Blackout

What Blackout does

Blackout is a London-headquartered specialist supplier of event drapes and rigging equipment serving corporate conferences, concerts, exhibitions, product launches, theatre, film and television productions across the United Kingdom and continental Europe via its French subsidiary Blackout Sarl. The company manufactures, hires and sells an extensive catalogue spanning wool serge, velour, Trevira, voile, sharkstooth gauze, LED starcloths, kabuki solenoid drops, AutoReveal curtains, total blackout drapes and decorative finishes (Lame, Festoon, Casement, PUFC, Isodrape), and operates a rigging inventory that includes Prolyte H30V and H40V truss, Thomas Superstruss and Superlite, NH32 ladder beam, X30D triangular truss, gabled and circular truss systems, electric chain hoists (Lodestar, Prostar, Liftket) ranging from 250kg to 2-ton, and Kinesys programmable hoist automation.

Founded in 1990 by Chairman Steve Tuck following 16 years in touring and corporate event rigging, Blackout generates revenue through four streams: equipment hire (drapes, rigging, pipe & drape, LED starcloth, hoists and automation on a project/event basis), product sales (pipe & drape in silver finish, kabuki solenoids, Triple E tab track), bespoke manufacturing (curtains, truss socks, festoons, Austrians, string curtains, kabuki drapes, sails, bags, protective covers, fire-certified materials and printed drapes and banners), and project management services delivered from enquiry to event completion. A multi-talented in-house sewing team produces custom work on specification.

The company operates a direct-to-consumer go-to-market through its Hire and Sales Department, quoting by phone (0208 687 8400) and email ([email protected]) Monday-Friday 8:30-5:30 with urgent-request handling. Approximately 65 dedicated employees plus a freelance crew deliver projects, supported by dedicated project managers (Tom Lambert, Tim Searle, William Bryant), a Managing Director (Chris Brain, joined 1994) and a Director (Kevin Monks, joined 1997, director since 2004) who represents the company on the National Rigging Advisory Group. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; the company maintains an active digital presence via its website, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram plus email newsletters.

Name

Blackout

Legal name

Blackout Ltd

Website

https://blackout.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Blackout (Blackout Ltd, founded 1990) is a London-headquartered specialist supplier that hires, sells and manufactures event drapes, rigging equipment and bespoke textile solutions for conferences, concerts, exhibitions, theatre, film and television productions across the UK and France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Production Rigging and Drapes

NAICS

Curtain and Linen Mills (314120)

SIC

Partitions, Shelvg, Lockers, & Office & Store Fixtures (2540), Construction Machinery & Equip (3531)

akta.pro primary industry

Pipe & Drape, Backdrop & Room-Divider Rentals (HSACAFAJ)

Keywords

• Event drapes hire
• Rigging equipment rental
• Stage curtains supply
• Truss and hoists
• Event production services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Equipment Hire: Rental of drapes, rigging equipment, and accessories for events. Pipe & Drape is the most popular hire product, available with various fabrics including Wool Serge, Velour, Voile, Molton, Lamé, Trevira, and LED Starcloth. Rigging hire includes trusses, hoists, and Kinesys automation products.
2. Product Sales: Sale of drapes, rigging equipment, and accessories. Extensive range of Pipe and Drape for sale in silver finish. Kabuki Solenoids and Triple E Tab Track available as sale items.
3. Bespoke Manufacturing: Custom-made drape products and rigging solutions to client specifications. Manufacturing team creates bespoke curtains, truss socks, Festoons, Austrians, string curtains, kabuki drapes, sails, bags, and protective covers. Can source fire certified materials and provide printed drapes and banners.
4. Project Management Services: Dedicated event support from rigging and draping experts, including project management from initial enquiry through to completion.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Blackout supplies event drapes, rigging equipment and related accessories on a hire, sale and bespoke manufacturing basis for conferences, concerts, exhibitions, theatre, film and television productions. Its inventory spans fabric drapes (wool serge, velour, Trevira, voile, starcloth, total blackout, etc.), pipe & drape systems, truss (Prolyte, Thomas), electric chain hoists, and Kinesys automation controls. The company also delivers end-to-end project management, from initial enquiry and quote through to on-site installation and dismantle.

Product overview

Blackout is a specialist supplier of event drapes, rigging equipment, and related services for the events industry. The core product portfolio comprises two main categories: Drapes (including Wool Serge, Velour, Trevira, Voile, Sharkstooth Gauze, Star Cloths, Bespoke Drapes, Backdrops, Kabuki Drop Solenoid, AutoReveal Curtains, Total Blackout Drapes, and specialty options like Lame, Festoon, Curtain Swags, Filled Cloth, PUFC, Isodrape, and Casement) and Rigging (featuring Prolyte Truss H30V & H40V, NH32 Ladder Beam, H40V Middle Beam, Thomas Superstruss, Thomas Superlite, X30D Triangular, Circular Truss Systems, Gabled Truss, Ground Support Structures, Rigging Masts, Electric Chain Hoists, and Kinesys Control & Automation). The company operates on a hire, sale, and bespoke manufacturing model, offering project management services to deliver complete event solutions across conferences, concerts, exhibitions, theatre, film, and television sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• J&C Joel: UK-headquartered manufacturer and renter of event drapes, stage curtains and theatrical fabrics with a near-identical product portfolio (Wool Serge, Velour, printed drapes) and global hire network. The closest like-for-like competitor to Blackout's drape hire and bespoke manufacturing offering.
• Unusual Rigging: UK rigging specialist providing truss, hoist and motorised rigging solutions to live events, theatre, broadcast and exhibitions. Comparable on the rigging half of Blackout's offering with overlapping equipment brands and LOLER-compliant services.
• Hawthorn: UK-based provider of event production services including rigging, draping, lighting and staging for corporate and live events. A like-for-like competitor to Blackout across the hire, bespoke and project-management stack.
• White Light: UK event technology supplier offering lighting, rigging, audio and event infrastructure to theatre, corporate events and broadcast. Comparable to Blackout on rigging hire and project-based event services in the UK market.
• Stage One: UK staging and rigging contractor delivering bespoke staging structures, automation and event infrastructure for high-profile live events and exhibitions. Overlaps with Blackout on rigging, automation (Kinesys-style) and bespoke event solutions.
• Gallowglass: UK event crew and services provider supplying installation labour, rigging teams and event logistics to corporate events and exhibitions. Comparable to Blackout on the project-management and installation-services side, though lighter on owned inventory.

Broad incumbents

• PRG (Production Resource Group): Global live-event production giant offering lighting, video, audio and rigging across concerts, corporate events and broadcast. Overlaps with Blackout on rigging and drapes but as part of a much broader production-services portfolio for enterprise clients.

Emerging players

• Harlequin Floors: UK manufacturer and supplier of portable and permanent event/dance flooring. Adjacent to Blackout as part of the broader event-environment supply chain (flooring + drapes + rigging) rather than a direct drape/rigging competitor.
• Adlib Audio Visual: UK provider of event lighting, audio, rigging and video production services. Comparable to Blackout on the rigging hire and event project-management offering, particularly in the concert and corporate segments.

Regional players

• Showpro: Australian event services provider offering rigging, draping, staging and event infrastructure. Comparable product offering to Blackout but geographically focused on Australia/Asia-Pacific rather than UK/Europe.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Blackoutltd
• Facebookfacebook.com/blackoutltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blackout-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/blackoutltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Blackout