University of Oregon Scores Big With Motion Signs

or the last few years, the University of Oregon has had a top twenty athletic program. This past year was a very exciting one for the Ducks, as their football team finished number two nationally. With all of the excitement surrounding Oregon Football, the University decided to give Autzen Stadium an exciting new look for their fans with the addition of 12,000 seats, elevators, new suites, new concourse and a new stadium club. One winning decision they made was to add more motion signage to the stadium. “We can better maximise revenues with the rotating signs. Also, the motion is eye catching and can lead to increased exposure.” Says Tim Roberts, Regional Manager, ESPN Plus, University of Oregon.

The University decided to take advantage of Action Graphix’s top-of-the-line sign products and customer service. “We currently utilise Action Graphix rotating signs in our main scoreboard. The quality of the existing signs plus the ability to ingrate them with new signs using a single controller was critical in our thought process. After looking at competitors’ products and pricing, the decision was easy,” say Tim Roberts.

They added two more 6’ x 10’ Tri-Action signs on two un-utilised walls around the Stadium Club. They also added four 4’ x 30’ Scroll Sign systems along the field level behind each end zone. By choosing motion signs they added a total of 102 new faces to sell to sponsors and advertisers compared to only fourteen if they had added static signs. The new stadium opened with a record breaking 54,000 cheering fans in attendance and Action Graphix Motion Signs giving their bottom line something to cheer about.

Scroll Sign systems at Oregon University

Ogden IFC announces Suncorp Stadium team

he team to manage the redeveloped Suncorp Stadium has been announce by Ogden IFC. Brisbane-based Ogden IFC, the leading venue management company in the southern hemisphere, has been confirmed by the Queensland Government as the initial operator of the stadium. It has appointed four experienced executives with extensive experience in stadium and event management, sports administration, marketing and communications to oversee the pre-opening stage and the extensive programme of sporting events scheduled for Suncorp Stadium in 2003.

Ogden IFC presently manages ten venues in Australia, including Telstra Stadium, Sydney, the Brisbane and Newcastle Entertainment Centres, and the Cairns Convention Centre.

Heading the team will be Chief Executive Officer, Mr Geoff Donaghy, who has been Ogden IFC’s Managing Director of the Cairns Convention Centre since its opening in 1996 and has overseen its rapid recognition as one of the world’s premier meeting facilities. He will continue in that role in addition to his Suncorp Stadium responsibilities. Mr Donaghy is also a National Councillor of the Meetings Industry Association of Australia and member of the twelve-person Business Events Council of Australia.

General Manager of Suncorp Stadium will be Mr Alan Graham, who prior to joining Ogden IFC, was the Brisbane City Council’s Major Venues Manager, responsible for the operations of ANZ Stadium, the Sleeman Sports Complex at Chandler, the Hibiscus Sports Complex, eighteen Brisbane swimming pools, two golf courses and the Brisbane Planetarium.

Mr Greg Adermann has been appointed as the Communications and Memberships Manager. Mr Adermann was previously the Marketing Manager for IMG Motorsport, which oversees the award-winning Honda Indy 300 and Australia’s icon endurance race at Bathurst. Prior to joining IMG, Mr Adermann was the Marketing Manager for FOXTEL in Queensland, and has extensive media experience with Telstra, and the Queensland Government.

The fourth member of the Suncorp Stadium management team is Mr Tim Brady who has been appointed Event Manager, a position he held previously at Stadium Australia, he was also Venue Operations Manager with the Sydney Paralympic Games.

“Suncorp will become Queensland’s ‘own’ stadium through a combination of first-class events in a modern and exciting venue. We aim for patrons to go away from the stadium knowing what they have experienced is as good as anywhere in the world,” Mr Lister said.

For more information, contact Greg Adermann, Ogden IFC Communications Manager, Tel: +61 (0) 7 3265 8493 
or +61 (0) 419 729972

EBMS chosen for landmark Melbourne venue

SI’s latest client in Australia to install the Event Business Management System (EBMS) software is the brand new and very unique Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in Melbourne, Victoria.

The ACMI is part of the new Arts precinct at Federation Square, and is opening in late 2002. The ACMI is Australia’s newest major cultural institution and is set to attract up to one million visitors in it first year. The ACMI is a cultural agency of the Victorian State Government, and its objective is to encourage and assist the development, production, exhibition and knowledge of film, television and new media in Victoria.

From spring 2002, the ACMI will present an exciting and stimulating range of exhibitions, screenings, education programs, events and other activities. The ACMI will also continue to be Australia’s largest public film, video and new media lending library, carrying over 35,000 16mm films, videos, CD-Rom and DVD titles. In the past year 1.5 million Australians have viewed a title from ACMI Collections.

The ACMI includes an important schools education and learning facility that will provide a range of programs which aim to develop screen literacy - the ability to ‘read’ and analyse the moving image.

ACMI have selected fifteen of the 23 modules that make up EBMS and will use these modules to manage the day-to-day sales and marketing, booking and event management and financial analysis aspects of the event business. They will also utilise the web integration features of EBMS for real-time interaction with ACMI’s website, whether it be from a Calendar of Events perspective, on-line booking requests, or even on-line event planning and service order placement.

They join several other Arts clients already using EBMS in Australia such as the Sydney Opera House; Victorian Arts Centre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Brisbane Powerhouse - Centre for the Live Arts to name a few.

USI Becomes Truly ‘International’

Dieter Ungerboeck, president of Ungerboeck Systems recently made the following announcement; “Thanks to our growing client family, USI’s flagship product - EBMS - now serves venue, event, and destination managers on six continents”. USI have decided to change the meaning of the “I” in USI from “Incorporated” to “International”, a more fitting global association, without the need to interfere with their familiar logo.

He continued; “The offices in St. Louis, Sydney, Hong Kong, London and Paris will now simply be known as ‘Ungerboeck Systems International’ with the appropriate country specific naming conventions such as Pty Ltd (for Australia) and so forth.”

RFU will Complete the Development of Twickenham Stadium

he Rugby Football Union recently unveiled plans to build a new South Stand at Twickenham Stadium. The new stand will replace the existing, 21-year old facilities on the ‘fourth side’, making the stadium one of the best in the world.

The plans increase stadium capacity from the current 75,000 to 82,000 with enhanced safety and security measures, along with improved provisions for persons with disabilities, the public and corporate patrons. Within the new stand, the RFU will also build a 200-bed hotel; conference and exhibition space; a health and fitness club; office space for the RFU and a new RFU Store – the RFU’s retail and merchandising arm.

The RFU is proposing a package of community measures as part of the scheme. Central to this is a new performing arts centre being built within the exhibition space, for use by local music, theatre and drama groups. This continues a tradition of the RFU of encouraging local schools, community groups and art groups to use the facilities of Twickenham Stadium.

Francis Baron, Chief Executive of the RFU said, “We are very conscious that Twickenham Stadium is part of the local community and there are many benefits associated within the scheme. We will be consulting widely on these plans, but I hope most of our neighbours will conclude that any impact upon them is minimal and that the performing arts and other facilities are of real benefit. Hopefully they, like us, will be proud that Twickenham is at the heart of English rugby and of the community.”

The South Stand proposals confirm Twickenham Stadium’s role as a major contributor to the economic prosperity of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, and the whole of South West London. An economic appraisal by independent consultants, Bone Wells, has shown that the redevelopment will generate 200 x full-time jobs and mean an extra 105 more staff joining those currently employed on match days. The completed stadium will boost the economy of South West London by approximately £40 million per year.

Digby Jones, Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said, “No one should underestimate the emblematic effect of Twickenham on British business, which is so important to the British economy and the image of the UK around our global markets.”

Paul Hopper, Managing Director of the London Tourist Board said, “LTB welcomes the plans for the new South Stand. If the RFU is better able to attract a world sporting event such as the 2007 Rugby World Cup to London, the City as a whole will benefit, just as Manchester has from the Commonwealth Games.”

As a new stand increases capacity by less than ten percent, match-day traffic increases are likely to be minimal for the five or six capacity matches per year. However, as part of the application, the RFU proposes extending the successful measures it has in place to encourage fans to leave their cars at home.

Contact: Richard Prescott of the RFU on: +44 (0) 208 831 6513/6514/6558/6626.
CBI on: +44 (0) 207 395 8001. LTB Press Office on: +44 (0) 207 932 2041/ 2055.

Kick Start to England’s Home Euro 2004 Campaign

ngland’s home bid to secure a place at Euro 2004 kicked off on 16th October at The Friends Provident St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton, where England played FYR Macedonia. As the south coast’s first senior England international for 99 years it was a great achievement for Southampton to host such a crucial game. The Friends Provident St Mary’s Stadium, which was completed in time for last year’s season can seat 32,689, and amongst its many features is an extensive TV distribution and video conferencing system, developed by Cabletime, which played an important part in securing this match for Southampton F.C.

The system, MediaStar Pro, forms part of the state-of-the-art audio and visual array at The Friends Provident St Mary’s Stadium. This project was designed to allow the club to offer a range of facilities to enhance its business in addition to being a Premiership Football Club. These include the ability to stage conferences, exhibitions, product launches, seminars, lunches, etc. 

The installation completed by SportzMedia, a division of SmartComm, includes 130 state-of-the-art widescreen monitors located in all bar, restaurant and concourse areas, for club members and guests and the public. A range of AV services are also provided to over 50 executive suites and directors’ boxes. Plasma screens have also been installed in the club shop, to display advertising, and live match coverage. Similar screens were also installed in the players’ lounge, all staff offices and the director’s boardroom. All the screens display a mix of DVD, VHS, Sky and Terrestrial TV, plus live input from outside broadcast cameras.

Four of Cabletime’s MediaStar video distribution hubs operate over the CAT5/CAT6 structured cabling, to facilitate information allocation to individual or groups of monitors for simultaneous viewing in a number of locations. The Club can select and control the content displayed on the screens, depending on the audience. Information distribution is controlled either centrally via any networked PC, or by a touch-screen networked control system.

A SmartWall system – a 6 metre, wall to wall presentation screen with full audio-visual rear projection and surround sound – has been integrated by SportzMedia as part of the project and installed in the Matthew Le Tissier Suite. All conferencing, meeting and banqueting suites have been fitted out with LCD overhead projectors, screens and presentation equipment. 

Mark Wierzbicki, IT Manager at Southampton Football Club, said “It is a fantastic system. I find that it is a good way of selling the club and the facilities here. We are able to select content to suit a range of screens, depending on their locations. It is very flexible.”

Chairman Rupert Lowe said: “We are tremendously proud that our stadium has been selected to host a full England international barely sixteen months after opening. That is a testament to the staff and the set-up we have here. Both Japan and Nigeria were extremely complimentary about the facilities and the help they received when they played here last season.”

Paul Barber, The FA’s Director of Marketing and Communications agreed, “The success of England On The Road continues. It means that Sven and the team will get the chance to play in front of a capacity crowd at one of the country’s best new venues.”

Cabletime based in Newbury, Berkshire is a major designer and manufacturer of video conferencing and desktop communication systems for companies operating in the media, educational, medical, corporate and financial sectors. 

Further information: Nicola King / Julie Kirby, PRomote, Tel: +44 20 7395 0293 
email: n-king@promote-pr.co.uk
Paul Reeves, Cabletime, +Tel: 44 1635 35111 email: p.reeves@cabletime.com

If there are any events or news items you think we should know about, please contact Katie L. Else on +44 (0) 1332 814555 or via email at: katie-else@panstadia.com