AV SYSTEMS GIVE RED BULL WINGS

Red Bull is known for its dare-devil approach to business and to sports sponsorship. So, when they decided to relocated offices from Black River Park in Observatory in Cape Town to Granger Bay there were no half-measures either. They demanded modern, sophisticated design, using the best of the best in technological advancements, including a completely new audio visual design and fit-out. Red Bull understands the value that technology adds to their corporate identity, as well as the value that good appropriate AV technology adds in communicating to staff and clients.

Several AV and automation companies pitched for the prestigious project, but it was 4ward-design with its 18 years in the industry, that stood out from the field as the company to successfully complete the challenging, but sought-after job. Darryl Katz – owner of 4ward design - took it upon himself to determine the client’s needs and oversee the installation. “Red Bull gave us a basic yet amazing brief” said Darryl, "the GM did not give us any specifics – he’d say “If a Red Bull member walks into a boardroom he must wirelessly connect to the screen in the best way possible, without having to call an IT guy”.

Red Bull left the design and specifications up to Darryl who took a close look at the client profile. “I asked myself: What kind of company is Red Bull? How funky are they? What is their workflow? Where are the quiet areas and where is it not quiet? Darryl had to stick within a budget though and had to deliver a system that met global standard, was stable and user friendly”. Darryl is adamant that a system must be consistent and reliable, and must give the same excellent result every time it is used.

Red Bull’s four boardrooms were all fitted with the latest technology. In particular the 20-seater executive boardroom, which will be used largely for presentations, was equipped with a state-of-the-art projection system. A wireless device will be used to bring mobile devices into play, creating an exceptionally functional and user-friendly, wireless, collaborative environment. The 12-seater boardroom will be used for high definition video, with LED screens to ensure crystal clarity for a truly life-like video conferencing experience.

The Red Bull office environment has to reflect the dynamic Red Bull brand so 4ward-installed a multiple screen digital signage system to inject constant motion and activity into the workspace. The reception area has a 60” display, with 40” displays throughout the rest of the office space. Multiple feeds will be shown on each screen for maximum impact. These will include Red Bull TV, current sales figures, and live Tweets from the various international celebrities and sport stars sponsored by Red Bull. To ensure the best quality across all displays at all times, 4ward-design used the latest HDMI over CAT6 high definition distribution system.

A fun, nice-to-have is the installation of the Red Bull Formula One simulator - the next best thing to getting behind the wheel of an actual F1 car. 4ward-design installed it, along with the top-quality screens, and calibrating it for the best, adrenaline-inducing experience. According to Darryl the installation of the simulator was not a technical challenge, but the exact positioning of it and setting up of it was not quite as simple as playing an arcade game. “Red Bull acquired the F1 seats and we had to connect them to the Sony PlayStation unit,” said Darryl “the tricky part was to calibrate it to the system. We had to make sure it was aligned 100% to the screens we chose, that it was the correct distance from the screen and within a realistic environment”. Part of the calibration is to make sure that the vehicle does not over or under steer when the driver is operating it. It was also important to Red Bull that Darryl would design an environment that is not just about the driver in a dark room, but includes bystanders and allows them to be part of the driver’s experience.” One can spend twenty thousand or twenty million on a simulator – I believe we did extremely well with what Red Bull allowed us in the budget”.

Darryl believes that for most part the AV technology that was installed is justifiable to the bottom line. “We spent the bulk of the budget on the RIGHT gear for the job - and Crestron is one of the best”.

But even the nice-to-haves contribute to the bottom line. Red Bull is a “Wow!” brand - so the large screens in the reception add a wow factor and create an excellent vibe in the building. “Putting a massive sound system in a bank’s cafeteria wouldn’t make sense,” said Darryl “but Red Bull has a music academy, so putting a state of the art sound system in the cafeteria is justifiable”.

Louis Opperman, Red Bull’s General Manager, was happy that all expectations had been met within budget and time frames: “4ward-design proved themselves from day one. In just two months they came up with innovative ideas and solutions to our particular needs. They were professional at all times. We’ve already given them the go ahead to do the same for our Johannesburg office”.