Hirezone Audio Visual, a technical supply company situated in Durban, has acquired a grandMA3 console from DWR Distribution. They’ve chosen the compact XT model to flawlessly cater to their corporate event needs.
Richard Gild, owner of Hirezone, is a careful thinker when it comes to making choices. He doesn’t rush things; he takes his time and plans everything down to the last detail. The idea of getting a new lighting console had been brewing in his mind for ages, ever since he got inspired during a trip to the Prolight and Sound exhibition held in Frankfurt back in 2019. He was all set to make that purchase when the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly hit, putting the live events scene on pause. But despite the setbacks, Richard couldn’t be happier with how things turned out.
Hirezone Audio Visual’s new grandMA3 has been hard at work
“We were very pleased to have finally organized our finances to proceed with the purchase,” he says. “Whenever there is a high profile event, there’s MA. We wanted to be part of this community as well as share the reliability and the function of MA Lighting, the ultimate destination for any LD.”
The Hirezone team are proficient on the MA Platform and two of its members, Simon and Njabulo have completed the MA Lighting online courses to transition from grandMA2 to grandMA3. While there’s always room for growth, the process was seamless.
The grandMA3 has just the right buttons, at least for Richard! “Getting onto the platform was the most important part for us, but at the same time we needed to be realistic about the size shows we do in Durban and the amount of fixtures we need to operate,” he explains. “We wanted a stand-alone desk that had a large enough workspace for efficient operation. We also needed a desk that touring lighting designers felt comfortable with. There are two of these desks now in Durban which makes for a great backup solution should the need be required.”
Much like the rest of the country, Hirezone has witnessed a substantial surge in industry events. They’ve already put the new console to work at several events, including the recent South African Boxing Awards hosted at the Durban ICC.
At the South African Boxing Awards hosted at the Durban ICC, Hirezone again used their grandMA3 compact XT console.
“We have certainly seen a huge uptake in the events industry, however, one needs to be cautious for many reasons,” describes Richard. “There has been a massive rebound, and I believe we are now witnessing the industry’s stabilization.” He says that while it’s easy to be swayed by turnover, it’s important to closely monitor the margins which is surely the telltale as to whether there is a huge growth in the industry or not. “One thing for sure is turnovers have increased, but so have the costs. If you have done your research on replacing your current gear you may be in for a huge surprise. I would say gear costs have doubled in the last three years in South Africa. If your profits haven’t close to doubled well then we are not growing the industry as such. I think it’s important to not only trade for today but for tomorrow. We all need to work together to get our pricing up enough so that we can withstand another pandemic.”
Hirezone’s grandMA3 compact XT console used at an event for SATSA (Southern Africa Tourism Services Association)
While the words are sobering, there is always that silver lining and Richard concludes, “Nothing in life worth having comes easily, and as humans we are motivated by challenges, take sport for example. The harder the challenge the bigger the reward both financially and emotionally. It’s all we know. I’d also like to add, buy the right gear first time round and it will reward you for many years to come as well as open new doors.”
Duncan Riley, founder of DWR Distribution comments, “I think it’s wonderful to see the Durban market come back to normal. Over the past three years, Durban has endured a series of formidable challenges, ranging from the impacts of COVID-19 to riots and floods. This period has been exceptionally trying, especially when compared to other regions in South Africa. We really appreciate Richard’s support, especially knowing how tough this time has been and considering that ROI is a lot lower on consoles.”
