We round up the latest movements from the ticketing ecosystem…
The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) has announced that Paul Reed (pictured) will step down as chief executive in November.
Reed has spent nine years at the trade body after joining in 2013 and has acted as general manager and CEO. During his time at the organisation, he has seen membership grow from 40 to 95 with the AIF now representing just under half of all UK festivals that are 5,000+ capacity.
Within the organisation itself, Reed spearheaded an operational restructure, taking AIF from being a division of the Association of Independent Music (AIM) to an autonomous limited company in 2018.
Reed said: “Leading the AIF for nine years has been an incredible journey, and I’m proud to be leaving an organisation with a growing membership that has real influence on Government and wider industry. AIF has achieved some hugely impactful public campaigns and remains very visible and responsive to the needs of its members.”
The AIF Board are now seeking a successor.
Elsewhere, PlayOn! Sports, a high school media and technology company, has hired Susan Young as its chief financial officer and has also added Matt Hong to its board of directors.
PlayOn! Sports also operates GoFan, a digital ticketing and event management system for high schools.
Young said: “PlayOn! Sports has a clear vision and fundamental understanding as to the power of technology in education-based athletics. The total addressable market for the company is growing exponentially as PlayOn! Sports facilitates greater access to sought-after high school sports and extracurricular activities, engaging educators, parents, family members and fans.”
Hong added: “The year-over-year growth seen at PlayOn! Sports underscores the scalability of both the NFHS Network’s streaming service as well as GoFan’s ticketing platform. As a company, we’re well positioned to continue expanding our presence in the high school event market to better serve our communities.”
Data-led experience company Legends has appointed Brett Unzicker as senior vice-president, partner solutions for the company’s Global Technology Solutions division.
The division works will all areas of Legends to enable value and revenue for clients through technology by leveraging data, analytics, insights, innovation and digital solutions.
Unzicker will lead the sales team for the Global Technology Solutions division and secure new business opportunities. His experience includes roles with the National Football League (NFL), FIFA, SoFi Stadium, Citi-Field, Allegiant Stadium and more.
Dan Migala, co-president and chief revenue officer, Legends Global Technology Solutions, said: “Through our collaborations over the years, Brett has always impressed us with his inventive, data-driven approach to technology and revenue-generating solutions for the global sports and entertainment industry.
“With Brett’s leadership and expertise, we are looking forward to continuing to expand our art, heart and science approach to holistic solutions for Legends’ current and future clients.”
Agency WME has promoted Lucy Dickins to global head of contemporary music and touring, where she will lead departments across Beverly Hills, New York, Nashville, London and Sydney.
Dickins recently re-located to WME’s Beverly Hills office from London after joining the agency in 2019 from ITB (International Talent Booking. During her time at WME, Dickins has brought in new clients such as Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling, James Blake and Mabel.
Do you have news of an appointment that we should know about? Get in touch by emailing [email protected] and we’ll include it in our next Wednesday round-up…