Australia's Largest Convention Centre Replete with Meyer Sound

"We never have a performance issue, Meyer Sound speakers are consistent and well-regarded, and the supply chain is easy and reliable. The equipment attributes are top-level and suit our diverse requirements nicely."

- Paul Davison, Audio Visual Services Manager,
Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre

In 1988, the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC) opened its doors to booming business and high demand for a first-class venue for meetings. Set on the edge of Sydney's picturesque Darling Harbour, the centre was literally an overnight success, and remains to this day the largest convention centre in Australia. More than 600 different conventions, events, meetings and product launches are held at the SCEC every year, with attendees at many major conferences numbering more than 5,000. Though business shows no sign of slowing, the centre is far from content to rest on its laurels, particularly given increased international and domestic competition over the years.

As Australia's leading conference venue, the SCEC is focused on providing quality facilities, including cutting edge technology. With in-house video production facilities, audio services, and advanced networking capabilities, the centre has stayed at the top of its game by providing excellent equipment, in-depth expertise, and skilled technical staff.

In keeping with the centre's high standards, last summer witnessed a refurbishment of the sound system in its Bayside Auditorium, utilizing loudspeakers from long-time audio partner Meyer Sound.

The Bayside Auditorium is the SCEC's premier auditorium space, a 3,500 seat, two-level arena that can be used as one space or broken up into two rooms with a removable partition. The auditorium is both acoustically friendly and an easy setup according to the centre's Audio Visual Services Manager Paul Davison. "There were no major install challenges, except that our ideal position in the auditorium does not have a rigging point available in the right spot, so we needed to get creative," Davison says. "We did the pre-design configuration in MAPP Online Pro (acoustical prediction software) and got things pretty close. Then the ears took over."

Except, of course, that it didn't end there, because the SCEC's constantly changing needs and quick turnover dictate that Davison and his crew make their sound system do triple- and even quadruple-duty in the building's other venues. Davison addressed this by adding to his already considerable stock of equipment, which, as a result, now includes 12 MICA compact high-power curvilinear array loudspeakers, 12 M1D ultra-compact curvilinear array loudspeakers, 21 UPA-1P compact wide coverage loudspeakers, 23 UPA-2P compact narrow coverage loudspeakers, 16 UPM-1P ultra-compact wide coverage loudspeakers, eight USW-1P compact subwoofers, six MSL-4 horn-loaded long-throw loudspeakers, and four 700-HP ultrahigh-power subwoofers. Davison describes it as "a good inventory. It allows us to custom design rigs to specific event requirements, rather than taking a 'one system suits all' approach."

The SCEC has been using Meyer Sound equipment since it first opened. The choice was originally influenced by the need for a flexible powered system, but Davison says there are also pragmatic advantages behind the long-term relationship. "We never have a performance issue, they are consistent and well-regarded, and the supply chain is easy and reliable," he states. "The equipment attributes are top-level and suit our diverse requirements nicely."

March, 2006