Giant Chinese equipment manufacturer for live events Absenvisits South African Roadies Association to explore possibilities for collaboration

Chloe Zheng, the company’s account manager for Southern Africa, was taken on a tour of SARA, including inspecting some of its own equipment SARA acquired from Shezheng, in China in 2018, which is used by the students for the practical aspects of their training.

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor

This week on Thursday, October 8, 2026, the Newtown based Non-Profit Organisation, South African Roadies Association (SARA), which skills youth to become technician in producing live events, was visited by a representative of a leading Chinese live events equipment manufacturer Absen (Shenzhen Absen Optoelectronic Co., Ltd.

Chloe Zheng, the company’s account manager for Southern Africa, was taken on a tour of SARA, including inspecting some of its own equipment SARA acquired from Shezheng, in China in 2018, which is used by the students for the practical aspects of their training.

• Chloe told CITYLIFE/ARTS in an interview that she got to know about SARA and its training programme through the media, particularly the story that was published by industry publicationPro AVL MEA in its September-October issue, a comprehensive profile of the organisation tracing its humble background stretching over two decades to become a force in Africa in skilling technicians for live events.

“We knew about SARA in the media, including what popped up when we researched about organisations offering training in technical production skills in South Africa.  I am therefore here at SARA on a fact finding mission to explore ways of possible collaboration with the organisation when it comes to training.  Besides supplying equipment, we also offer training as well.

Skills for producing live events are in demand everywhere in the world and South Africa has a vibrant event sector, and therefore the sector has the potential to offer employment to skills youth who can work independently, offering their skills to organisers events as freelancers,” said Chloe.

The company which Chloe works for Absen, is a leading global LED display manufacturer established in 2001 and publicly listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 2014.

 The company’s main factory, based at its Headquarters in Shenzhen, China, boasts a major intelligent manufacturing centre (Dongjiang Intelligent Manufacturing Center) reaching an annual production capacity of 1,000,000 m².

The company has a huge share of the global equipment market as it has presence in over 165 countries with more than 65,000 global installations, ranking as a top Chinese LED exporter for consecutive years.

The company already has a solid relationshipwith SARA as the organisation in April 2018,

acquired 150 Panels of Absen-D3V P3.9MM LED Panel 500 x 500 Indoor / Outdoor, with 4 x Absen Novastar HD Pro Video Processors for SARA’s training and on-the-job training programme, to empower the next generation of audio-visual technicians, and capable of designing, deploying, and operating.

SARA profile article was published on Pro AVL MEA, in August 27 2026 under business profile, which caught the eye of Chloe and hence the trip to South Africa to exchange notes with students and SARA management about the possibility of collaboration with the Chinese equipment manufacturer.  The publication Pro AVL MEA is the leading B2B publication and digital platform covering the professional audio, video, and lighting (AVL) industry across the Middle East and Africa.

ON Thursday, Chloe engaged SARA students about the latest technology for producing live events, and the student showed keen interest in learning about the lasts equipment on the market that Absen manufactures.

“This interest in what we are doing by Absen simply confirms the fact that SARA and its role in equipping the next generation of technicians with live events technical  production skills  in South Africa, is taken seriously by leading organisations around the world. We wish that the same would be so in South Africa, as these skills are in high demand.

“For example, at the World Cup in Qatar, there were 40 technicians working there, who were trained at SARA,” said SARA President Freddie Nyathela.