 6% in 2011. MUTAmarq-accredited contractors commit to meet the standards set out in the Code of Practice “Safe Use and Operation of Temporary Demountable Fabric Structures” and the MUTA inspectorate aims to see all members at work during the event season. Members are scored on 24 criteria, including working at height, PPE, and manual handling, and they receive a detailed report which tells them how they fared and identifies any aspects that may require improvement. Members that fail to maintain the required standards face disciplinary action. Cameron Stewart, MUTA Executive Committee member, said: “The improvements made by MUTA members last year are very encouraging, and the effect of our independent inspections on the practices of fabric structures contractors demonstrates the value of using MUTAmarq-accredited companies. “We appreciate that there is always work to be done to improve the practices of our members even further, and we are making some adjustments to the inspection scheme this year to help bring that about. As a consequence, those members that require additional assistance will be revisited and inspected on a regular basis.”

MUTA, the fabric structures trade association, today encouragesall event organisers to broaden their understanding about the differenttemporary structures on the market in order to help them improve practices when specifying specialist structures. With thisin mind they have developed “Saddlespan Installation: Guidance on Best Practice”with industry leaders The Amazing Tent Company to complement the existing MUTABest Practice Guide. With the publication of this new saddlespan-specificguide, hirers and their clients have clear and comprehensive advice forinstalling and managing these structures both on and off site. The guidance, published today, covers the following aspectsof Saddlespan structures: ·        Preparation ·        On-site practices ·        Anchorage ·        Erection ·        Dismantling ·        Handover Steve Haddrell, Co-Director of Amazing Tents, said: “We were delighted to have the support of MUTA in thedevelopment of this guidance, which aims to ensure that Saddlespans are fullyrepresented in the industry. This is really just a starting point for us – aswe develop new designs and bring these products to market, we will beconstantly reviewing best practice. We believe this will ultimately bringsuppliers and customers closer together so that everyone benefits.” Adrian Dann, Member of the MUTA Executive Committee, said: “This guidance will complement our existing MUTAmarq Code ofPractice for temporary fabric structures in general. In an industry like this,specialist products need to be assessed thoroughly to ensure that theincreasing number of operators work with them as safely as possible, so MUTAwelcomes Amazing Tents’ proactive approach in this process.”

Tony Marsh, MD of event contractor Woodhouse and president of MUTA on a background in farming, travelling in the USA and battling the mud and the rain at The National Ploughing Championships. I got into the events industry because I acquired the Woodhouse business. I have worked here since June 1995. I was attracted to this particular role because I’ve always been interested in outdoor events. My background is in agriculture, farming and horses so I felt this matched Woodhouse’s clients and events.   Not many people know that in 1983, I spent nine months working on the oilrigs in the North Sea. My worst experience at an event was in Ireland in 1998 when we were working for The National Ploughing Championships. The weather was atrocious and the contractors had to erect the structures in the worst rain and mud conditions we have ever encountered. However in true farmer fashion the event went ahead with wellington boots all round. If there's one thing I've learnt it's only hire out your own equipment and resist cross hiring because you have no control over the quality of the equipment, its timely installation or the skills and competency of the subcontract crew. The best event I've been involved in was possibly the most unusual. We were involved with the Dublin Theatre Festival back in September 2005. George’s Dock was drained so we could install a huge performance platform. The dock basin was then flooded and the performances took place in a Spiegel Tent on this amazing stage surrounded by water. If I could do it all over again I would have channelled my investment across the business product lines differently. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and often the thing that initially seems the most pressing isn’t. The one thing I can't stand is contractors who don’t fulfil their contracts or let clients down and clients who continually use contractors who have phoenixed. Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my family, playing a little golf (badly) and travelling in the USA while visiting my wife's family in Baltimore. If money were no object I would escape the rigours of the credit squeeze that all SMEs are under. The one event I will never miss is The Burghley Horse Trials – a great client and spectacle that marks the last phase of the Woodhouse event season and gives us a feeling of how things are going. The next 12 months will be a positive challenge brought about by the Queens Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics; both will have a positive impact on the events industry. If I could switch places with anyone else in the industry it would be someone leading the innovation and service at any of a number of family-privately owned SMEs in the event sector, such as Alan Revell at TSG and his recent success in imaginatively penetrating new market applications with his decking system, and Adrian Dann at Danco who has consistently kept his product offerings current in this changing and challenging market place.  If I ruled the event industry I would place a higher importance on contractor competency skills training and membership of relevant sector specific trade bodies like MUTA. I would also encourage more long-term contractor/client partnerships.

At the Showman’s Show this year Custom Covers is launching its brand new 12m Cruciform structure. The Cruciform enables you to join two Custom Covers structures at 90 degrees to give full ground to ridge clearance and a great interior space. On their show stand this year the Southampton-based manufacturer is exhibiting the new 12m and existing 9m cruciform structures. In addition the company are launching three exciting Medal winning marquee linings colours for 2012: the all new satin effect colours are Gold, Silver and Bronze. “These are the first new colours in our Brand New CQ Satin colour range” enthused CEO Robert Sanders, “and just right for marquee hirers who want to inject that medal winning magic into marquee hires for 2012”. The Custom Covers 2011 Showman’s Show stand incorporates 900 square metres of interior space showcasing their full range of Coverspan frame marquees, PVC marquee covers and decorative marquee linings in three distinct themed areas. Highlights include the 3m Romsey pagoda and Curved roof structure.