PLASA, an international membership body for those who supply technologies and services to the event, entertainment and installation industries, has implemented strategic and operating plans to guide the organization through the next several years of its development. Key to the new initiative is a revised sr. management structure that will see three executive directors (CEO, CFO, COO), plus six divisional directors–of Membership, International Programs, Sales, Marketing, Events, and Media.
Matthew Griffiths and Shane McGreevy currently fill the positions of CEO and CFO, respectively. The COO post will be recruited in the first part of 2014 and will be based out of PLASA’s New York office. Lori Rubinstein will retain her executive director responsibilities in North America during this transitional period until the new COO is fully in place.
After almost 25 years of being responsible for the day-to-day running of ESTA and PLASA in North America, Rubinstein requested a change in her role of executive director to allow her to concentrate on areas of particular interest. She will be dividing her time between PLASA and the Behind the Scenes charity. As director of international programs for PLASA, she will continue to oversee the Technical Standards Program and PLASA’s Skills Division, including ETCP in North America and the NRC in Europe. Other duties include working with the Production Equipment Rental Group (NA) and the Association of Studio & Production Equipment Companies (EU). These are special interest groups, which will further develop the film and digital community within PLASA.
Kacey Coffin has been named director of membership. This newly created position reinforces PLASA’s commitment to the membership experience and recruitment of new members, strengthening our ability to act as the worldwide voice for entertainment technologies. Norah Phillips continues in her role as membership manager for Europe.
A key aspect of the operating plan is the development of a globally integrated sales program that will simplify members’ interactions with PLASA as they select from a wide range of promotional opportunities including exhibitions, advertising, and sponsorships. Jackie Tien will lead this initiative as director of sales.
Behind the Scenes, the charitable wing of PLASA, has seen the number of applications for assistance received each week increase exponentially. Increased commitment from the organization is needed to ensure all applicants are served in a timely manner and fundraising keeps pace with granting. Rubinstein’s responsibilities will also include setting up Behind the Scenes in the UK.
These new divisional directors join Chris Toulmin who was appointed PLASA director of events in 2013 and will be completed by filling the positions of director of marketing and director of media in the next 12 to 18 months.
These initial staff changes are part of a wider reorganizational structure and it will take two to three years to assemble the full staff highlighted in the operational plan.
