24 www.stadiaworld.com DIGITAL DISPLAYS from the eastern to the western stand. The LED ribbon display on the upper tier is 387 metres long, while the middle tier display measures 348 metres. On the lower tier, the ribbon display runs in two separate sections. A 122-metre ribbon display is installed along the eastern stand, and a 105-metre display along the western stand. Yet the most recent highlight has been installed in 2019 in the Gazprom Arena, St. Petersburg, by Colosseo. It is what the campany calls „the world’s largest LED ribbon board“ and measures 2.2 metres by 590 metres (total: 1,300 m²). An investment of this kind is sizeable, and only brings measurable benefits at locations with high marketing potential. It enhances the fan experience considerably, for example when goal scorers are celebrated via overlay on the rotating display. Keywords such as “emotion”, “communication” and “interaction” are frequently used to illustrate the positive effect of LED solutions. The content displayed comprises a mix of programme information about coming events and set advertising segments with content from partners.As well as this, operators strive to make use of the whole of this instrument’s potential to address the target group in the venue directly, by way of live infotainment. An investment of around 2,500 euros per linear metre can be expected. Assuming a mean value of 250 linear metres per arena, on average a fascia board will cost 750,000 euros. As previously mentioned, shorter displays can be installed where budget is limited. Whether a conclusive economically feasible concept can be derived from basic data of this nature is at the discretion of the respective operator or club, and depends on their realistic assessment of the marketing potential. With their colourful mix of events, multifunction-arenas are known for being used closer to their full capacity than stadiums. The situation might be different in the USA – but in any case in Germany and in Europe as a whole, there is still a general atmosphere of reticence when it comes to deciding in favour of fascia boards. Although most stadium operators, at least those operating multi-functional stadiums, are certainly interested in the technology. But in view of the comparatively low number of event days, and the much bigger areas which have to be equipped, the initial investment seems to be too high. But the more multifunctional an arena is, the more relevant fascia boards become. Nevertheless, the Frankfurt Commerzbank-Arena indulged in an LED ribbon display on the upper tier of the back straight. INDIVIDUAL ARCHITECTURE Because every arena has its own architecture, there are no uniform standards regarding the installation of the module, so in this respect every project concerns an individual solution. For example, the conditions and the lines of sight can mean the ribbon display has to be of shallow construction on the upper tier. In some arenea, the modules are removed for maintenance, while in others they can be flipped open. In the Hallenstadion Zürich the 2metre-high fascia board was suspended from the ceiling – this required a particularly lightweight construction. There can also be differences in how the fan is installed. They are temperature-controlled, and must be switchable, should events be particularly vulnerable to background noise. But when they are run without a fan, the modules have to lose 10 – 15% of their brightness. And where it is advisable to fit a vandalism guard, due to the proximity to the spectators, in some cases a protective device will be needed to prevent the intrusion of spilt drinks. When a building contractor and the subsequent operating company consider installing a fascia board, it makes sense to integrate this into the planning from the start. Picture: STADIAWORLD
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