Copy Vertec PA for Car Dealer

Audio and Lighting equipment from China and elsewhere that looks very similar to established brands is nothing new. So at first glance the 8 drop of PA each side at The Kite Festival in Redcliffe (Qld) looked like a regular JBL Vertec. But it was badged CVR – and it sounded different to Vertec.

CX has learned that that the Foundation behind the fund raising event has a link to a new production supply firm that has invested heavily in ‘look alike’ equipment from little known Chinese suppliers.

The firm doing production at the successful community Kite Festival was OV Entertainment, a new full-service production business managed by audio school graduate Sam Lehane.

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Long established, this year the Festival became the primary annual event for a new not-for-profit foundation called Our Village Foundation Ltd. This is a Redcliffe based community organisation that distributes grants to worthy local groups, such as Churches, Schools and social organisations. They have paid out over $230,000 since the Foundation was registered in June 2012 – an impressive debut.

Behind every successful enterprise is a driving force, and Our Village counts car dealers Village Motor Group and dealer principal Shane Newcombe as its main contributor. Village Motors contributes a set amount from the sale of every vehicle to the Foundation. Presumably this allows sales professionals on the dealer floor to advise car buyers that a portion of the transaction is headed towards local community organisations.

While the Foundation is required to have a board, a constitution, meetings and financial accountability, OV Productions is simply a registered business name behind which is a company, which also controls the car dealership, that has recently invested heavily in equipment.

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They claim to have lighting, audio and video equipment and may also have a stage roof system.

According to Foundation Director and Village Motor dealer principal Shane Newcombe, OV Entertainment is simply an arm of the company behind the car dealership and not part of the not-for-profit foundation. “Our Village Foundation has not supplied capital to OV Entertainment” he said in a statement.

“OV Entertainment has currently a relationship with the Eatons Hill Hotel and Function Centre in which it provides services. We plan on growing this relationship in the years to come”, he said.

Newcombe says that to date, “all services by OV Entertainment to events associated with Our Village Foundation have been fully sponsored as an additional commitment to the growth of the Our Village Foundation.”