Sterling Event Group Stock Up On Martin Audio
Martin Audio speakers win multiple plaudits from Sterling Event Group Head of Audio James Jewry.
Reliable ✔
Weight-saving ✔
Warm and musical sound ✔
Quality manufacturing ✔
The tick list is by no means exhaustive. Safe to say, James is happy to place his trust in a brand he’s been successfully using for the 30 years he’s worked in the AV industry. Taking delivery of 30 X10 BlacklineX 10" 2-Way Passive Speakers Rotatable 90x50° Black from Leisuretec he states: ‘I want a reliable brand, the quality of the boxes is really good and they’re light but, more importantly, they sound great.’
James joined Sterling Event Group, a Manchester-based technical event production specialist, in the autumn of 2024. Spring forward to May 2025 and the company announced a fresh brand identity to pair with major business expansion, growing its specialist headcount by 35% and more than doubling its warehousing space.
To keep pace with projects, it was looking to grow hire stock. ‘In September and October last year we did about 1,000 jobs with a busy turnaround,’ James says, adding: ‘Coming up in September 2025 there will be nearly 130 speakers in stock and all of them will be out in one single week, mainly in hotel meeting rooms and smaller venues that need a two-speaker PA. We also look after the contract for Manchester Central and the breakout rooms there get filled with PAs, so we need the stock available to do the jobs quickly and on time.’
A shortage of 10-inch boxes in Sterling Event Group’s warehouse propelled him to look down the Martin Audio route and source all 30 speakers from Leisuretec. Previously a freelancer, he’d been accustomed to installing this kit at Glastonbury Festival’s West Holts stage, liked the brand, and was keen to introduce it to his team. To also increase hire kit, James also purchased XTi power amps and Martin Audio XP12 2-Way Powered Loudspeakers.
The response from the team, he says, is that they love the Martin Audio speakers – 'they’re full-sounding, the quality is great and they’re light, so weight-saving on the trucks. Everything logistically-wise is better for us.’ As a bonus, the powered XP12s have a Bluetooth control and streaming option that allows clients to easily hire a pair of speakers for standalone use, plug them into a room, and use their phones to relay music to them. ‘Simple and reliable is what we’re looking for, and that’s the XP12 for sure.’ James adds: ‘The controls on the back of the boxes also make it easy for our engineers to learn and deploy.’
About Leisuretec
Established in 1990, we are Trade Distributors of Professional and Commercial Audio, Lighting, Video, Special Effects and Ancillary. Through our AV Hire Production, AV Installation and Re-seller customers we address the live entertainment, leisure, commercial, residential and retail markets throughout the UK.
We support our trade customers with immense stock holding across a vast choice of products, knowledgeable technical support, competitive trade pricing, speedy delivery and attentive after-sales support.