About the Author

Marco van Beek was educated in Mallorca, prior to studying for his HND in Electronics and Communications Eng. at the Polytechnic of North London. In 1984 he joined Vari-Lite Europe as a full-time Vari-Lite operator/technician and worked on a number of international shows and tours including Simple Minds, Live Aid, U2, Rod Stewart, Jaques Higelin, Johnny Halliday and Michel Sardou. In 1987 he went freelance, working on more major shows and events in a variety of roles. In 1989 he became Field Service Manager for Vari-Lite Europe and in 1990 was responsible for organising the company's move from Cricklewood to Greenford. In the same year he was appointed technical operations manager, also becoming deputy quality representative in 1997. His work included assisting with accreditation to the ISO9002 quality system and the formation of the Vari-Lite Production Services network. In November 1998 he set his own company, Supporting Role Ltd which provides consultancy, resources and services to smaller companies within the industry including areas such as ISO9000, CE marking and compliance, health and safety, project management, IT solutions and business consultancy.