Stay up to date with the latest happenings in the live events and technical production industry. From product launches and training sessions to behind-the-scenes stories and project highlights, our news section is where you’ll find it all.
Get the scoop on what’s new at DWR, follow our journey with industry partners, and discover the people and moments that make our community so unique. Whether you’re looking for inspiration, information, or innovation — this is the place to be.
Barco Certified Operator Training
You are invited to join Dylan Jones as he presents Image Processing – Barco Certified Operator – Event Master (Level 1A) Training on 11 and 12 November 2025 from 9am to 5pm at DWR Distribution in Johannesburg. Passing the grade is required to earn certification. This two-day course is
Looking Back: DiGiCo Masterclass in South Africa
Earlier this year, DWR Distribution had the pleasure of welcoming DiGiCo’s Tristan Mazire and Ian Staddon to South Africa for an exclusive DiGiCo Masterclass. DWR’s Kyle Robson, who has represented the DiGiCo brand, helped coordinate the visit and share his expertise with attendees. The Masterclass took place at
Hippotizer Powers Real-Time IMAG effects for Lilas ir Innomine
Vilnius, Lithuania — Acclaimed Lithuanian hip-hop duo Lilas ir Innomine returned to the capital city Vilnius for a career-defining performance at the Vingis Park Amphitheater, with a striking visual design driven by Green Hippo Hippotizer Media Servers. The group — comprised of Konstantinas Kiveris-Lilas and Rolandas Venckys-Innomine — took the stage for the first time
Ed Sheeran Takes DiGiCo’s New Quantum112 Flypack Mixer on its Maiden Flight
DiGiCo’s tiny desk mixed its first official performance at NPR Music’s Tiny Desk, followed by an exclusive TikTok LIVE event held at Brooklyn’s Domino Park WASHINGTON, DC – October 2025 – Although DiGiCo has only just revealed the true identity and specifications of its Quantum112 – previously codenamed “Pufferfish”
L-Acoustics Establishes Global Real Estate Division to Support Strategic Growth and Innovation
Gérald Yven appointed Global Real Estate Director to lead centralized facility strategy across international operations MARCOUSSIS, FRANCE – L-Acoustics, the global leader in premium professional audio, has established a new global Real Estate division under the leadership of Gérald Yven as Global Real Estate Director. This strategic initiative ensures
Robert Juliat releases the magic of Morgane
Robert Juliat is excited to announce the official launch of Morgane, its new 825W LED 13°-24° followspot, which is now ready to ship worldwide. Made for the demands of today’s productions, Morgane combines the renowned craftsmanship of Robert Juliat with a new approach to performance and design, offering a
Dalhalla Invests in New Robe iFORTE Moving Lights
Dalhalla, a unique open-air amphitheatre set in the former Draggängarna limestone quarry in central Sweden, is arguably one of the coolest and most interesting live music venues in Europe, popular for its summer seasons featuring a range of music and artists – rock and pop, musicals and sometimes opera
Robe T2 Profiles are Special
Lighting designer Marc Janowitz has enjoyed utilizing the power and versatility of Robe’s T2 Profile luminaire on several recent projects, including Trey Anastasio’s 2025 solo acoustic tour and two high-profile HBO specials – Brett Goldstein’s “The Second Best Night of Your Life” debut stand-up special at the Bergen PAC
Digital audio networking with HARVEY® Pro at the Deutsche Oper Berlin
HARVEY Pro 8×8-DA-AES8 ensures smooth audio communication in the stage management system at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Berlin, October, 2025 – The Deutsche Oper Berlin in Charlottenburg is the largest of Berlin’s three opera houses. It was opened in 1961 based on designs by Fritz Bornemann in the post-war
CHAINMASTER School of Motors Training – Johannesburg & Cape Town
Gain both theoretical and practical training to enhance your expertise and build the skills needed to confidently maintain and service CHAINMASTER electric chain hoists. Join CHAINMASTER’s John van Look for a training session focusing on safety, repair, and maintenance, taking place at the DWR Distribution offices in Johannesburg on 21
Klotz HD01PC25 Compact Hybrid Cable: Digital + Power
Hybrid cables that combine both digital audio/DMX and power lines in a single cable are widely used in many modern applications. The new KLOTZ HD01PC25 hybrid cable has been specially developed for mobile use. It features a robust, highly flexible soft PVC outer jacket, making it ideal for connecting
Queenie and Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava rocks Prague’s O₂ Arena with L-Acoustics L-ISA technology
Immersive audio technology enables uncompromised genre fusion across two sold-out performances for 30,000 fans When Prague’s renowned Queen tribute band Queenie set out to collaborate with the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, they faced a familiar audio engineering challenge: how to preserve the visceral impact of stadium rock while allowing
Luminex Firmware release v2.7.1
Luminex have announced a firmware release v2.7.1 for LumiNode/LumiCore. With this release, users will get support for the new LumiNode 8-IP, various web interface improvements and more. Save As PDF
Clear-Com IP Transceivers Become the Preferred Choice for Major West End and Broadway Productions
London, UK – 30 September, 2025 – Clear-Com® ’s IP Transceivers are rapidly gaining traction in the professional theatre world, becoming the first choice for some of the most ambitious productions across London’s West End, Broadway, and international touring circuits. From Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Back to the Future, and MJ the Musical in London, to Shucked and & Juliet on
“Check 1… 1-2…” – DiGiCo Launches its First Flypack Mixer, the Quantum112
Weighing only 23kg/50lbs when housed in a custom Peli case, DiGiCo’s newest and smallest desk brings Quantum Range features and performance to productions anywhere CHESSINGTON, UK – September 2025 – For more than five years, DiGiCo’s Quantum Range of digital audio mixing consoles have been the first choice for
Robe Helps Hungarian National Day Spectacular
Budapest, the lively, picturesque capital city of Hungary, was energised into a canvas of drama, colour, excitement, and storytelling in one of Europe’s finest mixed-media spectaculars to celebrate its National Day on August 20th. The 35-minute timecoded show involved monumental projection, lasers, lighting, drone shows and a MASSIVE firework display
Audio Quest Events’ Dream Realised with L-Acoustics Investment
Audio Quest Events, a Cape Town-based technical supply company specialising in sound, lighting, staging and AV, has marked a major milestone in its journey. Established in 1991 by Hennie Ellis, the company has grown steadily over three decades, with a reputation for delivering excellence across the live events industry.
Robe LEDBeam 150s are a Perfect Match for Baxter Theatre
Robe LEDBeam 150s are proving the perfect match for Cape Town’s Baxter Theatre, where they are in use nearly every day, providing powerful, flexible and handy lighting solutions for all types of performance … to the delight of the technical team. The acclaimed Baxter Theatre has five performance spaces
Astera Launches SolaBulb
The creative geniuses in Astera’s R&D department have been busy again … This time developing another completely cool and unique product – SolaBulb – the only bulb on the market with an inbuilt 15º – 50º zoom range that is optimized for maximum lux output. The SolaBulb project first germinated
Astera Titan Tubes Illuminate at 2025 Athens Epidaurus Festival
Lighting designer Christina Thanasoula of Athens, Greece-based creative design studio, Creative Lighting, has a penchant for invention and thinking out-of-the-box while crafting her art, and was recently a keynote speaker at the 2025 Showlight symposium in Dijon, France. The 2025 Athens Epidaurus Festival provided an opportunity for Christina to demonstrate
BirdDog Unveils Its Most Powerful Lineup Yet
BirdDog is raising the bar at IBC 2025. Join us at booth 7.C13 and experience three groundbreaking PTZ launches designed to deliver cinematic quality, seamless flexibility, and ultimate reliability: X1 30x The award-winning X1, now with a 30x optical zoom for unmatched reach and versatility. Perfect for lecture halls, houses
EVH Events invest in Absen, Prolyte and ADJ!
PartyBros, a dynamic company founded in 2022 by brothers Emil and Etienne van Heerden, has recently launched its corporate division, EVH Events. Building on their experience in the events industry, EVH focuses on delivering high-end solutions for large-scale and corporate events. The company has invested in an Absen NT3.9W
DWR Distribution Opens Training Centre Honouring Aubrey Ndaba
DWR Distribution officially opened the Aubrey Ndaba Training Centre on 5 September with a ribbon-cutting ceremony honouring the late industry legend. Aubrey Ndaba’s family attended as special guests, making the day especially meaningful. Training has always been at the heart of DWR, and as it has
Creative Kilowatt Invests in RCF HDL 30-A Line Array
Creative Kilowatt, the Bloemfontein-based technical supply company that has been making waves this year, has invested in RCF’s revolutionary HDL 30-A Line Array, supplied by DWR Distribution. “We wanted a scalable PA to grow with our events,” said Stefan van Biljon, owner of Creative Kilowatt. “The value, technology, and DWR’s
Tee Off at Epson Open Day at DWR
DWR Distribution is pleased to invite you to the official Epson Open Day on 1 October from 2pm – 5pm. Test your swing and compete for the Longest Drive while networking with industry peers on a Golf Simulator! The Open Day, with guests Lee Harrison and Zane Cretten from
Epson Training – JHB
DWR Distribution is delighted to welcome Zane Cretten to South Africa for Epson Training on 1 October from 9am to 1pm. This practical session is designed for all professionals who would like to strengthen their knowledge of Epson’s latest projection technologies and applications. Booking Link: https://forms.gle/SRssiX6fwduyhtfp6 For
Robe Turns It Up Loud for Peach Pit Tour
Popular Canadian indie rockers Peach Pit completed the North American section of their “Long Hair, Long Life” tour with a brand-new lighting design from George Gorton from Vancouver-based creative design studio Loud Entertainment Design Group. The visual concept relied heavily on lighting for impact – there were no video elements
1117 Robert Juliat lighting fixtures delivered for a major project supported by Belgium public authority La Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles
Robert Juliat is proud to announce its major participation in an ambitious investment project led by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, as part of a European programme to renovate the energy efficiency of cultural infrastructures in Belgium. Ten emblematic French-speaking theatres have benefited from the renewal of their lighting systems: Les
Robe at PLASA 2025 – The Preview
Robe will have a big presence at the PLASA London expo in Olympia next week – on stand A70 – and will be launching six fabulous new products – T3 Profile, iPAINTE LTM, SVOPATT Classic, Footsie1 MC and Footsie2 MC plus the super cool new PowerDolly. These will
Drake’s $ome $pecial $hows 4 U Tour $ounds $pectacular with DiGiCo Quantum852 Consoles
TORONTO, Ontario, Canada – September 2025 – Drake is getting his steps in. On his current $ome $pecial $hows 4 U Tour, currently on its European leg through mid-September, he not only closes his own show but opens it, as well, bookending performances by co-bill Party Next Door. And Drake
Two DiGiCo Quantum 338s deliver storybook success for Yunhe Fairy-TaleTheatre
For over 20 years, the town of Yunhe in Zhejiang Province, China has held the title of Wooden Toy Town. Deep in its heart stands the beautiful Fairy-Tale Theatre, which has recently benefitted from investment into DiGiCo’s Quantum series, a testament to the venue’s commitment to the highest quality
Clear-Com Powers Star-Studded Communications at Houston’s Alley Theatre
ALAMEDA, USA – September 2, 2025 – Clear-Com is proud to support the world-class productions of Alley Theatre, one of the oldest and largest nonprofit resident theatres in the United States. With a storied history dating back to 1947, the Tony Award®-winning Alley Theatre produces acclaimed classics, bold new works,
GigaCore 10i is the answer for Lighting Designer Andre Siebrits
South African lighting designer and programmer Andre Siebrits has steadily built his expertise on grandMA3 consoles, contributing to large-scale productions across the country and even abroad. With a deep understanding of the system, Andre recently added a Luminex GigaCore 10i — a Gigabit Ethernet switch supplied by DWR Distribution —
Grant Olivier Upgrades to grandMA3 Light for Cape Town’s Busy Season
Lighting designer, Grant Olivier, founder of Distinct Technical Solutions in Cape Town, has taken delivery of a grandMA3 light, joining his trusted grandMA3 onPC setup. The upgrade comes just in time for the busy corporate season in Cape Town, with exciting festival work also on the horizon. The sale was
Prolyte Campus – Johannesburg & Cape Town
You are invited to the Prolyte Campus presented by Eric Laanstra from Prolyte and Robert Izzett from DWR Distribution. Join us in Johannesburg on 22 and 23 September or in Cape Town on 25 and 26 September, from 9am to 5pm each day. Prolyte is committed to promoting education and
MGG Productions Debuts New L-Acoustics K2 System at Toyota Innibos 2025, South Africa’s Premier Afrikaans Arts Festival
MGG’s strategic K2 investment powers comprehensive professional sound system for 78,800 festival-goers NELSPRUIT, South Africa – August 2025 – MGG Productions has successfully deployed its newly-acquired L-Acoustics K2 sound system at the Toyota Innibos Lowveld National Arts Festival, marking a significant milestone as the company celebrates its 25th anniversary
Robe for Nuova Scena Launch Party
The latest series of Italian talent show Nuova Scena – Rhythm + Flow Italia – which scouts out some of the best rising star rappers – kicked off to an electric start with a launch party staged at famous Milan live music venue and nightspot, Fabrique, complete with a dazzling
Introducing ADJ’s Vizi Pix Z19 Pixel-Mappable LED Wash Zoom
Designed To Dazzle: Introducing the Vizi Pix Z19 Pixel-Mappable LED Wash Zoom Fixture with Three Effects in One! Conceived to help lighting designers unleash their creativity, ADJ’s new Vizi Pix Z19 is a versatile automated wash-zoom luminaire equipped with 19 pixel-mappable, lime-infused primary LEDs. These can generate everything from a
Claypaky Shines on Mexico’s Riviera Maya with its Aqua Line During Shield Family Open Day with Hermes Music Profesional
Claypaky, in collaboration with Hermes Music Profesional, its official exclusive distributor in Mexico, held a spectacular Shield Family Open Day in a unique setting at the Bombay restaurant on the shores of the Nichupté Lagoon in Riviera Maya, Cancun. Claypaky’s Shield Family of IP66 fixtures is designed to ensure effectiveness and
grandMA3 User Training, Johannesburg
You are invited to attend a three-day grandMA3 User Training Workshop, presented by Jaques Pretorius, from 16 to 18 September from 9am to 5pm at DWR Distribution’s Johannesburg office. This three day programme is designed to familiarise participants with the essential functions of the grandMA3 software and lighting consoles, as
DWR Distribution joins TUT’s Inaugural Career Expo
The Faculty of Arts and Design, Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) held its first Career Expo on the Arts Campus on Wednesday, 13 August. The event connected senior students with potential exhibitors to showcase career pathways in the creative and technical industries. DWR Distribution was pleased to be
Claypaky Skylos Fixtures Add Stellar Effects to King’s Cup Final 2025 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
August – Sixty-two thousand people witnessed the King’s Cup Final 2025 at King Abdullah Sport City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where Claypaky Skylos fixtures delivered piercing beam effects. A sea of light and color enveloped the sold-out stadium in a visual spectacle created by SLS Production, which provided 498 lighting
Koltech Gets the ESPRITE Spirit
Be’er-Sheva, Israel-based lighting rental specialist Koltech has invested in 24 new Robe ESPRITE moving lights to add to its ever-expanding rental inventory, which now includes over 150 Robe moving lights. The company was founded in 2007 by Yossi Bendavid – better known industry-wide by his nickname ‘ZakZak’, which means talkative
DWR hosts training for Ghana delegates
After months of planning, DWR Distribution is thrilled to welcome Iamadinkra, a company based in Ghana, to South Africa for private training taking place this week! With expertise spanning audio-visual design, conferencing, interactive media, and system integration, Iamadinkra has partnered with clients across many industries, delivering outstanding projects in the
IJS breaks new ground DiGiCo Quantum 852
For over three decades, Brisbane-based company IJS has helped clients navigate the often-complex landscape of technical production, providing high-end audio, lighting, staging and backline for concerts, festivals, corporate events and beyond. Further strengthening its technical capabilities, IJS recently welcomed DiGiCo’s latest digital mixing console, the Quantum 852, into its ranks.
zactrack helps deliver the magic of Souk Wonder show
A substantial zactrack PRO automated tracking system – with 32 x active trackers in use, and arguably the largest to date – was used by lighting designer Ben M Rogers from A Loud Minority (ALM) to deliver an automated follow spotting solution for the spectacular immersive “Souk Wonders” performance show
Clear-Com to Spotlight Broadcast Solutions and Special Events at IBC2025
ALAMEDA, USA – 13 August 2025 – Clear-Com® will showcase a full lineup of intercom innovations for broadcast professionals at IBC2025, taking place September 12-15 in Amsterdam, NL. On display at Stand #10.D29 will be the latest addition to the FreeSpeak wireless family, the award-winning FreeSpeak Icon™ beltpack, the adaptable
Robe for De Roma
De Roma – originally Kinema Roma – is one of Antwerp’s best-known and loved music venues, and has recently added new Robe moving lights to its house rig, comprising 12 x LEDBeam 150s, 12 x LEDBeam 350s and 24 x TX1 PosiProfiles, all specified by lighting technicians Hans Lodewijckx and
DiGiCo Quantum 225 amazes at Hangzhou Butterfly Theatre
Yue Opera is a popular Chinese opera genre that features women in all roles. For Hangzhou Butterfly Theatre’s successful premier of My Grand View Garden the audio team chose to invest in a DiGiCo Quantum 225, supplied by Rightway Audio Consultant (RAC) to deliver the required clarity and immersive experience
Timeless Elegance Meets Modern Performance: Introducing The ADJ Vintage Bar
Designed to ignite lighting designers’ creativity, the new Vintage Bar from ADJ is a decorative blinder packed with potential. Fusing vintage charm with contemporary sophistication, this eye-catching fixture offers a potent central strip of amber blinder COB LEDs surrounded by a textured reflector illuminated by RGBL color mixing LEDs. With
Vectorworks Training Durban
Join Jade Manicom for a training session focused on Vectorworks Spotlight 2025 in Durban in September. Whether you’re new to Vectorworks or an intermediate user, this small-group course (limited to just 12 participants) offers personalised guidance to help you get the most out of the software. By the end of