The O2 Belfast has completed a major digital infrastructure upgrade, adding more than 500 square meters of new LED technology throughout the arena.
The project, completed with Merson Digital, includes a 200-meter-long, 1.5-meter-high LED ribbon around the arena bowl and four large-format corner scoreboards. Each scoreboard measures 10 meters by 5.5 meters, creating 55 square meters of display space. Together, the new displays form more than 500 square meters of digital inventory inside the venue.
The O2 Belfast is an indoor multipurpose venue in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter with capacity for up to 11,200 people. According to the venue, it welcomes more than 800,000 visitors annually for concerts, sporting events, exhibitions, conferences, and other events.
Its upcoming schedule includes Mamma Mia! in September, Megan Moroney and Duran Duran in October, and an Oct. 13 appearance by former President Barack Obama.
New LED system expands arena capabilities
The new system gives event organizers and promoters more space for event content, branding, messaging, visual effects, and in-venue engagement.
Merson Digital installed a multisport scoreboard system integrated with the Navori content management system. The technology allows the venue to combine game information with other content across the ribbon and scoreboards.
The system will also support home games for the Belfast Giants, the professional ice hockey team that plays at The O2 Belfast and competes in the Elite Ice Hockey League.
Craig Barrington, associate director of estates and facilities at The Odyssey Trust, said the project expands what the venue can deliver for audiences and event partners.
“The sheer scale of the new digital infrastructure is impressive, but what matters most is what it enables us to do,” Barrington said. “We now have considerably greater scope to use the technology and content to add to the atmosphere and connect audiences with what is happening around them.”
Technology designed for sports and live events
The system uses 3.9 mm pixel-pitch Yaham LED technology. The venue completed the summer-long project in time for the return of arena events and ice hockey games.
Josh Bunce, chief executive officer of Merson Digital, said the challenge was creating one integrated system that could support both live entertainment and multiple sports.
“Our challenge was to bring more than 500sqm of LED, the venue’s CMS, and a multi-sport scoreboard together into one integrated system that was simple to manage and flexible enough for everything the venue hosts,” Bunce said.
Part of wider investment at The O2 Belfast
The project is part of continued investment at The O2 Belfast and the wider Odyssey site. The upgrade expands the venue’s digital capabilities as it accommodates a mix of concerts, sports, exhibitions, conferences, and other live events.
The O2 Belfast is an indoor multipurpose venue in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter with capacity for up to 11,200 people. The venue hosts concerts, sporting events, exhibitions, conferences, and other live events. Learn more at theo2belfast.com. Merson Digital specializes in digital signage and technology for venues, sports, retail, and other environments. Learn more at mersondigital.com.
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