Liverpool based ADLIB Audio and Blackburn based HSL made it a northern sweep at the 2008 TPi Awards - winning Favourite Audio Rental Company and Favourite Lighting Rental Company respectively.

ADLIB - Favourite Audio Rental Company

ADLIB has been in the nominations several times in recent years, but this is the first time they have won the accolade, which comes after their busiest year to date in 2007, which also saw over a million pounds invested in new equipment and expanding their warehouse and office facility.

ADLIB's Andy Dockerty comments, "It was genuinely a massive shock. We never expected to win especially up against such quality opposition. We are very much a people company and I believe that this award has been won by every member of our team whose friendly and helpful attitudes from the office to on-site has been recognised and thankfully now rewarded. It is a communal effort."

ADLIB worked with a wide range of top artists last year including The Kaiser Chiefs, Scissor Sisters, Nine Inch Nails, Kelly Jones and many others plus top level events like Glastonbury and Radio One's Big Weekend.

The company actively encourages new generations of production industry professionals providing work experience placements for many Northwest based educational establishments accumulating in an apprenticeship scheme for successful school leavers. Adlib is also very active generally on the training and knowledge-dissemination front.

HSL - Favourite Lighting Rental Company

It was the first time that Blackburn based HSL had been nominated for a TPi Award, and, like ADLIB they were delighted to win after what was also their busiest year to date.

The Award reflects the growing profile and proactive nature of HSL - one of the fastest growing lighting rental operations in Europe.

HSL's Simon Stuart  says, "The Award has been won by everyone who works for the company and all our crew and ambassadors on the road. It's a big team effort and winning reflects the massive amounts of hard work, foresight, passion and vision that everyone puts in for us".

Last year, HSL supplied numerous festivals and events including O2 Wireless Festival, Leeds, Rockness, The Full Ponty, Creamfields, Bestival, Knowsley Hall, Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Uganda (CHOGM), the World Scout Jamboree, the 2007 Festival of Scouting, the Premier League All Stars Football tournament, Opera Holland Park and the War Child Benefit show at Brixton Academy.

Artists included Snow Patrol, Keane, Human League, Brand New, Jarvis Cocker, Massive Attack, The Klaxons, Lily Allen and the Super Furry Animals.