Vodafone
Background
Vodafone is one of the worlds leading technology communications companies, originating in the UK and now operating in over 24 countries. The business was the first company to make a mobile phone call in the UK, the first to introduce text messaging and the first to introduce international roaming.
Its HQ, located in Newbury, England, is home to the ‘Pavilion’ its largest corporate events space in the Vodafone estate. The space is used for a variety of different events including, internal meetings, company all hands, internal product launches and much more.
Over the years the Pavilion had become tired and outdated, limiting how the space could be used and having a big impact on the overall experience. Following the announcement of an extra special guest speaker at one of its upcoming events, an upgrade of the technology became a top priority for Vodafone, to inject the space with a new lease of life.
The solution
Initially the requirement of the space was to replace the 184” diagonal front display and rear projection system for better image quality and viewing angles, as there was evidence of ringing (seen as hard edges on the image) and a significant amount of display noise. Some of the problems however, were caused by the legacy RGBHV infrastructure, which is why Kinly recommended an upgrade of the infrastructure which would support modern display devices.
As the Pavilion is a space in a tent structure it is partially supported by internal truss beams with curved ceilings. The ceiling height posed the biggest challenge as it leads to some pinch points towards the edge of the space, limiting the dimensions of displays and other hardware. The right solution needed to go as close to the ceiling as possible, whilst allowing for movement due to external factors like strong winds.
Working with the Vodafone Estates team, Kinly designed and delivered a 5.76m wide and 3.24m high Samsung LED video wall, supported by a bespoke Vodafone branded panel, for the ultimate WOW factor. The Samsung tiles have a 1.5mm pixel pitch and true unscaled 4k resolution. The system also has three touch panels which are used primarily for stage setup, but can also be used during an event.
The AV infrastructure has been replaced with a full video and audio distribution network, using Crestron NVX and Dante audio, which is designed to be hybrid, to facilitate both automatic and manual operation. The space is equipped with 3 PTZ cameras, wireless microphones, a digital mixing console, a vision mixer, an assisted listening system and all associated hardware to enable recording and streaming of multiple devices simultaneously. In addition, there are 15 floor boxes throughout the space which accommodate additional display hardware when flexibility is required for larger events.
Kinly worked well with the other teams on site, took the initiative and led on the project. They overcame the obstructions of the structure of the space to ensure the solution was in place on time and within budget, whilst managing the Covid-19 access challenges.
Almost all of our staff and visitors say ‘wow’ as they enter the space. They are truly taken back at the size, impact and quality of the screen. The LED display fits the space perfectly now.
The result
Kinly delivered the project during the first Covid-19 lockdown, where budgets, timeframes and accessibility were all key challenges. Despite these challenges the project was delivered on time and within budget.
Vodafone now has a showcase events space that is flexible and dynamic, providing an equal experience no matter where someone is seated in the 800-person environment. The bigger screen provides much better viewing angles and the refresh of AV infrastructure provides an incomparable capability to the previous RGBHV infrastructure. The future proof system also enables adaptions and upgrades that can be added with simplicity in the future.
Vodafone
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