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Tony Hall, the BBC's head of news, has been appointed the new executive director of the Royal Opera House. Speculation has been rife as to who will succeed to what is fast becoming one of the most challenging roles in the arts world. His appointment is almost certain to generate controversy, as he seems to have had little or no experience in running a venue of this profile and complexity, although his time at the BBC, which saw him graduate from the corporation's newsroom in Belfast in the 1970s to editing the Nine O'Clock News and subsequently heading the news and current affairs side, will no doubt serve him well. Michael Kaiser, former executive director, left in December to return to the United States.

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Steve Howard has relocated from the Martin Manufacturing plant in Louth, Lincolnshire to its UK headquarters in Maidstone. He made the move in mid-December and becomes the senior engineer responsible for Jem smoke machines. He will be responsible for the service of Jem smoke machines and providing training and technical support for Jem products.
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After six years handling technical sales and support on the company’s exclusively-distributed products, Mike Falconer is leaving AC Lighting Ltd and heading off to its US operation at AC Lighting Inc in Los Angeles.

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Robert Bell has joined Rosco/ET as Horizon product manager. Bell is best known as a founder of CAST Lighting Limited, and was instrumental in the development of WYSIWYG software. While at CAST Lighting, Bell worked closely with ROSCO/ET’s Horizon product development team. This joint effort won Software Product of the Year award at Lighting Dimensions International 1999. Bell is also an accomplished board operator and lighting designer; recent credits include support for the opening ceremonies of the Sydney Olympics, U2’s Pop Mart Tour and Ricky Martin's Liv'n La Vida Loca. More recently, he founded Shock Lighting, a company that handles board operation and lighting design projects.

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Bill Campbell, managing director for Strand Europe, has appointed Ian Roberts to the position of managing director, Strand Italy. He will take up his new position on February 1. Roberts, who has been with the Rome-based company as sales director since 1997, will remain very active in his sales role. The outgoing managing director, Ing. (Engineer) Giuseppe Toia, has made a substantial contribution to Strand taking the company through the development and launch of a complete new range of studio and daylight luminaires, bringing to fruition 23 new products in the record time of two years. Having successfully completed that task he now moves back to his native Milan for professional and personal reasons.

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Set designer John Napier, whose credits include Cats, Les Miserables, Starlight Express and Miss Saigon, has been named by Oxford University as the Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre for 2001. Napier, who has recently returned from Broadway, where his design for Jane Eyre has been acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, is the first set designer to hold the chair in its 12-year history. Previous incumbents include Stephen Sondheim, Alan Ayckbourn, Richard Eyre and Diana Rigg.Using examples from his own productions, which have included Peter Shaffer’s Equus for the Royal National Theatre, Jesus Christ Superstar at the Lyceum, Lohengrin for the Royal Opera House and Steven Spielberg’s film Hook, Napier will describe how a designer turns initial inspiration into theatrical reality.

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Following the recent appointment of Nick Hughes as technical manager, Dobson Sound has appointed Tone Ferne, who has been brought in to join Bill Woods and David Lewis in managing and co-ordinating projects. The appointment as a permanent member of staff is a natural progression, say the company, as Ferne was already doing a great deal of work for the company on a freelance basis. Bill Woods commented: "Tone’s background as a sound engineer of considerable experience gives him an extremely strong edge in all the work that we do that has a music element to it. We tend to be involved more in the entertainment side of the corporate world anyway, so Tone’s skills and experience suit us perfectly."

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Janet Garner, managing director of Wembley (London) Ltd, was appointed Executive Secretary of the European Arenas Association (EAA) at its recent meeting in Barcelona. The EAA is the largest European co-operative association of arenas with 13 members spread across 12 countries and further expansion is expected. From a new base in a majestic canal-side house in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, the EAA aims to help the arenas to think and act as a group and to exchange information with each other. 2001 will be the EAA’s tenth anniversary.

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High End Systems has appointed John Wiseman as vice-president of worldwide sales. Wiseman recently served as vice-president of special projects with specific responsibility for sales efforts in Europe and Asia. The promotion gives Wiseman total sales responsibility worldwide. Wiseman, an industry veteran, has served High End Systems in several capacities since joining the company five years ago. He was also instrumental in establishing the company's West Coast sales and demo facility in Van Nuys, California. Reporting to Wiseman are Sean Hoey, America's sales manager; David Catterall, European sales manager; JR Chai, Pacific Rim account manager; and Karen Bowler, worldwide sales operations manager. Wiseman will continue to operate out of Van Nuys, supported by Reina Evans.

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Following the opening of Lighting Technology's new sales office and showroom at The Business Design Centre in Islington, London, the company has appointed Graham White as sales manager. He joins Lighting Technology Projects after working extensively in the commercial lighting projects market with Parkersell, Barrel Lighting and, most recently, Absolute Action. Joining Graham at the Islington Showroom from the Park Royal office will be Clive Tallent and Sarah Davis. Jonathan Hilton will also be part of the new sales team but will remain based at Lighting Technology's office in Manchester.

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Stage Two Ltd, the Watford-based audio-visual, sound and lighting company, has announced that David Reeves has returned to the company as business development manager to consolidate the company's position in the conference equipment hire and presentation field.

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Yet more significant news from the Martin Professional camp. Torben Johansen, the company’s production director, has left the company. A brief statement posted on the company’s website says that Johansen has resigned and that until a successor is appointed his role will be taken on by CEO Kristain Kolding. The management thus consists of CEO Kristian Kolding and group director Lars Dige.

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BBM Electronics, the London-based manufacturer of Trantec Wireless Systems, has announced major changes to its senior management. David Binks, one of the co-founders of the company, has decided to step down as managing director, say the company. Another of the original co-founders, Steve Baker, is also resigning his post as R&D director, though he will continue with BBM as a consultant. Also departing is Chris Gilbert, who has spent many successful years as sales director and was the public face of Trantec to much of the industry. Parent company TOA Corporation of Japan, which purchased BBM Electronics in 1998, has named Gordon Gillett (pictured) as managing director. Gillett has previously been a director of several engineering companies and a business consultant. Sho Kubo, currently managing director of TOA Electronics Europe GmbH, will take over as sales director. Kubo will continue t

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AC Lighting Ltd has announced a number of major staff appointments. Mark Tonks joined AC Lighting in 1993 and became a key player in export sales whilst developing his interest in IT. In his new role as IT & Logistics Director, Mark will play a major role in the organisational side of the business. "In the future we believe companies will sink or swim on their ability to exceed customer expectations. As we continue to grow, it is my challenge to establish that infrastructure," says Tonks. Secondly, Peter Searles has been appointed company secretary. Searles joined AC Lighting on the completion of the sale of his successful plastic-moulding company in 1990, and has since held many and varied senior roles within the company, many related to special projects. Finally, a new face in the company’s technical sales department is Martin Savage. Formally assistant head of lighting

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Vari-Lite has welcomed Alan Boyd to its London team, as a product trainer. Boyd has several years’ experience in the lighting industry, including a two-year spell as permanent associate lighting designer to Chris Ellis, with largely theatre-based work ranging from operas and musicals to dramas. He has also worked as a theatre lighting freelancer, and spent one year as deputy chief electrician on Disney’s The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre in London’s West End, and as lighting designer for the Batignano Opera Festival last year in Tuscany, Italy. Boyd brings to the company his experience of a wide range of fixtures and control desks - including Vari*Lite automated lighting products.

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Celestion has appointed a new South of England sales executive. John Nightingale has joined the loudspeaker manufacturer after nearly three years with Batmink, the West country wholesale and distribution company. In addition to having a solid background of over seven years in installation contracting and a further two in project management, he is also in demand as a DJ, travelling all over Southern England under his alias ‘Tin Tin’.

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Andrew Williams has been appointed NXT's new group marketing director, reporting to CEO David Pearson. His prime responsibility will be co-ordinating the global marketing strategy of NXT's SurfaceSound, SoundVu, TouchSound and 20/20 Speech technologies. He replaces Jon Vizor, who will now concentrate full time on his business development role as head of venture sales and also leading the commercial audio sales teams. Williams joins NXT from iXL, the internet and business consultancy based in San Francisco. Prior to iXL, he was director of marketing at Chiltern Group plc, the London-based financial and business consultancy.

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Leigh Anne Aiken has been promoted to account manager for High End Systems Inc. In her new position, she will support the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific Rim and Southeast Asia. Since joining High End in May 1993, she has worked in administration, human resources and in various sales support functions. She will now report directly to John Wiseman, VP of Worldwide Sales, but will continue to be based in the Austin, Texas headquarters.

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Frank Gordon, High End Systems' CEO, has announced that he will be leaving High End to consider new opportunities. As a result, High End is conducting a search for a new CEO to replace him, which the company expects to complete as quickly as possible. Gordon originally joined HES in 1998 with the closing of the equity investment by Generation Partners of New York and will remain at HES as CEO until the search process is complete.

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Total Audio Solutions has recruited Canadian David Anthony Otañez, formerly of Yamaha Commercial Audio and Denmark Street Studios, London, to spearhead the company’s sales into the UK post-production and studio markets. Otañez, who has been closely involved with computer-based recording systems for the last 10 years, brings to the company a wealth of experience with digital mixing consoles, which will prove useful in advising potential customers for the Sony DMX-R100, rapidly becoming one of Total Audio Solutions’ most sought-after products. Otañez also has an in-depth knowledge of Pro Tools and other hard-disk-based recording systems.

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Stuart Fenwick has joined the audio facilities company Envo-Tech to head up its expanding leisure division. Envo-Tech’s MD Brian Puckey commented on the appointment: "With our business in the leisure sector growing and the opening of our new dedicated professional audio showrooms based in London, it became obvious that we needed someone with Stuart’s industry experience". Fenwick, formerly with Martin Professional, joins Envo-Tech after a spell with G-E-T.com.

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International Leisure Industry Week (LIW - 2-4 October 2001, NEC, Birmingham) has appointed Neil Felton as show director. Felton, previously manager for fitness, health and sport at LIW, is now responsible for overseeing the entire exhibition, as well as dealing with the show’s sponsorships and liaising closely with trade associations.

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Elissa Getto has joined Theatre Projects Consultants as senior theatre consultant in the Norwalk, Connecticut office. She will be a principal member of the team conducting performing arts feasibility studies and advising on a wide range of administration issues. Currently she is working on major studies for the Lincoln Centers in both New York and Dallas. Prior to joining TPC, Getto served as CEO and President of the Westport Country Playhouse, Connecticut and was also president of the Cincinnati Arts Association and an executive director of PACT Inc.

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Following an 18-month market research and development project, Sarner International Ltd, a leading audio-visual design and installation specialist, has re-launched itself with a new management line-up which includes the promotion of experienced divisional managers to its board and the introduction of a new corporate identity. The company’s Ross Magri, Michael Bennett, Ian Revens and David Dempsey have joined the Sarner Board. David Dempsey, Sarner's sales and marketing director told PLASA Media: "We reached the conclusion that we needed to re-evaluate the direction of our work and our expectations for the future." As a result, the company has decided to concentrate its efforts on three main markets: the integrated presentation systems market, the corporate production and events market and the design and build of themed visitor attractions and experiences market.
  1. Gallinghouse Returns to ETC
  2. All Change at L-Acoustics
  3. Mays joins Moodie, Pincu & Associates
  4. Linton Smeeton Leaves Mackie/RCF
  5. BSS Sales and Support Expansion
  6. Rob Robinson Joins Stardraw
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PLASA Leeds 2025 - Large MPU - April 2025
Showlight (Tickets) - MPU - Jan 2025

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