Daktronics Provides New Video Displays for Alabama’s Denny Bryant Stadium
Daktronics has continued a long partnership with the University of Alabama to install new LED video displays at Denny Bryant Stadium in Tuscaloosa. Four new corner video displays and a high-resolution tunnel display are being installed in 2020.
The four corner video displays total more than 8,000 square feet of digital display space. Each display measures 30 feet high by 67 feet wide and features 10-millimeter line spacing to bring excellent image clarity and contrast to Crimson Tide fans in every seat of the stadium.
A new tunnel feature at the stadium includes a high-resolution LED video feature with 1.9-millimeter line spacing. At approximately 72 feet long and tapering from 8 feet high to 11 feet high, this display totals roughly 700 square feet to bring an exciting, energetic ambiance as student-athletes and coaches pass by from the Walk of Champions through the tunnel into the locker room.
“It’s going to be exciting to see this never-been-done-before tunnel feature at a football stadium light up on game day this fall,” said Glen Marts, Daktronics sales representative. “We’re thankful for our long-standing partnership with Crimson Tide Athletics and are looking forward to these new LED video displays enhancing the experience.”
The corner video displays come complete with today’s state-of-the-art technology to meet fans’ expectations at live events. They are capable of variable content zoning allowing each to show one large image or to be divided into multiple windows to show any combination of live video, instant replays, up-to-the-minute statistics, graphics and animations, and sponsorship message.
These displays allow the university and venue the flexibility to show live event information combined with the opportunity to highlight sponsors throughout events.
Brex Arena Utsunomiya Scores a Slam Dunk with JBL Professional
To ensure detailed sound with balanced, even coverage throughout Brex Arena Utsunomiya, Hibino Corporation deployed a class-leading networked audio solution from JBL Professional.
Constructed in 1979, Brex Arena is Utsunomiya’s premier stadium and gymnasium. Home to the Utsunomiya Brex, a Japanese professional basketball team on the B.League, Brex Arena features two gyms with courts for basketball, table tennis, volleyball and badminton, as well as a dedicated space for practicing martial arts. To provide additional sound coverage for professional basketball games, Brex Arena was renting temporary loudspeakers to supplement their aging sound system for each event. Deciding it would be more cost-effective and significantly improve sound quality to upgrade the system, Brex Arena hired AV integrators Hibino Corporation to install a state-of-the-art JBL Professional networked audio solution.
“The previous sound system was as old as the arena itself, and was not delivering the desired performance,” said the salesperson for Hibino Corporation. “In the arena, people could feel the volume differences depending on their location, which made it impossible to achieve balanced sound quality throughout the stadium. This left much to be desired by both the stadium officials and the fans. Ultimately, we decided that the JBL VRX series speakers would be best suited for the task, due to their powerful and reliable sound output.”
Hibino Corporation equipped Brex Arena with JBL VRX900-Series Constant Curvature line array loudspeakers to deliver clear, intelligible sound throughout the venue. Leveraging patented JBL technology and components, VRX900-Series speakers deliver class-leading performance in a compact, affordable package. To ensure balanced, even coverage in every seat, Hibino Corporation supplemented the system with JBL AM5212 loudspeakers, which offer excellent pattern control and off-axis response. To provide powerful low-end reinforcement for pre-game music, Hibino Corporation selected JBL VRX918S subwoofers for their extended low-frequency output. The system is powered by Crown DCi 4|1250 amplifiers, and routed through BSS BLU-160 signal processors.
“We required a substantial upgrade to our existing sound system,” said the spokesperson for Brex Arena. “The system had to be powerful enough to deliver clear, balanced audio throughout the venue. It had to be dynamic too, as the requirements vary with each event. We are very satisfied with the solutions provided by Hibino. The output is incredibly powerful and the entertainment value of the games has significantly improved. In addition, the new system has reduced time and labor costs for loading and unloading temporary speakers.”
"The project at the Brex Arena required an engaging and dynamic sound setup to match the intensity of the games and the fans," said Ramesh Jayaraman, VP & GM, HARMAN Professional Solutions, APAC. "We'd like to thank our partner Hibino for integrating the appropriate equipment for the project and for designing the system with future demands in mind.”
12th Man Productions Provides Access to All Texas A&M Fans With Dante
Located in the heart of the Houston-Dallas-Austin triangle, within a two-hour drive of most of the state’s 28 million residents, Texas A&M's main campus in College Station is home to more than 62,500 students. Another 5,700 are at branch campuses in locations across Texas – and as far away as Qatar.
Texas A&M Athletics' award-winning 12th Man Productions handles the television production needs for Aggies sports – including content for 12thMan.com, TV shows, videoboard presentations and ESPN’s SEC Network productions. Along with producing live broadcasts and video features for all teams, 12th Man Productions also entertains A&M fans with television shows such as The Pulse, which gives fans an up-close look at Texas A&M Football in the fall.
The 12th Man team, which includes 18 fulltime staff members and up to 90 Texas A&M undergraduate students, moved into an all-new facility at the south end zone at redeveloped Kyle Field in 2015. The new facility was created with a nearly $12 million investment in the electronics infrastructure to serve Texas A&M athletics.
The state-of-the-art facility hosts four HD control rooms, an ESPN bureau cam studio, a main studio set area, a radio broadcast room, and six post-production edit rooms. 12th Man Productions produces 110 events a year, and the facility's multiple control rooms allow the staff to produce side-by-side productions for the SEC Network from different venues as well as support in-venue shows at the same time.
In his role as Chief Broadcast Engineer for Texas A&M, Zack Bacon oversees all technical support for the 12th Man Productions facility as it relates to vendors, system upgrades, installations, and system maintenance contracts – as well as provides lead technical support for new and emerging technology needs. He also provides live event technical support and manages the student engineering staff.
With the Kyle Field renovation, the team began moving toward an IP infrastructure for their audio network.
In total, the new infrastructure has 48 fiber optic runs that tie the Kyle Field control center to the school's seven main sports venues. Over the last few years, they have been working to control all venues from the centralized area.
"When we started the renovation, we had to choose our audio network platform, and it was obvious that Dante fit our immediate needs and was also supported by the industry enough to cover our future plans," said Zack. "We definitely have an extensive Dante deployment, and we're trying to grow it as much as possible. It's a great technology, and we can vouch for its flexibility and how using the IP infrastructure allows us to do a lot of things we wouldn't otherwise be able to do."
Zack explained that as a centralized facility, audio from all facilities is transported to the production control rooms via Dante, and nearly all audio for broadcast is on a Dante network as well. The team produces everything essentially through Dante with Yamaha consoles. The audio signals are mixed, married to the video, and then either used within the venue or broadcast out. The team also has a direct fiber connection to ESPN, allowing them to share audio and video content directly.
"We have four control rooms, so we're able to do two sports at a time," said Zack. “That means two big-screen shows and two ESPN broadcasts simultaneously, so things can get pretty hectic — and we're relying on Dante more and more so we can be as efficient and responsive as possible."
Recently, the team upgraded their Studio Tech 214 announcer consoles to be Dante native, instantly improving audio quality and signal flexibility.
The team has also integrated this type of Dante connectivity into their intercom system and are able to directly patch the announcer consoles into the intercom system as well as the audio mixer. Now, when they need to feed audio in and out of the intercom, they can do it straight through the Dante network and into whatever source or destination desired.
"There are multiple ways we could get it into Dante and to the PA mixer, but we run it through our console and do direct out, then we set up the shared audio group within Domain Manager," said Zack. "Then we just do the patching in the Dante Controller, and as long as we have the network infrastructure set up, everything just works."
The PA systems are distributed audio DSP networks that are all interconnected by Dante because of the large distances covered. The Dante network delivers the signal to a network of Harman London BLU DSPs, and from there to the individual amplifiers.
"With Dante Domain Manager in the football stadium, we've already seen the benefits integrating the PA and being able to send multiple sources to the PA mixing console, as opposed to previously, we would only be able to send two," said Zack. "We're currently working with and sending about six audio signals, but we can obviously send a lot more. This has been a very convenient and efficient way for us to improve our workflow to make sure we're getting audio to the PA and the football stadium so that the show can go smoothly, and everybody can hear it cleanly."
Dante Domain Manager is network management software that enables user authentication, role-based security, and audit capabilities for Dante networks while allowing seamless expansion of Dante systems over any network infrastructure. Dante Domain Manager organizes a network into zones called "domains" that each have individual access requirements, making it clear and easy to know who can access any area of the system. All activity is logged, tagged, and date-stamped so problems can be quickly identified and solved.
With Dante Domain Manager, Zack and the 12th Man Productions team is able to route their audio signals across subnets to cover the multiple venues and the production areas. Donte Domain Manager enables the team to create management groups and to segment areas, venues, subnets, and production rooms as needed. The team is now able to create some very granular control and security parameters across the network.
"Our student workers do many functions for us, everything from operating cameras to post-production, and we have about 20 student engineers as well who are out in the field making sure everything is working and are actually connecting everything and mixing the shows," said Zack. "Our student engineers are trained on Dante Domain Manager, and they now do the routing and patching for the various productions, and we don't want operators mistakenly going into Dante Controller and re-routing anything that might impact other simultaneous events."
Dante Domain Manager coordinates multiple subnets, allowing Dante audio to be used across networks of nearly any complexity or size. Dante Domain Manager enables audio to be plugged into any Ethernet jack, anywhere on campus, and route the audio data to where it needs to go. Users of Dante-enabled devices do not have to perform any special configuration; Dante Domain Manager completely automates this task.
Mediapro Extends Multi-Year Contract with Supponor
Supponor has announced the signing of a new long-term licensing agreement for its products with leading sports media and audiovisual content production company, Mediapro. This includes continued use of Supponor’s DBRLive (Digital Billboard Replacement) virtual LED perimeter replacement product and their innovative NSA (Natural Scene Augmentation) virtual carpets product. DBRLive has been used by Mediapro in La Liga football matches in Spain since 2015 and NSA since 2017.
The extension agreement with Mediapro follows the recent deal signed directly between Supponor and FC Barcelona and also includes a provision for Mediapro to offer virtual services to other sports federations based in Spain.
DBRLive continues to grow in Spain, now commercially deployed at over 80 La Liga matches per season. Matches covered include all FC Barcelona matches (home and away), Real Madrid (away), Atletico Madrid (home and away) and Espanyol (home).
“Supponor technology gives us the ability to sell bespoke, targeted advertising on international feeds of La Liga games in an increasingly global marketplace,” commented Julian Fernandez, Commercial Dept, Mediapro. “It means we can tailor global sponsorship packages to take account of local tastes and language as well as sell regional and local advertising packages to new brands.”
The new contract gives Mediapro access to the very latest versions of both DBRLive and NSA, with both upgraded to include UHD/4K technical standards.
“This multi-year renewal is a great vote of confidence from both Mediapro and La Liga in our virtual advertising technology platform, our operations and our team,” commented James Gambrell, CEO, Supponor. “It confirms our position as the preeminent provider of virtual advertising technology and solutions in live sport. We look forward to working alongside Mediapro to expand their service beyond La Liga and into other leagues and federations across Spain’s vibrant sports sector.”
Daktronics Steps up to the Plate For Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
Daktronics (NASDAQ-DAKT) of Brookings, South Dakota, has partnered with Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Athletics to design, manufacture and install a new LED video board for the school’s softball stadium, Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park. Installation of the new technology was recently completed and in place to inform and entertain fans for the 2020 season.
“The new 30ft Daktronics video board at Lamson Park is an incredible enhancement to a first-class facility,” Director of Athletics Bryan Maggard said. “Our nationally-ranked softball program is certainly deserving of such an addition to their ballpark, and we owe it to the incredible support of a number of key investors from within our softball fanbase.”
The new outfield display measures 14.5ft high by 30ft wide and feature 10mm line spacing with SMD (Surface-Mount Device) LED technology to bring excellent image clarity and contrast to images shown on the display. It features industry-leading environmental protection to ensure it operates as expected in the outdoor elements of Louisiana.
“This new display will bring an added element of excitement to the game-day experience for Ragin’ Cajuns fans,” said Andrew Rice, Daktronics sales representative. “Everyone at the university was great to work with on this project and we’re looking forward to this display having a positive impact for years to come.”
The display is capable of variable content zoning allowing it to show one large image or to be divided into multiple zones to show any combination of live video, instant replays, statistics and game information, graphics and animations, and sponsorship messages.
Include with the equipment installation, the Ragin’ Cajuns will also receive a digital content package to be produced and delivered by Daktronics Creative Services.
RCD Espanyol de Barcelona Deploys Supponor at La Liga
Supponor has announced that RCD Espanyol de Barcelona is deploying its state-of-the-art technology at all its home games in La Liga. The leading soccer club’s games at the RCDE Stadium will now feature the use of Supponor’s innovative DBRLive virtual replacement technology and NSA virtual carpet placement solution, which is offered in partnership with the worlds leading LED perimeter display specialist TGI.
The two Supponor technologies allow the placement of targeted adverts within the live feed that can be specifically geared towards geographic or demographic market segments. This is a particularly important consideration for La Liga Clubs as they grow international audiences, providing an additional revenue stream with advertising and sponsorship deals targeted to fans wherever they are watching in the world.
The solution is being operated by Mediapro, which acts as the production partner for Supponor technical solutions in La Liga. Over the last six seasons, the deployment of Supponor’s virtual advertising solutions by Mediapro in La Liga has grown from a handful of games to over 80 per season. It now features in matches played by FC Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, and RCD Espanyol de Barcelona.
“Virtual advertising helps to grow club revenues by making available new advertising opportunities on the international broadcast feeds of the club’s live matches,” said James B Gambrell, CEO, Supponor. “For example, RCD Espanyol de Barcelona is cultivating a large Chinese fan base given the popularity of its striker Wu Lei, who joined the club in 2019. This has created the opportunity to develop new sponsorship opportunities and regional advertising revenues on the Asian feeds of RCD Espanyol de Barcelona’s matches using Supponor technology.”
“Virtual advertising solutions targeting different markets need to offer both technical reliability and seamless operational capability to unlock the significant commercial returns for clubs such as Espanyol,” commented Julian Fernandez, Mediapro. “We are delighted with the way that the Supponor and TGI solution has worked in La Liga and look forward to further expansion and increased monetisation opportunities with LaLiga clubs and participating global brands.”
Ayrton Perseo Adds Pizazz to Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show
As the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs battled it out for the NFL Championship, the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show brought a little Latin flavour to Miami’s 65,000-seat Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday 2 February 2020, thanks to an explosive show by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, aided by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny and Colombian star J. Balvin, and a cast of near 170 musicians, dancers, and performers.
This massive production – an eagerly awaited annual event – was broadcast live by Fox to 100 million viewers worldwide, all of whom witnessed a superb lighting show which had at its centre over 120 Ayrton Perseo IP65-rated multi-function profile fixtures.
The spectacular production was created by the legendary Super Bowl team headed by show designer, Bruce Rodgers of Tribe, Inc. and lighting designer, Bob Barnhart of 22 Degrees, alongside four lighting directors including Super Bowl veteran of 10 years, Jason Rudolf, Dave Grill, Pete Radice, and newcomer Patrick Brazil, who programmed and took responsibility for the Perseo fixtures.
“The show is a complete co-production involving all the team,” said Bob. “So, while Bruce is responsible for the layout and I the fixtures, ideas were bandied around early on and we quickly decided the Ayrton lighting rig would be the centrepiece of the whole design.”
Bruce’s stage design included four runways of light upstage of the main stage, delineated by the same lighting fixtures that would also outline the circular main stage. Bob chose Perseo as that fixture to define the performance area, embedding 13 Perseo units in each runway to provide a dynamic backdrop to the show, and using the remainder around the main stage. He also installed 24 further Perseo fixtures on either side of the tunnels to light the teams as they made their pre-kick-off entrances onto the field.
“The upstage ramps were the background of the show for us,” said Bob. “It’s very hard to get elevation in a set in the middle of a field with only eight-minutes set-up time, so we depended on those four long rows of lights to give us a really strong background.
One section of the upstage ramp containing 24 Perseo fixtures was capable of elevation, tilting five ft into the air during Jennifer Lopez’s song On The Floor. “This gave us a nice hard background for this number,” said Bob. "Shakira’s Empire was perhaps my favourite light cue in the show though. I loved how the Perseo light strobed so effectively – it was the second song in the show and we were waiting to really roll them out in that number. It was great to have an LED fixture capable of genuine strobing instead of using its shutter, and it became an incredibly strong dynamic effect.”
Bruce and Bob wanted to keep to the same fixture across the entirety of the stage for the sake of uniformity, and Perseo’s aesthetic played a major part in Bob’s choice. “Form factor is very important and Ayrton has chosen to pay a lot of attention to its aesthetic design. When choosing a fixture, it needs to look good as well as have all the bells and whistles, especially for TV. If it’s going to be on camera you want the inside and the outside to be as sexy and high tech as possible.
“Perseo is great to look at and, from a designer standpoint, I like that large aperture with its big glass face which you can use to create ‘hokum’ to fill in for camera shots - just glowing the face of it instead of producing a beam gave a nice look in the background.”
The successful fixture needed to be waterproof above all else “because Miami loves to rain as we know from previous Super Bowls there! We got lucky on the night as the weather was fine, but there were several downpours during programming in the parking lot and I can attest the Perseos are truly IP65-rated! We just let them run and they didn’t care at all. They were like dogs in a lake!”
But it is not just the IP rating that Bob found so attractive: “Perseo has many great features: the shutters were something I didn’t think I would need when I first picked the fixture, but as the show developed they became a really handy tool. I was able to side light the dancers during Waiting for Tonight for example and shutter-cut off the spill on the floor and on Jennifer on the centre stage Dance Pole.
“The show gets very colourful at times and Perseo’s colour rendering is very good. Fox used new cameras running 2020 Vision – a new colour rendering system, which increases the colour range the cameras can perceive. It was great to be able to see on camera all these colours that Perseo can produce – even though many broadcasters didn’t broadcast in 2020 Vision – but I can attest they were there! You’ll just have to take my word for it!”
Bob was also pleased with Perseo’s zoom capabilities which belie its compact size: “It’s a tough compromise - you want a fixture to be small, but physical size can limit the extent of your zoom ratio. But Perseo does really well on this front – it zooms out really well. It’s both a good close up fixture and pretty good distance fixture.”
In total, 124 Ayrton Perseo were supplied on a quick turnaround in a joint venture by JamPro Productions of Reno, NV, Mid-America Sound Corporation of Greenfield, IN, LEC of Chicago, IL and Harvest Productions of Kansas City, MO, all of which was facilitated by Aaron Hubbard at ACT Lighting, Ayrton’s exclusive distributor in the US. “We’d like to thank these companies who were willing to pre-order the Perseos with shipment direct from the Ayrton factory in order to make the deadline,” said Aaron. PRG’s Vice President of Television & Special Events, Tony Ward, and his team provided the transportation and onsite technical logistics for the entire lighting system, including the Ayrton Perseo units.
“Aaron worked really hard to ensure we would be able to use Perseo and supported us at every step of the way,” says Bob. “There was a large quantity involved and a short deadline but he made sure they got delivered in time for the big event, ‘hot off the press as seen on TV!’ you might say.”
Crucially, Aaron was instrumental in helping solve the crunch point that guaranteed Perseo’s place on the field. “I’m probably the only one in the world who cares about a lamp’s calibration time but it’s a vital element to us because of the extreme limits to our set up time in the interval,” explained Bob. “We have precisely eight minutes from the moment 500+ half-time crew exit the tunnels until we go live to over 100 million viewers, five to six minutes of which is taken up by the set build before we can make our cable connections. This leaves the last 120 seconds for the lights to receive power. Perseo originally had a two-minute calibration time – which was just too long, especially when the opening cue made a big feature of them from the very first beat as they spring into life in animated waves behind Shakira. If they weren’t there, it would be very obvious. So Aaron made a call to the Ayrton engineers, and within half an hour I had a call back telling me they could re-engineer the software to reduce the time to 70 seconds! So it was game on! It’s very nerve-wracking - I’m living dog-year lives when I’m doing a Super Bowl!”
“The other nice point that helped sell that fixture to me was its LED engine. It has an amazingly flat field with no hotspot (which can really stand out on camera), and there’s no strike problem with the lamp as can happen with a conventional source. With LED, once the power is on, it’s ready to go which takes away another whole layer of worry!
“I’ve become a fan of Perseo. I find I don’t need washlights anymore because good multipurpose units like Perseo do it all, and I heavily gravitate towards these kind of fixtures. Why alternate wash and profile fixtures in a rig if I can have multi-functional lights instead, which give me more tools to work with.
“Ayrton has moved from creating unique effects lighting to truly functional workhorses. For a production like this, you need a truly multi-purpose fixture with an LED source, shutters, iris, gobo options, a frost, prisms, ideally animation wheel – plus they need to be quick and responsive and dependable - all of which Perseo has. With a fixture like that, you have a workhorse that you want to put through your entire rig!”
Gravity Media Delivers Knock-Out Coverage of Wilder vs Fury
Gravity Media has provided BT Sport’s exclusive PPV coverage of the Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury 2 heavyweight title fight. Columbus, Gravity Media’s Los Angeles-based 4K multi-purpose mobile unit, was deployed at Las Vegas’ iconic MGM Grand venue alongside its operational B Unit for the rematch on February 22, which was expected to become the biggest fight this year. This follows the split-decision draw between the Gypsy King (Fury) and Bronze Bomber (Wilder) in December 2018.
The two Gravity Media mobile units joined three additional OB trucks and six SNG vehicles within the TV compound at MGM Grand showing the scale of the intense media interest. They were used to produce BT Sport’s on-site presentation studio as well as coverage from ringside. In addition, Gravity Media also supplied commentary and communications solutions to the UK rights holder.
The flexibility offered by its 60ft single expanding Columbus unit, which carries and deploys UK-friendly production solutions, was one of the key attractions for BT Sport when it came to selecting its facilities partner for this project. Tools such as Glensound commentary equipment, and Coles lip microphones, combined with an engineering team that’s experienced in UK production workflows involving EVS and intercom particularly, make Gravity Media an ideal choice for British broadcasters operating within North America. Gravity understood BT Sport’s requirements from the outset as the team clearly understood the UK technical language that was being used by BT Sport’s engineers and operations team.
Marc Genin, Gravity Media’s Executive Vice President, added: “Although Columbus was built to serve the North American production market, it can be reconfigured with elements that are preferred in British productions. This means that we can meet the specific requirements of UK content creators such as BT Sport which are covering major events over here without having to compromise on ambition or quality to achieve a familiar feel.”
Columbus is the flagship of Gravity Media’s North American fleet and was the first mobile unit to feature a full 4K-monitor wall, one-button hydraulic deployment and integrated RF. It has been used for a range of high-end 4K HDR and UHD sports and entertainment productions in the US.
Eleven Sports Media Become Official Celtic FC Partner
Eleven Sports Media has teamed up with Scottish Champions Celtic FC to become an official partner of the club, delivering innovative fan engagement and partner programme solutions at Celtic Park.
The partnership sees Eleven Sports Media introduce regional brands to the club via Eleven’s tailored partner programme and also sees Eleven install their award-winning fan engagement platforms into Celtic Park and on to the club’s official social media channels.
Eleven Sports Media have also become training wear partner to the Celtic FC Women’s team, seeing its branding appear on the club’s official training apparel.
Eleven’s innovative partner programme work has received national and international recognition and focuses on introducing regional brands to a range of commercial opportunities at Celtic, with in-stadium digital exposure, branded content on the club’s social media channels, match day hospitality and a wide range of marketing activations.
As official partner, Eleven will deliver their award-winning StatZone content within Celtic Park on StatTV and the club’s official social media channels via StatTracker. StatZone takes fans inside the action by broadcasting live and interactive match statistics, bringing an exciting new element to the way key game and player information is delivered. StatZone content will give Celtic fans a deeper narrative in the build-up to, during and in the aftermath of each Celtic FC game.
The club’s fans will this season see a major upgrade to the TV displays within Celtic Park’s concourse and hospitality areas with these displays broadcasting Eleven’s StadiumTV, a bespoke club communication channel, which features the very latest club news and information, social media streams, commercial promotions and live matchday broadcasts.
Eleven work with more than 50 professional sports clubs and venues across the UK, with their award-winning platforms featuring in the Premier League, English Football League, the Rugby Union Premiership, Super League and the Jockey Club’s racecourses.
Speaking about the partnership, Matt Cairns, Eleven Sports Media’s Chief Executive said: “Eleven is a company which is passionate about providing first-class services to the supporters of Britain’s biggest clubs, and rights holders across sport. Our partnership team is excited to work with Celtic FC, a globally recognised football name, but one, which has strong links with their local community.
“Our ethos has always been to create a better match day, and it will be great to see this at work with Celtic’s fans getting a real upgrade to the Celtic Park matchday experience.
“All our digital products have a unique purpose and are designed to connect with attendees at different stages of the fan-journey, and we believe that the Celtic fans will gain a greater insight when engaging with these channels, either in the stadium or on social media.
“We have got a proven record of delivering value to brands by creating a strong association with clubs that are at the heart of their business community, and we look forward to repeating that success with all those keen to be connected with Celtic FC.”
Gordon Kaye, Head of Business Development for Celtic FC said, “We are delighted to team up with Eleven Sports Media. We are sure this will be a very positive relationship with the club and one which will ensure our supporters enjoy an even better match day experience at Celtic Park.”
PWL Lights WEGA Global Games Opening Ceremony in Doha
Painting with Light (PWL)’s creative director Luc Peumans was asked to design an eye-catching lighting scheme for the opening ceremony (OC) of the first Qatar eSports WEGA Global Games. The OC event was staged in the Khalifa Stadium in Doha and enthusiastically attended and appreciated by 14,000 eSports fans.
Show artistic director Steven Martin from The Cintamani Stone: ArchitectofEMOTION (TCS-AOE) asked Luc onboard for their pitch, and they were awarded the project by Doha-based event company The Planners LLC.
Claypaky Stormy LED strobes plus beam lights and a variety of other available fixtures all added up to over 500 light sources ... not a massive rig to fill a stadium, but each one of them was worked hard and used in a truly multifunctional context! Their collective flexibility together with Luc’s imagination and the programming skills of his associate LD Raphael Demonthy and lighting programmer Sebastian Huwig on site, ensured some eye-popping cues in the grandMA2 consoles.
Music was compiled by Tino Plettinck with the support of Universal Production Music. A team of about 40 performing talents and five show runners were flown in with the TCS team.
“Having all these resources to hand plus everyone’s talent, experience, vision and passion onboard helped enormously in pulling a complex and high profile show together under a lot of pressure,” commented Luc, who was delighted with the results and very proud to have been part of producing such a great looking show.
“Many said it could not be done in such a short time, and yet again … our team nailed it!” was the proud feedback of Steven after the show.
“The end clients’ reaction was amazement with how we pulled everything together with such detail in such a short period of time.”