District Intelligence: From Stand-Alone Stadium to Smart City Node
Column by George Vaughan, The Digital Line
For decades, arenas and stadiums have been viewed as self-contained environments - carefully engineered spaces that come to life when the lights go up and the crowds pour in. They have become ever more connected internally, boasting seamless digital entry, cutting-edge AV systems, cashless operations and AI-driven crowd management. Yet, as cities evolve into smart ecosystems and digital infrastructure becomes as fundamental as roads or power lines, the next frontier for venues lies not just within their walls but also very much beyond them.
We are entering an era where the arena is no longer an island but a node in a living, breathing urban network, a distributed venue ecosystem that extends the event experience across the entire cityscape. It requires operators to think more expansively but also promises opportunities to engage with sponsors and partners in completely new ways.
From Smart Venue to Smart District
The modern stadium has already embraced technology to optimise many of the things that happen within its walls: dynamic lighting, cloud-managed video distribution, advanced acoustics and intelligent building management. But the true potential of these systems is only realised when they’re connected to the world beyond the turnstiles.
In a genuinely connected city, the arena becomes a participant in a wider digital conversation. Its data feeds can inform - and be informed by - transport systems, local businesses and civic infrastructure. Imagine an event day where the venue, public transport, hotels and even restaurants collaborate in real time to enhance and elevate the visitor journey.
Read the full article from ISSUE 44 below:
https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/mondostadia44/64
RIEDEL COMMUNICATIONS: BOLERO MINI
Riedel Communications has unveiled Bolero Mini, the company’s lightest and flattest wireless intercom beltpack to date. Designed to deliver maximum mobility with minimal footprint, Bolero Mini combines Bolero’s unmatched wireless performance and audio clarity with a discreet form factor that weighs less than a smartphone — making it ideal for stage talent, rigging crews, and anyone who values freedom of movement without compromise.
“With Bolero Mini, we’re answering a growing demand from production professionals who need a beltpack that’s lighter, thinner, and easier to wear — without sacrificing capability,” said Wolfgang Fritz, Senior Product Manager, Riedel Communications. “Leveraging the heritage and innovation of Bolero, it is powered by our exclusive ADR technology ensuring reliability in challenging RF environments and optimal performance in high-pressure, visibility-sensitive settings like theaters, live music venues, and broadcast facilities. In addition, it incorporates advanced 5G filter technology for greater resilience in today’s crowded spectrum, mitigating interference from high output 5G cell towers.”
Read the full article from ISSUE 44 below:
https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/mondostadia44/56
RENKUS-HEINZ | IC Live X Series
Stadiums are no longer single-purpose venues. A modern arena might host a football match one night, a rock concert the next, and a global conference just days later. With such a large range of events happening under one roof, it’s important that the sound system can be equally as flexible, delivering precise sound and an exceptional experience for every attendee.
Legacy systems built purely for sports often struggle to keep up with the need to transform overnight. The result is overcompensated systems – too many components, high costs, and inconsistent experiences for fans. For integrators and contractors, adaptability is equally as important as sound performance. A stadium sound system must be able to scale and change without costly redesigns.
This is where modular, digitally steerable systems like the Renkus-Heinz IC Live X Series come in. Designed from the ground up to be the most scalable sound system ever created, IC Live X brings a new level of flexibility for integrators and contractors to provide the best solution for any stadium.
Rethinking Stadium Audio with Steerable Sound
The IC Live X Series is a culmination of over two decades’ experience in steerable line arrays: a complete system consisting of three freely combinable, steerable array models—the ICLX, ICLXL, and ICLLX—plus two matching subwoofers, the 18-inch ICLX-118S and the all-new ICLX-48S column subwoofer. With digitally steerable beams, integrators can direct sound exactly where it’s needed, reducing guesswork and eliminating overcompensation with extra hardware. Fewer components mean faster installations, lower costs, and simpler long-term upkeep.
Read the full article from ISSUE 44 below:
https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/mondostadia44/54
Adder Technology :Game-Changing Connectivity: Why IP KVM Leads on the Field
The broadcast industry is undergoing a significant transformation from Serial Digital Interface (SDI) to Internet Protocol (IP), and live sports broadcasting must keep pace with the latest technological advancements. While many fully IP-based facilities have been launched already, many executives in Head of Broadcast Engineering roles are still navigating this significant change.
The challenge? The transition to IP isn’t as simple as swapping out cables and hardware. It’s about reshaping the entire broadcasting workflow holistically. Undergoing this change enables broadcasters to be able to accommodate unprecedented scale, ultimate flexibility and future-proofed infrastructure.
The Rise (And Limits) of SDI
SDI was an innovation of the 1980s and built for simple, point-to-point video connectivity. SDI was an appealing solution thanks to its one source, one cable and one destination design which was perfect for small and relaxed broadcasting environments.
Nowadays, sports broadcasting has rapidly outpaced the criteria and benefits that SDI is able to offer to these small-scale operations. Live sporting events require a range of cameras, replay servers and graphics systems to capture the action. In many cases, this can span from dozens to hundreds and even exceed thousands of systems. To connect an endpoint to an SDI network, a single cable per source is required. However, in a modern live sporting event, this could lead to an enormous number of cables that results in an extremely time-consuming infrastructure.
Inefficiencies in SDI installations within sports broadcasting facilities unfortunately don’t stop there. For every increase in endpoint, there is an associated increase in bandwidth which also needs to accommodate the latest resolutions. These could range from HD or HDR, and up to full 4K requirements.
Real the full article from ISSUE 44 below:
https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/mondostadia44/6
Stuart Forbes
How do you introduce pioneering design and state-of-the-art hospitality into one of English football’s most historic grounds? This was the challenge facing Stuart Forbes Associates with the landmark Fulham Pier project. Moving far beyond the traditional stand, their work on the Riverside Stand has delivered a multifaceted venue that is as much a premium leisure destination as it is a place to watch football. From destination restaurants and bars, to a boutique hotel and spa, the design is a game-changer for stadium utilisation.
MONDO | STADIA spoke with owner, Stuart Forbes, about the groundbreaking concepts that brought this landmark London venue to life.
Read the full interview from ISSUE 44 below:
https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/mondostadia44/12
HK AUDIO | GERMANY ROUND-UP
The football season in Germany has now kicked off across all three of the country’s professional leagues. Once again, HK Audio sound systems will be in use by teams playing in every division this season, with clubs across the Bundesliga, 2. Bundesliga and 3. Liga relying on the brand for parts of their stadium sound system.
In the Bundesliga, Germany’s top league, Millerntor Stadion in Hamburg, home of FC St. Pauli, benefits from HK Audio loudspeakers to ensure clear sound and an enhanced matchday experience for the tens of thousands of fans who pack the ground every week.
The 2. Bundesliga, the country’s second division, will see several sides field the superior performance of HK Audio stadium systems. SV Elversberg is one of the modern success stories of German football, rising from the Regionalliga Südwest to the 2. Bundesliga over the last four years, narrowly missing out on promotion to the Bundesliga last season. Their Ursapharm Arena relies on VORTIS 2 and INSTALLATION LINE loudspeakers to cover the 10,000-capacity venue and has been upgraded many times to keep up with the team’s progression on the pitch.
Böllenfalltor Stadion, home of SV Darmstadt 98, relies on an EN 54-24 certified VORTIS 2 system to provide clear announcements as part of the critical voice alarm system as well as VORTIS 2 and SI SERIES. Hertha BSC’s Olympiastadion in Berlin also benefits from HK Audio’s powerful and flexible VORTIS 2 loudspeakers, which provide life-safety announcements across the outdoor areas of this historic venue. In addition, at Vonovia Ruhrstadion, home of VfL Bochum, HK Audio systems support clear announcements and reinforcement across the venue.
Read the full article from ISSUE 44 below:
https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/mondostadia44/46
MHP Arena Stuttgart
In the modern era, a stadium must be a multifunctional - one weekend, it’s the cauldron of Bundesliga football for VfB Stuttgart; the next, it’s a concert hall for up to more than 60,000 fans of Ed Sheeran or P!nk. The MHP Arena in Stuttgart embodies this multi-purpose reality. Tasked with delivering an immaculate experience for everything from the UEFA EURO 2024 finals to the European League of Football Championship, the venue’s management knew that a one-size-fits-all audio solution was no longer an option. This meant that a strategic, multi-faceted audio installation was needed to transform the MHP Arena into a venue capable of meeting the highest acoustic expectations of any event.
With the eyes of the world on the MHP Arena for UEFA EURO 2024, the life-safety systems had to be infallible. At the heart of the stadium’s new safety protocol is the EN54-16 certified AtlasIED 5400, a Voice Alarm Control and Indication Equipment (VACIE) system that serves as an intelligent guardian for the venue. Its primary role is emergency management, where it can deploy clear, pre-recorded instructions to facilitate rapid and orderly evacuations. However, its intelligence extends to more nuanced situations and non-emergency functions, allowing operators to route live and recorded announcements to specific zones and groups with pinpoint accuracy.
This robust functionality is assured by a continuous self-monitoring feature, ensuring the system is always operational. The entire platform is a controller-driven, fully digital ecosystem built on Audinate’s Dante protocol, which provides uncompressed, low-latency audio transmission over a flexible IP network. This use of standard 100Mb, 1GB, or 10GB Ethernet infrastructure not only allows for a direct, simple connection to the stadium’s ProAudio network, but also enables a true plug-and-play configuration with automatic device detection for seamless setup and management.
Read the full article from ISSUE 44 below:
https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/mondostadia44/22
Hill Dickinson Stadium: state-of-the-art home for Everton
The birth of a new stadium is always a monumental occasion for a football club, but when that new beginning means leaving behind a home as iconic and steeped in history as Goodison Park, the challenge becomes twofold. It’s not just about building a state-of-the-art venue; it’s about transplanting the soul of the club into a new brick-and-steel structure and, most importantly, making it feel like home from the very first match. This was the task facing Everton with their new Hill Dickinson Stadium, and to achieve it, they enlisted the expertise of Populous’ EMEA Brand Activation team to craft a visual narrative that would resonate with every Evertonian.
Everton’s new 52,769-seater home on the banks of the River Mersey is set to become a new destination for Liverpool, hosting not only Premier League football from the 2025/26 season, but also a variety of major events and concerts. To ensure the stadium felt unmistakably Everton, the club’s marketing team worked in close collaboration with Populous to develop a distinctive visual language throughout the entire venue.
“Our connection with Everton goes back years - and Goodison Park made a profound impact on me. That image of English football being so embedded in the community - fans literally stepping out of their front doors and walking into the stadium - was incredibly unique. It’s an atmosphere built up through layers upon layers of history, and it’s very difficult to replicate,” said Simon Borg, Principal, EMEA Brand Activation Lead at Populous.
Read the full article from ISSUE 44 below:
https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/mondostadia44/36