Professional Sound - April 2020 | Page 26

An All-Star AV Experience for Fans at MAPLE LEAF SQUARE By Kevin Young A midst the Toronto Raptors’ his- toric playoff run to ultimately win the 2018-19 NBA Champi- onship, it wasn’t uncommon for nearly 10,000 frenzied fans to unite in the courtyard at the west end of Scotiabank Arena and its surrounding area to cheer on their squad during both home and away games. Officially called Maple Leaf Square and informally dubbed “Jurassic Park” for Raps-related gatherings, the 170,000-sq.-m space welcomes crowds to take in pro sports matches in addition to other publicly focused events. 26 PROFESSIONAL SOUND The AV systems occupying the space, anchored by a large LED video wall and directional audio system, was covered pe- ripherally in a 2009 Professional Sound ar- ticle focusing on the two-phase overhaul of the arena’s main bowl audio system, an upgrade to the primary control room and overall broadcast infrastructure, and imple- mentation of an integrated BSS Soundweb- based networked audio system. After the Raptors captured their first title in franchise history, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment dramatically ehanced the fan experience with a massive new LG LED video wall and the latest iteration of Ren- kus-Heinz’s Iconyx digitally- steerable loud- speaker arrays. Maple Leaf Square 15 York St. Toronto, ON www.mlse.com Maple Leaf Square’s original AV set-up was anchored by a three-story LED wall and two Renkus-Heinz Iconyx ICL-FWR digitally- steerable arrays discreetly mounted on each side of the screen, which, with the exception of the loss of one driver – likely owing to an overenthusiastic fit of power MAPLE LEAF SQUARE, WITH 62 X 35-FT. LG VIDEO WALL SUPPORTED BY RENKUS-HEINZ ICLIVE X DIGITALLY-STEERABLE ARRAYS.