Allen & Heath has announced an expanded partnership with the SXSW (South by Southwest) Music Festival at the upcoming 2024 event, slated for March 8 to March 17 in Austin and presenting more than 2,000 acts from over 60 countries.
Allen & Heath has been a long-time supporter of the SXSW festival, providing a variety of mixing consoles for the various stages and venues over the years. This year, the company states that it will have a larger presence than ever before, supplying consoles for dozens of venues throughout the festival, including for Lady Bird Lake, Mohawk, and The Victorian Room.
“With the size and scope of the SXSW Music Festival, we have artists and crews visiting from a wide array of backgrounds and skill levels,” says Nate Cross, SXSW director of production. “The Allen & Heath soundboards we’re using provide an unmatched level of versatility to our artists and their crews regardless of the size of the venue.”
The British Music Embassy (BME) venue will be equipped with Allen & Heath consoles in showcasing UK music at SXSW, including performances by Ash, Gruff Rhys, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls and many others. The BME will be taking residence at the Backyard at Downright Austin, an outdoor venue in the heart of the festival space, and there will also be a new, dedicated Allen & Heath FOH lounge area hosting one-on-one product demos and Q&A sessions with company personnel and ambassadors.
“We’re really excited to offer our support to Production Park and the British Music Embassy again this year at SXSW,” adds Jack Kenyon, Allen & Heath product specialist. “We’ve got a brand-new venue with not one but two stages of live music showcasing the very best of British talent on and off the stage.”
Also new for 2024, The Green Room at Brush Square Park will host a smaller more consumer-focused Allen & Heath activation space (in addition to the BME) where engineers and music fans can learn more about the company’s mixing desks, acquire swag and talk with team members.
“SXSW presents such a unique opportunity for us to reach engineers and musicians of all levels,” explains Jeff Hawley, marketing director for Allen & Heath USA. “We have steadily increased our SXSW presence for years and this outing marks a huge leap in the level of partnership and A&H support on the ground from a production and marketing standpoint. We can’t wait to go big this year!”
“Allen & Heath has been a fixture at SXSW for over a decade and throughout that period has enjoyed contributing to the development of the world’s greatest musical gathering,” adds Mike Bangs, Allen & Heath USA live sound and touring manager. “Relationships and interaction with engineers are the lifeblood of our company and a great way to express our commitment to supporting this industry we all love. We are super excited to be a part of the SXSW community and can’t wait to see all our friends and family in Austin!”
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