UK - Arena Group has appointed Niall Gaffney as general manager of Arena Seating, based at the seating office in Membury.

Gaffney joins Arena bringing with him more than 20 years specialist experience in the temporary seating installation and engineering industry with project responsibilities including The Open Golf Championship and Cheltenham Guinness stand. Qualified as a Chartered Structural Engineer, Gaffney was managing director and owner of Seating Contracts for 11 years, which then became a part of SGB Eventlink.

Brought in to help develop and manage the significant growth Arena Seating is experiencing following a £6m investment into 50,000 state of the art Clearview seats, he will be utilising his knowledge and understanding for the industry to implement and oversee a range of innovative solutions to new and existing clients.

Gaffney comments, "This year A

UK - Sound engineer Simon Allen is set to return to the UK from Cyprus in the new year. Allen has collected a wealth of experience in his 10 years in the industry, spanning everything from studio to live sound reinforcement, including theatre productions, live concerts and music venues. He began as senior audio and events manager at High Barn - a multi-media company, recording studio and live music venue in Essex. Since moving to Cyprus with his family in 2009, he has worked as senior sound engineer for City Studios; he has also been an occasional product reviewer for LSi.

Simon can be contacted on the following email address: si_the_music_guy@yahoo.co.uk

(Lee Baldock)

UK - FBT Audio UK Ltd, the UK distribution subsidiary of the Italian pro audio manufacturer, is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Podmore as area sales consultant for the North of England and Scotland. In his new role, Podmore is responsible for all sales activities to MI, DJ and pro audio installation dealers and contractors within the area.

Commenting on Podmore's appointment, Mark Parkhouse, MD of FBT Audio UK Ltd, said: "Having set up the company a little under a year ago, we have been delighted with how quickly the UK dealers have taken to the brand and its products. As we move into the second stage of our plan, we knew we would need to expand and I am delighted to have someone of Andrew Podmore's experience join the team and very much look forward to our continued growth."

Podmore joins FBT Audio UK Ltd with over 20 years' experience of working with

UK - Green Hippo's Nick Charalampidis is moving on to pastures new after five years at the company.

Over the last two years Charalampidis has enjoyed working on-site supporting Hippotizer projects such as Eurovision and Jay-Z and has decided to do more 'hands on' work with the system. From January he will be joining heavy Hippotizer users Fix8Group, integrating their fleet of Green Hippo servers on projects worldwide.

"Nick has Green Hippo's full blessing for this move. He is taking his extensive Hippotizer knowledge out into the field and will continue to be an ambassador for the company's products," says the company.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Turbosound has today announced the appointment of Sean Martin to head up international sales for the brand, with overall responsibility for the company's home market and its widespread export markets.

Martin has over 30 years experience at an international level with some of the industry's best known brands including an earlier four-year period with Turbosound in the late '90s - where he presided over one of the company's strongest growth periods resulting in its second Queen's Award for Export Achievement - during which time he acquired a comprehensive knowledge of the pro audio industry's distribution network and built strong personal relationships.

He fills the international sales role recently vacated by outgoing sales director Dominic Harter, who has steered Turbosound's sales and product strategy for almost 10 years, leading up to a further Queen's Award - this time

UK - PRG reports that it has created a consolidated production department, with John McEvoy taking the role of head of production from 1 January 2013.

The new department aligns the teams within PRG, focused on the installation, operation and pre-production of projects across the concert touring, theatre, corporate & TV markets. The new team is centred around PRG's SW London premises, where the company's WYSIWYG studios and demo spaces are located.

As well as site based engineers, crew chiefs and technicians, the team also includes specialists in digital media and all aspects of pre-production, supporting PRG's lighting, video and rigging projects. John McEvoy has a long history in the technical production industry, having started his career at VariLite Production Services. John latterly ran the Full-Service Division at Essential Lighting which became a part of Production Resou

USA - Tait Technologies has appointed Jim Kempf as its new director of design for automated rigging, based in the Lititz, Pennsylvania office. Kempf will oversee the newly-formed winch and hoist design department, in addition to the existing track and rig design department. He will also support the permanent installation and rental/touring markets.

Joining Tait with nearly 15 years' experience at PRG Scenic Technologies, Jim's most recent positions there included director of technical design, as well as design development and estimating lead. With an impressive portfolio, he has served as the project lead on over 100 Broadway shows, including 42nd St., Wicked, The Producers, Spiderman, Book of Mormon and more.

Originally hailing from Long Island, New York, Jim's educational background consists of a BFA in Scenic and Lighting Design from Carnegie Mellon and a MFA in Technical D

UK - The Association of British Theatre Technicians took the opportunity of its annual Christmas Party last Friday, hosted by Gold Industry Supporter Group member ETC, to bestow its top honour, the ABTT Fellowship, on Jason Barnes and Bill Dudley.

The ABTT Fellowships, given only to individuals who "have rendered signal service to the technical aspects of the art of the theatre", were unanimously endorsed by the ABTT Council at its last meeting.

Jason Barnes is for many synonymous with the National Theatre's Cottesloe, having staged over 350 productions, during his time as the venue's production manager. He has acted, toured and worked in theatres throughout Britain and overseas, as well as lecturing regularly and contributing to many publications. He is a member of the ABTT Historical Research Committee, a contributor to the organisation's Theatre Planning Committee

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) have restructured their specialist Rigging division into separate Sales and Servicing departments, and are in the process of expanding their rigging sales team in response to increasing customer needs.

Under the new restructure, AC-ET's UK sales director, Jonathan Walters is now heading up the Rigging Sales department. Rigging sales executive, Matthew Millward is supporting Jonathan in the day-to-day running of the department, as well as dealing with sales enquiries, quotations and demonstrations.

In addition, AC-ET are currently recruiting for another rigging sales executive for their Leeds office.

Tracie Young has moved into the new role of rigging services manager, where she is now overseeing the in-house specialist Rigging Services department - including their vast quantity of popular spare parts in stock for CM and other bran

UK - Dartford-based 8point3 has strengthened its team with the appointment of Terry John as technical specification manager.

John, from Woolwich Arsenal, South East London, has many years' experience in technical and specification sales, with a broad range of customers up to board level.

With a track record that includes experience in the lighting sector, he will lead on technical specification for 8point3, which manufactures and installs LED lighting systems, predominantly for industrial and commercial clients.

"LED lighting makes perfect commercial sense for businesses as it brings with it energy savings of up to 80 per cent, cost savings and a reduced carbon footprint," said John.

"More and more businesses are waking up to this and it is a real growth industry. Just as importantly, LED offers the lighting designer a real opportunity to produce innovative

UK - Carl Skeats has joined the LMC Audio team London office in Technical Sales.

Starting his career working in the technical department of his local youth theatre in Salisbury as a teenager, Skeats went on to study a diploma in Performing Arts, Technical Theatre at Southampton City College and then a Live Event Technology degree at the University of Glamorgan. Throughout his studies Carl gained all the production experience he could, working part-time at both the Mayflower Theatre and Nuffield Theatre in Southampton and, later, at Buxton Opera House.

More recently, his experience includes stage crew at the Hexagon Theatre in Reading, production coordinator at HTB Church in South Kensington and freelance sound engineer for, amongst others, Kensington Temple in West London. He also recently spent a year with SFL in Reading working as trainee production engineer.

Carl joined L

UK - Nearly New AV (NNAV) has appointed Liam Norris as business manager. As of January 2013 he will take responsibility for business performance, strategy development, and buying and selling of the full NNAV portfolio.

Norris joins NNAV from PSCo Technical Distribution, and brings eight years of sales, marketing, business development and client networking experience in technology-focused industries such as AV, business communications and converged mobile voice and data solutions. His remit as NNAV business manager will include the support of trade partners to buy and sell all types of used AV equipment with a focus on the UK, Europe and US, as well as emerging markets, including United Arab Emirates (UAE), Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, Brazil and India.

"This is a fantastic opportunity to take part in building a new business in such a fast-moving industry,"

UK - Flashlight Ltd has appointed David Manister to spearhead the company's business development plans. Manister brings with him nearly 14 years of experience within the professional lighting industry.

"I am extremely excited about working as part of the well-established team at Flashlight. The company has a fantastic reputation for providing excellent levels of customer service and support, things which are crucial to any business," says Manister.

Providing sales and distribution of a wide range of the latest lighting equipment and consumable from the industry's leading manufacturers from their base in Heywood, Greater Manchester, Flashlight Ltd has enjoyed significant success in the film, TV and theatre sectors.

"Flashlight are extremely pleased to have someone of David's calibre joining the company, he won't be the only addition in 2013 as we continue to gr

Denmark - It is with great sadness that LSi has learned that Troels Volver, a longtime figure of the entertainment lighting industry, has died at the age of 58.

A colourful character, known equally for salesmanship and his cheeky, humorous, bluntly honest (and occasionally profane) manner, Volver joined Martin Professional in 1994. His tenure as managing director of Martin Singapore, beginning in 1996, provided a showcase for his abilities. He took over Martin's US office in 1998, tripling sales there in the process.

Volver left Martin, and the lighting industry in 2005; he returned in 2011, joining SGM, the Italian lighting manufacturer, which had been purchased by Peter Johansen, the founder and former managing director of Martin Professional. At SGM, Volver served as export manager, North America and Asia Pacific.

Volver's years at Martin coincided with a period of transf

Denmark - DK-Technologies has appointed Uffe Kjems Hansen to the position of product marketing director, with responsibility for promoting the company's entire range of audio and video metering and monitoring products, including the award-winning DK Meter family.

Kjems Hansen joins DK-Technologies from digital processing manufacturer TC Electronic, where he held a number of positions over a 17 year period, culminating in vice president, business management and marketing. As a key member of TC Electronic's management group he was instrumental in driving the company's international growth through market and product focus, aligned with strategic marketing and communication.

Karsten Hansen, CEO of DK-Technologies, says, "Uffe has extensive business experience and this, combined with his in-depth knowledge of our industry, makes him the ideal person to assist DK-Technologies w

UK - Electrosonic has announced the promotion of Paul Taylor to sales manager of the Cultural Entertainment and Leisure (CEL) business for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Taylor replaces Rob Smith who was promoted to general manager of Service EMEA.

Electrosonic's Cultural Entertainment and Leisure business provides a complete set of audio-visual services, including custom designed audio, video and control systems and on-site service solutions. Custom solutions are provided for museums, theme parks, hotels and visitor centres. Entertainment clients include designers, curators, producers, fit-out contractors and end clients themselves.

"Paul has been instrumental in helping to define the new direction of Electrosonic's leisure business" commented Chris Conte, vice president of entertainment. "He will now use his extensive experience and leadership skills t

USA - Scott Davies, vice president of marketing at the American DJ Group of Companies, has resigned his position and retired from the firm after more than 25 years of service. Davies, who joined the company, soon after it was founded by his brother Chuck Davies, served ADJ in a variety of positions through the years and was involved in many of its outstanding achievements as it grew into an industry leader. He received many awards for his contribution to the company and the DJ industry, including most recently a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2006 Mobile Beat Show.

"Scott made many invaluable contributions to this industry and this company," said Chuck Davies. "He had a deep understanding of the lighting and DJ business and a deep appreciation of our customers and their needs. He approached every job with energy, insightfulness and passion. I'm proud of what he

USA - In order to support the proliferation of Audinate's Dante media networking solution across the AV industry, Steve Greenall has joined Audinate as director of sales for Europe.

Greenall, who resides in the UK, will also be responsible for leading sales activities in the Middle East, Africa and ASEAN countries.

"Over the past few years, I have been extremely impressed with the rapid adoption of Dante and how Audinate is universally recognized for delivering the most complete AV media networking solution available" says Greenall." I am thrilled to help contribute to Audinate's growth going forward."

Greenall has over 25 years professional sales experience, with the last 13 years focused directly in the A/V industry. He was recently sales director of VBrick in the UK, a leading provider of IP Video streaming solutions. Prior to that, he was the business

UK - POLARaudio has announced the appointment of Max Shuter in a newly created sales and marketing role.

Shuter brings with him extensive product knowledge and industry experience along with a detailed understanding of website design and maintenance. His most recent positions include product specialist at Roland and freelance web content producer for a leading Music Industry retailer.

In the latest phase of POLARaudio's growth, an in-house position has been created to support exciting projects planned for 2013. These include the development and implementation of a new website and the optimisation of all of POLARaudio extensive product content.

MD John Midgley commented, "Max joins us, initially to spearhead our web development programme, optimise our CRM system and then to work closely with the sales and marketing team on projects such as promotions, SEO and our social

UK - Professional audio technology supplier HHB Communications has appointed Sean Evans to its professional audio sales department.

After studying music technology and popular music at the University of Huddersfield, Evans gained experience working in several recording studios as a freelance audio engineer, in addition to mastering, vintage recording equipment and musical instrument repair experience. He has also worked as a session drummer.

HHB director of sales Martin O'Donnell comments on the appointment, "Sean's experience with audio technology has already made him a valuable asset to our professional audio sales team. His enthusiasm is matched by a keen understanding of our customers' needs."

Evans adds, "I have always had a great respect for HHB, as they are known throughout the industry as being an extremely knowledgeable company with experience in all

Germany - Pro audio distributor Mega Audio GmbH has hired Harald von Falkenstein as new sales director. His tasks include customer liaison and support for the key accounts, as well as the active shaping of the strategic development of the company. Further he will lead the internal and external sales staff including sales reps and product managers.

After almost 10 years as international sales manager for dBTechnologies, HVF returns to the national circuit in Germany. His career to date encompasses internships in music retail and wholesale as well as an extended stay in the UK working for a large MI-and pro audio supplier.

"I am looking forward to the new challenge and I am extremly excited to work with Burkhard Elsner and his team," says Harald.

Burkhard Elsner, CEO of Mega Audio comments, "With Harald von Falkenstein we are adding an experienced and versatile

USA - During the recent Annual General Meeting, two Bandit Lites employees, JR Sander and Steve Hoover, celebrated milestone anniversaries, having been with the company for 20 and 30 years, respectively.

Sander had been on the road for 12 years with another production company when he joined Bandit Lites' staff in 1992 as the warehouse manager. From there he evolved from developing an inventory system to general manager. Today he has settled into his position as a client representative.

After amassing memories that include Aerosmith, Garth Brooks, Queen and ZZ Top, Sander is quick to quote the old saying, "Find a job you like and you will never work a day in your life."

"After 20 years, I feel like I'm just getting started, as every year brings on new relationships and challenges," said Sander. "But that's the best part of working at Bandit: We are on

South Africa - Panalux has appointed Kenny Smith as managing director for its South African operations. Smith is a long-standing, highly regarded member of the Panalux senior management team and his appointment as managing director is a natural progression following many years of dedicated service, loyalty and the undoubted ability he has demonstrated during his time with the company, says Panalux.

Steve Smith, managing director Panalux Worldwide, comments: "I am delighted to announce Kenny's appointment and am certain that he will provide the kind of motivational management and direction that will ensure Panalux continues to deliver the very best in service, equipment and technology to our clients across Southern Africa".

He adds: "During his many years with Panalux, Kenny has demonstrated excellent leadership and a genuine passion for our industry. These quali

USA - Renkus-Heinz has announced the appointment of Scott Leslie to the position of president.

Leslie comes to Renkus-Heinz from JBL Professional, where he served as vice president of engineering. His deep industry background includes stints at a wide range of technology leaders including Sun Microsystems, Tektronix, and Altec Lansing. Leslie is also founder of Evidant Corporation, providers of Business Intelligence for IT solutions, where he has held executive level positions since 2002.

Leslie joins Renkus-Heinz as the company is experiencing unprecedented growth. Despite the economic downturn, Renkus-Heinz has seen a substantial surge in sales and has significantly grown its engineering staff. Leslie's new position will see him spearheading the company's continued expansion, working closely with company founder and chairman Harro Heinz.

"Scott brings with him a wealt

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