AV Case Study: North Wollongong Hotel
A long overdue AV makeover results in this Wollongong hospitality establishment being well prepared to delight guests for years to come.
1 August 2024
The North Wollongong Hotel, popularly known as North Gong Hotel, is a prominent hospitality venue in the heart of Wollongong, NSW. Beloved by locals for its live music nights and vibrant atmosphere, the multi-faceted hotel features a bar, bistro, beer garden, and upstairs function area for private events.
North Gong Hotel management recognised the need to replace its tired and underperforming sound system installed in 2003. Dan Chapman of Data Dan Services has worked with North Gong Hotel for years and was tasked with spearheading the upgrade. Supported by Scott Angove at Audio Brands Australia, a future-proof and sonically superior solution was formed.
“The system that was here was quite outdated,” Dan explains. “We needed to get them into this century, give them control behind the bars, and good quality sound.”
Josh Hill, Venue Manager at North Gong Hotel, understands the role of quality sound in a hospitality institution. “Having good audio is crucial in creating atmosphere in a hotel, and that’s the basis of people having a good time at your venue. The key criteria for this upgrade project was to have full coverage without pushing the music too hard. We’re in a residential area and we don’t want to impact our neighbours.”
INDOOR AUDIO
In most spaces, Optimal Audio Cuboid 8 loudspeakers were deployed. Spacing the speakers fairly close together allowed them to run at a lower level for background music but provide extremely smooth coverage in all areas. When the party’s getting started on a band night or a weekend, the Cuboid 8s are ready to rumble. Headroom is aplenty and the eight-inch drivers offer ample low end.
“Since installing Optimal Audio we’ve seen that the dropout zones are not there anymore,” says Josh. “The quality of sound is really good without the speakers being pushed too hard.”
BEER GARDEN
The requirement for full coverage extended to the large beer garden area which flanks the rear and right sides of the hotel. Weather resistance was also a crucial consideration. The FBT Shadow 108 loudspeakers fit the bill perfectly. Mounted just above head height on walls or on poles, the Shadow 108s encircle the beer garden facing inwards to minimise spill over to the residential zones.
FUNCTION ROOM
Upstairs is a function room that’s hired out for a range of events from baby showers to birthdays to weddings. At one end of the function area is a bar, and at the other end is a stage where singers, DJs or bands can perform to the crowd.
The stage system in the function room is made up of two Optimal Audio Cuboid 12s and an Optimal Audio 15-inch subwoofer. Distributed further down the room are wall-mounted Cuboid 8s to ensure smooth coverage throughout the function space.
WIRELESS MIC
Like every good pub, North Gong Hotel hosts trivia nights. Handheld Mipro wireless microphones make life easy for trivia masters, or even managers or event emcees. Ceiling-mounted receivers allow the mics to be used anywhere across the hotel with perfect reception. “We can use the Mipro mics in the beer garden, in the function room or downstairs for trivia,” says Josh. “All we need to do is flick on the mic, turn it on in the control panel at the bar, and we’re good to go.”
BAND RIG
Live music is a big drawcard at North Gong Hotel. Over the years, the hotel has played host to several up and coming live acts that have gone on to make it on much bigger stages nationwide. A separate sound system for bands and DJs was a must. And because live shows can be set up either inside the hotel or outside in the beer garden, the sound system had to be portable and easy to set up in both spaces.
FBT was once again the system of choice. Two FBT Ventis topboxes a side along with an FBT SubLine 218S subs created a powerful PA system that provides sufficient throw, punch, clarity, and low end to reinforce all manner of live acts without breaking a sweat.
Dan strategically placed patch points both in the beer garden and inside the building so the band’s mix can be fed straight into the audio matrix and routed to any zone across the hotel.
“Since we upgraded from the old club-style speakers to the FBT system we have really good coverage and sound quality for bands. We’re getting comments back from people saying it sounds a lot better than it did.
Josh is pleased to see customers responding well to the improvements. “We’ve had times where we have people dancing at their table out the front of the hotel, inside the hotel. It’s no longer just one space where people are enjoying themselves – it’s now everywhere.”
North Gong Hotel: northgong.com.au
Audio Brands: audiobrands.com.au
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