Palm Beach Aquatic Centre Case Study

This Gold Coast-based aquatic centre turns to The Prestige Group to dive into an AV capability that keeps pace with a busy community hub

When Palm Beach Aquatic Centre reopened in October 2024, the City of Gold Coast wasn’t unveiling a touch-up. This was a wholesale rebuild: the 50-metre pool is the only survivor, everything else is new. Alongside a learn-to-swim pool, hydrotherapy pool, and splash pad, are a gym, group fitness rooms, café, crèche, and a fully-fledged community centre.

The brief: create a community hub that feels energetic, welcoming, and safe. The AV had to underpin the atmosphere.

Rip it Up, Start Again

The original consultant drawings spec’ed a simple 100V paging system with a single reception mic. The Prestige Group’s Nathan Wright took one look and knew it would be hopelessly inadequate. With multiple zones, diverse programs, and user groups with contrasting needs, Palm Beach Aquatic Centre required an integrated, flexible, multi-zone approach. “The original spec was really just an EWIS system with a single microphone at reception to do the whole venue, which was never going to cut it,” recalls Nathan.

Prestige started afresh, with a multi-zone solutions that sees JBL commercial loudspeakers installed across the precinct.

>> JBL AWC82 all-weather cabinets can handle the humidity and the chlorine of the indoor pool areas.

JBL takes the Plunge

The JBL loudspeaker deployment spans the entire venue, with 12 x JBL CBT70 column speakers doing the work in areas that need full-range high-energy coverage. “The CBT70s are very focusable, with even dispersion,” explains Nathan Wright. “They also fit the design of the venue: they look the part mounted on the lighting poles. They have plenty of grunt, sound great, with a full frequency response, and are resistant to salt and water.”

JBL AWC82 all-weather cabinets along with dozens of JBL Control series in-ceiling and surface mount loudspeakers provide the coverage required in other areas. “I’ve had really good success with the AWC range at other venues – they’ve just been a very reliable, solid speaker,” notes Nathan.

All up, there are 40-plus audio zones, which provide the centre the granular control required for paging and for instructors to address on specific areas.

>> JBL CBT70 column loudspeakers in pole position.

PHILIPS on Display

On the visual side, a suite of Philips B-Line 4K professional displays sit in reception, the gym, the café and elsewhere. Under the watchful eye of PPDS’s CMND platform and with BrightSign media players, they run live timetables, promotions, and centre messaging. The Philips displays can also take an IPTV feed via the onboard network port.

“I needed a commercial-grade product that could run 16 hours a day,” explains Nathan Wright. “Something that could be centrally managed, and natively handle IPTV – the install didn’t provide for coax… network connections only. The Philips product ticked those boxes. The CMND back end makes updates and scheduling changes easy, and allows us to remote in from our office. Every display on site is on the network.”

>> Philips Professional Displays B-Line commercial displays at the reception desk handling signage duties.

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Palm Beach Aquatic Centre

This Gold Coast-based aquatic centre turns to The Prestige Group to dive into an AV capability that keeps pace with a busy community hub

Rip it Up, Start Again

JBL takes the Plunge

PHILIPS on Display

Sounding like Success

JBL Professional Articles

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