"We love to be first!" jokes West Evenement's sales and integration manager, Ismaël Hifda. "At the end of 2011, we decided 2012 would be the year of change. We went round the world as we considered the major players of the industry in our quest to find a new partner. Responding to our urgent challenge, Nexo presented us with the STM project."
West Evenement's main criteria in its global search for a new PA system were more than matched by Nexo's STM Series, which displayed versatility, modularity and innovation as well as a high-specification intelligent rigging system.
"Finally, here was a system thought out by and for the user," says Hifda of the STM's road-ready package, developed over two years with input from three high-level international touring companies. "On paper, it was perfect. All we had to do was see, and more importantly hear it, but we had to wait for the product to be released before making our decision."
By May last year, Nexo had a prototype version of STM ready for the company to audition. "My reaction was, my god, they did it," remembers Hifda. "Our decision was made, that was the system we needed. It represents a big evolution in terms of its rigging, the distance covered thanks to the quality of the HF section, the power and, of course, its modularity, which means that it can go out every week in different configurations. Just recently, for example, it was being used in a small configuration for a gala dinner event, with two systems stacked directly on stage. The next big event will be at the Olympia in Paris."
Hifda believes that, due to its modularity, STM will represent a huge change in the way rental systems update their inventories in the future. "Companies will no longer need to own three or four different systems," he says. "Once you own STM, two will be enough."
(Jim Evans)
