A new connected display ecosystem is giving the Belfast arena greater flexibility, stronger fan engagement and an entirely new platform for live content.
More than 500sqm of high-brightness LED. A 200-metre digital ribbon. Four large-format scoreboards. One connected system designed to bring audiences closer to the action.
IUF has completed a major digital transformation at The O2 Belfast, delivering a new technology ecosystem for live entertainment, sport, brand activations and in-venue communications.
Completed for The Odyssey Trust, the project introduces an entirely new level of scale and flexibility to the arena. The integrated infrastructure can adapt to everything from major concerts and entertainment events to Belfast Giants home games, all while remaining straightforward for the venue team to manage.
A digital canvas that surrounds the arena
The centrepiece of the installation is a 200-metre-long, 1.5-metre-high LED ribbon that encircles the arena bowl.
It is joined by four large-format corner scoreboards, each measuring 10 metres by 5.5 metres and providing 55sqm of display space.
Together, the installations create more than 500sqm of connected digital inventory throughout the up to 11,200-capacity venue.
Using 3.9mm pixel pitch, high-brightness Yaham LED technology, the system delivers clear, high-impact content visible across every corner of the arena.
The result is more than a collection of new screens. It is one connected canvas through which The O2 Belfast can build atmosphere, share information, activate commercial partnerships and make digital content part of the event itself.
Craig Barrington, Associate Director of Estates and Facilities at The Odyssey Trust, said:
“The experience our customers have when they come through the doors is central to how we continue to develop The O2 Belfast, and this project represents a significant step forward in what we can deliver inside the venue.
“The sheer scale of the new digital infrastructure is impressive, but what matters most is what it enables us to do. We now have considerably greater scope to use the technology and content to add to the atmosphere and connect audiences with what is happening around them. It also gives us a platform that is much more adaptable, with every event having different requirements. Having more than 500sqm of high-quality digital inventory allows us to work creatively with various internal and external stakeholders to ensure that our customers have the best experience every time.”
One system, built for different experiences
No two events at The O2 Belfast are the same. A live concert, an entertainment production and an ice hockey game each place very different demands on the venue’s technology.
The new infrastructure has been built around that reality.
For concerts and live entertainment, the displays provide an additional creative layer for event content, branding, messaging and visual effects. Promoters and event organisers can use the wider arena, not only the stage, to create a more connected audience experience.
For Belfast Giants home games, the installation brings scoring, content and entertainment together.
A multi-sport scoreboard solution is integrated with the Navori content management system, allowing essential game information to sit alongside dynamic content, fan engagement, partner activations and in-arena entertainment.
The ribbon and scoreboards can work together as one coordinated environment or support different content requirements around the bowl. This gives the venue the flexibility to change how the system is used from one event to the next.
Complex technology, made simple to manage
Delivering more than 500sqm of LED was only one part of the brief. The displays, content management platform and multi-sport scoring technology also needed to operate as one reliable system.
That meant bringing every technical element together while giving the venue team a clear and practical way to manage it.
Josh Bunce, Chief Executive Officer of Merson Digital, commented:
“The O2 Belfast is an iconic venue, and a project that Merson Digital is incredibly proud to be a part of. With a venue that moves between live entertainment and multiple sports, The Odyssey Trust needed a solution that could move with it. Our challenge was to bring more than 500sqm of LED, the venue’s CMS, and a multi-sport scoreboard together into one integrated system that was simple to manage and flexible enough for everything the venue hosts. It was a complex brief, but exactly the kind of challenge our team enjoys solving. A brilliant partnership with The Odyssey Trust and a huge credit to everyone involved.”
Ready for the next event, and the ones after that
The summer-long project was completed in time for the return of arena events and Belfast Giants ice hockey.
It forms part of The Odyssey Trust’s continued investment in The O2 Belfast and the wider site, supporting its ambition to create a more connected, digital-first customer experience.
For IUF, the project demonstrates what stadium and venue technology should do: create impact when the arena is full, give operators flexibility behind the scenes and provide a platform that can keep evolving long after installation.
More than 500sqm of LED now works as one connected ecosystem, ready to change with every game, show and audience that comes through the doors.
