Sharp NEC Display Solutions client installation – Entertainment, leisure, hospitality
Outletcity Welcome Center
The multimedia premium shopping experience
Europe’s biggest designer outlet, Outletcity Metzingen, attracts 4.5 million visitors annually from the local region as well as elsewhere in Germany and abroad. As a go-to destination for around 500 premium and luxury brands, Outletcity offers a unique retail experience characterised by the successful combination of in-store and digital shopping.
Outletcity Metzingen recently celebrated a new milestone with the opening of the Moxy Outletcity Metzingen Hotel and the Outletcity Welcome Center. These new additions underscore the innovative strength of Outletcity and its tireless ability to adapt to the ever-changing needs of its visitors. The newly built facilities contain extensive audiovisual systems, designed and coordinated by long-standing integration partner VKT GmbH, to turn the client’s vision of a unique communal area for visitors into reality.
The Challenge
A new welcome area for visitors to Outletcity
The new Outletcity Welcome Center, spread across 600m2, offers a first port of call for visitors, answering any questions they may have and providing several amenities. Integrated into the Welcome Center are the Lounge, the Atelier and the Studio. The Lounge serves as an area for Outletcity Gold members and select guests who want to enjoy a comfortable break from shopping. The Atelier offers shopping in a private setting with professional fashion consulting for luxury brands. The Studio is an open space for group events, which can also be used by external companies for conferences and lectures, depending on availability.
The main challenge in building the Welcome Center was designing the multifunctional AV environment to satisfy both the diverse needs of visitors and also the high design and quality requirements. The functionality of the installation, budget and timely implementation also played a decisive role in the project planning.
The Solution
Exclusive lounge with customised audiovisual equipment
To ensure a uniform technology landscape, throughout the project VKT relied on visualisation solutions from Sharp/NEC. The integration partner has been working with Sharp/NEC for many years, and the brand has already proven its reliability elsewhere in Outletcity Metzingen. For the audio solutions, VKT opted for a cooperation with prodyTel Distribution GmbH, a leading distributor for media technology that is currently being integrated into Kern & Stelly Medientechnik GmbH.
Planning for the overall solution was based on detailed pointby- point planning of all workflows. This involved taking account of all eventualities and using feedback loops to achieve an ideal solution that met stringent quality, functionality and budget requirements.
In the entrance area of the Welcome Center, an NEC MultiSync® V984Q Large Format Display is installed to serve as the first point of contact, designed for continuous operation in demanding applications. Pendant loudspeakers from Biamp are used specifically throughout the Center due to the high, open ceilings. These aesthetically appealing and functional loudspeakers ensure a harmonious sound while at the same time meeting all security standards.
The exclusive lounge consists of four individual zones and boasts not only sophisticated aesthetics but also customised audiovisual equipment. Two NEC MultiSync® M551 Large Format Displays are supplemented by a network audio system from Bluesound Professional, amplifier technology from BLAZE, and loudspeakers from Biamp and Cornered Audio. The four VIP areas can be divided into separate audio zones that can be used both in combination for background sound effects and individually for targeted sound projection.
“Working with VKT GmbH and Sharp/NEC on integrating the AV technology in the Outletcity Welcome Center Metzingen was a great experience for us,” says Marcus Hammerbacher, Sales Director at prodyTel.
“Our selected audio technology, incorporated in the overall concept, provides not only an impressive sound experience but also meets all requirements when it comes to user friendliness and design.”
Multimedia premium shopping experience
An NEC MultiSync® M551 Large Format Display is installed in the Atelier, the exclusive changing room area at the Welcome Center. Not only is it modern and sleek in design, but it also ensures a disruption-free display of digital signage content – even in the bright lighting of the changing rooms. The display blends seamlessly into the modern setting and can also be safely controlled via a portable tablet that is located directly in the entrance area or can be used on a mobile basis.
Innovative setup for lectures and hybrid meetings
An NEC MultiSync® V754Q Large Format Display is also installed in front of the Studio for signage purposes and to welcome customers. In the conference room itself are an NEC P627UL LCD laser projector, a screen from Artrio and two more NEC MultiSync® M551 Large Format Displays. In combination with the extensive audio equipment from Biamp, with amplifiers from BLAZE, loudspeakers from PanAcoustics and Cornered Audio, and wireless microphone technology from MIPRO, the conference room now meets all the requirements for multimedia presentations, lectures and spontaneous meetings.
The Result
An outstanding overall concept
The overall equipment project was successfully implemented within a year. The harmonious interaction between the end customer, distributor, integrator, manufacturer and even construction management contributed to a positive work atmosphere and the schedule being met. The result is high-end multimedia hospitality that incorporates all the aspects of an exclusive customer experience and relies on state-of-the-art digital signage from Sharp/NEC and extensive audio systems.
“This project helps us keep our promise to provide our guests with a unique shopping experience,” says Regine Schöllkopf-Pinakidis, COO of Outletcity Metzingen.
“Integrating modern audiovisual technologies into the new Outletcity Welcome Center was a success in terms of both aesthetics and function.”
Sebastian Stelter, Team Lead Projects & Digital Services at Outletcity Metzingen, adds: “The special use of technology in our new Welcome Center sets us apart from other outlets and offers our guests an inviting atmosphere to feel at ease and take a break. That is only possible when all the partners work together. And that’s what we achieved here, allowing us to create a true all-round experience.”
“Our long-standing partnership with Sharp/NEC and the triedand- tested integration of the respective visualisation options, coupled with the high-quality audio technology from prodyTel, have created a uniform and forward-looking technology landscape,” explains Felix Wohlfahrt, Sales Director for Media Technology at VKT GmbH.
“The detailed planning and continuous feedback loops led to a solution that not only meets the high demands of the customer but also turns the Outletcity Welcome Center in Metzingen into a flagship project.”
Further installations are planned for the future, including integrating an LED wall in the entrance area and equipping a museum for Outletcity Metzingen. These projects will help to make Outletcity even more attractive and contemporary.
Pictures: Copyright © Joachim Grothus