Norway - Harman Professional has announced the appointment of Joachim Bogetvedt as sales manager, Nordic, Martin Professional. Based in Kristiansand, Norway, Bogetvedt will lead sales and initiatives for Martin Professional across Northern Europe, reporting directly to Steen Matthiesen, Vice President EMEA sales, Martin Professional.

Commenting on the appointment Matthiesen states, "Martin has strong traction in the EMEA market and Joachim has played a significant role understanding, meeting and exceeding the complex requirements of our customers. Joachim's experience and commitment to the growth of Martin Professional has greatly improved our business in Norway and we expect the same from his expanded territory in the EMEA region."

Bogetvedt began his career in private lighting and audio rental and sales and joined Martin Professional Scandinavia in 2009 as Key Acco

UK - The Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers (ISCE) has appointed Anthony Smith as its new president. It was announced at a recent AGM that the new president would be taking up the position vacated by Terry Baldwin, who is stepping down from the office he has held for the last four years.

Anthony was the founder of AVX Systems before going on to develop one of the first digital networking voice alarm systems(VxLAN) - which later became SigNET - and in 1999 developed the first generation SigTEL fire telephone system. He set up Current Thinking Ltd in 2001, developing new induction loop amplifiers, the VoCALL EVCS solution, and digital voice alarm solutions using high efficiency class D amplifiers that were used for all the audio systems at Dublin airport terminal 2. Anthony later took up a position as Business Development Manager (Voice Solutions) at Cooper Fire & Saf

USA - Industry veteran Anne Johnston has joined Pete's Big TVs as an account rep. Based in the New York/Tri-State area, Johnston will serve the company's video equipment rental clients in the concert touring, TV and special/corporate events market.

Johnston has worked in these same markets most recently as VP of marketing at Production Resource Group (PRG). Her role since 2007 was over the "big picture," which encompassed lighting, video, audio, LEDs, rigging and automation. Previous roles at PRG were VP Systems Installation and prior to that, VP and Sales Manager.

Johnston came to PRG via Production Arts Lighting in the late 1980s. In 1990 she took on the role of VP Image Systems - a title she held through 2002, even while PRG acquired the company in 1999.

For Johnston, the move to Pete's Big TVs takes her full circle back to her early days in projection, when fri

Germany - Daktronicshas announced the appointments of Reece A. Kurtenbach as Chief Executive Officer and president of Daktronics, and Peter Egart as vice president of Daktronics international regions in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Egart will be at ISE 2014 to talk to visitors and partners and give insight of the company's vision.

Based in Wiesbaden, Germany, Egart is in charge of all sales and service operations for international customers EMEA and Latin America. He is responsible for strategic development of new business, management of Daktronics subsidiary offices, and strengthening international relationships.

Egart began his career at Daktronics in the USA in 1993, after more than fifteen years of experience in network television as a director, producer and manager. He played a key role in establishing the business communications market niche for Daktron

UK - Jarrod Bischoff returns to the Gallowglass Group as head of training - responsible for the group's stand-alone events industry training company. Having joined events crewing firm Gallowglass in 2004 as senior crew chief, Bischoff moved to a client liaison role between 2009 and 2012, before leaving the company to hone his business development skills with coffee company, CaféPod.

"I've been willingly seduced back to the events industry - and my year's sabbatical has shown me just how far the bar has been raised in expectations of gold-standard event delivery," he said. "Many companies are taking speed, efficiency and safety really seriously nowadays, while others simply want to operate within the law. Either way, training has become an essential, not a luxury."

Gallowglass Training was launched in 2011, to build on the basic on-site induction cour

The Netherlands - Integrated Systems Events reports that Dr Dirk Schlesinger, the global lead for manufacturing industries of Cisco Consulting Services, will present the Opening Keynote Address of ISE 2014.

Titled Kick-Starting the Market for Building Automation, Schlesinger's speech will give attendees an exclusive insight into how a new cross-industry initiative set up by Cisco, ABB, Bosch and LG will transform the world of 'smart' building technology by offering a common standard for data exchange across multiple appliances and disciplines.

"In October 2013, Cisco, ABB, Bosch and LG signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the development of a common, open and discrimination-free platform to unite diverse services such as lighting control, energy management, security, healthcare and, not least, audiovisual entertainment and communication," Schlesinge

UK - POLARaudio has recently engaged new staff to reinforce its team in the light of its continued success in adding new brands to its portfolio.

Three new faces have joined the internal sales team - Nigel Brake, Alison Knight and Allison Geal, whilst Jo Griffin has joined the accounts department (purchase ledger). On the logistics side, Juan Recouso has joined to bolster the warehouse operation.

POLARaudio MD John Midgley welcomes the new arrivals with enthusiasm, "2013 saw us take on a number of new and exciting brands, the addition of which, we believe, will continue the onwards and upwards trend of the business in 2014. Strengthening staffing levels is vital to supporting our operation as it strives to meet the increased demand brought on by our expansion. We place great emphasis on the value of our team members and are delighted to welcome the new recruits to the POL

UK - Theatre consultant, manager, producer and founding member of the ABTT Ian Albery, has been awarded a Fellowship of the Association. Individuals are appointed Fellow if they "have rendered signal service to the technical aspects of the art of the theatre".

In recognising his outstanding contribution to theatre - including work as both production and technical managers and service as vice-chairman of the ABTT, as well as an executive member of the Society of West End Theatre - Nimax Theatre chief executive, Nica Burns, praised the former chief executive of Sadler's Wells Theatre, acknowledging the importance of Albery in her own career.

The list of ABTT Fellows now reads as follows: David Adams, Ian Albery, Jason Barnes, Fred Bentham (deceased), Richard Brett, William Dudley, Tim Foster, Roger Fox, Roderick Ham, Chris Higgs, Ethel Langstreth (deceased), Iain Macki

The Netherlands - Marc Kocks has taken up the position of director at Sales-All in Bemmel, the Netherlands. Kocks, who previously spent over 20 years with the Ampco Flashlight group's sales companies, where he was managing director of TM Audio and Lightco, will be responsible driving Sales-All forward, as well as business development for Sales-All and Fairlight.

His initial goals are to open new markets, expand Sales-All's presence in the Benelux region, its product portfolio, set up an international network for second-hand sales and establish a European working network for private label products, such as CLF. He will also focus on the design, supply and installation of systems.

"I am looking forward to working with this professional team to expand sales at both Sales-All and Fairlight," says Kocks. "The well-structured and very healthy financial position of the

Austria - Elation Professional EU has announced the hiring of Karl Lager as the company's new sales representative for Austria. Karl, who starts in the new position this month, is tasked with using his extensive industry knowledge and customer network to build a strong Elation dealership structure in Austria.

Karl comes to Elation from industry trading company Licht-Lager, which he founded along with two partners in 2003. Born into a theatrical family that worked in Vienna's Burgtheater, the Austrian National Theatre, where he gathered a wealth of technical and sales knowledge, his years of experience working with lighting companies gives him a unique insight into the Austrian market and its key players.

Marc Librecht, sales & marketing manager at Elation Europe, commented on the hiring, "We are very happy to have Karl join the Elation team in Europe and are confident his

UK - LSiOnline has learned of the death of Gavin Aldridge, an experienced AV systems designer and installer, and owner of Kent-based Fulford Sound & Communications Services. Gavin, who was 36, was killed at Bethersden Business Centre near Ashford at the start of December, when the 4x4 vehicle he was working beneath fell on top of him. He was declared dead at the scene.

Fulford Sound & Communications Services specialises in the provision of professional services to the industry for custom audio visual systems for museums, theme parks, visitor centres and retail applications. Gavin bought the company from founder Bill Fulford in 1996, and later took time out from the company to gain wider industry experience, working for a number of AV industry specialists including Electrosonic. He returned to Fulford in 2008, since when the company has grown and developed to the point where it i

USA - ARRI CSC, the largest full service equipment rental group in the United States, has announced that Chris MacKarell has been promoted to digital workflow manager. He will continue to oversee ARRI CSC's digital workflow and on set activities for New Jersey and Florida facilities while at the same time contributing to ARRI Rental Group product development and Technical Marketing.

MacKarell's extensive experience in digital media spans 15 years in the post sector. Starting out as manager Mmedia illusion support for Avid Technology Inc. he then worked for NBC Peacock Productions. In 2010 he joined Deluxe where he managed special projects, rolled out infrastructure improvements and new workflow designs. As senior engineer/ workflow architect for Technicolor he then designed, tested and implemented project-specific workflows. Chris MacKarell joined ARRI CSC in 2011 as digital wor

UK - Stage One, the company who realised Thomas Heatherwick's spectacular cauldron for the London 2012 Olympics, has appointed Adam Wildi to its senior management team.

Adam joins the creative construction and manufacturing company as Senior Project Director and will take specific responsibility for demountable structures and architecture.

Already a familiar face at Stage One, Adam's relationship with the company goes back as far as the late 1980s and, significantly, included the Hong Kong Handover Ceremony. He has collaborated with them on a host of projects including the 2004 Athens Olympic ceremonies, the Chanel Mobile Art Pavilion and 2012's Beach Volleyball Stadium on Horse Guards Parade.

Previously Technical Director for the 2004 Athens Olympic ceremonies, Adam brings with him an enviable Olympic pedigree as well as a strong understanding of the diversity of projects t

UK - PSCo has announced the appointment of Richard Bovingdon as sales director.

Bovingdon will head up both the internal and external sales teams. He joins from Micro Peripherals Ltd where he was head of education & AV solutions, bringing over 16 years' experience in the AV/IT channel having worked for distributors, manufacturers and resellers on the development of business growth within their respective verticals.

Commenting on his new role RBovingdon said, "PSCo is a pioneering, forward-thinking company and I especially admire that it knows its strengths and puts everything into producing outstanding results. This new role will be an exciting challenge, and I feel I've joined at the perfect time to drive sales efforts forward into 2014 and beyond. My strong background in AV will help improve PSCo's presence within the channel and grow customer relationships."

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UK- A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) Ltd. deeply regrets to inform the industry that beloved colleague, Kevin Fitz-Simons, passed away peacefully at home in the early hours of Tuesday 31 December 2013, aged 53.

As Northern Lighting Sales Manager for AC-ET's Leeds office, Kevin held an important senior role in the company. He was an extremely well liked and respected colleague, and a larger than life character.

Kevin was also very well known in the industry, with a diverse career spanning over 30 years. During this time, he built an incredible number of customer relationships and friendships.

After leaving St Francis Xavier's College, Liverpool in 1978, it was whilst Kevin was studying for a BSc in chemistry at the University of Newcastle that he caught the 'theatre bug'. This led to his decision to leave after two years to pursue a career in his newfound passion.

Ke

UK - LSi Online has learned the sad news of the death of the veteran theatre consultant Richard Brett. Richard had suffered from mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer, for over a year, and died peacefully at home on 9 January.

A partner in the theatre consultancy Theatreplan, Richard was also known as the conference director of the International Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference (ITEAC), which is due to hold its fourth event this year.

After studying engineering at University College London, Richard was trained by the BBC, and went on to work as managing director at Richard Pilbrow's Theatre Projects Consultants from 1967 to 1985, before forming his own professional practice. During his career, Richard was responsible for more than 50 major theatre projects and a large number of more modest performing arts schemes worldwide. He led the development of countless inno

UK - Former European sales manager at City Theatrical, Alex Cowan, has taken up a new post in the sales department at staging equipment, set construction and studio hire company LS-Live, in Wakefield.

He brings to the role a wealth of experience in sales and new business development, having secured big wins in previous posts for a variety of entertainment industry companies such as HSL Group, Pixelrange and City Theatrical.

Said Cowan, "I visited LS-Live to discuss business and couldn't believe this top of the range facility. I've been all over the world and there is nothing else like this out there.

"As soon as people understand that they can get everything from under one roof, from set design to final construction and rehearsals in the studio, they won't use anyone else.

"My job is to ensure that when anyone thinks about touring and live events, whether th

UK - Source Distribution has announced a further expansion of its salesforce through the appointment of Tim Gray as commercial audio sales manager.

This newly created position is in direct response to Source's growing presence in the commercial audio market sector, and will have particular emphasis on the PreSonus StudioLive AI range of digital mixers and active PA loudspeakers, Genelec's AV Install series of loudspeakers, RØDE's live sound and headset microphones, Eventide digital effects processors and outboard products from Universal Audio, API and Lynx. Based in the field and covering the whole of the UK, Tim's role will be to develop and manage a growing network of live sound dealers, rental companies and AV installers.

Gray started his career in technical sales at Shuttlesound, progressed to the role of sound reinforcement manager at Arbiter (with responsibility f

USA - The Music Group has announced the appointment of Greg McLagan as AVP, Business Development Professional Division, who will be in charge of developing business strategy and action plans to grow the Pro Division's global footprint. The appointment is effective 13 January 2014.

Prior to joining Music Group, McLagan held top management positions at QSC, Renkus Heinz and Mark IV.

"I am honoured to have Greg join the Music Group team," said Shawn Watts, VP of global sales Professional Division. "We are making preparations to launch the largest and most comprehensive line of products in the history of our Pro Division. Greg's knowledge and expertise will be instrumental in the continued development of our global market presence."

Greg McLagan commented, "I am very excited to take this new responsibility to grow Music Group sales from a global perspect

Italy - Outline has expanded its technical staff, which has been joined by telecom engineer Andrea Ippolito, and Anastasia Klinushkina has been appointed as business developer supporting the sales office. The pair have joined the team to enable Outline to ensure clients even better service and further boost its dynamic R&D department's work.

Andrea Ippolito, a graduate in telecommunications engineering and an amateur clarinettist, has already worked for several months on the iMode project, under the guidance of engineer Daniele Pagani.

Ippolito explains, "From my point of view, joining Outline's R&D team has meant having the opportunity of being involved in highly ambitious projects, using state of the art technology and working alongside some of the best engineers in the pro audio industry. My experience in the digital signal processing field has numerous applications in

UK - Blitz has added Andy Johnston to its workforce in the capacity of business development Manager.

Blitz has achieved five successive years of growth, with significant investment in both technology and project management talent, ensuring their service offering is at the highest level. With 15 years' experience in the events industry, most recently at MCL London, Andy brings a wealth of experience to the team; he will be ensuring the promotion of Blitz's increasing portfolio of services, and their expanding range of technologies unique to the events sector, says the company.

Sales director, Graham Pope commented, "In a world of technology, people make the difference and I am sure Andy will complement our existing team perfectly and become an integral part of our continued success."

(Jim Evans)

USA - Apollo Design Technology has announced the appointment of Charlotte Heaston as marketing director. In this role, Heaston will be responsible for the development and execution of the business's marketing and communication strategies. This position will report directly to the president of the company, Joel Nichols.

Prior to joining Apollo Design Technology, Heaston worked for Lincoln Financial Group for 25 years in various marketing and communication roles including brand, product and sales development.

"We are thrilled to have Charlotte on board at Apollo. She comes to us with a very strong marketing background and has an innate ability to manage projects and deliver results with a can-do attitude. I am confident she will enjoy working in our unique industry." Nichols said.

"I am excited to work with an incredibly talented and energetic team at Apollo Des

Canada - CAST BlackTrax reports that Paul Braile has joined their team as a BlackTrax expert effective 1 January 2014.

On the heels of multiple awards and mega productions including Eurovision and Trinity Fellowship Church, CAST BlackTrax is receiving a growing number of questions from creative designers and production executives about production pros/cons, and cost savings. Answering them requires the specialized knowledge from a been-there-done-that industry pro. Paul Braile comes with more than 20 years of industry experience and has worked on productions from Glee and the Super Bowl to Broadway and the CBS Thanksgiving Day Parade. He is also arguably the nation's top subject matter expert on automated follow spot tracking systems, says the company.

Braile says, "Today the industry is turning to new technology for reducing production costs and better return in terms of

Europe - Yamaha's Nick Cook has announced he is to leave his current position as European Marketing Director for Commercial Audio to set up a strategic marketing and sales consultancy, called NCM.

Cook, who has been with Yamaha for eight years, was responsible for managing and coordinating Commercial Audio sales and marketing activities throughout Europe. Prior to joining Yamaha, Cook was already highly regarded within the professional audio community having held a number of senior sales and marketing positions with leading manufacturing companies including Solid State Logic, Amek and Fairlight.

Nick told us: "My time at Yamaha has been hugely rewarding and challenging in equal measure: integrating and developing Yamaha's CA operations throughout Europe has been very satisfying. I have now decided to devote my marketing, sales and organisational experi

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