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.

Happy Easter – DWR to close for long weekend
DWR Distribution will be closed for the Easter weekend on Friday, 3rd April and Monday 6th April. We will be back in the office on Tuesday, 7th April. We hope that you and your families have a good Easter! Make sure that the dogs are kept inside so that the bunny

Clay Paky B-EYEs illuminate the Andrea Bocelli tour
World Tour – LD Aldo Visentin, after the excellent impressions got in Frankfurt, has decided to include the Clay Paky A.leda B-EYE in his lighting design, and they certainly “contribute to the consensus and successes”, that Andrea Bocelli’s new concerts are achieving in the United States, up to the final

Robe Cyclones for Kaiser Chiefs tour
Four of Robe’s unique Cyclone – LED wash light with an inbuilt DMX-controlled fan – fixtures were in action on the most recent gigs by hugely popular UK indie rockers, The Kaiser Chiefs, which were the final dates of a UK arena tour that saw the band ride high on

Accra church lights up with GDS and DWR
Deeper Christian Life Ministry in Accra, the capital city of Ghana, have purchased a GDS system from South African distributor, DWR Distribution, for their 20 000 seater church, one of many branches throughout Africa. The church building has taken some twenty years to build and the brief from the client

London goes SA at Carnival City
London goes SA, a star studded line up including Bok van Blerk, Theuns Jordaan, Jay du Plessis, BlackByrd, Elvis Blue, Claire Johnston from Mango Groove, Peter Mitchell, PJ Cruz and Martin Bester (Jacaranda FM) showcased at Carnival City’s Big Top Arena on 27th and 28th February after running in London. With 70 Robe fixtures, the Big Top

Robe for Sono Centrum Brno install
Photos courtesy Louise Stickland Sono Centrum in Brno, the Czech Republic’s bustling second city, is the brainchild of local entrepreneur Jiŕĭ Ŝtopl and is a vibrant live music club, a cool hotel and a cutting-edge restaurant all on the same site, bringing a brand new concept in entertainment and style

BMFLs & CycFX 8s for Maroon 5 V Tour
Photos by Adam Kaplan, words Louise Stickland US rock band Maroon 5 have begun their latest world tour in support of their chart-topping fifth studio album ‘V’, with lighting, visuals and stage design by Leroy Bennett. The massive rig includes eight Robe BMFL Spot and 96 x CycFX 8 moving lights supplied

VuePix visits South Africa
It was a great pleasure to welcome Cuono Biviano, the owner of VuePix and also the managing director of the Australian based ULA Group, to South Africa. VuePix is a dynamic market leader in LED screen technology and with a dedication to research and development are able to provide

Avolites to reveal the awesome full feature set of Titan V9 at Prolight + Sound
Germany – Avolites is powering up its latest consoles, dimmers and media servers for possibly the company’s biggest ever presence at Prolight + Sound Frankfurt, on stand D40, Level 0, Hall 11. On stand, visitors can experience the incredible capabilities of Avolites Titan V9, new networking functionality, and display of

The search is on for the best Battle of the Bands Lighting Operator
DWR Distribution and CUE Lighting are delighted to be sponsors for the St Mary’s Battle of the Bands Lighting Operator Competition hosted at the schools’ theatre, The Edge in Waverley, Johannesburg. While Battle of the Bands is an annual event schools look forward to, this is the first time this

The essence of lighting control: dot2 range introduced
MA Lighting is well known for its approach towards professional lighting control and enjoys a distinguished reputation for quality and reliability. Now MA presents a new range of compact lighting control solutions – the dot2. The dot2 range consists of three lighting consoles; dot2 core, dot2 XL-F, dot2 XL-B; two

Mexican based L & P Service Invests in Robe Quality
L&P Service is a new technical services, production and rental company based in the vast and vibrant urban expanses of Mexico City which has recently invested in Robe moving lights. It was founded in 2013 and is headed by Mariano Alfaya who is also a lighting designer, and his

16 Mythos shine at Metro FM Music Awards
South African Lighting Designer, Francois van der Merwe, incorporated 16 Clay Paky Mythos fixtures to his spectacular design at the 14th Metro FM Music Awards, hosted at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Conference Centre (ICC) in Durban on the 28th February 2015. Dream Sets were the set and technical supplier of

More Pointes for Grand Production TV Studios in Serbia
Robe’s Serbian distributor Studio Berar Projekt has supplied the country’s leading music and TV production company Grand Production with 32 x Robe Pointes which have been installed at Studio 1 of the Filmski Grad studio complex in Kosutnjak, Belgrade. The company produces a host of different ‘Grand’ branded TV programmes

Robe BMFLs are Winners at 2015 Metro FM Awards
Photos courtesy Louise Stickland Durban in South Africa once again came alive with the buzz and the excitement of the 2015 Metro FM Awards, with Robe BMFL Spots taking centre stage – as part of a rig of nearly 150 Robe moving lights – for a stunning stage presentation at

Robe BMFLs ‘Heart’ All Time Low
Photos courtesy Louise Stickland Lively US pop punk band All Time Low have just completed a co-headlining UK arena tour with UK rockers You Me At Six, and are kicking off their new “Future Hearts” album campaign. All Time Low’s Boston based Lighting Designer Jeff Maker lost no time in

RES provides technical know-how to the ambitious ‘Mexico dome’ installation in London
UK – London-based creative technology expert Realtime Environment Systems Ltd (RES) has provided the media server know-how in collaboration with LM Productions and Mapp3D Producciones for a ‘full dome’ installation celebrating Mexican culture. The temporary 25m white dome was constructed at Potter’s Fields Park on London’s Southbank for two weeks

Rigging legend Rinus tells his story
Prolyte Rigging Training at DWR in Feb 2015 Rinus Bakker, Consultant and Trainer of Rhino Rigs and one of the European pioneers of entertainment rigging (since the early 80s) visits DWR Distribution regularly in February to present the Prolyte Rigging Course to the South African market. He chatted about

Francois van der Merwe is an approved Vectorworks Trainer
South African’s own Francois van der Merwe from Wizardry Group has been recognized and approved as an International Vectorworks Trainer by Nemetschek. The announcement came during a Vectorworks Training Week from March 9 to 13, presented by Francois at DWR Distribution, the official Vectorworks distributor in Africa. Many players in

lighting effects and ice: Clay Paky and MA Lighting at the Wiener Eistraum
Photos: © stadt wien marketing / Jobst AUSTRIA – Vienna has hosted the Wiener Eistraum (Vienna Ice Dream) every year since 1996. This huge mobile ice rink measures over 75,300 square feet. It is assembled in Rathausplatz, the square in front of the town hall, and is one of the

DWR appointed distributor for Quartzcolor and IFF
DWR Distribution has been appointed as the exclusive South Africa distributor for QUARTZCOLOR and IFF. “These products are truly standard setters within the television and film industry,” said Dave Whitehouse of DWR Distribution. “The brands are synonymous with quality and will be a fantastic addition to our stable.” QUARTZCOLOR was

TUT students visit DWR for product training
Second year students from the Department of Performing Arts Technology at The Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) visited DWR Distribution for an introduction to product training on 14 February 2015. With a revamped syllabus, developed by Hardus Koekemoer (Lighting Lecturer at Department of Entertainment) and Wandile Mogodo (Technical Manager

Robe Unites with Usher & Blake Shelton
Usher and Blake Shelton – two of the world’s biggest music stars – united the genres of R&B and country respectively in front of 35,000 people for a unique double-headline concert at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. The concert was part of a gala event celebrating the 90th anniversary of the

24 Robe miniPointes for Sound Stylists
Rental Company Sound Stylists have acquired 24 new Robe miniPointe’s from DWR Distribution which will be used at their branches in Durban and Cape Town. The new fixtures are not only able to produce sharp beams and aerial effects in smaller venues, but have the necessary punch to work hard

Eyes on Mediatech 2015
DWR Distribution are looking forward to exhibiting at the 8th biennial advanced media and entertainment technology tradeshow, Mediatech Africa, held from 15 to 17 July 2015 at the Dome at Northgate, Johannesburg from 10am to 6pm daily. Mediatech Africa has gained momentum and DWR have been pleased to see an

Clay Paky illuminates Milan’s Piccolo Teatro
Photo credits: Davide Barbetta Milan, Italy – the Piccolo Teatro in Milan was Italy’s first permanent theatre and was declared a theatre of major European importance by Ministerial Decree in 1991. It was founded in the immediate post-war period by Paolo Grassi, Giorgio Strehler, Mario Apollonio, Virgilio Tosi and Nina

Robe Announces New Expansion Plans for 2015
Robe Lighting announces 2014 as the best year in the company’s history, together with comprehensive expansion plans for its HQ and production operation in the Czech Republic, which is ramping up again in response to demand for Robe’s products worldwide. This is part related to the company’s planned medium-term expansion

Showline SL NITRO 510C is ‘LED strobe of choice’ for You Me At Six
Lighting designer Louis Oliver of Okulus has used an array of Showline SL NITRO 510C fixtures as part of his colour-rich and punchy lighting design for You Me At Six’s UK arena tour. Specifying 29 of the powerful LED units from Zig Zag Lighting, Oliver rigged 18 on spines
Robe BMFL
The BMFL™ – Bright Multi-Functional Luminaire – much anticipated new lighting fixture from Robe, brings a real game changer in the world of moving lights. The BMFL Spot™ has a custom light source designed for Robe and produces a staggering powerful 250 000 lux at 5 metres – no other

Robe for Garth Brooks Tour
Forty-eight of Robe’s LEDWash 1200s are in action on the current Garth Brooks U.S. tour, specified by the country megastar’s longstanding LD Dave Butzler, and purchased specially by leading rental house Bandit Lites. Brooks – whose staggering popularity continues to pack out arenas – has released his first studio album

Avolites Sapphire Touch and ART2000 dimmers used for ‘Maximum Impact’ on TNA UK Tour
UK – TNA (Total Non-stop Action) Wrestling stormed British shores this month for a series of adrenaline-fuelled shows with lighting operator Andre Huff running the show on an Avolites Sapphire Touch console, and ART2000 dimmers providing the power behind the scenes. The dynamic tour, featuring some of the biggest names

Clay Paky helps make corporate NYE event a night to remember
Moscow, Russia – Leading Russian consumer electronics retailer M.Video has had its “best New Year’s Eve event in history”, thanks to technical producers MAX’N’MAX and lighting designer Roman Stolyarov choosing the super powerful Clay Paky A.leda B-EYE K20, Sharpy Wash 330 and Alpha Spot HPE 1500 for the event’s live

Robe BMFLs On Call at CCI Awards
By Louise Stickland Gearhouse South Africa (GHSA)’s Ryan Dunbar became the latest South African lighting designer to be impressed with Robe’s new BMFL fixtures after using the Bright Multi-Functional Luminaire at the 2015 CCI Call Centre Awards staged at Durban International Convention Centre (DICC). The annual event welcomes 2000 guests

DWR stock take on Friday, 27 Feb
To all our clients, kindly be advised that a stock take will take place at DWR Distribution on Friday and Saturday, 27th and 28th February 2015. While our doors will remain open on Friday, the warehouse will be unable to process orders. With this in mind, we request that

Robe BMFL 1700W Lamp Life Confirmed
Robe Lighting’s RnD department has finished an extensive and comprehensive piece of research and testing in conjunction with lamp manufacturers Osram, relating to the longevity of the Lok-it!® HTI® 1700/PS lightsource used in Robe’s new signature BMFL™ fixture, when run consistently in its brightest 1700 W mode. This confirms that

MJ shine at Product of the Year 2015
For the fourth year, MJ Event Gear provided the full technical for Product of the Year 2015 held on the 5th February 2015 in Johannesburg. Product of the Year is the world’s largest consumer-voted award for product innovation and currently operates in 40 countries with the purpose of guiding consumers

Black Coffee invest in Mythos and Stormy
Durban based rental company, Black Coffee, have purchased 12 new Clay Paky Mythos fixtures which will go onto the 14th Metro FM Music Awards for lighting designer François van der Merwe and Dream Sets, the official technical and set suppliers . The awards will be hosted at the Inkosi Albert

Massive Roof structure for PROmontaje
Operating in the Latin American market, the Venezuelan based PROmontaje needed a solution to host large outdoor events and concerts. PROmontaje owns a large event site, just outside Caracas, which they plan to use for a range of outdoor concerts and sports events. PROmontaje is the main provider of technical

School students receive training on lighting control
Performing Art Technology is offered as an extra-mural activity at St Mary’s School in Johannesburg giving students the opportunity to study lighting, stage management, sound, filming, editing and set construction. Girls between grade 8 to 12 train on various control desks including Avolites Titan 1, Philips Strand 200 Plus,

Fall Arrest & Basic Training kicks off at DWR
DWR Distribution takes pleasure in hosting its first Fall Arrest and Basic Training, presented by Jacobus Myburgh from Gravity Training. The three day training kicks off today and ends on 20th February. With a background in the hospitality industry, having managed hotels and venues both locally and internationally, Myburgh

S6 Ai Media to celebrate Sochi Olympics one year on
Russia – London-based creative technology expert Realtime Environment Systems Ltd (RES) has provided the know-how for a spectacular visual event to mark one year since the Sochi Winter Olympics. The ambitious event at Sochi’s beautiful Ice Palace featured a dramatic ice show and was staged by Russian TV company

Bring Me The – ROBE – Horizon
Photos courtesy Handerson Yau Multi-Award winning – and Sheffield UK’s finest – metalcore rockers Bring Me The Horizon played a huge one off show at London’s Wembley Arena closing a phenomenal year, celebrating the conclusion of their 18 month global ‘Sempiternal’ album cycle … and their 10th anniversary. The band’s

Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show Glitters with Clay Paky Lighting Fixtures
USA – Clay Paky fixtures dominated the lighting rig for Katy Perry’s glittering halftime show at Super Bowl XLIX in the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Lighting designer Bob Barnhart of LA-based Full Flood chose a large array of Clay Paky Sharpy, Mythos and A.leda B-EYE K20 fixtures

Clay Paky drives dynamic looks on Sky Sports F1 show
UK – To mark the end of 2014’s F1 season Sky Sports created a unique film called ‘The Ballad of the Duelling Drivers’ that told the story of the intense battle between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. To enhance this special project, lighting director Richard Bowles chose also Clay Paky

MJ are first in SA with BMFLs
MJ Event Gear has made a bold step as the first South African investor of 24 Robe BMFL Spots. They celebrated by inviting some of country’s top LDs to view the impressive lighting tool, which is making waves across the world. “It’s a big winner,” said Mike Jones, owner of

Excellence at Afrikaans is Groot
Within just six hours of ticket sales opening, the Pretoria leg of ‘Afrikaans is Groot’ was sold out. Just goes to show how Groot Afrikaans is’! The Cape Town leg followed suite with its three performances selling out by the end of that day. With the calibre of such artists

ROBE BMFLs In The Middle with BLØF
Photos by Set Vexy, article by Louise Stickland Mufti-award winning Dutch rockers BLØF have an enthusiastic and eclectic fanbase as well as earning serious respect for the musical integration of sounds, styles and genres from a diversity of cultures into their work, so the ability to ‘paint’ with light when

BMFLs Make Impact in South Africa
The first Robe BMFLs have been in action on a variety of events in South Africa, utilized by some of the country’s leading lighting designers, the new multi-purpose fixtures have certainly been put through their paces on a wide variety of shows. The very first South African based LD to

Saudi event production house Maestro invests in Showline
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – An array of Showline’s cutting-edge LED luminaires have lit the launch of a national Saudi employment initiative following Riyadh-based event producer Maestro’s investment in Showline stock. The award-winning company purchased Showline SL BAND 300 RGBW, SL STRIP 400 (both RGBW and Tunable White), SL BAR 520

“Unbelievable” Ai V8 Autoblend proves invaluable for Phish and DMDS7UDIOS
USA – American rock favourite Phish recently played a string of dates at Miami’s American Airlines Arena to ring in the New Year. The prolific band wanted to really make a statement for the shows that tied in with their iconic imagery. Enter DMDS7UDIOS, brought in to projection map the

Avolites Basic to Advanced Training
DWR Distribution will be hosting an Avolites Training Session, Basic to Advanced, presented by Gareth Chambers from 25 to 27 February 2015. “This is always a popular course as there are so many Avolites consoles in South Africa,” said Chambers. “From Titan One all the way to Tiger Touch, it’s