New Convention Centre Installs Riedel Equipment

Le Couvent des Jacobins, a new convention centre built within a 14th-century convent in Rennes, France, has installed Riedel Communications equipment to support a future-proofed communications system based on the latest AoIP standard SMPTE 2110-30 (AES67) and on robust wireless technology.

Together, the Riedel Artist digital matrix intercom system, Performer digital partyline, Bolero wireless intercom system, and Riedel SmartPanels enable flexible communications throughout the large-scale facility and handle the multipath reflections that naturally occur throughout the site's stunning architecture.

"Working with Riedel's wired and wireless communications solutions, we've been able to interconnect many different spaces — and their various events — over a single network architecture," said Thomas Legros, Stage Manager at Le Couvent des Jacobins. "The installation provides the reliable and scalable communications system we need. And, given Riedel's expertise in real-time media networks, we're confident that it also will help us to meet future communications and signal transport requirements."

Le Couvent des Jacobins convention center features 1,000-, 500-, and 300-seat halls, plus 4,000 square meters of exhibition space and 25 committee rooms located around the historic building and its modern extension. The technical audiovisual design was conceived by Vincent Taurisson on behalf of the scenography agency Architecture & Technique and perfectly blends state-of-the-art technology with Gothic and modern architecture. Fibre optic connectivity, soundproofing, and ultra-high-performance video broadcasting equipment are integrated throughout the facilities.

The Riedel solution gives the team at Le Couvent des Jacobins the benefit of crystal-clear communications with flexibility enabled by deployment over a decentralized IP network. The addition of Bolero wireless technology to the Artist system, SmartPanels, and Performer digital partyline system helped to address the many different requirements of various rooms and meeting halls.

"Riedel intercom is now 'part of the furniture' in our new convention center, making stage managers' lives so much easier and enabling very agile programming," said Laurent Knobloch-Bard, Productions Director at Le Couvent des Jacobins. "We really enjoy running such a reliable, easy-to-configure communication system in our facilities. We very quickly got used to the user-friendly wireless packs and SmartPanels — and the immense convenience they bring to our daily work. We cannot imagine how we'd manage our productions without such a great communications tool."

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