UK - Ron Bonner, PLASA's technical resources manager for the last 12 years, has left PLASA to start his own consulting company, Arbec Ltd. The new venture is a direct result of the volume of requests recieved from members and non-members alike for specialist assistance on a one-to-one basis that he was unable to provide in his original role at PLASA. However, Bonner has not completely parted company with PLASA as he is now providing Technical Resource support for PLASA through Arbec. Arbec offers a range of technical and health and safety services to PLASA members and the industry in general (with discounts for PLASA members). To contact Ron, email: ron@arbec.co.uk

UK - Doughty Engineering has appointed Mathew Brake as the newest member of its export team, where his experience and customer service skills will provide customers with greater continuity, complementing the two existing part time members of staff.

Speaking of Mathew's appointment, Laurence Dyer, Doughty's UK sales representative, said, "In the short time that Mathew has been with us, we've already noted his great potential. He hit the ground running on day one and has demonstrated his excellent customer service skills, expertly dealing with some very challenging customer requests. Being a full time member of the export department, Mathew's skills and experience will allow me to focus on carrying out my customer facing role to greater effect, which will inevitably lead to a better experience for both new and existing clients."

Mathew, who was previously with K-Tech R

UK - Liverpool, UK-based Sound, Light & Visual production solutions provider Adlib, has just appointed Mike Docksey as general manager to oversee its fast expanding Lighting & AV divisions. In a challenging economic climate, Adlib, headed by Andy Dockerty which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary, has been steadily building an infrastructure to support and evolve its growing global portfolio of clients.

Adlib's MD Andy Dockerty said: "Mike has undertaken to work alongside the directors and managers at Adlib to help strengthen the brand across all genres and disciplines. He will be overseeing the whole lighting and AV operation with a view to implementing positive and progressive steps to fulfil the aspirations of the company."

"His role will see him forging new bonds, reinforcing existing relationships and helping the sales, rental and operations teams del

USA - Production Resource Group LLC (PRG) has announced today that Stephen Lambright has joined its executive leadership team as vice president of marketing.

With over 20 years of international marketing and brand development experience, Lambright will be responsible for the company's global marketing strategies, implementation of marketing programs that enhance and expand PRG's industry leadership, and promotion of PRG innovations to partners and clients. As a member of the company's executive leadership team, Lambright will report to PRG's CEO, Jeremiah Harris.

"Steve is a welcome addition to our team," said Harris. "He has demonstrated thoughtful and creative leadership as an executive throughout his career and is a talented marketer who delivers results. Steve joins us at a perfect time to build a global marketing organization within PRG that will support an

UK - Midwich has appointed Jon Dew-Stanley as director of solution sales. Jon brings a wealth of AV management experience to Midwich, having been director of commercial audio specialists Polar Audio for the past 13 years. During that spell, he was both technical director and sales director, bringing both commercial and technical design experience to the Midwich group. He is also a past winner of the coveted AV Awards technical person of the year award.

Jon said: "I am delighted to be joining the Midwich group in this new and exciting role. I'll be assisting our client partners to successfully design and deploy innovative technical audio visual solutions using the latest technologies available from our vendors.

"Midwich are a company I know well from my time in the industry and I look forward to contributing to their business objectives with comprehensive, collaborati

UK - Reading-based event lighting specialist, Blinding Light has announced the addition of Dominic Sheerman to its in-house project management team. With 30 years' of experience in the lighting industry and 16 years specialising in the provision of lighting and rigging services for the corporate and special events market, Sheerman is a valued edition to the growing Blinding Light team.

During his extensive experience in the sector, Sheerman has worked with major brands and production companies servicing a number of sectors including automotive, technology, finance and pharmaceutical across Europe and North America.

Over the last two years, the Blinding Light team has gone from strength to strength and Sheerman now joins over 20 colleagues based at the company's Reading offices and warehouse facility. The addition of Sheerman enhances the line-up of industry stalwarts at Blindi

UK - As announced at the ABTT Theatre Show Awards, Peter Lambert has been presented with the ABTT Award for Technician of the Year 2014.

A leading production electrician since 1998 - when his break came working on ShowBoat at London's Prince of Wales Theatre for the legendary Richard Pilbrow - his many years of experience has made him one of the most sort-after technicians around.

Whilst working as a casual on the original 1983 West End production of Singin' in the Rain at the London Palladium, Peter studied for his City & Guilds 181 & 236(1) Theatre Electricians Course - a training course delivered by the ABTT - graduating in 1984.

This was followed by two years at the Palace Theatre as a charge hand, seeing in the Cameron Mackintosh/Royal Shakespeare Company production of Les Misérables. Further experience on West End musicals and UK tours follo

Germany - 2014's second quarter draws to a close and Laserworld AG continues to expand and recruits new employees for their marketing team.

The importance of a compelling online presence in text, picture and video increases with every year, hence at Laserworld they are glad to welcome Sabrina Mitchell in their marketing department. As a marketing assistant she supports the existing team for online media in their work and will be responsible for the web presence of several projects and subsidiaries.

"Thanks to her knowledge and experience in design and media technology, Mrs. Mitchell will be an asset to our marketing team and we expect new impulses from her in order to even further boost the Laserworld brand globally," explains Norbert Stangl, sales and marketing director of the Laserworld Group.

Benjamin Weizenegger is another new marketing assistant at Laserworld.

USA - Audio industry veteran Michael Reeves passed away of injuries sustained in an accident when an automobile collided with him while riding his road bike in Monterey, California on June 21, 2014.

Michael's wife Mary and daughter Katy were close by, at home and many family and friends were able to assemble quickly to support and comfort them during the tragedy.

Michael was a well-known, larger-than-life character who loved to take everything to the extreme. Whether it was his work in the pro-audio business, his skill as a waterman, in cycling, in aviation, scuba diving, woodworking, photography or in music he would engage each one with great zeal. He was an avid cyclist who rode every week and loved to participate in long range cycling events known as Century Rides.

Michael MacDonald, President of ATK Audiotek, recalls Reeves as "the consummate salesman who loved to t

UK - Technical production company Hawthorns has recruited Rachel Waterfield as head of sales & marketing. With offices in London and Leicestershire, Hawthorns, have been busy expanding over recent years, most recently adding Cambridge based technical production company Anagram to their brand portfolio.

Waterfield brings 25 years of event industry experience to the role, and has previously held positions at companies including Hilton, Mask and MotivAction. Commenting on her appointment, managing director of Hawthorns, Martin Hawthorn said, "This is an exciting time for Hawthorns and Rachel is a welcome addition to the management team. Her remit includes exploring how we can best leverage the strengths of our existing brands within the business, develop the customer experience and ensure we not only retain our valued clients but continue to increase our market share."

UK - Audient has added a new technical staff member - Harry Lewis. Since his arrival at Audient, Harry has worked to upgrade and simplify the online technical help desk, populating it with factsheets and answers to frequently asked questions.

Already known for its quick and informative responses to customer queries, Audient adds convenience with an attractive new design for its online support page, making it easier to navigate directly to the answer to your problem, either by product or using a simple search function. This section of the website continues to grow, too; Audient is constantly adding to the already jam-packed knowledge base with useful hints, trouble-shooting guides and FAQs.

Many of the factsheets are illustrated by handwritten notes and easy-to-understand drawings, to help decipher some of the more complicated audio explanations such as clocking and harmonic di

Italy - Clay Paky has achieved extraordinary sales results throughout the world in recent years, thanks to luminaires like the Sharpy and the B-EYE, which lighting designers and rental companies have appreciated for their innovation and profitability. This however does not mean Clay Paky may now rest on its laurels. Quite the opposite. Pio Nahum, the company's sales and marketing director, has decided to give a new boost to promotion activities on the field and work with greater commitment to support end-users and distributors.

To achieve this goal, a new position has been created - head of international sales. The job has been assigned to Alberico D'Amato who, as from 1 July, will be responsible for coordinating all internal area sales managers and external regional sales representatives in their dealings with distributors and customers.

Alberico D'Amato has worked as a Clay

Germany - Lawo, German manufacturer of audio and video broadcast solutions, has appointed Ralf Schimmel as director of global sales. In his new post, he is responsible for the strategic orientation and coordination of worldwide sales activities for all products, systems and solutions from the Lawo Group of companies. His appointment coincides with the expansion of Lawo's international activities, as well as an expansion of the company's audio, video, software, and IP networking technology product portfolio.

"I am looking forward to my new role with Lawo. I am joining at an important time for an expanding company, with exciting opportunities for the future opening up," says Schimmel.

"In our new market position, it is important to co-ordinate the worldwide sales of individual Lawo companies for an effective market-driven strategy. We are delighted that Ralf Schim

UK - Rosco, a leading manufacturer of products for the entertainment industry has welcomed a new member to its EMEA sales team. Canna Gray has been appointed Senior Account Manager focusing on the UK Photographic Market as well as key accounts in the Balkans, Cyprus, Malta and Moldova.

Gray comes with 20 years' experience within the live entertainment, film/TV and photography industries. Originally from Pretoria in South Africa, she started her career in the early '90s touring with various rock and roll, dance and theatre productions in South Africa and Holiday on Ice and Disney on Ice internationally.

During that time, Canna gained tremendous experience working in several areas of the production industry, including: stage and production management, lighting and pyrotechnics. Most recently, Canna spent the past five years successfully looking after business development for the

UK - Le Mark has produced a video with no product info or sales incentives, "just a great video to help promote a charity which aims to rid our lives of a disease that has affected so many of us, either through our own personal experiences or when supporting friends & family".

The girls at Le Mark, determined as ever, teamed up and do their bit to help the fight against cancer and the company is supporting them all the way. If you can, please support the girls at Parker's Piece in Cambridge on 20 July 2014 at 11am.

Donate: justgiving.com/peasinapod Video Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfKkEareaB0

(Jim Evans)

Germany - Loudspeaker system manufacturer d&b audiotechnik has appointed Amnon Harman as CEO effective 7 July 7, 2014. In this newly created position, Harman will drive the continued success of the German premium provider, taking responsibility for the further development and implementation of the company strategy.

Prior to joining d&b, Harman was an independent consultant. From 2006 to 2012 he served as chairman of the management board of Augusta Technologie AG, an international technology company focused on niche markets for optical sensor technology and digital image processing. Previously, he was a member of the management board and COO at Suse Linux AG, where he took over the position as vice president and COO of the EMEA region after a sale to Novell Inc., a specialist for network and internet software products.

Harman holds degrees in industrial engineering and aeronaut

UK - Following a period of reorganisation at Yamaha Commercial Audio's UK operation, the company has confirmed its new sales and technical support team.

Mixing long-term experience with 'new blood', the team is headed by Robert Webster, Yamaha Commercial Audio UK's new divisional director, who has been with Yamaha for 30 years. Previously in charge of both the Electronic Keyboard and AV Divisions, Robert's intimate knowledge of Yamaha, its products and customer base makes him the ideal leader of the new team, says the company.

Working closely with Robert is Karl Christmas, who occupies the new position of sales & marketing manager for UK and Ireland. Karl has been a very familiar face to Commercial Audio customers for over two decades and he will continue to be very 'hands on' with dealer and end-user relations.

Meanwhile, Northern and Southern regional sales will be handled

Europe - Meyer Sound has strengthened its European technical services with the appointment of Oskar Meijer as senior technical support specialist. Meijer brings a wealth of field experience working with Meyer Sound products, including the newest Leo family of line array systems.

In his new position, Meijer will support Meyer Sound's European customers in the design and optimisation of loudspeaker and digital audio systems, on-site project commissioning, and after-sale customer training. He will work closely with the technical support teams in Europe and at the company's Berkeley, California headquarters.

Meijer has more than 20 years of experience in the design, configuration, and commissioning of complex audio systems, and has worked as a stage technician, ground rigger, and project manager. He has served as a lead systems technician at major European festivals such as Way Ou

UK - With Green Hippo's internship programme in full swing and going from strength to strength, the company recently had the pleasure of having second-year student Norvydas in the office, helping out for a month.

Says the company: "We are honoured to be able to give potential future designers, programmers and operators the chance to explore the industry and its products hands on, hopefully helping them to explore previously unknown territories and strengthen their skills."

Norvydas Genys is studying the 'Theatre Lighting Design' course at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. He says: "I was fortunate to have a lighting designer around my house, my father, whom I used to help and share my ideas with, as well as study his way of working in the industry. I grew up surrounded by lights and music and it helped me to realise very early on that this will be a

UK - The continuing growth of the JHS pro audio division has led to the appointment of Chris Walton to handle in-house demos and provide detailed technical advice on the firm's pro audio portfolio consisting of HK Audio, Lab.gruppen, LA Audio, Lewitt, Cymatic and more.

JHS exec sales & marketing Alan Smith said, "We often have trade customers coming to our head office demo facilities in Leeds and it's not always convenient to pull our field based pro audio managers in. Chris has the knowledge and expertise to advise, rig and demo the gear as well as providing additional telephone and email support."

As an industry stalwart, Chris Walton joins with many years' of pro sound industry experience. The last 22 years have sent Chris around the land facilitating both live and install audio solutions as well as music production and design. Chris has worked extensively with Yo

UK - Sennheiser UK has announced that Simon Holley has been appointed to the position of commercial sales manager for its Pro Systems division.

Simon joins from his previous position as sales manager at Bose UK and will work closely with and manage Sennheiser UK's extensive pro audio sales team. Simon will also liaise with key accounts and partners in each sector, helping to serve them and, in turn, Sennheiser's end users better.

"Originally coming from a background of B2B and B2C sales in the aftermarket automotive industry, and then spending the past seven years in the pro audio industry heading up the professional systems division for Bose UK, has given me a wealth of experience in sales and sales team management," says Simon. "My experience in the Pro Audio market spans a multitude of market segments and customer/account types. I will draw on this experience

UK - POLARaudio, as part of its ongoing internal restructuring, has promoted technical support engineer Liam Richards to the role of technical support manager. Appointed to his original position in 2010 from a background in stage management and live sound, Richards has played a key role in delivering a very high level of customer support across POLARaudio's extensive range of brands.

As POLARaudio continues to expand its operations, its restructuring demands that the abundant talents of its staff continue to be employed specifically and insightfully towards offering the best possible service to its customers - a theme taken up by managing director John Midgley: "Whilst we have sought to strengthen our team by bringing in some new faces, I believe it is crucial that we are careful not to overlook the strengths we possess in-house. Liam came to us with a wealth of knowledge a

UK - As a direct result of an increase in business and market share within its sub distribution network, Sennheiser UK has announced a significant change to its sub distribution model in the UK.

"The growth we are experiencing has been achieved across the whole Sennheiser portfolio, and will continue as Sennheiser and its partners introduce a raft of new product innovations later in the year," says channel sales manager Simon Druce. "We now have Sennheiser specialists within each of our distribution partners and they will receive on-going training from Sennheiser and our manufacturing partners."

The change has also dictated the need for dedicated internal sales person, with David Atkinson, who has over 15 years experience in the pro audio market and joins from his previous position at Avid, taking up the position of order management co-ordinator.

"We

UK - PRG Nocturne which provides LED video and projection support to the concert touring, festival, and corporate event markets, has expanded its operations in the UK.

"We are now heading into our fourth year with PRG," says Bob Brigham, president of PRG Nocturne. "One of the deciding factors in joining the PRG team was our dream to expand into the UK/European markets. The expansion of our UK operation allows us to fully support the rapidly growing demand with an experienced team of people and quality gear that our customers expect of PRG Nocturne US and UK."

In 2014, the UK operation has supported numerous tours and festival appearances including The Eagles, Katy Perry, Metallica, Skrillex, Franz Ferdinand, Bastille, Linkin Park, and The Rolling Stones. They have also worked with a roster of corporate clients which included 3D projection mapping for the la

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