Insomniac has announced three new positions. Alyxzander Bear will serve as director of production, while Brian Parisi will work as senior VP of Finance, and Maren Steiner as director of health & safety. Bear has worked with Insomniac as an independent contractor for eight years, serving as director of production for previous editions of Nocturnal Wonderland, Beyond Wonderland and the Electric Daisy Carnival. Parisi most recently served as VP of corporate and financial planning analysis for Live Nation. Steiner has worked with Insomniac since 2011. She worked with Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, New York, Chicago, Puerto Rico and Orlando. Steiner is a member of the Universal City Emergency Response Team.
Thomas Berger will serve as VP of Finance & Administration and chief financial officer for The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, Fla. He most recently served as executive vice president and CFO of the National Children’s Museum in National Harbor, Md.
SMG has appointed three regional vice presidents — John Bolton, Gregg Olson and Larry Wilson — to be part of its re-organized stadium and arena division. Bolton has served as GM of SMG’s Tulsa, Okla., venues, the BOK Center and the Cox Business Center, since 2007. He is a former Hall of Headlines award winner for Bookings. Olson has joined SMG from the National Basketball Association’s Portland (Ore.) Trail Blazers where he served as executive vice president and chief financial officer. He began his sports management career in 1985 as director of Finance for Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians. Wilson has served as GM of the SMG-managed facilities in Jacksonville, Fla., including EverBank Field, Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, the Prime Osborn Convention Center, and Jacksonville Equestrian Center. He was awarded Venues Today’s 2007 Hall of Headlines Award for Marketing.
The Center for Exhibition Industry Research has named Brian Casey its new president and chief executive officer, effective in December. Casey currently serves as vice president and general manager of the Cleveland Global Center for Health Innovation & Convention Center. He has more than 30 years of experience in the exhibitions and meetings industry, including working as president and CEO of High Point Authority, owner of Next Generation Events Group, executive vice president at SmithBucklin, and managing director of trade shows for the International Housewares Exposition.
Nathan Dennison has been promoted to vice president of Sales at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind. He previously served as the coordinator of Marketing & Media Services. Dennison has been with the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum since 2006.
Comcast-Spectacor has named Mark DiMaurizio president at FanOne Marketing. He will continue to serve as VP of technology solutions at parent company Comcast-Spectacor. DiMaurizio is a 20-year veteran of the sports and entertainment industry.
AEG Facilities has appointed Jon Dorman general manager for Rabobank Arena, Theater & Convention Center; San Joaquin Community Hospital Ice Center of Bakersfield and Bright House Networks Amphitheatre, all in Bakersfield, Calif. Prior to joining AEG Facilities, Dorman worked for the City of Norfolk (Va.) as the assistant director of the Department of Cultural Facilities Arts and Entertainment for several venues and, before that, served as deputy director of the Orlando (Fla.) Venues Department.
The Global Alliance has announced the appointment of Julie-May Ellingson, chief executive officer of Durban (South Africa) International Convention Centre as its new chair. Ellingson joined the Durban ICC in 2011, having spent 10 years heading up the strategic projects unit of the eThekwini Municipality in the South African province of KwaSulu-Natal.
Gene Felling, VenuWorks’ executive director for Cedar Rapids, Iowa, venues including U.S. Cellular Center, Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids Ice Arena and McGrath Amphitheatre, will be returning to his position as Western Regional VP for VenuWorks. Sharon Cummins will serve as interim executive director while VenuWorks searches for a replacement. Felling will continue to help book the Cedar Rapids venues from his office in Denver.
Seth Gordon will lead Signature Systems Group as president and CEO, taking over for the retiring Arnon Rosan who founded the company in 1998. Gordon was hired in 2008 as director of Business Development.
Barbican has promoted Oliver Hargreaves to Business Development manager, while Nia Edwards will serve as business events executive. Hargreaves joined Barbican in 2010 as an account executive. He earned a degree in events management with marketing management from the University of Gloucestershire, England. Edwards joined Barbican earlier this year as a business events and sales intern.
Richard Hudock has accepted the public relations manager position with Wynn and Encore Las Vegas. Most recently, he worked as Public Relations manager with The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas.
Vanessa Kromer has been promoted to vice president of Communications for Nederlander Concerts. Kromer has two decades of experience in the live entertainment industry and currently oversees publicity for Nederlander’s portfolio of California venues including the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, The Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, The City National Grove of Anaheim, the Santa Barbara Bowl and the San Jose Civic, along with a number of venues Nederlander either books or manages on behalf of its clients. Kromer is a winner of the Venues Today 2012 Women of Influence award and a 2013 inductee into the Hall of Fame for the Event & Arena Marketing Conference, where she currently serves as president.
The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre (QEIICC) has appointed Beejal Mann as account manager. Mann previously served as sales executive for International Confex (United Business Media) and has more than seven years of experience with B2B sales.
Former Executive VP and COO at AEG Live Thomas Miserendino has been promoted to president & CEO at AEG Europe. His new position is based in London and oversees all business units of AEG throughout nine European markets, including 20 venues, AEG Europe Ticketing, AEG Global Partnerships-Europe, AEG Live Europe, AEG Europe Development and AEG Facilities, Europe. Miserendino joined AEG in 2002 as executive VP and COO at AEG Live. From 1998-2001 he served as COO of TBA Entertainment, before which he was president and COO of Eric Chandler, Ltd.
Misty Johnson Oratokhai has joined Events DC as chief people officer. Most recently, Oratokhai has served as senior vice president and chief people officer at Dimensions Healthcare System. She brings more than 12 years of HR management experience to her new role.
Kroenke Sports & Entertainment has announced several executive promotions. Tom Philand has been promoted to KSE executive vice president and chief marketing officer, while Che Vialpando will serve as KSE Sr. VP of Team Sales for the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Mammoth. David Burke has been promoted to KSE Sr. VP of Team Sales for the Colorado Avalanche. Philand most recently served as a Sr. VP of KSE. Vialpando has been with KSE for 15 years, most recently as VP of Ticket Sales & Team Marketing, while Burke previously served as chief revenue officer for the Colarado Rapids. These announcements follow the recent news of Matt Hutchings’ appointment to the newly-created position of executive VP and COO at KSE after spending two years as president and GM of Comcast SportsNet, and the promotion of Sr. VP and General Counsel Stephen Stieneker to EVP and general counsel.
VenuWorks has hired Rick Reno as executive director for the United Wireless Arena in Dodge City, Kan. Reno has more than 35 years of industry experience, most recently managing the Lace County Events Center in Eugene, Ore. He has also worked at Crown Center in Fayetteville, N.C.
The Greater Springfield (Mass.) Convention & Visitors Bureau has announced two new hires. Luke Trahan will serve as sports Sales manager for its Western Massachusetts Sports Commission, and Leah MacPherson will serve as Hospitality and Sales coordinator. Trahan previously worked at Poyant, Brasseler USA Dental, and Expeditor Systems. MacPherson interned at GSVCB during the summer of 2013. She is a graduate of Saint Leo (Fla.) University.
Meet Puerto Rico has two new appointments. Minnette Vélez will serve as director of Marketing and Mari Waid will be director of destination support services. Vélez worked with Ford Motor Company in public affairs. She has also worked in corporate communications with American Airlines for Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, Central America and the U.S. Hispanic market. Waid began her career with Overnite Transportation in Florida. Most recently she worked as Sales manager for the Hotel Division of Presentation Services as El Conquistador, a Waldorf-Astoria Resort.
PASSINGS
DR. GUY LEWIS — 87, the man instrumental in establishing the academic discipline of Sport Management and Administration, passed away at Amedisys Hospice in Columbia, S.C., Oct. 1. He was a founder of the North American Society for Sport History and the International Conference on Sports Business, as well as a member of the Columbia Olympic Organizing Committee. Lewis was also the founder and chairman of the Sport Administration department at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, from 1987 until his retirement in 2000 as Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He is survived by his wife, Octavia Knowles Lewis; sons Patrick and Andrew; and grandson Dylan.