At Warwick University, the Rootes Building is the home of Warwick Hospitality, the largest company of its kind in the UK. Wholly owned by the university, Warwick Hospitality markets the university's facilities for use outside term time, attracting conferences, exhibitions and training sessions from commercial and industrial sectors as well as other parts of acadaemia. For Lawrence Walters, bars manager for Warwick Hospitality, the problem is multiplied. How can he best use the 1200sqm Rootes Bar to entertain a diverse group of students during term-time, and still provide value and functionality for the non-student users?
Walters and Warwick Hospitality turned to CGA, the Berkshire-based audio/video installation company, to implement a versatile solution for the 500-capacity venue, which provides all-day coffee, food service, a bar and several pool tables, and stays open until11.30pm.
CGA has installed 12 x Electro-Voice EViD compact full-range loudspeakers, in white, which are wall-mounted throughout the bar. Supplemented by four 12.1 bass bins, these provide the heart of the entertainment system, working with three NEC LED screens, up to 40" in size, to provide a rolling programme. From ambient music with TV in the morning, the music level rises steadily as the day progresses. In the evenings, the venue can host dance nights, DJs and karaoke, but can also handle corporate events. There is sound reinforcement for speech-making, and information and company logos can be displayed on the screens.
Two Electro-Voice SX300 loudspeakers have been wall-mounted either side of a large projection area, which enables quite big crowds to watch a football game. CGA has wired the entire system into three zones, so different areas can carry different audio if desired. Says installer Chris Gunton: "loudspeakers shouldn't be big, black and ugly. Apart from the fact that I know their technical formula works, one of the main reasons for choosing the Electro-Voice products is that they are all available in white, which doesn't look so obtrusive."
For Walters, the change has been extremely positive. "Originally, this bar offered a two-speaker sound system which was completely out of date. As a consequence, it was mostly used as a sports bar. Now the area can provide entertainment for several different groups of people at any one time, as well as providing a genuine destination in the evenings."
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
