Final report: Top figures for FSB
The trade fair duo comprising of FSB and aquanale registered around 26,600 trade visitors - a high level of internationality, good visitor quality, exciting specialised congresses Pioneering, dynamic and the international leader - from 7th to 10th November this is how FSB, the International Trade Fair for Amenity Areas, Sports and Pool Facilities presented itself. The 25th event convinced due to its very good attendance from Germany and particularly from abroad as well as with its excellent visitor quality. "The trade fair is the trend, contact and business forum for sports facilities, swimming pools, playground planning, amenity area and urban design! The number of visitors, level of internationality and visitor quality clearly underline this leading position," explained Katharina C. Hamma, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse GmbH, after four eventful trade fair days. aquanale – the International Trade Fair for Sauna.Pool.Ambience was staged in conjunction with FSB. Once again around 26.600 visitors convinced themselves of the innovative power of the 634 exhibiting companies from 45 countries.
In the scope of the award ceremony of the IOC/IAKS Award and the IPC/IAKS special prize, outstanding sports and leisure time facilities of the 21st Century were discussed and in total 22 outstanding sports facilities were awarded prizes. There were also satisfied looks on the faces of members of the IAKS, the International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities, which is the industry sponsor of FSB: Dr. Stefan Kannewischer, President of the IAKS, summed up: "FSB and the IAKS congress have particularly proven that they are the most important business and communication hub and thus the idea and concept melting pot of the international sports facilities and leisure industry." The exhibitors especially praised the high quality of the visitors and the service offers of Koelnmesse, which contributed towards them achieving their trade fair goals. According to an initial visitor survey, 82 % of the visitors were satisfied with FSB, over 95 % would recommend the event to a colleague.
In his opening speech at the 25th IAKS Congress, Stefan presented the worldwide trends for the future of sports and leisure facilities that have been identified by IAKS. These include the increasing significance of the multi-functionality of places of exercise for lifestyle activities, a stronger focus on universal design suitable for the disabled in line with the ageing society and the obligation towards sustainable construction for the achievement of climate protection goals.
"We won't encourage inactive people to exercise more using classic sports offers, but instead via 'gentle' starter offers. The sports and leisure infrastructure has to tread new paths," demanded Stefan The IAKS Congress once again did justice to its reputation as the worldwide trendsetter of the sports and leisure industry. Over 400 guests and delegations from 39 countries took advantage of the opportunity to inform themselves about the current trends at the IAKS Congress. Whether on thematically complex tasks required of municipalities to ensure that they position themselves as healthy living environments in the future or new approaches in the financing, execution and sustainable operation of sports and leisure facilities - the IAKS Congress also offered excellent opportunities for the international exchange of information between experts and decision-makers this year," stated Klaus Meinel, General Secretary of the IAKS. On the evening of the first day of the trade fair exemplary sports and leisure facilities were distinguished with the IOC IAKS Award 2017 and the IPC IAKS special prize for barrier-free accessibility. In addition the IOC, IPC and IAKS conferred the "Architecture and Design Award for Students and Young Professionals".
All 22 award-winning pieces of work of the IOC IPC IAKS architecture prizes were showcased in a special exhibition at IAKS's exhibition stand. In conjunction with its long-standing partner STADT und RAUM Fairs and Media GmbH, FSB 2017 presented “People and spaces on the path to tomorrow”: this cooperation presents the planerFORUM as well as workshops, themes for the congress and a special event focused on current topics. In the course of FSB, Koelnmesse and STADT und RAUM Fairs & Media GmbH agreed that in future the trade fair brand STADT und RAUM will be managed under the aegis of Koelnmesse. "With this step we are strengthening the competence of FSB," commented Katharina C. Hamma, Chief Operating Office of Koelnmesse. Together with Rolf von der Horst, who will continue to support us in an advisory capacity, we will push FSB's strategic and content-related further development of the themes amenity areas and exercise to the benefit of the exhibitors, amenity area planners and trade visitors."
The SPORTNETZWERK.FSB, the cooperation agreement between Koelnmesse and Sportstättenrechner, met with an excellent response. The themes the infrastructure of stadiums and arenas were presented on exhibition space spanning 800 m2. These also include innovations from the section safety and admission control, a theme that was additionally discussed in the scope of a separate safety conference. The International Swimming Pool and Wellness Forum once again proved its high appeal as a trend, contact and business forum for the private and public swimming pool section. Organised by the industry sponsors of both fairs, bsw and IAKS, this year it focused on the key topics apprenticeships and continuing professional development, employee training, standardisation and safety aspects, build-operate- transfer models, thermal baths as a tool for developing tourism as well as on architecture, design and materiality.
"Particularly the public swimming pool industry has to become significantly more professional, last but not least also at management level. International experts showed interesting conceptual ideas here," stated Stefan, President of the IAKS. The special event entitled “Materiality – Immateriality” staged by Koelnmesse in cooperation with the European Waterpark Association (EWA) was extremely popular. Examples of how public pools and sauna facilities can be transformed into real experience destinations for visitors by employing innovative materials were demonstrated. During FSB, the coveted EWA Awards were conferred once again to three leisure pools and thermal baths that are particularly innovative and quality-oriented with regards to the arrangement of their offers.
Exhibitor statements:
Friedemann Söll, Marketing Director & Product Manager, Polytan GmbH: "Polytan can look back on an extremely successful FSB 2017 with many national and international visitors. We have observed increased interest in high-quality sports surfaces for indoors and out. Polytan's new developments in the field of artificial turf and running track systems, which offer the solutions for true sustainability and for intelligent sports surfaces attracted special attention."
Johannes Meier, CEO of Eurotramp GmbH: "FSB 2017 was certainly worthwhile for us, particularly the visitors from abroad were excellent. Here, we were able to establish many new contacts. However, we did miss decision-makers from the domestic municipal section. I would also like to mention the outstanding cooperation and support offered by the Koelnmesse team. That is really unique. We will definitely be back in 2019."
David Köhler, CEO, Berliner Seilfabrik GmbH & Co.:"We are very satisfied with the outcome of the trade fair. Especially the Wednesday and the Thursday were strong visitor days, with a particularly high number of international contacts. Our highlight was of course that we were able to set up our latest device Triitopia for the first time and present it to the international public. We also actually had potential customers from home and abroad - so FSB went superbly for us."
Dr. Klaus Batz, CEO of the European Waterpark Association (EWA): "The trade fair, which we have maintained a long-standing cooperation with for years already, went superbly for us. We established many new contacts here. My personal highlight was most definitely our special event "Materiality - Immateriality", which we organised jointly with Koelnmesse. Numerous architects and planners closely examined the exhibits presented there. We are already looking forward to the cooperation with Koelnmesse in 2019."
Thomas Berfenfeldt, Director of International Business Division, Lappset Ltd.: "FSB 2017 was exactly the right trade fair for Lappset to present and celebrate the latest addition to our HALO product family, CUBIC. An above-average number of representatives from the international subsidiaries, distributors and cooperation partners didn't spare any expenses or effort and travelled to Cologne to examine Lappset's new products live. On top of that, a lot of visitors from the municipals or planning offices in Germany who also informed themselves about Lappset's playground innovations."
Hannes Schretter, Sales Director Germany, AST Eis- & Solartechnik GmbH: "We were primarily delighted about the high quality of the visitors. We held very good discussions with potential new customers and partners. It is, however, also always nice to meet up with existing customers, colleagues and friends at FSB. The response to my lecture at the "Ice-rinks for Germany" event of the Germany Ice Hockey Association and the subsequent exchange was personally particularly exciting for me. This all contributed towards a really good trade fair week in Cologne."
Theren Bullock, FIBA Equipment & Venue Centre Partnership Associate: "The FIBA Equipment & Sports Facilities Centre went down excellently again at FSB 2017. In this way, we can enable our partners to exhibit their equipment in the "FIBA Village" where one always treats us with great respect. This is why our appearance at FSB is a worthwhile investment. We look forward to being on board again in 2019!"
FSB 2017 in figures: 634 (567) companies from 45 (43) countries took part in FSB 2017 on an exhibition space covering 65,000 m2 (52,900 m2). These included 164 (152) exhibitors from Germany and 470 (415) exhibitors from abroad. The share of foreign exhibitors was 74 (73) %. Around 26,600 (26,600) trade visitors from 114 (117) countries came to the trade fair duo comprising of aquanale and FSB. The share of foreign visitors was 62 (58) %.
All figures have been calculated in accordance with the guidelines of the Society for Voluntary Control of Trade Fair and Exhibition Statistics (FKM) and are subject to audit by a certified auditor (www.fkm.de). The next FSB is scheduled to run from 5th to 8th November 2019 in Cologne. For further information visit www.fsb-cologne.de.
Koelnmesse – Global Competence in Furniture, Interiors and Design: Koelnmesse is the world’s top trade fair organiser for the areas of furnishing, living and lifestyle. At the trade fair hub of Cologne, the leading international fair imm cologne as well as the trade fair formats of LivingKitchen, ORGATEC, spoga+gafa, interzum and Kind + Jugend rank among the internationally renowned and established industry meeting places. These fairs comprehensively represent the upholstered and case furniture segment, the kitchen industry, the office furniture sector and outdoor living as well as the innovations of the furniture supply industry. Over the last few years, Koelnmesse has specifically added international fairs in the most important fast-expanding markets to its portfolio. These include the LivingKitchen China/CIKB in Shanghai, interzum guangzhou in Guangzhou and Pueri Expo in Sao Paulo. With ambista, the network of the interior decorating industry, Koelnmesse offers direct access to relevant products, contacts, competence and events.
Further information is available at: http://www.global-competence.net/interiors/ or you can find further information about ambista at: http://ww.ambista.com/
The next events taking place are; Imm cologne, Cologne, 15.-21.01.2018, ZOW, Bad Salzuflen, Germany,06.02.-08.02.2018 and Feria Mueble & Madera, Bogota, Columbia, 07.03.2018-10.03.2018.
Press information is available at: www.fsb-cologne.com/Pressinformation or you can visit www.koelnmesse.com or www.fsb-cologne.com for more.
Liberty University Acquires Claypaky Scenius Spots and Scenius Unicos for Vines Center
The Event Production Department at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia has increased its lighting inventory with the addition of Claypaky Scenius Spots and Scenius Unicos. They will be used in the Vines Center, the university’s basketball and volleyball arena, which is also used for concerts, special events and their Convocation service three times a week. The purchase is the first stage in a "five-year upgrade of our lighting and audio equipment," said Amy Justice, Lighting Director and Tier 2 Production Technician in the department "Most of the Scenius fixtures will be mounted around the ring of the arena but we will keep four for portable and floor lighting. Scenius gives us lots of options for front lighting for various stages, and better ambient lighting and mid-air effects lighting."
Earlier the university purchased Claypaky A.leda B-EYE K20 fixtures for the new School of Music, the first Claypaky lights on campus. The choice of Scenius was a "team effort" of the department, which is headed by Sheldon Donigan, Assistant Director of Events and Logistics. "Event Production handles some 1,700 events annually from small audio systems to touring concerts," Amy said. ACT Lighting, Inc., which exclusively distributes Claypaky lighting in North America, arranged for two demos of the Scenius fixtures,"including one up near where we wanted to install them," noted Amy. "That gave us a really good idea of how they’d work for us."
"Scenius stood out for three reasons," she said. "They have great colour mixing. The hues are brilliant and deep, especially the true red, while maintaining a really bright output. There’s also an evenness of lighting across the beam, which is especially important for a front light. And their modular structure means the fixtures are easy to maintain – and when you have a lot that makes a difference."
The Scenius Spots will be deployed as spots and front lights with near field reflectors; some will use colour and gobos. The Scenius Unicos will showcase their tight beam and wash capabilities. Francesco Romagnoli, Claypaky Area Manager for North and Latin America, added, "We look forward to seeing our lights and their effect on the future productions that come from Liberty University."
Company Profile:
Claypaky is part of the multinational company Osram and a worldwide reference brand in the professional lighting industry. Claypaky lights are used in top productions in the theatre, television, live events, the fashion world, fairs and exhibitions, and are installed in the best clubs, bars, theme parks, shops, conference rooms and architectural environments.
Kingston Park Stadium Given RCF Makeover
Set in the north east of England, Kingston Park Stadium recently underwent a complete upgrade of its main sound system, transforming the match day experience for visitors. Although billed as a multipurpose stadium, its main focus is rugby, and the 10,200 capacity facility is the home ground for both Aviva Premiership Rugby Union side Newcastle Falcons, and League side Newcastle Thunder.
A complete new RCF Acustica P-series weatherproof, purpose-designed stadium system has replaced an ageing PA that was not IP-rated, and no longer fit for purpose, as the North, South and West stands were systematically developed. Part of a complete RCF solution, the equipment was supplied Ed Gamble at local RCF partner Nitelites, who also assisted with the design, with installation carried out by the R&B Group under the project management of Steve Brown.
AV specialists R&B Group were already well known to the Stadium as they had staged numerous corporate events there in the past. “They recognised the need for a new system and approached a number of companies including us,” said Steve. “We built the relationship during a tender and design process which started last September.”
He recalls, “The system needed to work with the existing big screen, and it needed to provide longevity and operate alongside the emergency system already in place. There were also issues of containment to address as the stadium is surrounded by residential buildings.” The Bowl system would be fed by two handheld mics, two background music sources and VT. And so in view of the large music content requirement — and the fact they have limited spill —, Ed Gamble recommended the 15” P3115T as the ideal solution.
R&B Group specified 28 of these two way lightweight coax enclosures, offering 90° x 60° dispersion; the West stand has been equipped with 14 x P3115; the South stand with 8 x P3115; East stand with 4 x P3115 in the stand and a further pair radiating onto the pitch. Meanwhile, the shorter North Stand (and each end of the East stand) equipped with P4228 (2 x 8”) which provide the necessary wider 110° x 60° dispersion. These are all driven low impedance by a combination of nine RCF IPS 2700 (2 x 1100 W RMS / 4 ohms) and IPS 3700 amplifiers (2 x 1100 W RMS / 4 ohms).
“We chose P series because of the dispersion pattern, the bandwidth capability for music and the IP55 weatherproof rating,” Steve confirmed. “In addition, they have a proven track record in stadiums and fitted the budget."
All the P series enclosures are spaced equidistant via the existing fixing points utilising the stainless steel brackets R&B Group provided an end-to-end signal chain using a Yamaha processing and distribution matrix over fibre via the Dante protocol. This has ensured that a pristine, low-latency signal is maintained over long distances from three control rooms (situated in South, West and East stands) — linked by Gigabit switching on a redundant network, with UPS sitting on the network switches in the West stand and at FOH.
The Corporate boxes in the West stand are also serviced by RCF loudspeakers, with 13 compact DM61 speakers each serving two boxes. These were driven 100V line by three RCF UP 2321 amplifiers 320W power amps. R&B Group’s install team consisted of Chris Tolley, Phil Marshall and Dan Johnson. Following commissioning, the company spent a day testing the system, loading down EQ presets and providing operator training. The team has monitored the new system and sound levels during a number of the games this season and will continue to work with the club on further developments.
Summing up, Steve said: “We received great technical support from both the stadium’s onsite technical team and Nitelites — in fact one of the reasons we opted for RCF was the assurance of after sales service and the fact that the brand has a great heritage in stadiums.” Newcastle Falcons representative, Angela Alderson, added her own testimonial. “Earlier this year we invested in a tailor-made PA system at our home ground at Kingston Park Stadium. Throughout the design, installation and fine-tuning process we found R&B Group to be extremely professional, with meticulous planning and dedicated to providing outstanding service. “Some of the comments back from our supporters include ‘premium sound quality’ and ‘excellent to see continued investment in the facilities’".
Claypaky Leads at 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
Internationally renowned lighting designer, Durham Marenghi used more than 800 Claypaky fixtures to deliver the two large-scale lighting designs for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG), produced by Balich Worldwide Shows, held this year at the Olympic Stadium in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
The ceremonies, broadcast on the 17th and 27th of September to 57 countries worldwide, featured giant projection-mapped sets, pyrotechnics and sweeping light displays. For the Opening Ceremony, over 7,600 performers told the history of the Silk Road through music and dance, culminating in the lighting of the games' 'cauldron' which burned throughout the 12-day event.
Durham, the designer behind the lighting for the Rio Olympics last year, specified a large Claypaky lighting package for the AIMAG ceremonies. The rig comprised Claypaky Scenius Unico, Claypaky Mythos, Claypaky Sharpy, Claypaky Sharpy Wash, Claypaky Alpha Profiles, Claypaky Alpha Beam 700 and Claypaky Alpha Beam 1500 fixtures.
"Lighting alongside projection is a delicate balancing act, as the light levels we use are very low," said Durham. "For AIMAG we didn't go above 350 lux. This means that the lights we used needed to be very accurate and optically sound to create the beautiful imagery required in these large-scale productions. Claypaky has shown time and time again that their optics and reliability are well suited to these challenges."
One of the largest challenges faced by Durham and his lighting team was illuminating the Opening Ceremony's projection-mapped cylindrical central riser, claimed to be the largest of its kind ever built. The riser, dressed in a specially fabricated material, doubled as a giant projection screen for key moments in the performance. These included the dramatic lighting of the AIMAG's 'cauldron' by a torch bearer, riding a specially-trained Akhal-Teke horse, a revered symbol of Turkmenistan.
"The central lift was in the middle of the field of play," said Durham. "It was a real challenge to not draw attention to the set build only a few metres underneath the pit edge when lighting the field of play around it. The reliability of our lighting fixtures to retain their focus information was key. In theatre, the drift of a degree may equate to a few inches, but in a stadium this can translate to a few metres, so the accuracy and focus retention of the Claypaky fixtures was fundamental to creating this effect."
Durham used Claypaky's new award-winning fixture, the Scenius Unico, around the edge of the production's flown circular cylinder truss which was the show's only backlight position when the production's cylinder screen was deployed so 'accuracy and reliability of the Claypaky product were key advantages in this situation,' said Durham.
As well as a 5-55˚ linear zoom, the Scenius Unico also includes an electronic focusing element. The fixture carries a progressive and accurate framing system, engaging four individually moving blades, with both small and large dynamic profiles to achieve a pin-point accuracy.
"The Scenius Unico is a fantastic hybrid fixture," said Durham. "As well as its framing system, the very high CRI of the OSRAM lamp in the fixture really makes the costumes and coloured scenery emerge."
Also in use was the Alpha Profile 1500, "The Alpha Profile 1500s are still a great shuttered source for controlled key light," continued Durham. "The Alpha Beams, Sharpys and Sharpy Washes do what they always do so well, and as usual, the Mythos were a great addition to our overall field of play and the central cylinder lighting. The Mythos were also mounted inside the cylinder screen from the circular support truss to light the action and objects inside the cylinder as they were revealed."
Working alongside Durham was a team of experienced programmers comprising of Tim Fawkes, Ben Hornshaw and 2017 Knight of Illumination award-winner, Ross Williams. The programming team worked with Spot Captain Chris Henry, Visual Engineer Luke Chantrell, Intern Alexander Silvester and Lighting Team Manager Jennie Marenghi.
The lighting experts also worked closely alongside Executive Creative Director Marco Balich, Creative Directors Francisco Negrin and Simone Ferrari, of Balich Worldwide Shows, a global leader which creates, develops and produces Olympic Ceremonies, global events, permanent shows and new entertainment formats.
"A show design is only ever as good as the team that realises it, and we were fortunate to have the team we did, and the show was quite spectacular because of it," concluded Durham.
Fixtures were supplied by Italian rental company Agora, led by production electrician Nicola Manuel-Tallino. Stufish provided the show's set design, while Clonwerk created the projection content. Scott Willsallen designed the sound for both ceremonies.
About Claypaky:
Claypaky is part of the multinational company Osram and a worldwide reference brand in the professional lighting industry. Claypaky lights are used in top productions in the theatre, television, live events, the fashion world, fairs and exhibitions, and are installed in the best clubs, bars, theme parks, shops, conference rooms and architectural environments.
PixelFLEX™ Celebrates a History of Excellence at Stanford Home of Champions
With more than a century of excellence filled with many talented players, coaches and champions, Stanford Athletics is heralded as one of the most successful NCAA athletic programs. Wanting to find a way to celebrate this rich history, the program recently unveiled the new 18,000-square foot Home of Champions. Designed to be a constantly-evolving guest experience, the university enlisted the assistance of the Nashville-based experiential design and consulting firm Advent to create an interactive and cutting-edge showcase using FLEXLite NXG 3.9mm LED video from PixelFLEX™.
“When first speaking with the University about the new Home of Champions, they really wanted the space to be a centralised showcase for Stanford Athletics, and to be an instigator for their brand highlighting what makes them truly unique,” began Drew Bryant, Design Principal, at Advent. “Originally, the space was a basketball gym located in the middle of an office building that housed the Athletic offices, so they asked us to completely re-imagine what the space could be. Since this is a program that is continuing to evolve with multiple successful teams, we knew we needed to give them the flexibility to showcase their story in a relevant and dynamic environment.”
Using front-serviceable video panels, plus seamless right-angle corner capabilities, FLEXLite NXG from PixelFLEX™ is one of the highest resolution LED video displays on the market today. Available in 2.6-6.25mm pitch options, plus a 6.25mm full outdoor IP65 version as well, the FLEXLite NXG 500mm x 500mm video tiles are calibrated directly out of the box to ensure perfect colour and brightness to help realise the full potential of any LED video design.
Drew continued, “When looking at the technology available, we knew one of the primary capabilities of the LED display was that it needed to have the ability to curve due to how it would be mounted on the wall. We also needed it to be capable of displaying high-resolution imagery, plus it needed to work with our proprietary backend display and CMS system, and PixelFLEX™ really did a great job of working with us to identify the ideal technology solution.”
As the renovation got underway, the design team began to look at how the LED video system would be mounted in the space. Using a custom framing system connected directly to the building’s sub-structure which cantilevers off the existing floor plates above, the team was able to quickly complete the installation only ten days into the one-month schedule.
“To get the LED video system installed into the space, each FLEXLite NXG cabinet is fastened to 0.75-inch plywood which is then affixed to the steel work that is behind the visible wall,” explained John Downie, VP of Digital Experience, at Advent. “Since we were in San Francisco, we also had to be very aware of the building codes as it relates to earthquake protection to make sure the LED video will remain in place should any movement occur."
With the LED video now mounted securely to the wall, John and the team got to work configuring the control system that would bring the experience to life through the seamless integration PixelFLEX™ and Advent technologies.
“For control, the board presents as three different surfaces due to the horizontal layout and each board is then wired back via a CAT6 cable run to the server room which is only a couple hundred feet away,” continued John. “We then have three PixelFLEX™ sending units connected to a PC system running our software that binds all the elements together into one continuous display. This allows us to run our application seamlessly across the three displays as one colourful and dynamic canvas.”
Ready to now program the content that would achieve the visually-engaging, guest experience, the FLEXLite NXG LED display would be relied upon to set the tone of the environment. Using a combination of video highlights, accolades and a historical timeline, Advent developed a flexible series of templates, so the display was not only exciting, but customisable and easily updatable as well.
“It’s a very rich and diverse LED display that binds all the static and physical elements of the space together into one dynamic focal point,” said John. “The football coach can come in and show football content, the cross-country coach can show cross-country content, and then they can create messages for the public, students, or donors. It really achieves all the elements we were looking for today, but then it also allows us to keep the space fresh for future generations of Stanford athletes and fans.”
“When we first saw the imagery coming across the display, it was a great experience to see how the LED video manipulated the ambiance of the room in a beautiful fashion,” added Drew. “It was very dramatic for all of us because at times, the FLEXLite NXG imagery can be subtle and provide a low-key ambiance, but then there are times when a coach can play a hype video with great audio to really get the heart of a high-profile recruit pounding.”
Opened to the public in September 2017, the new Stanford Home of Champions now houses over 40 displays which highlight the story behind a tradition of excellence in an interactive and engaging environment. More than just a museum, the team at Advent stands proud of the design behind the experience, and they are continuing to implement LED video into more of their innovative designs.
“It really is amazing how LED video allows your space to be dynamic and flexible while creating very impressionable moments, and the value of those moments can go much further than you could with a static display,” admitted Drew. “The ability to customise information can be so powerful. If you have the right story, set up at the right time, then whoever is in the space has the ability to create the display that will best fit their needs for a much greater impact.”
“Since we are also based in Nashville, we’ve had the opportunity to work with PixelFLEX™ on a few projects now,” concluded John. “It’s very convenient to have a partner we can visit in their facility to test a few different solutions, and they always provide us with great engineering insight and technical expertise to design the exact LED system we need.”
An American-based LED manufacturer, PixelFLEX™ offers creative solutions, reliable products, and dependable service for our industry-leading LED display technologies and solutions. Driven towards excellence to meet your standards, PixelFLEX™ offers a one-of-a-kind design for your tour, event or installation through our award-winning line of LED video walls and video screens. Working with architects, designers, engineers and consultants, PixelFLEX™ is proud to develop custom LED solutions for each and every customer while also providing top-tier customer support throughout the entire experience.
For more information on the complete line of PixelFLEX™ LED video walls and video screens, visit PixelFLEX™ at pixelflexled.com, follow us on Twitter at @pixelflexled or find us on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.
Tommex Provides Zatoka Sportu with Community’s Quality Sound
Tommex Żebrowscy Sp.J. has recently completed the design and installation of the audio systems for Zatoka Sportu (Sports Bay), the new water sports facility at the Academic Sports and Teaching Center of the Technical University of Łódź.
The highly respected University of Łódź is one of the leading institutions for higher education in Poland. Established in 1945, the 12 faculties of the University provide programmes in 90 fields of study, with 165 specialisations. Around 10,000 students complete their programmes at the University every year.
At the centre of Zatoka Sportu is the first 50 meter indoor swimming pool to be built in Łódź. The main pool actually consists of a 50 meter pool with a conjoined 25 meter pool, with a full-length depth of 2.5 meters. A custom floating platform can divide the pool to any size, allowing for a full-sized water polo pool. Additionally, the smaller pool has an adjustable bottom which, depending on the requirements, can create any depth from 0 to 5 meters.
Marcin Zimny, the Commercial Director of Tommex, explained the sound system, “With high humidity and difficult acoustics, we chose Community R SERIES loudspeakers. Their extreme all-weather ability can handle the humidity long-term and their accurate coverage patterns enabled us to design the system with well-controlled sound to the areas needed, whilst substantially avoiding reflective surfaces.”
Tommex designed the main pool area system using EN 54-24 certified loudspeakers. Twenty-three Community R2-94Z-EN are used for the 1,700 capacity spectator grandstand, with a further five R1-66Z-EN covering the pool itself.
The system’s control room houses a Dynacord CMS 1000-3 mixer and the Community DSPEC226 digital loudspeaker processor. Tommex chose g + m electronics’ BO-CD amplifiers to power the loudspeakers and a combination of wired and wireless Sennheiser microphone systems to provide operational flexibility. The system incorporates a Bosch LBB 1968/00 feedback suppressor and Genelec loudspeakers for control room monitoring.
Tommex also provided a portable underwater sound system, which can be deployed for classes and events such as aqua-fitness and synchronized swimming, and the public address throughout the corridors, halls, toilets, lockers and technical rooms of the venue, to allow for efficient communications and evacuation in case of emergency.
Zimny concluded, “Like any modern sports sound system, it has to deliver clear speech for communication and commentary, and entertainment quality for music. Having installed Community R SERIES in numerous indoor and outdoor venues, we know we can count on them to deliver both audio performance and long-term reliability.”
For further information please visit:
A Tale of 2 champions: Anthony Joshua and eLumen8 LED Tour Batten TW
Over 74,000 spectators, at the sell out Joshua V’s Takam fight at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, saw Anthony Joshua retain his WBA ‘super’, IBF heavyweight and IBO heavyweight titles with a win!
Even when faced with the last minute change in opponent, Anthony came prepared and READY to become the champion. A lot like the LED Tour Batten TW from eLumen8, a rugged, rental-READY fixture with 10 x 10W tuneable warm white LEDs, the ideal lighting choice to start this momentous battle, and the biggest event the batten has been featured on to date!
Illuminated by 24 of the eLumen8 LED Tour Batten TW, Anthony was chanted by fans when he made his ring entrance to one of his biggest fights. At the end of the tunnel, filled with immense light from the powerful sunstrip alternative, were Anthony Joshua’s initials ‘AJ’ in flames. It just so happens these are the same initials as our very own Managing Director, Andrew Jeffrey, the Prolight Concepts Groups’ very own champion!
Not only does this retro halogen style effect offer a substantial 85% power saving, but no dimmer is required along with no costly lamp changes, thanks to its tuneable LEDs with a variable colour temperature between 1600K–2900K, ensuring years of faultless operation. When dimmed, the fixture can emulate a traditional halogen lamp with an orange glow similar to a sunstrip.
Managing Director, Andrew said “The second model in the eLumen8 Tour Batten Series is the TW (Tuneable White) which features a newly designed combination of LEDs with specially designed collimators and specifically written software to emulate the dimming curve and colour temperature shift of a dimmed halogen lamp. Industry standard chassis dimensions allow the battens to easily fit into flight cases already in circulation for the halogen versions, so when upgrading to the new fixture, the existing cases can be retained.”
These eLumen8 battens are fast becoming one of the most popular fixtures in the rental and event markets, not only loved by audiences and hire companies but by lighting designers, in fact the lighting designers for the Joshua V’s Takam fight stated that this was their champion fixture at the event and currently the best product available to them.
Champion the eLumen8 LED Tour Batten TW for your next event!
The eLumen8 LED Tour Batten TW is available now. For full product details click here.
Total Electronics Goes Full Circle With Ashly Gear
Completed in time for the 2017-2018 school year, Neosho Junior High School in Neosho, Missouri is a welcomed addition to the Neosho School District. The 134,000 square-foot facility currently accommodates approximately 700 students and has space for 300 more. Prior to its completion, those students were awkwardly split between the middle school and the high school. The district hired Total Electronics Contracting (TEC) of nearby Joplin, Missouri to install a sophisticated sound reinforcement system for Neosho Junior High School's combination gym/auditorium. Because of their solid performance and reliability, TEC designed and installed a system based on Ashly Audio's nX-Series multi-mode amplifiers.
"Back in 2013, we installed a sound reinforcement system at the Carver Sports Complex, which shares the very grounds that the new Neosho Junior High School occupies," explained Nate Pugh, audio/video project manager at TEC. "Warren Smith & Associates designed that system and spec'd Ashly Audio amplifiers. We had never used Ashly before, but I knew of their reputation so I figured we'd get set up with them. We were impressed by Ashly's performance and value, so we started designing their products into our jobs. Since then, we've been amazed at the reliability of this brand. So, here’s our oldest and newest installations with Ashly gear essentially side-by-side!"
The gymnasium at Neosho is used for performances, pep rallies, school-wide lectures, day-to-day gym classes, and, of course, games, and the sound reinforcement system serves each of them in a slightly different way. Pugh went with Ashly's nX-Series of multi-mode amplifiers to power the gymnasium's Community IP8 mains, IS6 subwoofers, and R-Series coax fills. A total of six amplifier channels flow from an Ashly nX4002 (400W), an nX8002 (800W), and an nX1.52 (1500W).
TEC installed the system on a tight timeline and had everything up and running in time for the new school year. "We haven't had any significant issues with Ashly amps in all the installations we've done," Pugh said. "But if we did, Ashly's service and tech support are great. At Neosho, the system went in and the school has been happily using it every day since."
www.ashly.com
It’s a Love Thing for Robe at Laver Cup Tennis
Robe BMFL moving lights – a mix of 108 x BMFL Spots, WashBeams and Wash XFs, plus 80 x Spiider LED wash beams – proved a perfect match to light the first Laver Cup international tennis tournament.
The Laver Cup is a brand new indoor hard court men’s tennis competition staged for the first time in Prague’s O2 Arena … with the action broadcast worldwide on TV.
The BMFLs were the primary lightsources for the main show court, which saw two exciting teams - Europe (captained by Björn Borg) and World (captained by John McEnroe) - battle it out for the trophy!
The full lighting production was designed by SMART Productions, providing a team of 28 riggers and lighting technicians on site led by SMART’s Josef “Pepa” Zenisek who was also the event’s overall technical director for the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and the host broadcaster.
It was Pepa who suggested utilising Robe moving lights to illuminate the courts. This followed a great success with BMFLs at the centre of a design for the ceremonies sections of the 2015 Fed Cup Final Tennis tournament in Prague.
“We proposed the lighting design and sent visualisations and renders to the organisers to explain how the ideas would look and work efficiently” he explained. It was a process on which Pepa collaborated with Australian based lighting designer Toby Harding from video and production design specialist Offset Dice who was the event’s lighting director.
"Offset Dice is part of Australian based live event production and solutions company Mediatec Asia Pacific who were also involved in delivering the event.
Toby works for Tennis Australia on the Australian Open and related tournaments, overseeing production of the video graphics content for the court-side LED screens and he co-designed the pre-match lighting for the Rod Laver arena in Melbourne.
Pepa explained that the lighting brief on this occasion was more demanding than for the Fed Cup as they were also lighting the main court for the games – with a target of having 2500 - 3000 Lux – on the floor, which was required for the HD TV feeds, detailed slomo playback facilities and streaming coverage.
A total of 10 trusses were installed into the O2’s roof and utilised for lighting positions, with the main court lighting units positioned on two 40 metre and two 16 metre trusses rigged individually but in a box configuration directly above the court area.
The eighty Spiiders were used for lighting the audience grandstands surrounding the tennis court, distributed along a series of shorter trusses flown slightly lower around the arena.
BMFLs were chosen primarily for their “power and accurate focusing” confirms Pepa, adding that there is no other moving light currently on the market with this brightness, intensity or control.
The Spiiders were ideal, especially with their wide zoom and excellent colour mixing engine, for highlighting the audience with smooth, even colour washes, an effect that looked great on camera.
SMART’s lighting programmer Ondrej Burian had added 14 more Spiiders to the initial plot which were rigged on the venue’ s roof catwalks and used to illuminate its unique roof structure. This also looked interesting on camera and a lot more dynamic than having a black void in the ceiling!
Toby and Ondrej worked together both programming and operating using two networked grandMA2 consoles on site.”
Toby comments that SMART Productions brought considerable experience in working at the venue to the table, which was invaluable for the overall smooth running of the lighting department, and he enjoyed working with Pepa and his team.
He was delighted when he first saw the plot full of Robe lights, especially as it offered the opportunity to work with some fixtures he’d not yet had the chance to use.
“I could see the system was going to offer all the flexibility required for both the ceremonies and the out-of-play elements as well as the all-important tournaments”.
He was impressed with the BMFL WashBeams, “Very versatile with the framing shutters and beam angle, yet really effective as a wash” he said, adding that they were the go-to lights for any areas needing last minute illumination
He thought the Spiiders did a 'fantastic' job for the audience lighting, “Very powerful at full spot and nicely diffused when using the zoom” and these were used to illuminate various host positions for the ceremonies and pre-match items.
He explained that while the original brief was to make it theatrical with the audience dark and the court as the stage, they needed to see them on camera, and the players preferred to see some faces as well as it was a team event and a massive amount of atmosphere and vibes coming off the crowd and their support!
Talking more generally about Robe, Toby reckons they have a good range to cover all areas and disciplines of live entertainment.
The lighting equipment was sourced from a number of different rental companies due to the amount of needed explained Pepa, with German based Niclen being the primary supplier. For the PA they utilised the house racks-and-stacks with Mediatec brining in consoles and control, and video was also provided by Mediatec.
The event was a great success internationally and a huge hit with the public locally and all those who journeyed to catch the vibes live and also enjoy the beautiful environs of Prague. Robe was very proud to be involved in another premium sporting event, especially in its own stunning and charismatic capital city!
www.robe.cz
Little Caesars Arena and Elation Custom Light Ceiling in a Class by Itself
Little Caesars Arena in Detroit opened in September to praise as one of the most innovative and technologically impressive sports and entertainment complexes in the world. Part of the credit can be taken by the venue’s unique dynamic ceiling, a 43,000-square-foot wire grid onto which nearly 1,700 custom LED strip lights from Elation Professional are mounted.
Designed by architectural and engineering firm HOK architects, the 863 million dollar, 20,000-seat arena is part of District Detroit as the major new attraction in the city’s rapidly revitalizing greater downtown. Home to the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons, the arena will be home to a slew of sporting and entertainment events. Built to maximize the live event experience, it is one of the most unique arenas in the world.
Lighting and multi-media design firm, Illuminating Concepts (IC), was the lighting designer on the project, responsible for lighting the public spaces through to the theatrical lighting in the bowl. The dynamic ceiling is just one part of the arena’s large integrated lighting network in which all lighting is interconnected – indoors and out – to act as one themed environment. Illuminating Concept’s design for the arena uses lighting to create a space that engages, guides visitors, creates moods and disseminates advertiser information. IC brought in production design company Crossfade Design, a firm with extensive theatrical lighting and video experience, to handle the theatrical lighting elements, including the dynamic ceiling.
The client wanted the arena bowl to be covered by a solid ceiling, rather than the typical black void of most arenas, but with challenges like HVAC and rigging to contend with, not to mention cost concerns, the solution wasn’t easy to find. The answer came in the form of SkyDeck, a tension wire grid system created by InterAmerica Stage. The open wire covering acts as a scrim over the bowl, a modular ceiling that can be reconfigured for any event. Keith Irtenkauf of Illuminating Concepts calls it a “functional solution to an aesthetic problem and a solution that worked well.”
"When George Heinlein of HOK contacted me about the ceiling and his concepts for it and the possible use of SkyDeck, I immediately came up with an idea to light it and brought the artistic concept to IC," says Wade of Crossfade Design, who was involved in the entire design process. “We told them, ‘If we can find a fixture to light it, we can do something really special.’” Although Wade and his team tested several strip lights for the project, they quickly came to the conclusion that a custom solution was best. “We looked at the Elation strip lights and after talking with John Dunn and Eric Loader at Elation, discussions were begun on how to modify their LED-based SixBar for the project.”
Only minimal features were required. The result was a custom spin-off of Elation’s six-color SixBar 500™ (1/2 meter) and SixBar 1000™ (1 meter) LED batten lights yet with RGBW LEDs only, a lower wattage and other design changes that allow it to keep a clean look. As an example, Irtenkauf mentions the SixBar’s connector locations for data and power, which had to be moved to the end of the fixture. “That was not a small issue to overcome,” he says. “Elation was really helpful in making the modifications happen, also in getting the fixtures produced in time and to site on time. The custom fixtures have worked out really well and also met the budget.”
The remodified fixtures use 10W Cree RGBW multi-chip LEDs with each LED individually controllable, which makes a virtually unlimited number of designs possible. Custom mounting brackets were added to install the fixtures beneath 372 removable SkyDeck panels (4 fixtures per panel). Each panel has four quadrants that can be lit separately and each fixture has a custom-made glare shield attached so that the lights won’t shine into the audience’s eyes as seating extends nearly up to the level of the ceiling.
The custom Elation fixtures, dubbed the Quad Bar 500 and Quad Bar 1000, create a multi-coloured light ceiling that immerses guests in a state-of-the-art house lighting system like no other. Using the ceiling’s wire mesh as a scrim, the lighting can be used to engage the visitor, create different moods and project logos, advertising and other branding. The dynamic ceiling allows everyone to feel a part of the fun and has also eliminated the typical arena black hole look above the audience.
Crossfade was also responsible for fixture addressing, all data and signal flow, including RDM, as well as initial programming of the lights. IC produced the design drawings and handled all of the coordination with InterAmerica Stage. Electrical contractor Motor City Electric installed the fixtures. Illuminating Concepts, Crossfade Design, InterAmerica Stage, Elation Professional, and Motor City Electric all collaborated on the project.
The first events at Little Caesars Arena took place in mid-September, a series of six sold-out shows with Detroit’s own Kid Rock. Kid Rock LD Richard “Nook” Schoenfeld took advantage of the opportunity the unique ceiling presented by complementing the show with patterns and chases to match the music. He even painted the ceiling to look like the American flag during a big emotional moment of the show.
“Adding a roof of colour to the new arena was one of the best thoughts anyone could ever have, as far as a lighting person goes,” Schoenfeld commented. “Hats off to Crossfade Design for this concept and Little Caesars for running with the idea. As designers, we are often trying to fill that black hole over everyone’s head with light and what better way to do it than have a ceiling of pixels? We had a ball just running chases and patterns through 20,000 DMX channels of the Elation LEDs and a grandMA. Programmer Jason Winfree set it up perfectly for us to come in and just start adding it to our show.” Wade worked closely with Schoenfeld to ensure that the new lighting ceiling was used to it fullest potential during the Kid Rock shows.
www.elationlighting.com