CREATION
March 2018
15
Riedel’s successful 2018 Winter Games
This is not Riedel’s first Winter Games.
Can you tell us about your previous en-
gagements?
Marc Schneider: We are proud of our track
record supporting large-scale multi-sport
events, including local, regional, continen-
tal and global Games. We have provided
everything from wired and wireless digital
intercom systems such as Artist, Performer
and Bolero; to audio-, video-, data-, and
signal-distribution networks such as Medior-
Net and RockNet.
We have also provided CCTV accredita-
tion and general IT solutions. Among the
stakeholders are local event organisers, pro-
duction companies, host and right-holding
broadcasters, international press, timing
and A/V suppliers, and many more. These
customers value Riedel’s vast experience
with large-scale events and our ability to
deliver outstanding solutions within their
time frames and budgets. moving parts, it is critical to maintain good
working relationships with key decision-
makers. We also never underestimate the
advance work that is necessary to support
a global project. Factors such as unfamiliar
event formats, complex purchasing proce-
dures, and compliance with local govern-
ance, rules and regulations mean that each
project requires an individual approach. And
always, you are only as good as your last
project; this industry is unforgiving if there
is a failure.
What is your receipt for success in sup-
porting large events?
Schneider: With events that have many Can you tell us more about the major
challenges of supporting these events,
especially regarding the fact that you
Marc Schneider, senior
director, global events, Riedel
Communications, discusses the
company’s preparations leading
up to the 2018 Winter Games.
50 years on, Clear-Com still
connecting people
As Clear-Com celebrates its 50th
anniversary this year, Bob Boster (left),
president of Clear-Com, tells APB how five
decades of intercom innovation continues
to connect people from across various
industries, including broadcast.
Clear-Com is celebrating its Golden Ju-
bilee this year. What are some of the key
changes that have taken place across the
pro-audio industry over the last 50 years,
and what do you expect to change over
the next 50?
Bob Boster: The period of creativity which
sparked the development of Clear-Com 50
years ago was the beginning of an incredible
era of technological advancement. Micro-
electronics development allowed all kinds of
interesting innovations, culminating in the in-
vention of the Internet and mobile telephony.
These same changes created an explosion
in professional audio, and now everyone has
a world-class audio and video production
suite at their fingertips on their phone. This
has dramatically lowered the barrier to entry
for all kinds of people to produce content
of all sorts.
Clear-Com has focused on communica-
tions tools that allow people to intercom-
municate during live productions and events.
❝ The biggest areas of
dynamism in our business are
IP technologies and wireless
… We are still manufacturing
solutions which are backward-
compatible to our initial
offerings 50 years ago. ❞
We take a lot of pride in the different kinds
of events we facilitate like major news broad-
casts, concerts and sporting events, and
specialised real-time team collaborations
of all sorts. In the next 50 years, we believe
we will still be coordinating communication
between people who are working together
collectively to accomplish amazing things – it
is just the ways in which we connect them
that are likely to continue to change.
Broadcast is also one industry that Clear-
Com has grown to serve over the years.
Which key technology developments do
you expect to have the greatest impact on
what the company can offer the broadcast
industry in 2018 and beyond?
Boster: The biggest areas of dynamism in
our business are IP technologies and wire-
less. Both these areas are undergoing a lot
of change – that said, it is important to point
out we are still manufacturing solutions
which are backwards compatible to our
initial offerings 50 years ago. There are not
many companies that can say that, and we
take pride in that fact. These days, we find
that most of our broadcast customers do not
want to be experts in communications, so ul-
timately our biggest contribution is knowing
how to deliver the kinds of capabilities they
require, and serving (along with our partners)
as consultants or collaborators with them in
designing and deploying the solutions they
need to do their jobs.
often have to go into unknown territory?
Schneider: After 30 years of experience,
adapting to the unknown — inc