Jacob Waite

Legends Announces Acquisition of ASM Global

Legends and ASM Global today announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which Legends will acquire ASM Global to create a premium live events company dedicated to providing outstanding experiences for fans around the world.

The acquisition of ASM Global’s venue management capabilities will enhance Legends’ services portfolio, positioning Legends to meet the expanding needs of sports organizations, entertainment venues, convention centers, and attractions globally while supporting its vision to deliver exceptional live experiences for fans in the digital age.

“Legends and ASM Global are both deeply client-centric and fan-focused and together we will deliver maximum value for our global client roster with even greater support and service options,” said Shervin Mirhashemi, CEO of Legends. “Welcoming ASM Global to Legends is a capstone achievement in our 15-year journey toward becoming the world’s trusted partner for connecting people with the brands and communities that matter most to them, and for helping our clients create memorable moments that keep their fans and patrons returning time and again.”

Ron Bension, President and CEO of ASM Global, said: “We’re thrilled to join Legends, which shares our client-first approach and advances our goal of offering our partner organizations a truly seamless experience while driving the growth of their businesses. Our clients will benefit from Legends’ robust services, innovation, technology, and global partnerships which, combined with ASM Global’s venue management and content and event booking expertise, will provide our clients with locally tailored solutions and cutting-edge technologies to achieve outstanding fan experiences and improved venue owner results.”

Legends provides venue planning and project management, premium sales, sponsorship, hospitality, and merchandise services to many of the world’s most iconic sports, entertainment, and attractions brands, including Real Madrid, SoFi Stadium, One World Observatory, Dallas Cowboys, FC Barcelona, University of Notre Dame, New York Yankees, and Ryder Cup, as well as leagues and properties such as the NFL, MLB, NASCAR, PGA of America, and FIFA World Cup. Sixth Street, a leading global investment firm with over $74 billion in assets under management, is the majority investor in Legends in partnership with YGE Holdings, LLC, an affiliate of the New York Yankees, and the Jerry Jones family, owners of the Dallas Cowboys.

ASM Global manages a portfolio of live event entertainment venues worldwide and provides best-in-class venue operation and content and event booking. With clients spanning five continents, ASM Global operates venues that serve live events for more than 164 million guests annually including at ICC Sydney Convention Center, Avicii Arena in Stockholm, OVO Arena Wembley in London, Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, and State Farm Stadium, among many others.

Through this acquisition, Legends will expand its geographic reach and range of services as it continues to innovate and create data-driven solutions tailored to the needs of each individual client. By adding ASM Global’s complementary capabilities, Legends will be able to support its clients from project conception and planning to venue development and management, content and event booking, revenue strategy and sales execution, as well as omnichannel merchandising and hospitality services.

As part of the transaction, current ASM Global equity holders Onex and AEG will sell their ownership interests. ASM Global will continue to serve existing and in-development AEG venues.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Moelis & Company LLC and BofA Securities, Inc. are serving as financial advisors to Legends, and Ropes & Gray LLP is serving as its legal counsel. ASM Global’s financial advisors are Goldman Sachs and Jefferies, and its legal advisors are Latham & Watkins LLP, Hogan Lovells, and Arnold & Porter.

by Jacob Waite

Supponor AIR® First to Receive Bundesliga Approval for "Carpets over Carpets" Advertising

Supponor, the world’s leading sport virtual advertising technology provider, announced today that the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) and its host broadcaster Sportcast have granted Supponor league-wide approval for deploying "Carpets over Carpets" in all Bundesliga stadiums. The pioneering Supponor AIR® technology is the first technology to receive such a certification, encompassing all stadia in Bundesliga. The decision on the use of the new marketing spaces will be evaluated and taken individually by each club.  

This approval allows Supponor to overlay physical Cam Carpets with virtual ones using its fully software-AI-based Supponor AIR® technology. The introduction of “Carpets over Carpets” provides a new commercial opportunity by enabling virtual, customisable advertisements for international broadcast feeds, a first for the market.   

 “We are delighted and proud that our Supponor AIR® technology is the first to receive the approval for “Carpets over Carpets” advertising in the German Bundesliga. This marks a significant commercial milestone for Supponor and a revolutionary change in the league's advertising capabilities,” commented Massimo Magrì, EMEA Managing Director at Supponor. “This development not only underscores the ongoing evolution and improvement of Supponor AIR® but also opens new opportunities for clubs and advertisers in Germany, ensuring fans across the globe experience relevant and localised content."  

The approval by DFL was preceded by stringent testing of Supponor's AIR® system in Bundesliga environments including more than five different venues and different kick-off times. The technology met all the necessary criteria, including image quality, reliability, and seamless integration into the Bundesliga's production framework, independent from venue and light conditions (day or floodlight). 

Launched in 2021 Supponor AIR® stands for efficient, reliable and sustainable virtual advertising. As a fully software-based end-to-end platform, Supponor AIR® relies on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and computer vision to deploy virtual advertising on any surface, in any sport, and any weather condition. Commercially and technically proven, Supponor AIR® provides football leagues and clubs from a variety of sports with a flexible and powerful marketing tool to enhance their commercial inventory and provide those valuable sponsors and brand partners with targeted and global reach into local markets. As a consequence, Supponor AIR® enhances the value of media and marketing rights for mass-audience sporting events for sports rights holders, their brand sponsors and broadcast partners.

by Jacob Waite

Pro Media Audio Video EU Announce Promotion of Tom Williams to Associate Director

Renowned performance systems integrator, Pro Media Audio Video EU, part of the Clair Global Group, has announced the promotion of Tom Williams to Associate Director with immediate effect.

Working closely alongside Director Eddie Thomas, Williams will now take on more responsibility for the company’s future growth.

Pro Media’s European arm has been strategically built up since its launch in Spring ’21 and with many integral project wins underway – from sporting venues to music destinations and retail activity, Williams will help to navigate the next phase of business.

Williams – who brings a wealth of industry knowledge into his new role – comments: “This is a key time to be a part of Pro Media’s growth in Europe. Our team is expanding in anticipation of some very exciting work and I look forward to further developing what we started 15 months ago.”

Director Eddie Thomas adds: “We’ve been building the brand at an impressive rate since we entered what is a very competitive European market. Our brilliant team, who provide design, support, and delivery to high end installation projects, will only be enhanced by Tom’s well-deserved promotion from Head of Engineering to Associate Director. I know Tom will continue to enjoy great success in this new chapter of his career.”

Pro Media Audio Video has built an outstanding technical reputation over the last five decades, and with deep-rooted connections in live sports in the US, the company is now forging strong partnerships in Europe.

by Jacob Waite

Populous Teams Up to Launch Experience Studios

Two leading audiovisual, acoustics, and immersive content professionals with extensive international experience of stadium and arena projects have teamed up with Populous, the global architectural design firm, to launch a specialist audiovisual and acoustics design agency.

Mark Murphy and Kevin Luckhurst, who have more than 40 years’ experience between them, have launched Experience Studios, which will design and deliver technical systems and creative content for the sports, music, live entertainment, and arts industries.

In launching Experience Studios, the founders’ ambition is to play a leading role in the development of the next generation of venues and events, pushing the boundaries of technology to create exceptional, immersive, and ultimately memorable experiences.

Both Mark and Kevin have worked extensively with Populous in the past on the design and operation of a host of leading and iconic venues, including the O2 Arena, Wimbledon Centre Court, the London Olympic Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Mark has 25 years of experience working on the design of sports and live entertainment venues – from some of the most intimate venues to the world’s largest stadiums and arenas. Mark led the design and implementation of the audiovisual systems at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, including managing the production of matchday content and working to help transform the venue for the NFL's 2019 London Games series. Kevin brings 15 years of industry experience, including working on the London Olympic Stadium with Populous. He has a background in music production and immersive audio, providing sound design and production for arts and entertainment projects. Most recently, Kevin led the design of the immersive audio environment at Outernet London, a new space for creative storytelling located in the heart of the capital, set to open this summer.

Experience Studios will use its expertise to influence the architecture of venues at an early stage to ensure the physical spaces are optimised for spectator experience through audiovisual and acoustic installations – priming them to reach audiences beyond their architectural footprint.

Populous and Experience Studios are already working together on Germany’s first climate-neutral arena in Munich. Experience Studios is providing audiovisual, broadcast, and acoustic design for the 20,000-capacity MUCcc Arena, for which Populous was named the chosen architect earlier this year.

Mark Murphy, co-founder and Director at Experience Studios, said: “In recent years, technology has truly started to break the boundaries of a venue’s physical architecture to deliver live experiences to audiences globally. We are really excited by the opportunity to build a talented team that will combine creativity with technical expertise to deliver the next generation of venues and immersive content.”

Kevin Luckhurst, co-founder and Director at Experience Studios, said: “There is no doubt that the needs of clients, venues and spectators have changed dramatically over the last two years. The wider scale adoption of immersive technologies is now taking hold – these venues and systems must be designed with the content and artist vision at the forefront of this process. Experience Studios has the in-house expertise and experience to do just that, ensuring the quality of visual and audio systems is a vital contributor to the entertainment experience.”

Christopher Lee, Managing Director – EMEA, Populous, said: “Having collaborated with Mark and Kevin for many years on several major projects, the opportunity to support the growth and development of Experience Studios and strengthen our own offer is very exciting. For Populous, it’s all about holistic design, having the best people for the job and providing our clients a complete and tailored design package.”

by Jacob Waite

PRG uses GLP for the Great Fight Night at Lanxess Arena

Two of the most successful German Twitch streamers, Trymacs and MckyTV, met recently – not for an esports event, but for a real boxing match. Believing in the motto ‘the more, the merrier’, the two brought in four more Twitch colleagues, who also tested their strength in two preliminary fights. Moderator Steven Gätjen hosted the evening, while the spectacle was rounded off with live music performance.

Technical production for the event was in the capable hands of PRG, who brought top-class technology to the ring, including a large number of HIGHLANDER Wash from GLP. This ensured a dynamic experience for the 13,500 spectators who assembled in the Lanxess Arena and an incredible 500,000 viewers at home, who followed the action via streaming on Joyn.

The production company provided a 360° turnkey service, incorporating lighting, audio, video, rigging and streaming, for the event. The extensive technical concept for this spectacular was designed from the ground up by PRG in close cooperation with MediaTotal.

At the heart of the lighting for this unique sports event were the 140 GLP HIGHLANDER Wash, which, thanks to their impressive light output, had no trouble flooding every corner of the arena with light. The 1,400W wash lights, with their crucial 230mm Fresnel front lens, were used for the general illumination of the arena, as well as the action in the ring and as an effect light around the interior and lower tier.

The powerful optical system of the HIGHLANDER Wash allows intensive beams – from 5° to gentle, flat 63° washes – to be generated. With the integrated framing module, which can be rotated by ±45°, the beam can also be shaped in various forms.

“These powerful wash lights are ideal for this purpose,” confirms Matthias Allhoff, Head of Lighting Project Management and Technologies at PRG. “Whenever high output and quality are required over long distances, the HIGHLANDER is an option that we are very happy to use.”

Since it was vital the boxing match itself was not overlooked among all the razzmatazz, the contestants wanted to walk in to a cavalcade of dynamic choreographed lighting, staged in a sensational manner. And among other effects, 24 GLP impression X4 Bar 10 were used for this purpose. “As far as PRG is concerned, the X4 Bar is on the way to becoming a multifunctional effect classic,” added Matthias. “At the Lanxess they served as dynamic performance blinders.”

Trymacs won the super heavyweight main fight on points. The enthusiasm of both the live arena audience and the record-breaking online viewing public unequivocally proves the success of the first ‘Great Fight Night’ – and this may now warrant a rematch.

by Jacob Waite

Cape Town's DHL Stadium Shares Crucial Insights for the Global Industry

Africa requires creativity and ingenuity, especially during times of crisis like the Covid-19 pandemic.

Where countries in Europe and North America have plenty of reserves to draw on, Africa’s economic circumstances mean that if businesses and organisations are to remain profitable, they need to come up with new ways of doing things.

Hard lockdowns in South Africa have taken a severe toll. A multitude of people have lost their jobs, with the country’s already high unemployment rate being inflated further.

Yet in Cape Town, South Africa’s tourism hub, two entities have bucked the trend by employing creative strategies that have not only allowed them to negotiate the Covid fallout, but enhance their future offerings.

During the period when Covid-19 was raging, Cape Town continued to rack up a host of international accolades.

At the 28th annual World Travel Awards last year, the city was named Africa’s Leading City Destination, Table Mountain was honoured as Africa’s Leading Tourist Attraction and, despite not being able to host many festivals or events, Cape Town also took home the award for World’s Leading Festival and Event Destination.

Where others might have sat back waiting for the storm to pass, Cape Town Tourism adopted an innovative approach, focusing on domestic travellers to sustain the industry.

“Our pocket-friendly campaign aimed to inspire South Africans and locals to get out and about in Cape Town, no matter how much or how little they have to spend,” explains Cape Town Tourism Head of PR and Comms Briony Brookes. “We launched our Pocket Friendly challenge aimed at our domestic travellers which saw various hidden gems in six episodes showcasing the neighbourhoods of Langa, Athlone, Kalk Bay, Sea Point, Kirstenbosch and Blouberg.”

Another standout performer has been Cape Town’s DHL Stadium, one of Africa’s premier sports and entertainment venues. The 62 000-seater stadium, built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, boasts a truly multipurpose offering that combines sport and live concerts with added-value brand experience for fans, concert-goers, corporate entities and other stakeholders. The asset recently added 168 hospitality suites while also making alterations to its existing infrastructure.

DHL Stadium’s new 2 100-seater Business Lounge is aimed at the Sports Fanatic, the Business Networker and the Family of Fans, and membership guarantees ticket holders selected same-seat location in the newly-renovated shared hospitality space spectacularly situated directly above halfway line.

With the stadium already globally recognised as part of Cape Town’s breathtaking landscape, enjoying the backdrop of the iconic Table Mountain and Atlantic Ocean, it annually plays host to the Cape Town Sevens, one of the most popular events on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series calendar, as well as some of the world’s leading music artists.

The likes of U2, Ed Sheeran, One Direction, Michael Bublé, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Lady Gaga have all played to capacity audiences at the stadium, while tennis star Roger Federer’s Match in Africa against Rafa Nadal at DHL Stadium in 2020 set a new world record for crowd attendance at a tennis match, with 51,954 people watching the two greats battling it out on court.

A year later in 2021, the stadium also hosted a total of five matches in the British & Irish Lions rugby tour of South Africa – an incredible achievement given the lockdown still in place in the country.

With Cape Town being a favoured location for international film shoots, the stadium has become sought after for its interesting angles, sets and backdrops. From the Stadium Bowl, pitch, tunnels and podium to the parking lot, forecourt and passages, it is cinematically versatile, and has already appeared in many commercial and full-length feature films.

Where DHL Stadium has truly stood out, however, is in the areas of innovation and sustainability.

“DHL Stadium is a world-leading multi-purpose facility with a technologically advanced intelligent and sophisticated Building Management System–Human Machine Interface (BMS-HMI),” explains DHL Stadium Chief Executive Officer, Lesley de Reuck. “The operating system ensures that all facility operations are centrally controlled and operated with automated monitoring and control to stadium systems. These include fire, CCTV, access control, air-conditioning, ventilation, plumbing and drainage, electrical, lifts and sprinklers.”

The operating system accesses its own servers and incorporates graphical representation on a virtual platform, indicating respective stadium levels as per its built design. The systems consist of a wide range of network control units, data analytics and safety and security features.

Africa is a highly complex environment where maintaining stadiums sometimes presents a major challenge given limits on funding and resources. Stadiums on the continent also struggle to implement the use of renewable energy as a result of high global costs and countries’ dependence on fossil fuels.

Yet DHL Stadium is meeting these challenges by developing a comprehensive maintenance programme that protects the value of stadium assets through corrective and preventative maintenance while ensuring financial prudence, operational efficacy and environmental sustainability.

These programmes have given rise to a state-of-the-art intelligent building that is able to host a multitude of world-class events, whether they are sport, concert or corporate-based. Each aspect of the stadium meets the highest international standards, while the asset also recently finalised its

Environmental and Event Sustainability Policy directive and strategy, which aims to substantially reduce its carbon footprint and energy consumption in the next three years. The Covid-compliant venue has also developed operational models that have allowed it to remain event-ready.

During the pandemic, it rolled out the use of a QR health ID code for stadium staff and specific events, while encouraging event organisers to ensure online ticketing solutions. To this end, DHL stadium boasts outstanding access capabilities thanks to its partnership with SKIDATA South Africa.

In 2020, the company introduced a host of new technologies, including “Touchless” with a “Wave” to obtain a parking ticket, a ticketless” Licence Plate Recognition (LPR) solution for access and egress to parking garages, and “Cashless” Ingenico Tap & Go and Chip & Pin devices installed on automatic payment machines that accept credit and debit card payments.

It also developed its “Scan to Pay” via a Mobile Smart Phone and the Masterpass App. These technologies have propelled DHL Stadium into the future, further confirming its status as one of the world’s great stadiums.

Now that the worst of Covid-19 has passed, DHL Stadium is looking forward to hosting a number of marquee events later this year.

In September, pop superstar Justin Bieber will take to the stage, the first big name international performer to do so since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

Promoter Big Concerts says Covid-19 took an enormous toll on the live music industry, with artists having no opportunities to perform. However, with the South African government relaxing Covid regulations and ending the national state of disaster, Cape Town is looking forward to once again hosting the world’s biggest names.

“Event operational plans are essential to making an event successful and memorable. The venue needs to be well maintained, service providers need to be experienced, and everyone needs to be focused on the fan experience,” says Big Concerts CEO, Justin Van Wyk.

“DHL Stadium is perfect in this regard. It is a world-class venue in the most beautiful location with its breathtaking views, architecture, culture, amazing restaurants and first-class hospitality. DHL Stadium is also easily accessible to all attending an event. It offers wide-ranging facilities and services, and the core management team has remained with the venue since its inception,” Big Concerts said

Van Wyk added that pent-up demand is strong and several markets are reporting they have even improved on pre-pandemic levels. “The future is bright,” he concluded.

by Jacob Waite

APEX CloudPower Chosen for Poland's Municipal Stadium

APEX CloudPower remotely managed amplifiers have been installed as part of a full upgrade of the Municipal Stadium motorcycle speedway venue in the city of Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland. The refit was triggered by the promotion of home speedway team, Arged Malesa Ostrów Wielkopolski, to the premier PGE Ekstraliga division. Speedway is a hugely popular sport in Poland and attracts top riders from across the globe.

Established distributor of professional audio equipment, Tommex was awarded the contract to design, deliver and commission a new audio system fit for the needs of a modern, top tier venue. Tommex had just 99 days to complete the installation before the start of the new season, with upgrades to seating and lighting taking place at the same time. The stadium in Ostrów Wielkopolski has a roofed stand on the west side, while the remaining stands are open, resulting in less reflection and almost no reverberation. Passionate fans in the stands and powerful engines on the track conspire to make speedway an inherently loud sport, so the primary challenge for Tommex was to deliver high sound pressure levels and excellent speech intelligibility, allowing the audience to clearly hear announcements above the background noise.

Key Account Manager, Tomasz Lulkiewicz, selected APEX CloudPower CP1504 four channel amplifiers to feed the numerous RCF P series loudspeakers deployed to provide coverage to the track, covered stand and open seating areas. A total of four CP1504s was installed, with each amplifier serving eight speakers and providing up to 1500W per output channel. A Yamaha MTX5-D matrix handles distribution of signals to the amplifiers, with a Yamaha PGM1 paging microphone directly connected to the matrix in the control room. The stadium’s announcer employs Sennheiser EW 100 wireless microphones and a variety of media players, connected to a compact Yamaha MG16XU mixing console. Audio is carried from the control room to the amplifiers via Dante, with a Radio Design Labs AV-LN4 converter used to convert analogue signals from the mixer.

The CloudPower amplifiers can be configured and managed remotely from a phone or laptop, a feature appreciated by the Tommex team, as Lulkiewicz explains, “In projects of this scale we are working with a lot of long cable runs and significant distances between the speakers and the control room. Being able to make adjustments from anywhere in the venue saved us a lot of precious time, and we found the IntelliCloud WebUI really easy to work with. The CloudPower amplifiers sound great, and they deliver a lot of power at a realistic price.”

Tommex successfully completed the audio update of Ostrów Wielkopolski Municipal Stadium in time for the start of the 2022 PGE Ekstraliga season in April.

by Jacob Waite

LA Clippers’ Intuit Dome Halo Board Highlights Largest Order Volume in Daktronics History

For the first time in the company’s history, Daktronics has crossed the $800 million mark for orders in a single fiscal year. This milestone has been reached thanks to large projects including the LA Clippers’ massive Intuit Dome Halo Board, the largest ever double-sided halo display in an arena setting. This almost full acre-sized scoreboard will help build the most intensive live experience in sports at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, set to open in 2024 as the new home of the Clippers.

“This milestone is a testament to our people, products and services all working together for the betterment of our customers,” said Daktronics President and CEO Reece Kurtenbach. “While large projects like Intuit Dome’s Halo Board quickly move the needle towards our goals, we value every order in every market. We enjoy working with our customers to achieve their unique business objectives through advanced audiovisual solutions; we are excited to design, manufacture and deliver our products around the world!”

Daktronics is currently expanding its manufacturing capabilities in multiple locations to support the growing demand for LED displays. This includes the doubling of the company’s capacity to deliver Surface Mount Device (SMD) LED product lines and increasing production space in the Brookings factory by 90,000 square feet. The Intuit Dome Halo Board will be one of the first projects to use the new assembly line in Brookings.

Intuit Dome Halo Board

The LA Clippers’ Intuit Dome double-sided halo display will feature approximately 38,375 square feet of digital canvas – that’s more than 3,592 60-inch televisions and more than 233 million LEDs. The Clippers specifically designed and engineered the Intuit Dome roof to accommodate the unique Halo Board, optimising sightlines from all seats and putting a priority on the viewing experience of upper-bowl seats. The inner halo display will measure 32 feet high by 623 feet in circumference and the outer halo display will measure 28 feet high by 661 feet in circumference, making the full halo proportionally more balanced than others. The entire halo will be 4K and feature a tight 3.9-millimetre pixel layout.

“We are excited to partner with Daktronics, an innovator in video displays, to develop a Halo Board that will create one of the most intense live experiences in sports,” said Gillian Zucker, LA Clippers President of Business Operations.

“Intuit Dome’s Halo Board is a significant undertaking for our company and we are excited to be part of the team that will deliver this unprecedented, double-sided halo display for the Clippers,” added Kurtenbach. “The preparation, development and conceptualising done through intense cooperation between our engineering and Creative Services teams was critical in developing a vision for this project that connected with the many groups involved. I am proud of our team’s contribution to get to this point, and we are excited to help build the most intense live experience in sports for Clipper Nation.”

Additional displays located inside and outside Intuit Dome will inform and connect with audiences as they arrive until they are seated for the main event. Large lobby displays will engage with fans and a giant 23-foot-high by 190-foot-wide screen will overlook the outdoor basketball court on The Plaza. Ribbon displays will be installed along seating fascia and inside seating bowl entrances, and courtside scorers tables and basket stanchion displays will also add to the game-day experience while offering opportunities to highlight sponsors throughout events. Daktronics has also already built and installed a mini Halo Board in the Clippers’ Intuit Dome Experience Center.

by Jacob Waite