Bringing community spaces to The Bonus Arena, Hull

Located in the Humber Estuary, the UK city of Hull was firmly placed on the map when announced the 2017 “UK City of Culture”. The award meant a concerted drive to improvesocial and economic conditions in the city.

The Bonus Arena, Hull is the first of its kind in the city, providing new spaces for anything from large corporate conferences to major touring concerts. Opening in the spring of 2018, the Arena called on the experience of Hull based installation company, Nuway Audio-visualto integrate all the technology into the multipurpose auditorium and conferencing suites.

Danny Hird, General Manager of Nuway Audio-Visual commented, “The new arena is an exciting prospect for the city of Hull. Before this, conferences and entertainment may have taken place in the local ice arena, but it wasn't always the best fit for their needs and often resulted in these events taking place in nearby cities instead. Providing the right technology for the spaces available at the arena is importantto ensure the arena is attractive to these events.”

In particular, Nuway chose Panasonic's projectors and displays after an appraisal of the market, for the reliability of the products which would fulfil the arena'srequirements and enhance the flexibility of the main auditorium and meeting rooms.

For example, in the main auditorium, the arena needed to install a high brightness projector which could be utilised by companies and entertainers who may require interactive content to be displayed.

The Panasonic PT-RZ970 high brightness laser projector was integrated into the room, which hasa seating capacity of 900 people, to enable excellent image quality from all viewing angles. In addition, the projector provided maintenance free operation (up to 20,000 hours) with a dust-resistant optical block and a long lasting laser engine, adding to its reliability.

"We knew from working with Panasonic in the past that once the projector was set up it would work forever and a day."

“When it came to integrating the different technologies, we needed to provide the correct brightness for the space to enhance audience engagement, while having maintenance free operation. This was really important in the auditorium because the projector is located high in the rafters, making it hard to access. It needed to be robust and reliable, and we knew from working with Panasonic in the past that once the projector was set up it would work forever and a day. This is what makes them our go to,” added Danny.

In the meeting rooms, three 5,000 lumens projectors (PT-RZ570) were also installed to provide high quality projections for use in collaborative presentations, and as anIP TV, for VIP guests to view the main stage. The projector also provides a DIGITAL LINK and digital signage connection, enabling it to be used alongside Panasonic 43 to 75 inch displays which were integrated into the rooms to be used as repeater screens, or single signage displays.

Commenting on the need for the projectors and displays, which were integrated alongside each other, Danny said, “Flexibility was key. We wanted to ensure that visitors to the arena would be satisfied with the whole range of spaces available, enabling them to decide which space was the best fit for their needs. This could be anything from a business renting the main auditorium, a meeting room for socialising, to an artist needing a VIP suite. The arena really caters for everyone, so the technology needed to do the same. Having the Panasonic projectors and displays integrated together easily enables people to display interactive content in these rooms, providing a clear backdrop for them to be creative with the space available.”

"Having the right technology in the right places really enhances the flexibility of the venue, and enables it to provide something new to the city of Hull that we were previously missing."

Alongside the meeting rooms, a total of 30 Panasonic digital signage displays were integrated across the arena, used as displaysin the main reception andmenu boards in the bar. The full HD displays are well suited to the space, with 450 cd/md2 brightness for easy viewing in bright spaces, and the energy efficient E-LED backlighting which makes the displays cost-effective to run on a 24/7basis.

“Like the projectors, we needed all the displays to offer a high brightness resolution while being capable of 24/7 operation. Panasonic provided this, and had a range of sizes, which was essential to ensure we could specify the rightdisplay dependant on the room and its requirements,” said Danny.

Whilst the digital signage displays have been essential inimproving visitor experiences, they have also enhanced the arena'sfuture prosperity through advertising opportunities.

“The arena hasbeen incredibly happy with the quality of the integration provided. Having the right technology in the right places really enhances the flexibility of the venue, and enables it to provide something new to the city of Hull that we were previously missing. Our partnership with Panasonic was essential to this. Already the projectors and displays have withstood all the tests that have been thrown at them. As a company, we are pleased with the quality of the products, and cannot wait to see the mark that the arena is going to make,” concludes Danny.