About us
Our Strength,
Our Team
For more than 15 years, SHOWSDT has been the leader in manufacturing, distribution & installation of Staging, Rigging & Automation for the entertainment industry.
Our Strength,
Company History
The range of our services can support the most complex needs, through the sale and rental of stage equipment, our fireproofing service, process automation and technical movement control.
Our strength: Talent
We are the invisible performers; the puppeteers of your imagination and we accompany you through all the stages of the event’s design. The quality of our production values and the attention to detail are the values that have built SHOWSDT’s reputation over the years.
Our team masters unique automation solutions that give SHOWSDT a creative and competitive advantage both locally and internationally. Each year, we support hundreds of shows, festivals and events worldwide and continuously innovate with each new challenge presented to us by our clients.
Made in Quebec
We are very proud that the vast majority of our products are designed, manufactured and assembled in Montreal, Canada by our talented professionals. Have a look at our portfolio to discover some of our latest projects.
Our team
Denis Lefrançois
President - CEO
Founder and former president of Solotech. He founded the company in 1977 and sold to Claridge in 2013. In this time he grew Solotech by 150x. In 2018, he bought Scapin Staging and Show Distribution. In 2020, SHOWSDT has now become one of the largest Canadian groups in entertainment.
Karl Tremblay CPA, CMA
Executive VP - CFO
Young finance and accounting professional with a CPA, CMA designation. He has held several management positions for Unisson Structures, Piknic Electronik, Connect&GO & Beachclub group. He acts as a mentor for a non-profit and start-ups including Aire commune, Vague de Cirque & Leucan. He has conducted financial transactions of over 50M$
Alexandre Lefrançois
VP Hoist & Automation
Alex has the most rounded touring experience you can find. He worked on international tours for over 10 years with Cirque du Soleil and Solotech. He has held roles ranging from lighting designer, to technical coordinator and operations manager. He knows how it works on the road and has an amazing ability to solve problems by developing new products.
Nancy Mcneil
Executive VP - COO
Nancy brings nearly 35 years of experience in the industry, in HR and Operations roles. She has held several important positions for Soloetch, JD International and is part of the SHOWSDT team since 2012. She contributed significantly to the acquisition and fusion with Show Distribution.
Alexandre Lefrançois
VP Hoist & Automation
Alex has the most rounded touring experience you can find. He worked on international tours for over 10 years with Cirque du Soleil and Solotech. He has held roles ranging from lighting designer, to technical coordinator and operations manager. He knows how it works on the road and has an amazing ability to solve problems by developing new products.
Mathieu Cécil
VP Sales - Hoists & Automation
Mathieu has been with us for nearly 15 years. He has held various sales positions for the vast majority of the group’s divisions, allowing him to acquire key knowledge and a complete comprehension of our industry. His unique customer approach enabled him to work on many majors events across Canada and the US. Either for theatre, large shows or galas, he will be a key player contributing to your success.
Jean-Pierre Desnoyers
Creative Director - Special projects
JP has nearly 15 years of experience in fashion, design & entertainment. His reputation has brought him to work on projects with Cirque du Soleil, C2 Montréal, Moment Factory, Ex Machina, Lole and many more. If you want to know what will be hot and trendy in a year from now, JP is the one you want to talk to. He specialized in think-out-of-the-box projects with design and architecture firm.
François Bricout
Sales Manager - Staging & Flameproofing
With the company since 1998, he is the keeper of the JD International, JD Fire Retardant and Scapin Staging history. He knows our inventory better than anyone else and can help you with a project from design to installation. He also has a solid expertise in fire retardant application.
Steve Arsenault
Sales Representative - Staging
Steve went from on-site installations, to installations management and then to sales representation. He knows the reality of job sites and is best qualified to find solutions to your installation or product challenges.
Chantal Daoust
Sales & Marketing Coordinator
Chantal was the producer of the famous ”Solotech – En coulisse” show for more than 15 years. She has held various coordinating roles in the industry for more than 20 years. She knows the industry in & out and is the pillar of our marketing and sales team.
Pierre-Luc Rancourt
Tender Manager
Pierre-Luc has held multiples roles within the organization including installer, project manager and now Tender Manager. He uses his field experience to answer public and private tenders.
Alexandre Lefrançois
VP Hoist & Automation
Alex has the most rounded touring experience you can find. He worked on international tours for over 10 years with Cirque du Soleil and Solotech. He has held roles ranging from lighting designer, to technical coordinator and operations manager. He knows how it works on the road and has an amazing ability to solve problems by developing new products.
Mathieu Cécil
VP Sales - Hoists & Automation
Mathieu has been with us for nearly 15 years. He has held various sales positions for the vast majority of the group’s divisions, allowing him to acquire key knowledge and a complete comprehension of our industry. His unique customer approach enabled him to work on many majors events across Canada and the US. Either for theatre, large shows or galas, he will be a key player contributing to your success.
Stéphane Vézina
VP Sales - Staging rental
Stéphane has more than 20 years of experience in the industry. He has held roles from Technical Director, General Manager & President of various important industry actors. His experience and loyal customers will bring our rentals departments to new heights.
Yann Gagnon
Sales Representative - Staging rental
With the company since 2016, Yann has various experiences in warehouse management, inventory management and customer service. He makes his expertise available to our loyal customers.