Intertain, which owns the Walkabout bar chain, recently completed the roll-out of a refreshed design across 11 of its 24 venues in the UK, including Newquay, Sheffield, Swansea, Solihull, Lichfield, Bristol, Lincoln, Liverpool, Blackpool, Birmingham and Manchester.
The ‘down under’ themed Walkabout brand appeals to students, partygoers and sports fans alike. Intertain’s vision for the refurbished venues was to create a unique indoor-outdoor space based on the new vision of Australia – comprising sleek finishes and modernistic, reclaimed elements. Less focused on the evening party trade and more female-friendly, the bars have an emphasis on food, coffee and lounging to create a welcoming atmosphere and engaging brand experience. An integral part of the project was the lighting and audio visual integration, delivered by AV specialist Sound Power.
The Newcastle-based company is a leading supplier of AV design, installation and commissioning, and support services, and has 20 years’ experience in supplying sound and lighting to many of the UK’s biggest bars, pubs, clubs, restaurants and hotels.
“AV spend in UK pubs and bars may not compare to the big corporates but the level of creativity and desire to utilise the latest innovative technologies makes it an inspiring and rewarding market to be in,” said David Ridout, director at Sound Power. “We had an exciting brief for the Walkabout project and we were able to deliver a lighting and AV solution that meets the needs of the brand and its customers, on a limited budget.”
Replacing the old style of lighting, which was controlled by a dimmer pack, Sound Power installed a specialist, PC-controlled lighting system to recreate the natural light outside. So in the day, customers relaxing in the new seating booths see daylight from the faux sky above them and at night stars appear above their heads. Neon lighting fixates attention on the bar area, but by far the most impressive feature is the 5 x 2 ‘wow factor’ videowall at the rear of the bar. Highly visible as customers enter the venue and captivating with its stunning Australian lifestyle imagery, the videowall is the centre of attention.
For supply of the screens and mounts, Sound Power called on AV distributor Owl Visual which specified Samsung DB48 and DB40 (48in and 40in) Slim Direct-Lit LED Displays and DS-VW765-LAND Full-service Video Wall Mounts from Peerless-AV. The Samsung displays addressed all the performance requirements in terms of full HD resolution, brightness, versatile connectivity and sleek design, at an affordable price. When it came to the mounting solution, both companies agreed on Peerless-AV without hesitation.
Carol Jarman, account manager at Owl Visual, commented: “We’ve worked with Sound Power for a long time and know how they work. David Ridout paints the picture and we make it happen. We’re also a long-term distributor of Peerless-AV products and always recommend their full-service videowall mounts. Installers know not to scrimp on mounts and they know they can rely on Peerless-AV for ease of installation to ensure a successful end result.”
The DS-VW765-LAND Full-Service Video Wall Mount is easy to configure, quick to install and simple to maintain. Installers can create any configuration imaginable, and custom wall plate spacers remove the need for cumbersome calculations. Tmesaving features include tool-less eight-point micro-adjustments and easy access to any display for quick serviceability. The mount supports displays ranging from 40in to 65in in size with a maximum load of 57kg.
“Peerless-AV’s videowall mounts have 100% lived up to expectations,” said David Ridout. “Using their custom spacers and intuitive adjustments saved us precious time on site, no messing around, and if we need to service or swap out a display, the pull out action makes life so much easier. We can be in and out of the venue without any disruption.”
The Walkabout videowalls have been a great success, giving the chain a differentiating factor, a new lease of life and a contemporary edge that is driving footfall and helping to increase revenue.
