Visitors bowled over with new cricket experience

A unique interactive and atmospheric audio-visual cricket experience has been designed for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to promote a new 20-overs cricket format, being launched this summer.
This brand new experience, which is housed in three identical 7-metre trailers, will play a key role in introducing the Twenty20 concept to target audiences. Working with the event management team from Watermark, Steljes Hire, a leading supplier of AV systems, have provided state-of-the-art NEC multi-media digital projectors to bring the concept to life. Initially, the road show will visit a mixture of sports and outdoor events, beach fronts, shopping centres and commercial hubs in The North, South, East and Mid-West of the country. Thereafter, it will support domestic, Test and One Day International matches.
The experience itself plays on the extremes of emotion involved in cricket. Entering the trailer people immediately find themselves transported into the team’s changing room, with all the familiar sights, sounds and the smell of Ralgex in the air. The spectators then enter the main audiovisual environment – a darkened room with AstroTurf under foot and perimeter boards along the front wall. Suddenly visitors are transported to the midst of a match, experiencing the excitement and tension of the game from the perspective of the batsman, bowler, fielder and the crowd via a seamless, immersive AV with surround sound. A system of three NEC projectors running three sets of synchronized footage onto the screen in front is used to create the upbeat, fast-moving sensory experience. By including the sound of bat on ball, live commentary, reaction of the crowd, slow motion to build tension and high speed camera angles, the spectator becomes fully engaged in the emotional thrills and spills of the action.
Eddie Bance of Steljes Hire said: “This is a superb initiative providing an innovative showcase for the new Twenty20 cricket format which also allows the public to see the latest and best in digital AV technology. The ECB are showing a lead here, and we are pleased to be supporting the development of what we all hope will be a new generation of cricket players and fans."
(GB)