The Opportunity
The redeveloped O’Connells Pavilion Shopping Mall was recently opened in the resort city of Queenstown on New Zealand’s South Island after five years of planning and construction.
The developer has leased two floors of the four-level building to global luxury travel retailer DFS Group for its “Resort Galleria” concept. The area includes a food hall named Eatspace that can accommodate 230 people.
AV systems integrator Strawberry Sound was tasked to outfit the audio and visual requirements of the venue which included a wireless microphone system. “We experienced a challenge in relation to where the customer mostly wanted to use their wireless microphone system,” says Reuben Pearce, Director at Strawberry Sound Queenstown. “The electronics cabinet is located in the opposite corner of the building, behind a concrete wall, and that could result in significant RF dropouts.”
The Solution
Reuben explained that with Queenstown being one of New Zealand’s top travel destinations and the renovated mall a major shopping destination, all of the technology had to fit the facility’s visual aesthetic. “We needed an architecturally appropriate product to use on an exposed ceiling,” he adds. “We had recently been introduced to the new Diversity Architectural Antenna by RF Venue distributor JPRO and it became clear that this would become an essential part of providing reliable wireless audio in an aesthetically pleasing format.”
“We needed an architecturally appropriate product to use on an exposed ceiling.”
System Features
RF Venue is a leading global manufacturer of wireless audio essential accessories. The Diversity Architectural Antenna is a high-performance antenna system for wireless microphones that features a slim profile enclosure, can be installed in any position on a wall or ceiling and can be painted to match any interior. Using a unique patent-pending dual-feed antenna design, both A and B diversity connections are provided, so there’s no need to install two separately spaced antennas, resulting in a more professional look that room designers and architects appreciate.
The Diversity Architectural Antenna was supplied through New Zealand distributor JPRO, one of New Zealand’s leading and most experienced professional audio and AV distribution companies.
“At JPRO, we understand that RF dropouts can ruin the most perfect production,” observes Andrew Sorrill, Marketing Specialist at JPRO. “We recommend the use of RF Venue products to our customers for any small, medium or large-scale wireless project because they perform reliably with all wireless audio brands, ensuring no dropouts.”
“The result was what was expected: Reliable wireless coverage from day one.”
The Impact
Reuben Pearce says the result was what was expected: “Reliable wireless coverage from day one,” he says, with exceptional RF connectivity with zero dropouts throughout the space. “Our technicians were able to get in and out efficiently and deliver exactly what the client needed.” Expected, he says, because “we’ve used RF Venue products in prior projects, so we know we can rely on a good result. They simply do as they say they do on the box. RF Venue have a direct and reliable solution to what could have been a very real wireless problem.”