South African full technical production service and design specialist AV Company is enjoying using its latest investments in Robe moving lights, which have included adding ESPRITES and more LEDBeam 350s to the rental inventory.
The busy company, headquartered in Durban, with bases in Johannesburg and Cape Town, is owned and run – energetically – by Craig Browning and his son Keagan, as well as Warren Loots. AV Company supplies all aspects of event production – lighting, audio, LED screen, staging, structures, rigging and power – for corporates, which make up around 70% of their business, live events, music shows and concerts, which account for the remaining 30%.
To cover this large range of applications, Craig is always on the lookout for good, reliable multifunctional lighting solutions and products that can offer versatility and the best all round solutions for multiple scenarios.
“The ESPRITES are great general-purpose lights with plenty of power, accurate shutters that are essential for conference work, and are feature-packed with effects,” stated Craig, adding that he and his lighting team are delighted with the ESPRITES and the additional LEDBeam 350s.
The first 8 x ESPRITES were delivered by Robe’s Southern Africa distributor, DWR, at the beginning of 2025, and these were such a success that 4 more were added earlier this year, together with another 16 x LEDBeam 350s, taking their total to 32 x LEDBeam 350s.
The kit is moved between all three branches according to needs.
The ESPRITES were recently used – for their brightness and striking gobo work – at the SAMA (South African Medical Association) Health Summit staged at the Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani hotel in Durban.
They then went on to singer-songwriter Lloyiso’s “Elephant in the Room” show at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, which was part of a national tour. The rig there comprised 16 x ESPRITES, 36 x LEDBeam 350s, 24 x LEDBeam 150s, 12 x Pointes, 16 and 12 x LEDWash 600s, plus other lamps, and was designed by Keegan Adams.AV Company also supplied an L-Acoustics PA for that same gig.
The LEDBeam 350s have proved themselves to be highly useable fixtures in all scenarios. “They are perfect for most of our work – they are great beams, the zoom functionality means it can do a good wash, there’s also capacity for creating effects. They are super compact and handy, plus the ROI is excellent!” Craig enthuses.
For the many corporate shows that AV Company services, the requirement is often for smaller fixtures with lower power consumption, so 4 or 6 LEDBeams can be plugged into one circuit and transform a space without causing any power issues!
Craig also notes that having proper pro-quality Robe fixtures is a great advantage for the company generally, not just in making shows and events look great, but also knowing that product lines have good longevity, as well as being constantly refined and developed based on customer feedback.
AV Company now has over 80 x Robe moving lights available.
The first ones they bought were ColorSpot 575s, LEDWash 300s and 300E Spots, followed by Pointes, with purchases dating back over 10 years, that have provided massive value over time thanks to their robust build quality.
Distributors DWR have been an instrumental factor in AV Company’s decision to keep investing in the Robe brand, thanks to their “service, support, information, training and general communication being excellent. Duncan and Bruce Riley and the team are very committed to our industry, its culture, technology and ensuring everything keeps moving forward,” Craig concludes.
