USA - The Harman Music Group has announced the promotion of Craig Paller from vice-president, domestic sales, to group-wide vice president, worldwide sales and responsible for strategic planning and sales initiatives at the brand, market, and dealer level for BSS Audio, dbx Professional, DigiTech, and Lexicon Professional. The announcement was made by Rob Urry, president of the Harman Music Group.

"Craig Paller is an outstanding sales executive with a proven understanding of the markets Harman Music Group serves and deep empathy for the needs of our dealers and customers," U

Germany - In an effort to bring Meyer Sound even closer to the Scandinavian market, Meyer Sound Germany has announced the appointment of Klaus Hansen as business development representative, Scandinavia, serving the expanding customer base in Denmark, Sweden, and Finland.

Prior to joining Meyer Sound, Hansen was in the sales force for several renowned Scandinavian rental and installation companies, and founded Copenhagen Sound Production in 1995. He is the sound engineer for The Olson Brothers, a winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2000, and the systems engineer at the annual R

UK - At its annual Christmas party, the Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT) revealed to its members, industry leaders and invited guests, its new chief executive officer - Andrew De Rosa.

De Rosa, 49, a graduate of LAMDA's Stage Management and Technical Theatre course, first came to prominence during his time at the former Apollo Leisure Group, serving from the 1980's when it grew into the UK's largest theatre operator, owning or managing many of the country's best known theatres, with 25 sites in more than 20 cities and London's West End.

Making his reputation as the

USA - Xantech Corporation has announced the addition of Tom Harvey to its senior management team, in the position of director of sales. Harvey comes to Xantech with over 25 years' experience in the consumer electronics industry - over 15 years at the executive level - which includes roles in sales, marketing and executive management.

In his new position, Harvey will focus on driving sales for Xantech and its dealer network by working closely with Xantech dealers, distributors and sales representatives. He will also be developing new and creative sales programmes that will allow all de

UK - PLASA - the leading professional trade body for the live events, entertainment, architectural and installation sectors - has appointed Linda Moore as its new sales and marketing director.

Linda joins PLASA from Stage Electrics where she has held the position of head of sales and marketing for the past 11 years and been a key member of the team that successfully developed the company into one of the leading players in the installation and events markets.

Linda already has considerable knowledge of the PLASA organisation having served for five years on PLASA's Executive Committee

China - Following its success in Asia, French lighting manufacturer, Robert Juliat, has now formed a new branch, Robert Juliat Asia (based in Beijing), and appointed Jamie Boey as dedicated branch manager for the region. Boey joins the company from Total Solution Marketing Pte where he spent six years as sales and product manager.

Boey brings his experience to Robert Juliat, overseeing the Asia region where he will be further developing Robert Juliat presence in this fast growing market.

"Jamie has great knowledge and understanding of operating in this region," says Robert

UK - PSCo has recruited two more rental specialists to its team in Reading, as well as reinforcing its operations team to support its network of UK offices and sister company in the UAE.

PSCo rental expert Karen Davis returns to the PSCo fold, bringing with her 12 years' experience in the industry, and is joined by Alison Livemore as part of the rental desk team.

Karen Davis, who worked for PSCo's rental desk for eight years before leaving to help her husband start a business, returns to the team after 12 months.

Alison Livemore joins PSCo from Maxim Integrated Products, bringing

UK - RCF has announced the appointment of Linton Smeeton to its UK sales organisation to strengthen the company's Commercial Audio Division. Smeeton, who has worked for RCF previously, was a founding director between 1990 and 2000.

Smeeton says: "It's great to be returning to RCF, the brand has grown so strong over the past decade and I'm really looking forward to being part of it."

RCF's Phil Price comments: "We are all looking forward to having Linton back on board with us, with his experience in the audio market he'll be a great addition to the team. During 2010, R

Israel - Waves Audio has announced that noted Front-of-House engineer Ken 'Pooch' Van Druten has joined the Waves Live Division as a product specialist. Most recently on tour with multi-million-selling rockers Linkin Park, Van Druten brings with him decades of experience as a first-call live sound engineer. A graduate of Boston's Berklee College of Music, he has worked with many contemporary musical acts, including Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, Kid Rock, Eminem and Whitney Houston.

As part of his role as a Waves product specialist, Van Druten will be called upon to share his vast knowledge wit

The Netherlands - Synco Europe Network, the pan-European alliance of independent audio rental companies, has announced the appointment of Marcel Albers as its new commercial director.

Albers, a well-known entrepreneur in the Dutch music and entertainment industry, has a 20-year track record of success as an international artist manager, theatre and television producer and record company owner, and has close ties with many key figures in the international entertainment industry.

He will coordinate all activities related to Synco Europe from the Ampco Flashlight Group headquarters in

USA - TMB has announced the expansion of its North American Sales Group with the addition of Bryan Reiss. Reiss arrives at TMB NY with over 15 years experience in the industry. His role will be primarily in customer development; enhancing customer relations and service, increasing awareness of TMB's products and value-added services, and strengthening and expanding TMB's Northeast customer base.

"Bryan has the perfect combination of sales experience with hands-on touring and theatrical experience," says Linda McDonald, TMB NY sales manager. "His career path is ideal for

UK - Cooper Controls has announced the appointment of Francois Barthelemi as sales manager for Southern Europe. As part of the company's new structure and strategy for the performance entertainment marketplace, Barthelemi will manage France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey for the State Automation high density dimming systems and Zero 88 entertainment lighting controls product ranges.

After studying the classics at university, Barthelemi turned to his passion for theatre and continued his education in lighting technology before joining rental company Texen in the Sou

UK - Enterprise UK has confirmed the appointment of Tom Bewick as its new chief executive.

Enterprise UK was founded in 2004 by the four leading UK business membership organisations - British Chambers of Commerce, the Confederation of British Industry, the Institute of Directors and the Federation of Small Businesses - to increase enterprise and entrepreneurship in the UK. It is primarily funded by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills.

Chairman Peter Jones commented on Tom Bewick's appointment: "Promoting entrepreneurship has never been more vital as entrepreneurs

UK - Grant Bales-Smith has been appointed to the newly-created position of Philips Entertainment sales manager - UK, Benelux & Scandinavia, commencing 1 February 2010.

Michael Goldberg, sales director for Europe comments, "The formation of Philips Entertainment as a global group provides us with a great opportunity to continue establishing and building the brands of Strand and Selecon in the European market as leaders in their field. Grant joins us at a time of renewal for Strand and he will lead the sales force in the UK, Scandinavia and Benelux to re-develop a strong dealer net

UK - Calibre UK, which this year celebrates its 21st year in operation has opened a new sales office located at the Oxford Science Park in Oxford and has appointed Mark Lusby as product manager, broadcast & proAV.

Lusby has over 30 years experience in technical sales, exhibition, project and product management working in at various companies such as Samualsons, Teletape Video, JVC Professional Europe and Ultra Electronics.

"I'm delighted to have joined Calibre, a company with a long established reputation as a manufacturer of high quality image processing solutions used in a va

USA - Alcorn McBride, Inc. has promoted Tommy Bridges to the position of sales manager.Bridges has been a senior account manager at Alcorn McBride Inc for the past six years and has 20 years of experience in the AV industry, beginning when he sold AV equipment as a manufacturer's rep for Sony, Panasonic, and other industry giants. As sales manager, Bridges will focus on the Western United States and will manage Alcorn McBride's relationships with many of its international distribution partners.

"We are fortunate to be in a growth mode," said Jeremy Scheinberg, COO of Alcorn

Czech Republic - Robe Lighting has announced a series of new appointments in a planned management restructuring exercise designed to position the company for a new decade of growth and expansion.

Robe Lighting has a new operations director and sales director, while LED manufacturer and sister company Anolis gets a new sales director.

"This will help take Robe and Anolis to new levels of quality and excellence, and continue the trends of innovation and service that has made both companies so successful," states Robe's owner/founder and CEO, Josef Valchar.

Harry von den S

USA - Keith R. Klawitter, a professional audio veteran and founder of KRK Systems, a loudspeaker manufacturing company, has announced a new venture, KK labs. The new company, based in Huntington Beach, California, is focused on the design and manufacture of high-end audio products for the recording studio and live professional markets.

KK labs is off to a flying start, with a variety of pro audio product offerings already in place, including the DS8 studio monitor, TAZ15c stage monitor, DSP control and Class D power amplifier modules. Klawitter informally unveiled the new DS8, a DSP/E

USA - Sean Hoey has joined Robe Lighting (US) as rental/staging segment manager.

With 22 years of industry experience, Hoey has held similar positions with High End Systems and Vari*Lite in the past. "I am very excited about coming onboard with Robe," he states. "The product line offers the choice of a wide and dynamic range of lighting tools for all types of applications, and Robe's reputation for innovation is one of its great strengths."

Hoey will be based in Austin, Texas, and will spend considerable time on the road visiting clients and contacts and actively

The Netherlands - PR Lighting has strengthened its management team by appointing the experienced Fons de Vreede to handle sales in Western Europe.

The appointment was confirmed by Ernie Armas, PR Lighting's international sales director. Setting out the rationale, Armas states, "One of the main reasons for hiring Fons was to improve our communications and develop new relationships with the European distribution network.

"We felt it was necessary to recruit a strong player that could help us achieve that goal. Fons comes to us with not only an already established network of

UK - While Paradigm AV founder Greg Jeffreys prepares to take over the role of president of InfoComm in 2012, new appointments have been announced to the board of his engineering and distribution company.

Paradigm reports that sales manager Mick Perrone and operations manager, Steve Pratt have joined the main board with immediate effect and are appointed as directors. This expands the working board, led by managing director Paul Wood to five members. Greg Jeffreys remains chairman and Polly Whittaker as finance director. At the same time Ross Hugo has been appointed as a non-executive

Germany - The Music Group has announced the departure of Michael Deeb from the roles of group CEO and director. Uli Behringer and Arie van den Broek will lead the Group on an interim basis as it searches for a permanent CEO replacement. Arie van den Broek served Behringer as CEO for several years.

Founder and chairman Uli Behringer stated, "Changes are always challenging but also present great opportunities. We have just celebrated our 20th anniversary and as we enter our third decade, we are once again reinventing our company."

The Music Group recently acquired the Midas

UK - London-based theatre consultancy Theatreplan has announced that Robin Townley joined the practice at the beginning of February. Prior to taking up his position at Theatreplan, Robin had been responsible for managing major venue development projects for over 12 years, most recently as building project director on behalf of DanceEast in Ipswich.

Robin's involvement in the project to create a new dance facility within the new Waterfront development, called DanceHouse, generated plaudits from the whole development team. Robin Bater, Area Building Control Surveyor for Ipswich Borough

UK - GearSource Europe has announced the appointment of Benjamin Hollenberg to assist in developing the market for pre-owned lighting and sound equipment in Benelux and Germany.

Hollenberg has worked many years in lighting and sound sales, having previously been sales & investment manager with Focus, Amsterdam. His understanding of the business stems from his earlier 'hands-on' activities as a lighting technician for local Dutch bands and musical theatre.

Garry Nelsson, GearSource Europe's owner said, "I've known Benjamin for several years and had always considered him to be th

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