The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre (GCCEC) has seriously upgraded its technical production capacity, with new capabilities and technology across AV disciplines, including the large-scale purchase of VuePix Infiled AR series screens.
When it comes to upgrades, the newest additions to the GCCEC through ULA Group can best be described as timely, in demand, and monumental. Speaking with Chris Davey, Executive Manager – Technology from the GCCEC, “We pride ourselves on staying ahead of the game, and we like a big inventory!” And this latest upgrade has certainly not disappointed.
“In 2017, we purchased the VuePix Infiled ER 4.9 screens, which we found to be really reliable and a suitable product for the venue. But as things progressed and our customers’ needs have changed, it was important to upgrade to a finer pitch LED screen,” says Chris Davey, giving a bit of inside information to the upgrade process.
With a 2.9mm pixel pitch, the recently acquired VuePix Infiled AR Series LED panels fulfilled “a technical need for a finer pixel pitch.” Being able to stay innovative in the shows they deliver was paramount. The finer pitch means, “you can change the types of events you deliver. New looks, interactive backdrops, and techniques like bringing the speaker into the content.”
With the goal of facilitating big looks, the ability to build a screen up to 30m wide meets the needs of ambitious clients, while also having the flexibility of being broken up across multiple gigs. According to Chris, a lot of tech clients come through seeking, “big LED and lighting looks. Having a significant amount of high-resolution LED and lighting inventory allows us to deliver on our client’s needs”.
“Due to the flexible spaces in our venue, we have a lot of tight turn arounds, going from a gala dinner one night to a conference the next day. So, it was really important for us to have screen technology that was easy and fast to put together,” confirms Chris. “By selecting the fine pitch LED panels together with the Brompton processing, we made sure that we are really futureproofing ourselves in the market. Having the screen behind the camera is really important, it adds that element of an interactive stage set for the client. Having the fine pixel pitch opens up opportunities for us to offer our clients a different avenue, where they can take that post event recording and utilise that for their marketing.”
“The VuePix Infiled AR 2.9 is globally the most preferred technology in convention centres,” says Cuono Biviano, Managing Director of ULA Group and Co-founder of VuePix Infiled. “When you purchase technology for a venue, it is a serious consideration on your team and you need to make sure that you are selecting products that will excite them. With the Brompton processing and VuePix Infiled AR 2.9 screens, it is really an amazing combination.”
“The purchase of the screen, especially the Brompton processing has been really invigorating for the techs at the GCCEC. It is exciting for the team, having that high-end product in. The Brompton processors make it easy to spec your system out, to cable it, fault find, and get the telemetry,” Chris explains.
“In the process of selecting the new screen, it was paramount that we had a local supplier and a good aftersales support,” highlights Chris. “ULA Group was the right choice for us, we have a long standing relationship with them, their aftersales support has been great over the years and to continue that on was really important.”
“Having a solid relationship with our clients is the number one thing for us at ULA Group,” states Cuono Biviano. “It is not only the fact that the technology we supply needs to be fit for purpose.
A major part of the ULA Group experience is how we hand over the product, we work hand in hand with the client, to assure them that their investment is the right investment. We spend time with the client, providing training and making sure their team has all the right tools and knowledge to do the first level of support for the technology themselves if needed. We are in an industry that is time sensitive, an industry where the show must go on! And the ethos of ULA Group is about having that strong relationship, honesty and transparency with the client, and making sure that technology we provide brings a great ROI for the venue, so that all parties involved have a great commercial result.”
