Stage Audio Works has expanded its sales team with the appointment of Gary Furman. Furman brings over two decades of expertise in the distribution of products to the pro AV and events markets. Stage Audio Works General Manager, Gustav Barnard, is pleased to welcome Furman on board. “We’re confident that Gary is going to be a great fit for us,” remarked Barnard. “His extensive industry knowledge and established network of contacts make him an asset to the company, and his solution-oriented approach to business aligns with our own. I’m sure he’ll hit the ground running.” Furman is equally enthusiastic about…
Author: Alicia Pollitt
Ayrton’s laser-sourced IP65-rated Kyalami fixture was celebrated with a big South African launch party on 3 July 2024 at the Johannesburg premises of Planetworld, Ayrton’s South African distribution partner. Over 80 guests attended from across the country, all of whom were gifted with Ayrton beanies and scarves to keep out the chill of a South African winter’s night. Representatives from rental and staging companies, houses of worship and lighting designers all gathered to discover more about Ayrton’s new fixture in a convivial and informal evening, which was themed to honour F1 racing driver, Ayrton Senna, a source of inspiration for…
French singer-songwriter Barbara Pravi performed a special concert in the gardens of the Résidence de France Dar El Kamila in the La Marsa suburb of the Tunisian capital Tunis for the Franco-Tounsi festival on 12 July 2024. An all-NEXO sound system for the event was deployed by Tunisa-based event production specialists Sybel and comprised main left and right hangs of 6 each compact STM 2 x 8-inch line array elements with LF extension from ground-stacked STM B112 and S118 subs across the front of the stage. NEXO PS15s were deployed as out-fills with P15 cabinets from NEXO’s latest P+ Series…
Spectrum Entertainment Services partnered with Procom Middle East, the authorised Ayrton distributor for the region to increase its Ayrton stock. The new stock arrived in time for Spectrum Entertainment Services to supply the Scorpions tour dates for the Abu Dhabi leg of their world tour, managed and run by Live Nation Middle East, with lighting design by Manfred Nikitser. The Ayrton-dominant rig included 16 Ayrton Domino LT, 48 Domino Profile, 32 Argo 6 FX, 12 Zonda 9FX and 58 Cobra. The Domino Profiles and Domino LTs were all rigged above stage, spread across eight 10m long ‘fingers’ raked at different…
The transformation of The BarCoe Studio to BarCoe Studios has breathed new life into a vision Sean Barcoe had in 2014 years back when The Barcoe Studio started its journey of taking regional musicians to the world stage. Barcoe founded the first studio had a dream to set up a space where artists could fully express their creativity. He said “From the very outset, we had world-class ambition. We knew that our region was a universal contender for quality and excellence. We wanted to showcase the talent in the region to a global audience. This studio epitomises that dream turning…
DWR Distribution has added ADJ to its collection of AVL brands. “We are partnering with ADJ to address a market segment that DWR currently isn’t serving,” said Duncan Riley, Director at DWR Distribution. “Due to geopolitical and currency fluctuations within our market, there’s a growing demand from startups, houses of worship, nightclubs and small-to-medium-sized rental companies seeking gear for their businesses. DWR is typically associated with top-tier brands, however we recognise that many clients have different requirements but still want quality solutions along with support from DWR Distribution. We aim to meet our customers’ needs with this new partnership.” “I’ve…
Simphiwe “Smooth” Mhlanga spent years training and honing his skills as a freelance sound engineer for both broadcast and live music, and his hard work has paid off. As Sub-Saharan African music has recently seen a surge in music sales and an increase in streams on all popular music platforms, Smooth’s experience is needed now more than ever. When Smooth gets tasked with mixing live shows, the engineer knows he needs a high-quality solution that highlights both his and the performers’ skills. Whether performing for 2,000 people or 10,000, the artists require a mic that offers sound replication and the…
The inaugural Qatar-UAE Super Cup football tournament kicked off in Doha, Qatar on 12 April 2024. Qvision (Qatar Vision), the Doha-based event production and management company, was charged with bringing the organising committee’s vision to life in opening ceremonies featuring a large complement of Claypaky lighting fixtures. For the opening ceremony’s show, Qvision Artistic Director and Executive Producer, Sharif Hashisho, devised a mesmerising display at Al Thumama World Cup stadium where storytelling laser animation highlighted the development of football in the GCC region and the significance of the newly established championship. “The technical prowess behind the show was…
The Masked Singer kicked off its second season in South Africa in April 2024 with 16 celebrities battling it out in costumes to hide their identities. The production team ramped up the staging, lighting, and visuals for the 2024 contest using tvONE’s Green Hippo brand of Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2 Media Servers alongside a grandMA3 console to create projections and LED screen animations. On stage, a 11m by 4m 2.9 pixel pitch Absen LED main wall backed each performer, displaying custom-made content designed in collaboration with The Masked Singer South Africa Creative Director Barry Pretorius, and Set Designer Michael Gill. In…
NMK Electronics announced its strategic partnership with Surgex, Microsoft and 7th Sense following discussion at Saudi Light & Sound Show. The agreement between NMK and Surgex came about through a meeting of minds between Mr. Justin Peyton, Director of Sales EMEA & APAC from Surgex, and Mr. Dino Drimakis, Director of Strategic Development from NMK. With Surgex’s strong collaboration with our Parent Company Midwich and NMK’s reputation as a AV distributor in the region, the decision for a long-term partnership was mutual and enthusiastic. NMK will serve as Surgex’s authorised distributor for the GCC region, leveraging its regional presence in…
Prestige Chameleon International (PCI) has joined forces with local UAE concert promoter MAC Global to bring even more live event experiences to the Middle East. The strategic alliance, formed between the two companies on Wednesday 8 May 2024, is great news for audiences throughout the Middle East who can expect even more choice brought in from London’s West End theatre scene and touring productions from the UK’s regional theatres. PCI, is known for annually producing and touring over 2,000 shows in more than 35 countries, including the United Arab Emirates. MAC Global is already in discussions with several venue partners…
Months before hundreds of thousands of attendees descended on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for Soundstorm 2023, the team at PRG was busy planning the rigging, audio, lighting, and video networks for the biggest of the eight stages on-site. Named “Big Beast”, the stage featured one of the largest LED screens on the planet, measuring a staggering 189 metres wide by 43 metres high: over 200 million pixels broken up into 28 UHDs. James Morden, PRG’s lead video engineer for the event, puts it in context: “If you’re in a big stadium, the pitch is about 100 metres long – imagine placing…
