ABOUT US

 

Introduction:

Hirezone - Audio Visual CC began trading in 1995 as Corporate Office Systems CC. Its primary function was to sell Audio Visual Equipment. After three years in the business the demand for AV & Event Equipment Hire became the factor in which the Hirezone was born. In 1998 Corporate Office Systems started a department called Hirezone. Since then Corporate Office Systems split from the Hirezone and Hirezone Audio Visual became the new name of the company “officially”. Hirezone – Audio Visual has been trading for fifteen years as AV Specialists and has especially over the last four years enjoyed a massive growth.

 

Ownership & Management:

Richard Gild was the founder of COS in 1995 and in 1997 employed Garth Lawler as a Rep. As the years passed and our core business changed so did our experience in the industry. Garth Lawler progressed to Manager and is now a partner in the company. Garth is now in charge of operations and key accounts. We appointed Jason Belling as our Production and Sales Manager in 2012. We have a very low staff turnover signifying the satisfaction all staff gets from working for the Hirezone. We operate as a family.

 

Technical - AV Specialists:

Each AV Company has a speciality. We try and service all aspects of the entertainment & event industry however I would place ourselves as a Corporate AV company. This I would say is the highest level to achieve in the industry besides international productions. We have a very strong IT background in our company with a separate division specialising in this. We therefore have access to all the latest technology and ability to use it. We have been commended by many of the best AV companies in the country on our work quality, staff and end product. We find there is no difference to a big or small job except the amount of equipment required. Ones attitude, service and technical ability is the same no matter what size the job.

 

Event Equipment Hire:

The success of any AV company begins with the type of equipment one purchases. We believe that industry standard equipment is paramount to profitability and success. We purchase only internationally recognised brands that are easily accessible for adding to or hiring a product the client can ask for by name. The support from the big brands is also a major factor. We do not need to try and sources Chinese parts as most of our equipment is supported by local dealerships.

We have purchased JBL sound systems with the support of Crown amplifiers, Martin Lighting, Panasonic, Sanyo and Christie Projectors, Shure, Sennheiser microphones and a Toshiba/Aoto LED screen which is the latest in a range of equipment. This equipment is stored in our building off Umgeni Rd. Cabling is a factor that is grossly underestimated. If anything ever has to go wrong on a job, 99% it has something to do with a cable, or lack thereof. We spend a large proportion of money & time on our cables. We purchase high quality products and manufacture all cables ourselves, with our own identity so they do not get mixed up with others. They are cleared marked with the type of cable, length and our company name. This I believe is the key to the success of any event. Equipment can be hired in by the ton, but cables are very individual and cannot be easily sourced on whim.

 

A very exciting new addition will be the arrival of our new D&B V-series Sound system, which is rated as one of the top sound systems in the world. This model was only launched last year and has been installed in the Royal Albert Hall.

 

 

 

Staff:

We have twelve full time technicians as well as access to many highly skilled freelancers with whom we work with on a regular basis. As mentioned earlier we have a very low staff turnover. I believe this is a testament to the attitude of all staff working at the Hirezone. We all take our work seriously and yet we have fun doing it as this is all of our chosen occupations. Having quite a large full time technical staff (By Durban Standards) is also a key to our success. We know we can rely on each and every person and we know their capabilities. It is obviously a huge cost to us to support such a staff but in the end when you need good technical support they are there for the client and the results show. Most of our technicians have come from either the DUT three year diplomas or some other form of skills programme.

 

Experience:

We via a Selection of JHB AV companies do all the work in Durban for companies such as Discovery, Nedbank, ABSA, Standard Bank, Mutual & Federal and Microsoft. This ranges from small meetings to large 2000 seated events at the ICC. We have done the Premiers Service Excellence awards and even the National Vuna Awards in JHB. In 2008 & 2009 we had the privilege of providing the technical support for URBAN WAVE(Camel) to do four separate events which hosted top international DJ’s using loads of Lighting and LED screens. I (Richard Gild) was contracted by the DUT to lecture the students on a subject for a year (AV).  Our biggest accomplishment to date was being able to provide two official, very successful Fan Parks for the 2010 world cup (Department of Economic Development)as well as host the Australian village at the same time. We currently have three SLA contracts with top clients in Durban namely the Fairmont Zimbali Hotel, Suncoast Corporate Events and the Oyster Box hotel. We have an enormous pool of experience which grows by the day. We did the Royal Monaco wedding at the Oyster Box Hotel a few years ago, as well as the AV for the Munich Olympic bid rehearsals. We were one of the main service providers for COP17 at the ICC where we were awarded 8 of the main rooms. Our most recent accolade is we were the sole provider of equipment for the Office of the Premiers Service excellence awards at the ICC, July 2012. In 2012 we had the privilege of doing the Durban Leg of Soweto Wine Festival. We also regularly do work for office of the premier, doing Government Imbizos in marquees ranging from 1000 – 10 000 people. Our most recent challenge was becoming the AV supplier for th entire 5th BRICS Summit held at the ICC in Durban this year. We have just completed three fantastic shows in Durban, Namely: Fact Durban Rocks for 12000 people, Skyy Vodka and Taste Durban. In September we were contarcted by the ICC durban to provide technical for two international conferences which included conferencing and gala dinners.

 

 

Resources:

We have a very important philosophy in our business – “Never bite off more than one can chew”. In other words we never take on more work than we are capable of handling.