Professional Lighting & Production - Winter 2017 | Page 24

1
2
3
4
5
as Audio Analysts’ U.S. operations
in mid-2011, Solotech continued to
grow internationally. Also in 2011,
they established a new Montreal
headquarters – a 265,000-sq.-ft. facility
in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve area,
within sight of Olympic Stadium,
which serves as a constant reminder
of the opportunity that sparked their
inception.
Ultimately, the company was sold in
2013 to a trio of stakeholders: Claridge
Inc., Capital régional and coopératif
Desjardins, and Investissement Québec
(IQ). That said, Solotech’s approach and
core values remain, as ever, on an inno-
vative, inspiration-fuelled, client-based
approach to growth.
“Our main goal is to be able to execute
our customer’s end vision and what
they want the experience to be,”
Giffard says. “Through innovation and
inspiration, we’re able to provide the
best technology, and by training our
staff in new technologies and investing
in our people, we ensure our ability
to realize the customer’s vision within
their budget.”
Giffard joined Solotech in 2016 but
is well acquainted with the company’s
trajectory and the steps they’ve taken,
both domestically and internation-
ally, to expand. Among them is the
purchase of Toronto-based lighting and
video firm Midnite Hour in 2015, which
became Solotech’s Toronto office.
That office is bound to grow rapidly
as it represents the biggest Canadian
growth opportunity for Solotech.
In March 2016, Solotech opened an
office in Nashville, marking the begin-
ning of additional U.S. expansion – an
effort on which they doubled down in
October 2016 with the establishment
of their DeKalb, IL office. Although,
for now, those two locations are used
mainly by the Rental Division, in the
near future, Solotech plans on using
the expertise of the teams in place to
accelerate its growth in the U.S. market.
Giffard’s main focus, integration, has
also grown apace. “We recently finished
the Park Theatre in Las Vegas at the
Monte Carlo. We’ve also done most of
the work at Montreal’s Bell Centre and
Quebec City’s Videotron Centre, and
at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace,
where Celine performed.” Other major
integration projects include various
sports venues, educational institu-
tions, hospitals, and airports, including
the provision of digital signage for
applications including public, retail and
residential spaces. “So everything from
an AV perspective, that’s where we play
now,” Giffard says.
Solotech is now a one-stop shop
for virtually any application that
involves lighting, sound, video, and
related infrastructure and, additionally,
the provision of security systems for
clients across the board.
Integration has always been part of
Solotech’s offerings, Giffard says, “But in
the last 10 years, as more sports venues
are built, more AV components are in-
cluded in shopping centres, hotels, and
residential developments, we’ve grown
our integration division.”
At this point, integration accounts
for approximately 40 per cent of
Solotech’s overall revenue, but sales
and rentals – given their expertise and
purchasing power – are also integral
to Solotech’s growth overall, and to the
integration division’s ongoing success. In
every case, Solotech “evaluates and un-
derstands the customer’s need, finds the
right product, network, application, and
ensures we’re able to use it to the end of
its capabilities to fulfill our client’s needs
on the integration side.” So, too, do the
company’s complementing divisions.
Now, Solotech offers 360-degree
services: lighting, AV, videoconferencing,
video encoding, digital signage, paging,
intelligent transportation systems, and
more, plus integration, installation,
custom fabrication, maintenance, and
service for applications in the broadcast,
corporate, cultural, educational, govern-
ment, health, hospitality, retail, sporting,
and transport sectors.
“We’ve moved into the growing
1. Brian Setzer Orchestra on the main stage of the Montreal International
Jazz Festival
2. Celine Dion Live in Paris
3. Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic World Tour hits Las Vegas
4. The Weeknd’s Starboy: Legend of the Fall Tour
5. Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience Tour