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Successful Mediatech Africa 2026 expo for Robe

The Mediatech Africa expo returned to Johannesburg, South Africa, for the first time since 2019. Robe lighting showed a range of new products presented by a large international team on their booth in the “DWR Village” area of the expo. DWR is Robe’s distributor for southern Africa. Other Robe Group businesses and brands represented included architectural LED lighting manufacturer Anolis, lighting and visual control manufacturer Avolites, and power distribution specialist LSC Control Systems.

Robe took the opportunity to launch its new LEDBeam 200 product on the African continent. An update to the original LEDBeams 100 and 150, the LEDBeam 200 offers more punch, higher brightness, and richer colours due to an LED engine that is as fast and light in weight as the originals. Also new was Robe’s Arianne6 and Arianne2 LED wash fixtures complete with colour mixing, increased output, plus full IP65/66 ingress protection and simplified maintenance - suited for the African events industry where much of the work is outdoors.

Robe’s stand also highlighted a selection of its current moving light “powerhouse workhorses”, including the new GigaPointe, which was central to the show presentation, together with iEsprite LTLs, iBolts, Svopatts and TetraXs. The stand lightshow was running on an Avolites D7, one of a new generation of Avolites products to hit the market since Robe acquired the brand at the end of 2023.

The “DWR Village” also featured a separate performance area, that staged a live performance show, “Tungsten & Diode”, devised by theatre practitioners Michael Taylor-Broderick and David Gouldie. This illustrated how older and newer technologies and approaches can work together for the greater good of imagining a show, and the lighting for this staging - on a 4-metre diameter stage that descended from the roof - featured Robe TetraXs and iSpiiderX moving lights.

The expo was busy across all three days with a lively audience all keen for information and knowledge about the latest technologies. Robe sent an international team to support specialists from DWR, underlining the importance of the South African market, with CEO Josef Valchar and international sales director Michel Arntz as well as Robe’s key account manager Jeroen van Aalst, who oversees Robe’s business in southern Africa.

Valchar comments that it was “great to be back and to experience the best Mediatech expo to date” and also compliments the organisers in sectioning off the exhibition according to sectors - broadcast, live and events, integration, etc. - which he thinks “defined and focused people’s attention” as they sought out various exhibitors and demonstrations, which included outdoor staging areas.

Arntz states that there was “excellent interest in all our brands”, also mentioning that the quantity and quality of visitors exceeded his expectations. Van Aalst observed that it was “great to be back on the show floor in Africa” and that the levels of knowledge and engagement of industry professionals throughout the region have also risen, together with their appetite and interest in the latest tech. “Overall, it was fantastic to catch up with so many people we knew already and make lots of new contacts”, says van Aalst. “We see events like Mediatech as a vital forum keeping in touch with the needs of this buoyant market and community.”

The Robe team also supported the SOS Chariot fundraising dinner organised by DWR at The Venue in Melrose Arch on the evening of Mediatech’s second day. Organised by DWR to support the industry, SOS Charity is a fund for people - particularly freelancers - working in the entertainment and theatre industry who face hardship because of illness, injury, or other unforeseen circumstances. The dinner included an auction that raised 350,000 ZAR (20,000 Euros) for the fund.

(Photos: Louise Stickland/Paul Clarke)

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