A studio in Las Vegas is setting a new standard for immersive virtual event spaces.
COVID-19 forced Marina Worre to relocate multiple events that were to have taken place last year at the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Unable to find a space suitable for hosting and interacting with potentially tens of thousands of attendees, Worre got inventive and took on the challenge herself. The result is Worre Studios, a 25,000-square-foot production studio and virtual event space that opened in Las Vegas in December.
Advanced LED Displays, a division of Agility AVL, designed and integrated Worre Studios, which features 360° curved LED displays with more than 65 million pixels. The integration team chose a Christie Spyder X80 multi-windowing processor to drive content to the massive walls.
Every Seat Is a Front-Row Seat
The space required broadcast-quality audio, video equipment and displays capable of hosting live events with real-time interactivity between hosts and attendees. "The most important aspect in designing the studio was to create a space that gave every attendee a front row seat, as well as the ability to interact with the event hosts," said Worre.
The project began in mid-September 2020, with Advanced LED Displays sourcing LED, trusses, and lighting for the space. "Most LED takes 60 to 90 days to manufacture, so that was a big obstacle right out of the gate. And then determining how long it was going to take us to build it, and install all of the other pieces," said Art Martinez, vice president, business development, Advanced LED Displays.
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Martinez and his team designed freestanding curved LED walls. "The walls grew in size, and tightened in radius," Martinez said of the installation. "At that point we knew we needed some serious processing to handle it—and most processors can't handle a wall of this size. It was not an option to do anything other than the Spyder X80."
The Christie Spyder X80 multi-screen windowing processor can control up to 80 million pixels with 24 inputs and 16 outputs, and with image processing in 4K@60Hz. One Spyder X80 was installed to drive content to the wall, and one as a backup.
The two curved video walls are 73 feet wide by 14 feet tall; the other two are 25 feet wide by 14 feet tall. "After the walls were built, Marina asked if I could move one of the large walls to the other end of the room to accommodate space for an audience and prepare for hybrid events in the future. I accepted the challenge and designed a set of tracks recessed into the concrete floor for one of the large walls to move across the room," said Martinez.
In-Person, Virtual, and Hybrid Events
The result is a studio capable of in-person, hybrid, and virtual events, where presenters can seamlessly interact with thousands of participants virtually, reach millions through pretty much any social media channel, stream through platforms including Twitter and YouTube, and host a live audience.
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"Events are fully interactive, and we host guests from all around the world. With our real-time translation platform, we've removed the language barrier, so everyone can have the same live experience," said Worre. "The studio was built for our needs originally, but given its success and the demand for a pliable space with this technology, it's now available for any event. We have hosted seminars, done product launches using the Spyder that reached more than 10 million viewers, and we even recorded a music video."
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As a result of these needs, selecting a processor that was not only reliable, but had space to handle additional inputs and outputs as needed, was a requirement. "At Agility AVL, we design and build a lot of sports books, and the Spyder is always our go-to because of the number of layers, up to 24, and the options we have on inputs and outputs. It's something only the Spyder has. And the fact that it can handle 80 million pixels."
Worre Studios • www.worrestudios.com
