Sharp/NEC Solutions Zone

THE ODEON LEICESTER SQUARE - Lighting up London`s home of entertainment

NEC Display Solutions has installed one of the largest displays of its kind in a public square, an LED digital display measuring 107 square metres, on the facade of the ODEON Leicester Square in London’s West End. The huge display, the size of half a basketball court, replaces the previous paper poster board and is flanked by two 18 square metre displays in one of the UK’s most prominent locations, which welcomes more than 90 million tourists every year.

THE CHALLENGE - The installation of the new screens will allow ODEON Leicester Square to instantly change what is displayed, eliminating the need to regularly hire traditional ‘cherry picker’ lifts to change what is displayed on the poster boards, making the screens a more environmentally friendly alternative to displaying posters.

The new screens will also divide into multiple displays, allowing ODEON to screen different content simultaneously, a feature which will be utilised during premieres where live film footage of the red carpet can be screened alongside clips of the film.

THE RESULT - Simon Jackson, Vice President, NEC Display Solutions, comments, "This display has to be seen to be believed. It really is an impressive sight, and a tremendous achievement for NEC and ODEON. Given consumer expectations for video content to inform, delight and engage, this type of display sets new standards in delivering a variety of information in real-time."

The trio of screens will display images for the latest movies and, during events such as premieres, live footage including celebrity interviews will be screened for the passing public to view. Officially launched at the world premiere of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire in November 2013, the displays bring a highly engaging instalment to London’s West End.

Andy Edge, Commercial Director at ODEON, comments, "We are really excited to launch the new LED screens at ODEON Leicester Square. It is an iconic film destination that has become synonymous with red-carpet film premieres, so we are thrilled to be able to move the premiere experience into the digital age with these state of the art LED screens. The recent regeneration of Leicester Square has breathed new life in to the area, and we hope that these screens, which are the largest of their kind in Europe, will help re-assert the square’s position as London’s home of entertainment."