To say Covid has had an impact on the events world would be an understatement.
Talking selfishly about DB, everything stopped in March 2020, with an immediate impact on our mainstream AV rental business, at least until streaming became more ubiquitous. As a result, we have had to take some very difficult decisions over the last 18 months, as I sure many in our industry did too. The break did however allow us all time to review and develop a new business plan for the post Covid world.
As a result of that, during lockdown our rental arm has widened its product offering via material investments in streaming, large scale conference equipment and outdoor/fast rig 28 sq m trailer-based LED screens. As well as the investment in equipment, we have also invested in people and taken on specialists in those new product offerings, namely Rich Pow and Nick Clemson.
Our content/software arm rapidly pivoted from physical event software activations to successfully producing its own virtual event platform, which helped DB significantly in the past 18 months. This arm has now grown to employ 25 members of staff.
So, in light of these developments, we feel that now is the ideal time for the rental and software businesses to develop their own separate identities and strategies.
With this in mind:-
The AV & IT rental business is retaining the DBpixelhouse name www.dbpixelhouse.com, and I am delighted to announce that James ‘Barney’ Barnett, after being with DB for more than 15 years in all capacities, has been appointed to the role of Managing Director.
The content/software business is going to operate within a newly registered company, Gravit8 Software Ltd www.gravit8.co . I am similarly delighted also to announce that Alastair ‘Ali’ Reece has been appointed as Managing Director of that business. Ali launched our event software side more than 10 years ago and has grown that business very successfully.
Gravit8 will be producing both the virtual/hybrid event software and the pre Covid physical event activation work.
Both Barney and Ali have always been instrumental in creating the ‘can do’ friendly culture within DB, so that will no doubt continue across both companies.
As well as doing separate work, both companies will continue to work together on projects as they have done before. Customers shouldn’t feel a change (apart from for the better!), and will be able to ring the same numbers and people as before.
The most rewarding part of running a business, to me anyway, is to try to realise the ambitions of the people working within it, and what we are announcing today is a manifestation of that ethos. I also figure that post pandemic, it’s time for the younger folk to run with the new opportunities as they present themselves!
As for myself, after 27 years of running DB, I am going to be more strategic and slightly less involved day to day, whilst also doing what I can to help (a.k.a. getting in the way…). Hopefully, that also means getting out to site more often to see everyone though.
If you are a customer, we thank you very much for your business to date – it is always greatly appreciated, and we look forward to working with you again soon…
If you haven’t worked with us before, we would be delighted to talk to you
Kind regards,
David
– David Bulley, CEO