Wachovia Center gets ‘smart’ with new LED screens

By Andrew Lippe

Since its opening, the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia has been a premier venue in the tri-state area, but with its 10th anniversary at hand, both Comcast-Spectacor and ANC Sports Enterprises have renovated the arena by adding a new signage system that includes a state of the-art center-hung scoreboard, a second level of LED boards, and two outdoor LED screens that take the arena to a new dimension.

“Our fans are absolutely going to love watching replays and live game action on our beautiful new scoreboard,” says Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luukko. The new LED screens will provide unobstructed views from all 21,000 seats in the arena.
The scoreboard measures over 3,200 square feet long and features 12 LED video displays in between two circular LED ribbons. It also has 1.07 billion colors on four 11×21-foot 10mm displays, four 8×16-foot 16.5mm virtual scoring/advertising matrices and four smaller 8×7-foot 16.5mm displays. The scoreboard represents only a piece of the new technology installed.

An additional 1,000 linear feet of SmartVision’s 20 mm LED ribbon display was put in place to complement the current ribbon board and generate a new atmosphere to the second floor facade. The ribbon boards roles are getting fans to chant and cheer during games. “The ribbon boards add to the fan experience,”says Eric Nemeth Comcast-Spectacor representative.
All renovations were created to enhance fan excitement but they are also are a huge benefit to sponsors. For example the ribbon boards display energy rings when the Flyers are on the power play. “Ask any Flyers fan what the ‘Peco Power Play’ is and they’ll all know what it is,” Nemeth says.
And the new signage extends outside the arena as well. Two new outdoor 25 mm SmartVision displays will greet fans who enter the arena on Pattison Avenue and truly changes the entire outlook of the arena. “Creativity is a huge part of the game,” says Nemeth.