CIVIL engineering firm Jones Bros has a trick up its sleeve as it looks to make a big impression at the UK’s biggest renewable energy exhibition.

The company has hired professional magician Carl Royle to attract delegates to its stand at RenewableUK 2011 in Manchester.

Once at the Jones Bros stand, a 3D holographic display projecting a series of images – including specialist plant machinery owned by the company – will keep visitors entertained.
Jones Bros, a major player in energy and renewables infrastructure, has been a regular exhibitor at RenewableUK events in recent years.

Contracts director John Dielhof said: “We always try to do something a bit different at these events so we can stand out from the crowd.

“Last year, for example, we had a 42-inch screen giving an airborne tour of a major wind farm project that had just been completed.

“This time we thought we’d try to do something unusual and innovative again. I’ve never seen a magician at these events before so hopefully it will get people talking.

“With more than 300 companies exhibiting, getting noticed isn’t easy and calls for a bit of creative thinking!”

Family-owned Jones Bros, which has its national headquarters in Ruthin, has built a reputation as a leading wind farm balance-of-plant provider, having entered the market back in the 1990s.

Recent projects include Millour Hill Community Wind Farm in North Ayrshire, High Haswell in County Durham and Darracott Moor in Devon.

The 18-megawatt (MW) Millour Hill facility is the first UK wind farm to benefit from new turbine technology developed by industry giant Siemens Renewables.

Last year Jones Bros completed a £20m contract at the Crystal Rig II wind farm in the Scottish borders – one of the largest in the UK.

As well as managing complex logistics for wind and hydro renewable energy projects, Jones Bros also provides infrastructure for nuclear, gas and coal generation.

Carl Royle is one of the country’s leading cabaret magicians, and has done corporate events for the likes of Mercedes Benz, Astra Zeneca and Siemens in the past.

More than 5,000 participants are expected at RenewableUK's 33rd annual conference and exhibition, on October 25 – 27.

Jones Bros will be mixing with fellow contractors, utilities firms, leading manufacturers, developers, financiers, NGOs and research institutes – all with an interest in renewable energy.

Chris Huhne, UK energy and climate change secretary, will give the keynote address.