Prosound Rental Open Day brings AV community together
Prosound Rental Open Day brings AV community together
More than 300 people registered for Prosound's Rental Open Day in Johannesburg, bringing rental companies, freelancers, house of worship teams, students, theatre technicians and consultants together for a day of demonstrations, networking and live entertainment. Held at Prosound's Northlands Deco Park headquarters on 15 September, the open format allowed visitors to move between demonstration areas at their own pace, getting hands-on with equipment and hearing systems demonstrated in appropriate environments and at realistic operating levels.
“Fresh off Mediatech our open day gave the Prosound team a chance to engage more deeply with the rental industry, allowing them to play with the gear and listen in the right environments and at the required levels,” said Prosound's Justin Acres. “It was amazing to see so many old friends. Even more exciting was the amount of new faces eager to discover what we have to offer. The energy in the room said it all – our industry is in a very healthy place.”
Audio demonstrations from DPA microphones showcased 4099s providing detailed, consistent close-miking, a 4055 capturing kick drum impact and a 2015 stereo pair adding natural kit ambience. Sennheiser showcased Spectera, headphones and beltpacks, while loudspeaker demonstrations included systems from Electro-Voice and Meyer Sound alongside Meyer Spacemap Go. Visitors were also able to get hands-on with SSL Live L350 and L200 consoles.
A dedicated AV Networking room featured technology from Turtle AV, NETGEAR AV, Ferrofish, Furman and Glensound alongside Dante-based equipment. Riedel communications technology and wired and wireless Bosch conferencing systems were also available for demonstration.
Elsewhere, Dicolor LED displays were joined by ETC control and entertainment lighting technology, including the GigHog travel lighting console. Outdoor loudspeaker demonstrations took place every hour, with additional Electro-Voice and Meyer Spacemap Go sessions hosted in the indoor demo room.
The informal format was intended to combine access to new technology with an opportunity for attendees from different areas of the production industry to meet and exchange ideas. As the daytime demonstrations wound down, the event moved outdoors for food and drinks before a live performance by Just6.
The evening also included Sennheiser and Electro-Voice giveaways. Three Sennheiser SoundProtex filters were awarded, while Aju Antony from Electro-Voice conducted a raffle that saw a freelancer receive two ZLX loudspeakers with stands and bags, as well as a local rental company receive EVERSE 8 and EVOLVE 50 systems.
