Fraunhofer IIS is delighted to share that our colleague, sound engineer Daniela Rieger, has been elected Vice President of the German Association for Audio Professionals (VDT).
The VDT is the largest organization of its kind in the German-speaking part of Europe and has recently celebrated its 70th anniversary. Since May, it is headed by experienced sound engineer and producer Ulrike Anderson and by Daniela Rieger, sound engineer at Fraunhofer IIS. The new Vice President believes that the VDT’s purpose is not only to represent its members, but to enable them to learn from and support each other and to create synergies. That’s why she is excited to be part of the VDT’s evolution.
“We want the association to become more attractive to a younger, heterogeneous member base. Our industry has diversified enormously over the past decades and our members want to see that in the organization that represents them. That’s why we will keep evolving to stay relevant and be an asset to everyone, particularly to young professionals and people from younger or more niche areas of the industry. I am really happy that the makeup of our board already shows this cultural change,” explains Rieger. Next to her and Anderson, it comprises broadcast professionals Jürgen Goeres-Petry and Marcel Remy, event technician Jörn Nettingsmeier, and acoustician Christopher Sauder Engeler.
Traditionally, the focus of the German Audio Professional Association was on sound engineering and high-quality (music) recordings. Today, its perspective has widened: In addition to an interdisciplinary member base, the topics covered by the regional and specialist groups have diversified. It is precisely this broad scope of topics and tasks that can make the association so attractive, and Rieger’s personal goal is to make sure every audio professional can benefit from the VDT’s work and every personality feels represented by it.
At Fraunhofer IIS, the sound engineer works to match the newest technologies to real-life applications. She likes the variety of her tasks, which span from creating an immersive mix to test a new technology feature to supporting businesses in the implementation of new codecs and all the way to explaining Dialogue Enhancement methods at a trade show. She believes that it is very important to think across traditionally separate industry branches: “Current research and technological developments are also interesting for a person who, for example, is responsible for the sound at an opera,” she states. “It is enormously helpful to have an interdisciplinary network to discuss challenges and advance one’s work.”
Rieger emphasizes the opportunities of joining the organization: “Through the VDT, I met many professionals from different audio-related fields. In this network, you can explore all the options the German and even the international audio industry has to offer and find a place that matches your individual skill set.”
Dr. Bernhard Grill, Institute Director at Fraunhofer IIS, congratulates Rieger and emphasizes two aspects of her new role: “Fraunhofer IIS always benefits from the insights that a close connection to professional associations brings. At the same time, we can enhance our visibility within the audio industry, being of our main topics. Also, a young woman as Vice President of the VDT is a great role model for younger people in this traditionally male-dominated industry.”
The best way to meet the VDT’s new board members and to discover the offers of the association is to visit the conference and trade show “Tonmeistertagung”. The event is hosted by the VDT and will take place in November in Düsseldorf. The new Vice President, who is already helping to develop the conference program, hopes to meet many old and new members there and looks forward to all upcoming tasks, opportunities, and challenges she will encounter.