|
|
|
From Humble BEGINNINGS
Speaking to Riedel Communications’ Rental Director, Marc Schneider, it is not difficult to see how a company that formed 20 years ago with a stock base that comprised just four radios, has grown to become one of the world’s leading providers of digital intercom systems at sports events as varied as the football World Cup and the Asian Games
 Riedel Communications is both a manufacturer of digital intercom and a rental supplier, and Marc Schneider believes it is that sort of knowledge base and flexibility that has seen the firm entrusted to undertake the industry’s largest logisitical projects, as a supplier for fixed installations in stadiums, and as a source for intercom and PMR (professional mobile radio) provision for temporary needs.“Coming from very simple beginnings has helped us as a company as it ensures we have always been on the pulse of the new technologies in the market, rather than having to compete with those already established,” he tells Football Business. “As time has progressed we have changed from wired to wireless, copper to fibre, and the technology just keeps on evolving, as does the scale of this operation, to the extent that we now have over 20,000 radios, 1,000 party-line beltpacks and more than 100 Artist matrix intercom systems, and are regularly serving such major events as football and the Olympics. “Communications these days is more critical than ever, meaning that the length of our commitment to clubs often goes way beyond the simple logistics of a couple of hours on matchday.” Certainly a company of even Riedel’s size found their resources put to the test when they were awarded communications right at international sports events such as the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics, presenting a challenge of providing largescale equipment and complex logistics combined with very detailed planning. And it is that detail that ultimately determines the success of those in a market where a successful operation is very often conspicuous by its absence. “In a sense, we are like the football referee,” Schneider continues. “If you haven’t noticed him during the course of the game, the chances are he has done a very good job! We would rather people are not led to even consider the massive operation that goes on behind the scenes, because if they are not aware of it and they take everything in front of them almost for granted, then we have achieved through the quiet and ruthless efficiency that is the marker to our business.” In Germany at the FIFAWorld Cup last year, Riedel was responsible for the digital TETRA radio networks and communications at all venues, encompassing all live action as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. In 2006, each of the twelve World Cup venues housed an Artist 64 matrix intercom system, while the new principles trialled included unique circuits that could enable representatives from FIFA to liaise with each other whether they were based at FIFA HQ, in Berlin, or maybe the Allainz Arena in Munich, empowering each other with routes along which they could pass on and distribute time-sensitive knowledge that might prove useful to each other’s respective locations. While the World Cup was the company’s biggest project undertaking thus far, the scale and variety of the Olympic Games in Athens back in 2004 necessitated a full year of planning and preparation, with an end use of over 125 miles of cable and filter, with the company’s performance relied upon by a host of the world’s biggest broadcasting stations including ARD und ZDF (Germany), BBC (UK), TVE (Spain) and NBC (USA). |
Download Article  “We pride ourselves on the flexibility that we offer. This has to be crucial in the 2007 market because clients are right to demand that level of service and competence. Traditionally, companies that we deal with don’t know about the technology, and why should they? It would be fair to say that their only real interest is in ensuring that the equipment they are given is efficient and will not let them down. “We refer to our clients as partners. We are consultants to their needs, and it is as a team that we produce the right results by using each others’ specialities. When a partner come to us the crucial information is in how their system is comprised, what they need to achieve from the project and what they are looking to gain from our involvement, not the other way around. “Of course it is not just the physical placement but also the hierarchical set-up of the communications intrastructure that needs to be examined. Whilst the top people don’t want to be disturbed on a number of menial tasks, they might at some point need a direct line of enquiry down to someone at the physical edge of the organisation, so for that reason we can build a flexible technology that suits all.” That duty of care stretches to the replacement of damaged or lost equipment, and during last year’s World Cup Riedel Communications handled a massive 500 change requests, at every point providing immediate back-up so that the swift and slick management of the event continued uninterrupted. “The worst thing you can have is a client that is stranded and let down by the system. It does amaze me that there are still companies who pack up and go home at the weekend. There is no excuse, this surely must be a 24-hour business. Riedel‘s rental business uses intercom systems of their own production which have a number of special features which can’t be found on competitors product. For the wireless part Motorola radios are the hardware of choice – both in digital (TETRA) and analog, a factor that has helped them become one of the biggest rental companies for wired and wireless communications systems in the world. Over 6,000 digital TETRA radios were despatched from market leader Motorola to Doha and used by DAGOC, the organising committee for the 15th Asian Games in Qatar, for radio communications at all venues. In close cooperation with its local partner Bond Communications, Riedel also supplied intercoms for all venues, plus shipped more than 24 tons of communications systems to the Games on 77 pallets – a significant impact on the largest sporting event ever held in the Middle East, and one that necessitated a team of 65 Riedel engineers on-site to install and operate the equipment. This ensured a smoothly run operation, and a successful project that networked all venues whilst covering sports and organisational communications as well as the local locations. And Schneider believes that the future will provide no respite in the ongoing search for greater revenue-producing angles at sporting events, which means that Riedel’s impact will only heighten. “Clubs are continually looking to encourage their fans to spend longer around the grounds because they know that this will lead to more revenue being generated. It would be very easy for us to develop some kind of temporary ‘fan radio’ system; a piece of kit that could be thrown away at the end of the day, but that will broadcast on pre-arranged short-term frequencies for 3-5 hours on a matchday. “Maybe there is also closer work to be done with the authorities in helping referees, as we have done in the past in linking them to their assistants via digital Performer party-line systems; so there are many new angles.” Whatever the future holds, Riedel’s systems certainly provide the widest variety of events, television productions, performances or exhibitions with the appropriate wired and wireless intercom systems and crucial ‘behind the scenes’ communication. Combined with extensive project management experience and over 20 years in the business, it is no surprise that Riedel are responsible for over 2,000 successful projects every year. |
| Home|About Us|Contact Us|Advertise With Us|Terms & Conditions |