Al Ain-based water park, Wadi Adventure, is the first of its kind offering surfing and white-water rafting and is due to open in December 2011. Shine Joseph of Elvis Technology LLC., walks us through the AV and digital signage solutions The project: US-based Select Contracts provided the turnkey solutions for Wadi Adventure. John Fisher, operations […]
Al Ain-based water park, Wadi Adventure, is the first of its kind offering surfing and white-water rafting and is due to open in December 2011. Shine Joseph of Elvis Technology LLC., walks us through the AV and digital signage solutions
The project:
US-based Select Contracts provided the turnkey solutions for Wadi Adventure. John Fisher, operations director, Select Contracts says, “We awarded Elvis Technology the contract to install the entire audio and visual package at Wadi Adventure. This is a theme park featuring action sports such as surfing, kayaking and rafting. he facility also has a meeting and conference facility as well as restaurants.”
Shine Joseph, technical sales, manager Elvis Technology LLC., believes the company was awarded the tender because, “of the range of solutions we offered, the cost-effectiveness and our ability to complete the project within the stipulated period of 30 days.”
With an approximate contract value of half a million dollars, Shine commented on the tender saying: “The client had a basic idea as to what they needed. So we developed around that idea. Ours was a design-and-build contract. Basically they were looking for background music, digital signage solutions and AV integration for their restaurants, changing/ assembly rooms, conference rooms and other administrative buildings. We designed and installed AV solutions for those specific requirements.”
The challenge
“The challenge,” says Shine, “was the size of the theme park that is spread over a huge area at the foot of Jebel Hafeet. Within the park, they have multiple buildings separated by three to six metres. Each building is two-storey in height and we needed to install a network system connecting all these buildings without any loss of signal or data. They also needed a central control system located in the administrative building to monitor and control the three systems background music, digital signage and AV technology in the conference/meeting rooms.
Also, since we entered the contract after the construction and interiors had been done, we had to coordinate with the IT team and the MEP contractors in terms of conduits, power point locations and other related issues. “
The digital signage solution
Regarding digital signage, Shine says the client had plans to promote their products and to generate revenue. He says, “We offered our expertise in terms of the location and positioning of the solutions to ensure maximum visibility. Also one of the reasons we were awarded the contract was the fact that we demonstrated as to how we can conserve bandwidth with our digital signage solutions. For instance, if we are transmitting video files, our system allows for scheduled streaming of content, say, during off peak hours. Also we can individually schedule each screen, so that the 26 screens currently installed do not access the server at the same time.”
Integrated solutions
From the central control centre, the operator can access each individual digital signage equipment as well as the other AV systems installed. Commenting on integration with other systems, Shine say, “We had to integrate our background music system with the PA system so they have the option to play the same music on the PA system.
In addition, we have installed long-throw speakers outside to supplement the PA system. While we have installed 26 screens, the current server can service up to 50 screens and with a simple upgrade, we can go beyond 50 screens.” Perhaps the best testimonial can come from the client. Fisher says, “I found Elvis to be professional, dedicated and [they] completed the installation on time. The installation team was equally professional.”
About Wadi Adventure
Wadi Adventure in Al Ain is a sprawling man-made water sports park. Catering to kayakers, white water rafters and surfers, its due to open in December 2011 and is, according to John Fisher of Select Contracts, the company that built the facility, “the first of its kind in the Middle East and the first of its kind in the world offering surfing and whitewater activities”. Featuring a surf pool capable of making 3.3-metre waves, snaking kayaking runs with a combined length of 1,133 metres and a swimming pool and man-made beach, the park is situated near the foot of Jebel Hafeet.
The kit
TOA (speakers,amplifiers, etc), Biamp (digital signal processors, etc), Samsung (display monitors), AV (racks), Amplifier, AMX (touch panels, processors, etc), Extron (amplifiers, switchers, scalers, etc), Audio Technica (microphones, etc), Sanyo (projectors Amplifier, AMX (touch panels, processors, etc), Extron (amplifiers, switchers, scalers, etc), Audio Technica (microphones, etc), Sanyo (projectors), Dalite (screens), Denon (CD changer), Imerge (channel server), Extron/Belden (cables/accessories) and Elvis (ceilingmounted projector kits, etc)
Client: Wadi Adventure
Contractor: Select Contracts
AV integrator: Elvis Technology LLC
For more pictures visit http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/AVPro-Middle-East/188800204528477
