UK - Audio-visual consulting company Consultancy Team UK has appointed a PR manager and a technical specialist. Amy Harker has become business public relations manager and will manage the company’s public relations and marketing as well as contributing to their business development strategies. With 20 years’ experience in the media industry, Amy comments, “Consultancy Team UK are strongly committed to continue to offer a full spectrum of highly regarded audio-visual consulting, design and installation services and I look forward to driving forward global growth whilst maintaining a strong history of high standards.” Emrys Jones has been appointed as technical specialist and will be overseeing all elements of design, installation and production for numerous projects within the company’s portfolio. With 20 years industry experience Emrys has led many key accoun
UK - Natural History Museum has bolstered its specialist in-house events team with the appointment of Nikki Fhalora filling a maternity cover. Nikki will be managing event enquiries, client liaison and overseeing the delivery of both internal and external events over a busy festive 2017 following the refurbishment of the Hintze Hall space. She comments: “The Natural History Museum is one of the most iconic venues in London and it has always been my dream to work here, having studied history at university I am so lucky to be able to combine my love for the subject with my passion for events in such a varied and interesting role. My favourite space in the Museum is Fossil Way which can be dressed so delightfully by our suppliers for any event from champagne receptions to intimate sit-down dinners.” Robert Wetherell, head of venue hire at the Museum adds: “I
UK - Automation and motion control specialist and manufacturer Kinesys has announced three new appointments in digital marketing, software development and workshop technical at the company’s HQ in Hampton, Middlesex This is a result of a busy year to date and a surge in business following the launch of a new range of motion control hoists – Apex - in April, plus an expansion of the brand’s worldwide dealer network. Kinesys co-founder and MD Dave Weatherhead stated: “It’s been a strong year and we’re pleased to welcome our three new staff. Their skills and personalities are a perfect complement to the current team as we prepare for a new and exciting phase in Kinesys’ development.” Charlie Felicien joins as digital marketing & communications assistant. He will be working closely with MD Dave Weatherhead and David Bond who heads up Kinesys USA t
USA - Audio industry veteran Chris Caiazzo has joined Orlando-based Professional Wireless Systems as technical sales manager. In his new position, Caiazzo will be responsible for sales, technical support and project management. The announcement was made by Jim Van Winkle, general manager for Professional Wireless Systems. “I am very happy to be working with Chris again,” said Van Winkle. “His vast experience in the industry, and knowledge of wireless systems integration will be invaluable to our customers. I am very confident that he will be a key part of our growth for years to come.” Caiazzo began his career working for Van Winkle at Masque Sound, parent company of Professional Wireless Systems, in 1994. He began his own audio company, Technically Sound LLC, in 2006. Since then he has provided a variety of sound reinforcement services in the broadcast, corpo
UK - Award-winning creative video studio Lightrhythm Visuals has expanded its senior team with the addition of Tom Bowers as head of strategic innovation. His role will be to develop the global footprint of the business, leveraging his extensive broadcast and social TV and fan engagement expertise. Founder Ben Sheppee comments, “Tom brings a skill set that means new and existing clients can capitalise on his in-depth knowledge of engaging large audiences.” Bowers has worked on major shows including The Brit Awards, where he innovated the first regulated live global social vote, as well as championing the first wave of socially dynamic TV advertising in the UK. He has conceptualised end-to-end broadcast experiences, strategies and standout fan engagement deployments for leading media companies such as BskyB, ITV, Channel 4, BT Sport, 4Music, MTV, RTE,
UK - TSL has appointed Greg Westwood as a project manager. Westwood graduated from the University of South Wales in 2015 with a BSc in Lighting Design & Technology, since when he has been working in a sales role for leading equipment manufacturer Robe. He will be working closely with TSL’s MD Sam Tamplin, on project management and business development across a wide range of customers, projects and rentals. (Jim Evans)
The Netherlands - Integrated Systems Europe has announced that Carlo Ratti, the leading architect, engineer, inventor, and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will present the ISE opening address on 5 February 2018. Ratti’s speech will follow shortly after the conclusion of the Smart Building Conference during which Ratti will participate in the one-day conference’s closing roundtable discussion. Ratti commented: “I am delighted to be giving the opening address at ISE 2018. Social and technological developments in the evolution of smart cities and smart buildings are quickly shaping how we must plan to work and live in the future. I look forward to sharing my thoughts and experiences with the ISE audience.” At MIT, Ratti directs the Senseable City Lab, a research group that explores how new technologies are changing the way we und
UK - Nadine Wray has been appointed as senior account manager by AVT Connect, the live event and digital communication specialists. Wray will be based at the company’s Brighton head office, working with clients in the pharmaceutical, membership and educational sectors. Director of client services Becky Deo said: “Nadine has extensive events experience having worked both in-house and agency side. She has deep knowledge in all aspects of event project management and planning with a particular emphasis on the international pharmaceutical industry. Her enthusiasm and dedication is obvious straight away and she has already delivered global projects to the very highest standard." Originally from Yorkshire, her significant overseas and UK event experience was gained through working for companies such as Astellas, DePuy Synthes and GSK. (Jim Evans)
UK - Bristol Music Trust, the organisation that runs Colston Hall, has appointed Clare Jack, the development director at Bath Festivals, as chief operating officer. Clare will start at the organisation in October. An experienced arts manager, Clare brings with her over nine years’ experience in the arts industry, following an extensive career in private sector change management. In her new role Clare will be working closely with Louise Mitchell, chief executive of Bristol Music Trust, to take a strategic overview of the financial, commercial and operational competitiveness of the organisation. As chief operating officer, Clare will be responsible for driving forward the financial imperatives of the business in order to support, develop and sustain the charitable objectives of the Trust. Clare joins the senior management team at Colston Hall, who are responsi
UK - Atlona has strengthened its UK and Ireland sales team with the appointment of industry veteran Alex Moss as senior sales manager. Reporting to Atlona general manager Ronni Guggenheim, Alex will leverage his broad industry expertise to support sales initiatives across end users, partners and systems integrators as he works to expand the company’s regional presence. Alex’s trajectory has followed parallel sales and technology paths through much of his nearly 10 years in commercial AV industry. Since late 2013 until joining Atlona on 1 October, Alex held technical sales consultant and sales manager positions at various times with Cabletime, a leading manufacturer of IPTV, digital signage and media distribution products. “With the addition of AVoIP, control and wireless collaboration, Atlona’s product offering has evolved toward a full solutions-oriented appr
Europe - CUK Audio’s retail sales channel manager, Steve Barton, has just completed – and won - a gruelling 2,500-mile rally across Europe to raise money for the motor industry charity, BEN. A total of 28 teams took part in the event organised by Bilstein Group UK which took them through 10 countries in seven days via some of Europe’s most beautiful – and challenging – driving routes. Barton and his team-mate, Nik Edwards drove a CUK Audio-branded 2005 MG ZT-T diesel estate (don’t be fooled, they were pretty fast, aggressive drives in their time!) to take part in the Banger Rally that left Marden in Kent on 15 September to cross the finish line seven days later at Bilstein’s new state-of-the-art warehouse facility in Markham Vale. Sponsored by CUK Audio, the vehicle sported logos from several manufacturers in CUK’s MI/retail portfolio, namely dB Technol
UK - Wayne Howell, founder of Artistic Licence and the inventor of the Art-Net ethernet lighting protocol, has been honoured with the 2017 Gottelier award at the PLASA London show. Named in memory of Tony Gottelier, the renowned industry innovator and commentator, this annual award recognises product developers who have made significant long-term contributions to the advancement of entertainment, presentation or installation technology. Wayne Howell founded Artistic Licence in 1988. He was a major contributor to the development of DMX512-A in the 1990s, and released his free, public domain Art-Net protocol a few years later. Art-Net is now in its fourth version and has been adopted by hundreds of manufacturers worldwide. Wayne has continued to expand and diversify the Artistic Licence brand, and is well known for his books, articles and seminars. Artistic
UK - Chroma-Q has appointed Paul Pelletier as global brand manager for Chroma-Q. Pelletier is a 30 year veteran in the performance lighting industry working for industry leaders, most recently Martin Professional in the role of solution manager. Bringing with him extensive experience working with key brands, Paul has been an integral asset in brand development and marketing. He has worked closely with product development, sales, marketing and technical support to develop products, as well as to promote and sell these products within the lighting marketplace. Reporting to Jean-François Canuel, managing director for the Canadian Operations, Paul will provide the direction to promote and continue the growth of the Chroma-Q brand, with support and training for clients and users. He will also work closely with Chroma-Q’s R&D team to create forward-looking, succe
UK - Spectra Displays has made a significant addition to its team by recruiting an experienced member of the industry, Rob Marvell as operations director. With a strong background in audio Rob brings with him 15 years of experience working with Bose Professional UK, where he joined at the start of PRO-Partner to coordinate what was an industry changing distribution model focused on quality. Spectra’s MD Mike Boxall comments, “We have taken the business as far as we can and to grow we needed to expand; Rob joining the team is a great and crucial addition. Rob is a very personable, highly respected and well-connected AV Professional with a diverse skillset who will fit in perfectly with our organisation. We are already seeing growth since his appointment but the funny thing is that it took an audio guy to give a visual company perspective! At Spectra, our ethos has
South Africa - Ayrton has announced the appointment of Zane Cretten as the latest member of its expanding sales team. Based in South Africa, Cretten will take on the position of regional sales manager, with responsibility for sales across Africa and the Middle East. Cretten brings with him 11 years’ experience in the live events industry, specialising in video and lighting. During this time he has worked with major global brands including High End, Barco, Pandora’s Box, d3, CreateLED, Wings and Caliber. “When the opportunity arose to join Ayrton I jumped at the chance,” says Cretten. “I am very excited to be joining such a highly-specialised, innovative lighting company. I’m really looking forward to working with such a creative manufacturer and growing the market share in Africa and the Middle East.” “Zane will be a valuable addition to Ayrton’
UK - Joshua Bench joins the Audient team this month as new technical support agent, where he is on hand to answer any pre and post sales questions, further augmenting the technical support offered by the British manufacturer. Well placed to ensure that current and future Audient product owners are fully clued up on their kit, Joshua was originally introduced to recording with Audient’s flagship ASP8024 analogue console and despite being a musician himself, has spent considerable time on the tech side of the glass. “I prefer recording other people and mixing their work,” he admits. “I like to help the good musicians sound as good as they can on a recording.” (Jim Evans)
UK - Mike Elliott has joined Anne Minors and Bob Essert to become a director of Sound Space Vision, the theatre planning and acoustics consultancy formed from Anne Minors Performance Consultants and Sound Space Design. Mike has been with the company since 2008 and has project managed a number of completed venues through construction including the ACCA Centre for the University of Sussex and The Light in Euston. He is currently leading the SSV team on the refurbishment of Fairfield Halls in Croydon and a new space for Nevill Holt Opera. Mike originally studied theatre design at Nottingham Trent University and also holds a Masters degree in theatre consultancy from the University of Warwick. His background is in set and costume design, prop making and exhibition design, having previously worked with the Society of British Theatre Designers on their series of exhibition
UK - Audio-Technica has announced the recruitment of Jason Williams to a newly-created role as the company’s business development manager, conferencing professional audio for UK and Ireland. Williams’ arrival continues the expansion and evolution of Audio-Technica’s UK professional audio sales team, following the recruitment of Rich Soper, business development manager for live touring and rental and Tom Macklin, area sales manager, commercial north and Alex Farell’s move to commercial sales manager south. With 27 years of engineering and consulting experience in delivering AV and multimedia solutions across a number of vertical markets, Williams has focused on the conference market for the last eight years. Previous roles include senior positions at Brahler and Taiden, where he collaborated with Audio-Technica, rolling out over 600 UK courtroom installations fe
UK - After 34 years in the entertainment lighting industry and 33 years with Avolites, Steve Warren has changed his role within Avolites, moving away from day to day operational tasks and is now focusing on business development for Avolites. Steve has now extended this service to a complementary organisation under the umbrella of, Lighting Distribution Consulting Ltd, a new company Steve has formed. Lighting Distribution Consulting Ltd is exclusively assisting Chroma-Q by developing international sales and distribution channels of the award-winning Chroma-Q Range of LED fixtures. Interested parties should contact steve@chroma-q.com to discuss the new opportunity and benefits of international Chroma-Q distribution. (Jim Evans)
UK - From this month, David Faulkes will be the new sales manager for Highlite in the south of the UK. David has been in the lighting- and audio-business for more than 25 years. With extensive experience with Martin Professional, Miltec and more recently Chauvet, he brings a wealth of knowledge and customer contacts to Highlite. David states: “I’m looking forward to working with Highlites broad range of audio and lighting products. They have everything you could possibly need to make a great show; a one-stop-shop. I’m enthusiastic about the new range of Phantom and Infinity moving heads. They are well designed products which can be used in a wide range of applications and are a cost-effective solution. “Their audio-range is very comprehensive. I like the fact that it varies from small installation components to big outdoor systems. I see great opportunities for
UK - The experienced Dave Ball has joined RCF UK to boost their Technical Support. He will be responsible for the area south of the M62, while Mick Butler will continue to look after the north of England and Scotland. Ball joins from Polar Audio where he was business development manager. During his long career, Dave Ball has also worked at LMC’s Birmingham office, spent time with KV2 (where he first met Mick Butler) and between 1993-2004 ran his own PA company. Based between Stafford and Stoke, he says his preference is to work for a single brand rather than multiple brands. “It’s a great opportunity to be involved with a company of RCF’s pedigree,” he said. “This was part of the attraction, and I also wanted to take up a more technical role as I enjoy the training element.” Of the new appointment, RCF UK director of sales, Dean Davoile, said, “It
USA - Bandit Lites has announced the hiring of Laura McElmurray to its global headquarters. McElmurray will be taking on the role of accounts payable manager. McElmurray received degrees in both accounting and business administration and joins Bandit following working several years in other industries as an accountant. Shay Simpson, Bandit’s controller, comments: “Laura has been such a valuable addition to the accounting team. She not only brings with her 10-plus years of experience in Accounts Payable and general accounting, but a level of detail that is imperative in her role. I look forward to seeing her expand her accounting knowledge with her career at Bandit Lites.” (Jim Evans)
UK - ETC has announced the promotion of Darren Beckley to the role of sales manager for ETC Ltd. In this newly created position, Beckley will oversee all sales activity in the regions covered by ETC Ltd, including the UK and Ireland, northern and southern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He will be based out of ETC’s London office, and will spend time in all territories, providing support to ETC Ltd’s regional sales managers and their dealer and distributor networks. Beckley has more than 15 years of experience working in the industry, including more than a decade with UK-based dealer Stage Electrics. For several years, he was sales manager for installation projects, leading a team responsible for designing and selling integrated lighting, audio, video and stage engineering systems across the EMEA region. He was also responsible for establishing the Dubai branch of
Germany - d&b audiotechnik is expanding its research and development department and has appointed a new member to its management team. With effect from 1 August, Jan Biermann takes over from Frank Bothe as head of research and development. Bothe will now focus on the company’s medium to long term technology roadmap in his role as chief technology officer. As leader of the R&D team, Biermann will be responsible for implementing product development projects, reporting to d&b managing director Markus Strohmeier. “I am delighted to welcome Jan aboard,” says Strohmeier. “We searched extensively for someone who could further strengthen our already incredibly talented research and development team as we look to create the technologies that will shape the future. The role that Frank’s knowledge and vision has played in d&b’s development to this point is
