Montreal - “The Sainte-Justine is not a hospital, it’s a house, a house of life.” These words by Céline Dion, patron of the CHU Sainte-Justine, resonated with well-known producer and mother Denise Robert.

“Nothing is more logical than to provide children with a warm, comfortable and inviting environment that helps make their visit to the Emergency less traumatic for them.”, she said. So an idea popped into her mind, and she did not waist any time contacting well-known people within her network to help her get this somewhat off-the-wall, but so necessary philanthropic project started: redesigning the emergency waiting room and building a movie house inside the Justine-Lacoste-Beaubien Amphitheater where hospitalized children and their families can enjoy watching new box office releases on the silver screen.

"This community project entirely dedicated to improving the quality of life of children who pass through the Emergency Unit, corresponds so well with our philosophy to provide patient-centered care. The emergency waiting room and the Céline Dion Cinema will both be warm and comfortable places for children and their families,” confirmed Dr Fabrice Brunet, Chief Executive Director of the CHU Sainte-Justine.

It is with great pleasure and much enthusiasm that Solotech participated in this community project to create a welcoming environment for the children and their families that are being treated at the hospital’s emergency ward.

Solotech, in addition to providing four screens, installed them along with a new multi-colored LED lighting controlled by a device generously provided by Intellimix. This work was coordinated by Solotech’s team of representatives and project managers from our Montreal head office.

Our technicians also assisted the Moment Factory team in their installation of an interactive musical wall; it allows the children to make virtual drawings and create sound with the movement of a finger.

We were profoundly touched by this community project and we want to congratulate all of the individuals and the companies that worked towards its realisation.

For the first time in Canada the Meyer Sound Constellation acoustic system will be demonstrated at the Solotech en coulisse trade show. This groundbreaking technology enables the acoustical properties of a room to be altered to suit the nature of the event taking place.

Constellation allows venues to be truly multi-purpose, providing natural sounding acoustics suitable to a wide variety of performances:

   - Far less expensive and more flexible than architectural solutions;
   - Aesthetically appealing and virtually invisible;
   - Eliminates extra labor associated with orchestral shells and moveable panels;
   - Easy-to-use interface: one button press changes room acoustics;
   - A sustainable technology.

Do not miss this unique occasion to hear for yourself how the Meyer Sound Constellation acoustic system can improve your venue’s acoustics.

Solotech is pleased to announce that it has acquired privately-held Specs Audio located in Gatineau, Québec. Specs Audio is an audiovisual systems integrator with both sales and rental departments.

The addition of Specs Audio to Solotech’s expanding number of regional offices adds significant logistical resources to Solotech's growing presence in the Ottawa / Gatineau and Eastern Ontario market. Specs Audio is very active in certain market segments and they will continue to develop these markets to compliment Solotech's sales and integration business.

"Specs Audio is a dynamic company and we are pleased to add their team of talented individuals to help contribute to Solotech’s growth in the Canadian market, especially in Western Quebec and other specialized markets where they show great strength" says Solotech President Denis Lefrançois. “Specs Audio will continue to operate as a distinct entity in order to continue to serve its loyal customers and to meet its contractual obligations.”

“We are very pleased to join Solotech in their continued development and to contribute to the incredible success story that Solotech has become. We will now have access to additional resources to allow us to improve our customer service and technological infrastructure” says Specs Audio president Claude Régimbald.

Solotech will now operate its Gatineau sales and integration office from the same location as Specs Audio. With sales offices now both in both Ottawa and Kingston this ensures the physical space and logistical infrastructure required by Solotech to support its growing presence in the Eastern Ontario market.

Solotech is pleased to announce the expansion of its Ottawa sales office as part of its commitment to offer increased services to its clients in the National Capital Region (NCR). The official grand opening of the new office was on Friday, December 9th, 2011 and was presided by Solotech’s president, Mr. Denis Lefrançois.

Ottawa was the logical next step in Solotech’s expansion which has recently seen the acquisition of Colorado based Audio Analysts whose operation was subsequently moved to Solotech’s Las Vegas location. Solotech will continue to expand its NCR base by augmenting operational, installation and programming resources at its Gatineau office.

"Our presence in the NCR and Eastern Ontario markets with our offices in Ottawa, Gatineau and Kingston is continually growing," said Solotech President Denis Lefrançois. "I am extremely pleased with this latest development since it brings us closer to our clients and allows us to present them with the full range of our sales services." The NCR is only the first step in the planned line of expansion, Lefrançois added, and Solotech views its presence in the NCR as a key component of its Canadian sales strategy.

The new Solotech Ottawa sales office is manned by Matt Mulvihill who has recently joined Solotech. Matt has a solid background in all aspects of audiovisual and telepresence technologies. He is joined by Martin Vaillant from the Gatineau office. Marty brings years of practical experience in audio, video and lighting systems for both live entertainment and fixed installations. Valerie Moratto completes the team in her role as customer service representative. Ron Morissette will continue to coordinate the development of Solotech’s expansion of its sales division in Ontario. Solotech will offer sales and integration services from its Ottawa location. Rentals will continue to be handled from the Montreal head office.

SOLOTECH is proud to announce that the company has earned the prestigious and coveted 2011 Parnelli Award in the category "Sound Company of the Year" for Michael Buble's Crazy Love Tour. The 11th Annual Parnelli Awards ceremony was held October 29, 2011 in Orlando, Florida.

Receiving a Parnelli Award is the most prestigious honor in the Live Event Industry. The award recognizes pioneering, influential professionals and their contributions, honoring both individuals and companies. It is truly the "Oscar®" of the Live Event Industry.

Las Vegas - François Ménard and Denis Lefrançois, Montreal-based Co-Presidents of Solotech, today announced the purchase of privately-held Audio Analysts of Colorado Springs for an undisclosed sum.

Solotech established a major facility in Las Vegas three years ago to reinforce their presence in the U.S. market. The company is one of the world’s largest providers of show and touring equipment, delivering a fully integrated experience to its entertainment clients. Said recently-named Executive Vice President of International Business Development, François Leroux, who heads up the Las Vegas operation of Solotech USA:“I realized as soon as I joined the company that although Solotech has an immense depth of experience and a high quality offering to the touring business, we needed to grow our international offering to gain market share.”

The Audio Analysts professionals and equipment will relocate to Las Vegas as part of the Solotech Group. “This move will bring together under one roof the very best in audio in addition to video and lighting technologies and expertise”, said Leroux.

Audio Analysts President Bert Paré said that clients have increasingly been asking for a more complete offering than his company has been able to supply. “Of course they demand state-of-the-art sound, but a top quality one-stop shop to meet all their needs holds a definite appeal,” he said. “With what Solotech has to offer, and the special relationship we have enjoyed with them for 35 years, it’s a perfect match.”

With this acquisition and consolidation in Las Vegas, Solotech is now ideally positioned to cater for touring clients throughout the United States, while continuing to serve the southwestern and Las Vegas entertainment and conventions markets.

Previously Vice President, Creative Entertainment at Disneyland Paris and Disney World in Florida, Leroux said his biggest challenge as a client was managing a variety of specialist suppliers for any given event. “What drew me to Solotech was their capacity for integrating all of the required technologies and support services,” he said. “They do this all over the world for top name entertainers, so being able to deliver this comprehensive offering to clients was a real appeal for me.”