Founded by the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) in 2006, the Global Competitiveness Forum, a meeting held annually, is regularly transmitted by TV broadcasters Al Jazeera, NBC and Bloomberg.
Through the years, the GCF has attracted thousands of eminent political leaders, multinational company CEOs, ministers, government officials, intellectuals and academicians from every corner of the globe, with the sole aim of meeting and exchanging ideas.
Due to the event's importance at international level, Events AVP, whose chairman is Sharif Tabbara - exclusive Outline distributor for Jordan - was selected, as it is a company with the necessary experience for supplying the sound reinforcement system and audio equipment necessary for the multiple applications required in situations of this type.
As far as the audio at GFC 2010 was concerned, sound reinforcement in the conference hall (50 x 40 x 9m), involved the use of just six+six Butterfly Hi-Packs and two+two Subtech 218 SP. Control and power were courtesy of a Yamaha M7CL console, XTA processor and Outline T series amplifiers.
As monitors, the various speakers alternating on stage had at their disposal two compact Outline Micra II SP enclosures, while six units were used on front-fill duty to cover the first rows of seats.
The rooms allocated to interviews by Al Jazeera, NBC and Bloomberg were equipped with six more Micra II SP, and four Outline DVS 12 enclosures (in pairs) were used to reinforce the sound in two further halls, hosting the academicians and university professors.
Audio chief and FOH engineer, Carlo Gennaro, commented: "In this case, there was no need to work at 135 dB, but to cover the audience perfectly with a very 'well-mannered' SPL. There again, we had no alternative, considering the position of the microphones compared to the PA. But, as I've repeated for years, with a minimum of energy, the Butterfly gives a wonderful intelligibility - it almost seems to 'breathe', and it doesn't matter at what distance."
(Jim Evans)
