Commercial Integrator August 2021 - 34

MARKETS
LARGE VENUES
Thinking Outside the Bowl
Large venue integrators should consider creating experiences for fans that are beyond the game itself
and extend to the stands and complex. by Alyssa Borelli
Integrators are starting to see an uptick in
outfitting large venues for today's hybrid
needs, such as being able to remotely
control systems over IP.
As people were forced to stay home for
over a year, nowadays, " Everybody wants
to get back out and see live events, " says
Malik Khan, SVP of Projects and Integration
at ANC. The challenge of actually getting
spectators into the arenas and to their seats
will become less of a challenge.
" The games are what the fans come to
see, " says Khan, " but it's about creating a
bond between the team, the brand, and
the fan; you do that by getting the hairs on
the back of their necks to stand up before
the game, during halftime, and getting
them engaged, whether that's through side
games, or a show entertainment piece.
We're seeing that carry over to the concourse
areas as well, " said Khan.
Installing during COVID-19
& Delivery Delays
Over the pandemic, the ANC team installed
full color videoboards, an electronic
alphanumeric scoreboard, and a pair of LED
matrix boards behind first and third base
at the new Polar Park venue in Worcester,
Mass., the new home of the Triple-A-Affiliate
team, Worcester Red Sox (Woo Sox).
" We put in what's probably almost
record time installation of screen and software, "
says Khan. " It was a difficult time just
with everything going on in the world with
COVID, delays with construction material,
component delays across the board; it was
difficult to find glass. "
Even through all the delays, Khan recalls
it was a constant exercise in coordination
between all the trades. " Everyone was
being flexible, moving along, changing,
and adjusting as needed to let everyone
get the work done in time, so that we
could have a successful opening for the
Woo Sox's. "
ANC was very fortunate to have most of
their equipment and product in quickly.
34
Polar Park in Worcester, Mass. is a great example of a large venue area created for
a post-COVID world.
The Videoboards & Technology
" What's most important in these types
of applications, is not just that it looks
good, but also you can fix it if something
happens, " says Khan. " It's technology,
everything breaks, so it's important that
you're able to fix it even if something breaks
the day of the game, you never want to put
fans or people in danger in harm's way.
You want to be able to fix it, make it look
the best, and deliver on what the team's
requirements are for advertising. "
The LEDs for videoboard displays age
at different rates. " The different bins and
batches are produced at different times,
so they actually produce different colors, "
says Kahn. " It's important to make sure that
you can actually match the LEDs old and
new. Whether that's through software,
whether that's through hardware technology,
and that you have the ability; as
they age, as the technology changes, to
continue to improve on that and match
those, so that you don't have these massive
differences, not only in brightness,
but also in colors. "
Matching that " Fenway green " color is a
perfect example - and an important one.
Commercial Integrator AUGUST 2021
" Sponsors obviously care about their color,
so making sure that you have the technology,
the ability to do that hardware and
software is pretty important now, " says Khan.
Creating Experiences Outside
Of The Bowl
Khan recommends integrators shouldn't
just focus on creating a great presentation
solely in the bowl. " When the fans come in
2-3 hours before the game, and they want
to hang out around the concourse, around
one of the bars...create a meaningful mini
arena experiential experience whether
that be through video screens... mixing
technologies and software in the IP TV
solutions. "
The video production must be seamless
throughout.
Integrator should bring an experience to
the fans that is beyond just the game itself.
Make it so that fans can " enjoy it without
having to sit in a seat the entire time, you
can still see stuff while you're heading to
the bathroom, grabbing a drink, or if you
want to not sit in seat, and watch the game,
you can go hang at the bar with a buddy for
an hour or at intermission, " says Khan.
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PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED BY ANC

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Commercial Integrator August 2021

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