Marvel Stadium underwent a COVID-era technology renewal that didn’t affect game time. Equans delivered, and in the process, it was shortlisted for an AVIA.
It’s been a couple of decades (and a few naming rights changes), but Marvel Stadium has been a mainstay of Melbourne’s sporting and entertainment landscape for a long time. The recent AV and technology upgrade was a mission-critical project that had to be completed while keeping the venue fully operational for significant events. Enter Equans, tasked with enhancing the stadium’s AV infrastructure, ensuring a seamless match-day experience while making function spaces more versatile.
BUILDING THE BACKBONE
The Marvel Stadium upgrade wasn’t just about replacing old gear with new; it was about creating a cohesive, intelligent AV ecosystem that seamlessly integrates content distribution, lighting, and control systems. At the heart of the deployment was a mix of robust AV solutions chosen for reliability, flexibility, and scalability.
Equans faced the logistical nightmare of integrating a vast AV infrastructure while the stadium remained fully functional. This required meticulous planning and, ideally, a fleet of golf carts for the team. “We couldn’t afford downtime,” Equans Project Engineer Tobias Feld explained. “Every time we touched a system, we needed a fallback plan.”
Equans pre-commissioned systems off-site to mitigate risk, ensuring that any faulty units or configuration issues were resolved before installation. A temporary router bypassed the existing network, allowing for a seamless transition to the new system. They even set up a backup vision switching suite as an insurance policy.
WYRESTORM: A PIVOT THAT PAID OFF
One of the most oversized COVID pivots in the project came in the function spaces, where the original point-to-point video distribution plan was shelved due to post-COVID stock shortages. Instead, Equans turned to Wyrestorm’s Network HD AV-over-IP platform – initially a pragmatic decision based on availability, but one that paid off.
Tobias Feld from Equans explains: “We originally specified fixed frames, but the supply chain situation made them an eight-month wait. We needed an available solution, and Wyrestorm ticked all the boxes.”
The original spec may have been for a conventional point-to-point video switcher, but an AV-over-IP system’s flexibility has made room combining very simple indeed. It allowed the local input to be routed dynamically to any display in the function spaces. “It’s worked flawlessly for over two years now,” says Feld. “It proved itself. It was a chance for Wyrestorm to show us what it could do, and it delivered.”
OFF THE BENCH, IN THE GAME
The COVID-era stock shortages were a curse for most but an opportunity for some. In this case, it gave a perfectly competent AVoIP solution, such as Network HD from Wyrestorm, the chance to show its wares while allowing Q-SYS to stretch its control legs when it would otherwise be only performing DSP duties. Covid also played havoc with live events. But again, it did provide the perfect window of opportunity for Marvel Stadium to reframe its technology offering. The upgrade has transformed the stadium’s ability to deliver world-class match-day production and flexible, high-quality AV for corporate and function spaces.
And best of all, for the patrons? The show never stopped.
