Professional Lighting & Production - Winter 2019 | Page 22

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A HIGH-TECH COMMUNITY HUB
Versatile Video at Rogers Square in Halifax
BY ANDREW KING
When
the Toronto Raptors were amidst
their historic run for the NBA Cham-
pionship in late spring 2019, it was
informally dubbed “Jurassic Park East” and welcomed thousands
of hoops fans for live viewing parties. Later in the fall, it hosted a
packed all-ages show with American rapper YBN Cordae as one of
the marquee events of the 2019 Hopscotch Arts Festival. And even
outside of special events, it gives plenty of passersby in Halifax’s
bustling downtown core a cool, out-of-the-ordinary multimedia
experience during their daily commutes.
It’s called Rogers Square, an 18,000-sq.-ft. covered, open-air
community hub housed right in the middle of the brand-new
Nova Centre in the heart of downtown Halifax. It can welcome
over 2,000 people for special events like concerts, festivals, sports
viewing parties, and a lot more, with an open invitation to local
organizations and community groups who want to take advan-
tage of its amenities.
22 | Winter 2019
Those amenities include an innovative, high-tech video system
comprised of multiple screens with countless potential configura-
tions for a myriad of applications – particularly fitting considering
the Nova Centre’s billing as “Atlantic Canada’s most technologically-
connected commercial building” and Rogers’ status as a Canadian
communications and multimedia juggernaut.
“Halifax is a hub of innovation, technology, and creativity in
Atlantic Canada and we are so pleased that Rogers is investing
in our city through its partnership with the Nova Centre and by
opening Rogers Square for all residents and visitors to enjoy,”
commented Mike Savage, the mayor of Halifax, during its grand
opening festivities.
Indeed, it seems those residents and visitors have been equal-
ly as pleased with much of the programming to have taken over
the space in the time since, and the one-of-a-kind multimedia
installation is a big reason why.