SGPS/ShowRig, Inc., have announced the appointment of concert and venue industry veteran Ned Collett to the position of President. In this newly created position, Collett, who will be based at the company’s Las Vegas headquarters, will oversee and direct all activities for the company’s worldwide operations.
Today, Collett is proud to announce the company’s international expansion with the opening of its first European office. Located in Utrecht, Netherlands, the new office will enable SGPS/ShowRig to vastly increase its international service offerings, including enabling clients to utilize SGPS/ShowRig’s industry-leading equipment more economically and quickly across mainland Europe and the UK. The Utrecht office will provide rentals of trusses, lifts, scaffolding, motors, and automation for concert tours, film and television production, trade shows, and permanent installations. Additionally, to meet increased demand domestically, SGPS/ShowRig will more than double the size of its Nashville office, which focuses on concert tour support and events.
“I am proud to continue (the company’s late founder) Eric Pearce’s guiding principles of always demonstrating boundless creativity and providing exceptional client service,” Collett said. “I am honored to be the person charged with incorporating that philosophy while simultaneously bringing the company forward with new technologies, partners, European expansion, and domestic growth. I can unequivocally state: the legacy of ShowRig continues.”
In addition to the new office, SGPS/ShowRig is advancing its automation capabilities with a new product line addition, Cybermotion, an intuitive and advanced computer-controlled hoist system that ensures safe, seamless, and spectacular effects. Working in cooperation with Holland-based Ampco-Flashlight, the parent company of Cybermotion, SGPS/ShowRig will be Cybermotion’s West Coast affiliate and assist in bringing the product to market across the U.S. Cybermotion technology has been, or will soon be, utilized by Travis Scott, Dave Matthews Band, Marshmello, and more. SGPS/ShowRig will make Cybermotion available for its clients beginning November 2023. SGPS/ShowRig will house Cybermotion products at its Las Vegas headquarters, where the company facilitates most of its concert touring, trade, and industrial shows prep work, and is home to its automation and custom fabrication departments.
Dick Van Berkum, CEO of Ampco-Flashlight said, “We’re very excited with this new partnership in the United States as well as in Europe, and we are looking forward to the contribution we will make in the entertainment industry together.”
Possessing a diverse media and live entertainment background with a proven track record in managing live entertainment businesses, Collett has been with SGPS/ShowRig following the passing of Eric Pearce in the summer of 2022. Before joining SGPS/ShowRig, Collett served as Midwest President of LiveStyle, Inc., where he oversaw operations throughout a five-state region, producing and promoting more than 400 events per year, as well as multiple outdoor music festivals. Prior to assuming that role, he served as Oak View Group’s vice president of arenas and stadiums responsible for the formation of the Arena Alliance, a consortium of the top 24 sports arenas throughout North America. In addition, Collett served as Live Nation Entertainment’s executive vice president of venues. His career also includes senior leadership executive roles with Base Entertainment, PURE Management Group, Premier Exhibitions, Olympia Entertainment, and SMG. He began his career in 1980 in concert production, working in various capacities as a rigger, sight coordinator, accountant, and unit manager.
About the SGPS/ShowRig companies
SGPS/ShowRig has the ingenuity, equipment, and experience to ensure projects succeed. Since its inception in 1974, the SGPS/ShowRig companies have been at the forefront of entertainment technology and continue to excel at pulling off the impossible for concert, film, and television production clients. We pride ourselves in our ability to understand and adapt to the unique needs of the entertainment industry and to provide innovative solutions.
With eight locations across the U.S. (Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, and New Orleans) and Europe (Utrecht, Netherlands), fully stocked with the best equipment to get the job done and staffed with the most creative people in the industry, SGPS/ShowRig can handle a wide array of planning and design, custom fabrication, automation, product rental, and installation needs.
SGPS/ShowRig clients include some of the biggest names in entertainment, such as musical acts blink-182, Kenny Chesney, Daddy Yankee, Billie Eilish, Imagine Dragons, KISS, Motley Crue, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, as well as numerous Award-winning and well-known film and television productions.
