Anyone who has attended a concert attached to the state’s major sporting events – like Adelaide 500, LIV Golf, Tour Down Under or AFL Gather Round – will likely have experienced the work of Novatech.

Ditto for some shows presented by State Theatre Company, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Festival, Adelaide Fringe and Illuminate Adelaide.

Then, there are the major events interstate – such as Vivid Sydney, WorldPride 2023 and the Australian Open – that account for almost half of the company’s projects, with all the equipment and crew coming out of Adelaide.

Novatech director of sales and marketing and industry veteran Ashley Gabriel said it was refreshing to see a family-owned company flourishing and working on the national stage.

“There aren’t a lot of competitors who we go up against, just because of the unique nature of what we are able to do,” Gabriel said.

“Some companies are purely audio, purely lighting, purely vision or have one area that is better than the other, but we try and excel at everything and that’s why we’re fortunate to do these big national and international gigs.”

The team is also sought after for conferences and corporate events, including product launches, awards nights, dinners and AGMs.

“We’re normally bought in when it’s an innovative gig or when it can’t go wrong because there’s a high-profile element to it, like a state dinner or state funeral,” Gabriel said.

“When we’re working with a direct client, there’s a lot of trust as it’s not typically their field of expertise. We know what has to be done and can eliminate that risk for them, so it goes smoothly.”

Similarly, for professional event producers, event managers and conference organisers, this “de-risking” ensured a good experience and outcome for all involved.

Unlike some of the large industry players whose growth has come from buying up competitors, Novatech has grown organically on the strength of its offering, attention to detail and professionalism.

It was founded in 2001, by brothers Leko and Menk Novakovic.

“Menk is the innovator and technical brains behind the business, looking globally at research and new trends, while Leko’s strength is building relationships with clients and business operations,” Gabriel said.

The lights and sounds of LIV Golf, thanks to Novatech

The company employs 65 full-time and around 20 casual staff, some of whom moved from interstate and overseas for the opportunities and lifestyle.

“We’re probably the state’s largest AV production employer outside of a venue like Adelaide Convention Centre or Adelaide Festival Centre,” he said.

“I guess the nub of our story is we’re proudly South Australian and we love that we can give opportunities to South Australians to work all over the country.”

Leko and Menk are passionate about tech, the creative arts and growing their industry, said Gabriel.

“What we do as a business enables us to give back [including] at grassroots level where we can foster interest in the technical side,” he said.

That includes showing young people there is an exciting and fulfilling career to be had within the industry.

Last year, the company launched the Novatech Academy, a free six-week course for young people fresh from high school or TAFE and providing exposure to the industry, the equipment and real-life events. Any shifts students undertake during or post course are paid.

Additionally, they are looking to increase the number of women on the technical side of live events.

“It’s very much a male dominated industry, so we’re trying to reduce that imbalance and get young women involved,” Gabriel said.

Currently, about 20 per cent of full-time Novatech employees are women.

“Unfortunately, industry-wide most roles for women have traditionally been in the admin side, but we’re trying really hard to mix it up,” he said.

“We’ve got a good pool of young women coming through an looking at how to provide more opportunities for women in a variety of roles.”

Around 80 per cent of the men and women who went through the Academy course earlier this year are now working on a casual basis for Novatech.

Gabriel said they are likely to go full-time later in the year as their skills improve, or they may follow their passions to work in live music or theatre.

“In giving back and fostering we know not everyone will stay with us. They’ll go to other employers, but we are getting the interest going, providing that opportunity and growing the industry.”

Additionally, Novatech sponsors a multitude of organisations and events including the State Theatre Company of South Australia, Adelaide Dance Theatre, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Adelaide Fringe to name a few.

This year, they were also behind the new Arts Innovation Fund for Fringe, and gave five emerging venues $10,000 each to spend however they wanted, plus another $10,000 in kind for sound and lighting.

“It gives emerging artists the opportunity to perform with better quality production and in better environments,” Gabriel said.

Novatech brought to life Sleep’s Hill Tunnel for Adelaide Fringe and the company is once again a sponsor and technical supplier for year’s Illuminate Adelaide.

In August, some of the team will head interstate to once again deliver several projects for Melbourne’s Now or Never festival. This includes creating a ‘water screen’ from millions of invisible droplets on which they will project Constellations above the Yarra.

Gabriel said while perfection was the aim for every project, not all of Novatech’s work was on a grand scale.

“Problem solving is what we do. Sometimes, it’s just a professional camera and sound set up for a company ‘town hall’ or a PA system for the ribbon cutting ceremony at a new building.

“We’re trying to eliminate the worry for the event organiser.”