Seeing is believing at Grundfos’ stunning new corporate events venue

High performing, reliable and easy to use Panasonic LCD projectors and 4K PTZ cameras are the vital visual elements in the state-of-the-art Grundfos corporate events venue.

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Client: Grundfos

Location: Denmark

Product(s) supplied: PT-MZ16KL ET-UK20 ET-CUK10_CUK10P

Challenge

To create a state-of-the-art event venue for in-person and hybrid events at Grundfos’ Danish headquarters.

Solution

Panasonic 16,000 lumen LCD projectors and 4K PTZ cameras for flexible and high-quality visuals.

High performing, reliable and easy to use Panasonic LCD projectors and 4K PTZ cameras are the vital visual elements in the state-of-the-art Grundfos corporate events venue.

""My first instinct was Panasonic and after all the checks and tests, it proved to be correct. We have a solution that is excellent quality, reliable and flexible for our needs now and in the future.” "

When the global water technology company Grundfos wanted to build a state-of-the-art event hall at its headquarters in Denmark's Bjerringbro, the company chose Panasonic projectors and 4K PTZ cameras for its visual requirements. The venue would replace the existing sports hall, that was doubling-up as an events venue, and provide a modern environment capable of hosting everything from exhibitions, product presentations and staff meetings to concerts, theatre and hybrid events.

Nicolai Fogt, the Senior AV Technician at Grundfos, had four guiding principles for the 1,000sqm2 building that would create a visitor hub alongside the company's visitor centre and training academy that attracts around 10,000 visitors in a regular year.

“We wanted an event hall that was flexible in the way it could be configured, easy to use and comfortable to be in,” explained Nicolai. “Lastly, and very importantly, we wanted to spend our money in the right way to ensure we invested well and future-proofed the building.”

Grundfos chose COWI, the international consulting group specialising in engineering, environmental science and economics, to work with them on the building project. Infrastructure and cabling were the first priority and tendered together with the main building project under the electricity contract.

The cable infrastructure includes SDI for 4K / 12G, and 110 ohm cable for audio. There is also separate 120 ohm DMX cabling, fibre cabling for AV and CAT cabling, which can be used for both networks, HDBaseT and Dante.In addition to the fixed cabling, there is a 160mm empty pipe system hidden in the floor for future or additional requirements.

The event hall has been designed so that it can be configured for any size or type of event. The venue can be divided into up to three different rooms, each with the capability to support events simultaneously.

 

Versatile projection capabilities

The AV functionality was tendered for separately and won by AV CENTER for supply and installation. Grundfos chose three Panasonic PT-MZ16 LCD projectors with 16,000 lumen brightness. The projectors were tested in a shootout against a competitor product and were voted the clear winner on colour reproduction. “The colour match of the blue in our corporate branding when we projected a slide presentation was spot on,” said Nicolai.

In addition, the Panasonic projectors were chosen for a number of other reasons. “We really liked the redundancy that Panasonic had built into the projectors,” explained Kristian Glahn, Senior AV Specialistat COWI. The projector's triple drive engine enables continuous operation. If a laser bank fails unexpectedly, the MZ16 will continue projecting with two-thirds brightness. It's also possible to switch from main input to secondary signal input in the case of a cable emergency. If a signal input fails, the projector will automatically switch to any selected input sources (HDMI, DVI-D, SDI, RGB or DIGITAL LINK) to enable projection to continue uninterrupted.

“Colour balancing between the projectors was also important for the venue and we liked the fact that this could easily be achieved,” added Kristian. The MZ16 projector range is compatible with Panasonic's free Geometry Manager Pro software, which massively cuts set up time for projectors and significantly reduces installation work. It's possible to export and import the settings of adjustment data between units, significantly reducing set up time in situations where multiple projectors are being used. Optional upgrade kits can be purchased to enable geometric adjustment for 3D mapping (ET-CUK20) and for auto-screen adjustment (ET-UK10), enabling multiple projectors to be set-up simultaneously - saving time and expense.

Lastly, it was important that the projectors could be comfortably handled by one person and moved and stacked easily as required for the flexible room requirements and that additional compatible equipment and lenses were readily available and could be rented for larger events if required.

Crystal clear PTZ camera images

In addition to the Panasonic projectors, four fixed and two mobile Panasonic PTZ cameras, with a Panasonic AW-RP150 Remote Camera Controller, have been installed in the event hall for capturing, projecting and streaming events. The four fixed Panasonic AW-UE150 4K PTZ cameras are installed in the recess of the back wall.

“These cameras are some ways from the staging area and it was important that they could be used with the event lighting – rather than specialist video lighting,” explained Kristian. “We tested the light sensitivity and the ability to clearly zoom in and the picture quality was amazing.”

Nicolai added that one user had commented that: “The light sensitivity is near perfect – even zooming in from 20m.”

For the two mobile PTZ cameras on tripods, the Panasonic AW-UE100 4K cameras were chosen because of the ability to seamless match picture quality. Scene files are special files that alter the image output from a camera to ensure that each camera can be picture-matched despite having different sensor sizes. Panasonic has a host of scene files available for the UE150 for download from its website to enable picture-match to a host of its other cameras.

Important partnership

Nicolai explained that the AV process had been a very positive experience with Grundfos, COWI and Panasonic reseller AV CENTER working closely together. "One of the reasons AV CENTER was chosen was the immediate working chemistry. We speak the same language and they are very responsive.We worked closely together to plan the project and budget – making savings in the right places until the budget was reached.”

“Panasonic was the right decision for us,” concluded Nicolai. “My first instinct was Panasonic and after all the checks and tests, it proved to be correct. We have a solution that is excellent quality, reliable and flexible for our needs now and in the future.”

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