Held over three days from 30 June to 2 July, this year’s Mediatech Africa saw a huge return to form for the popular tradeshow.
With the previous Mediatech Africa having taken place in 2019, it’s been a long wait for South Africa’s live events, AV and broadcast sectors to get a local show of their own. And while final visitor numbers weren’t available at the time of writing, the show floor seemed busy throughout each of the three days, with a range of visitors primarily from South Africa but also from elsewhere on the continent ensuring that the atmosphere in the halls remained lively throughout.
This was the first time the show had taken place at Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit And International Convention Centre, and it worked well as a venue, despite some limitations in terms of roof height, load bearing and the size of some of the halls limiting what was possible in terms of production levels.
That said, the organisers’ decision to create distinct zones within the show proved to be a smart one, with the more boisterous live events technology exhibitors grouped together on one side of the venue and the typically quieter corporate AV exhibitors benefitting from a much more formal atmosphere on the other.
The show also featured several outdoor areas, with an audio demo area, which was kitted out with a DiGiCo Quantum 225DS courtesy of DWR Distribution that was used to feed signal to all the demo systems on show, including Celto, Plus Audio, Nexo, RCF, AudioCenter, Hybrid+, Arc, and Myth Audio.
There was also an outdoor performance stage, which was supplied and operated by Gearhouse and, after dark, Behind The Volt provided its South Africa-based KVANT Prestige Beam 600s for the KVANT Lasers showcase.
Regional distributors were out in force, with the likes of BC Electronics, Electrosonic, Planetworld, Prosound, Stage One and several others taking large stands in which international brand representatives were hosted along with members of their in-house teams.
Stage Audio Works (SAW) and DWR Distribution took it one step further, with both making a major splash by taking over their own respective halls at either end of the venue. SAW used its space to host daily morning coffee and evening drinks receptions as well as regular educational talks from the likes of d&b audiotechnik’s Steve Jones and many others.
On the other hand, DWR Village was the largest area of the tradeshow, with Gearhouse, MGG, Pure Event Gear, Dream Sets, Sets Drapes Screens, Pure Event Gear, FogTech, Stage Effects, AJT Creative, and AV Unlimited all contributing their services to bring the space to life. As well as 32 of DWR’s suppliers each hosting their own stand, the DWR Village also included a performance area featuring a show, Tungsten & Diode, that ran three times a day.
DWR also made the most of the influx of visitors to south Africa generated by Mediatech by hosting its SOS Fundraising Dinner & Auction. Held at The Venue, Melrose Arch, the evening drew a packed house, which was treated to the comedic stylings of Aaron McIlroy, who hosted the auction in aid of the much-deserving SOS charity, which was established 10 years ago to support members of the events industry during unexpected hardships.
After an incredibly successful comeback edition, it’s fair to say that Mediatech Africa 2026 more than lived up to expectations. “Our first show was in 2001 at the Sandton Convention Centre,” recalled Expo Director Simon Robinson. “It was small, focussed mostly on broadcast. We never imagined our little show at the southern tip of Africa would become something the industry talks about globally. That’s what makes this return so exciting.”
Mediatech Africa is set to return in two years’ time, with an exact date and location still to be announced.
Photos: Chis Duys, DWR Distribution, TPiMEA
