ICIA Joins ESTA Certification Council

The International Communications Industries Association, Inc. (ICIA), has accepted a permanent seat on the Entertainment Services and Technology Association’s (ESTA) new Certification Council.

The ESTA Certification Council is the governing body which is managing the development and implementation of the Entertainment Technician Certification Program (ETCP), a new industry-wide certification program for entertainment technology technicians.

ICIA serves as the provider of education, exhibitions, and information services to its worldwide membership and the AV communications industry. The association is best known for the InfoComm exhibition and conference.

ICIA has appointed Don Guzauckas, Jr., CTS, ICIA rental and staging council chair, ICIA board member and general manager of HB Group, and Lou Nanni, ICIA director of certification and workforce development as its representatives to the council. Randal A. Lemke, Ph.D., ICIA executive director says, “ICIA is pleased to support ETCP as it will be a benefit to our members and their customers. ICIA members provide staging services for many kinds of events and are always concerned about safety. ETCP will move us all forward.” Information about ICIA is available at www.infocomm.org.

ESTA President Mike Wood commented, "We are delighted to welcome ICIA to the Certification Council. Their members have become an integral part of the entertainment industry and their support is important to the success of the certification program."

The ESTA Certification Council members represent the diversity of the entertainment industry. The members are key leaders in entertainment business, labor, facilities, associations, and academia. The members include AMPTP, CITT, IATSE, IAAM, TEA, and USITT. With the help of these members, the key areas of electrical skills and rigging skills have been identified for initial development in the Entertainment Technician Certification Program.