Whether discussing its architectural design or its forward-thinking support services, "smart" is the best word to describe the Overland Park Convention Center (OPCC), the motto for which is, "Not just a new convention center, a new standard in convention centers."

The convention complex, located just outside Kansas City, in Overland Park, KS, includes an open and airy exhibition center and the adjoining Sheraton hotel. Systems integrator Harvest Productions of Kansas City, MO designed, configured and installed the AV system.

The 237,000-square-foot OPCC is comprised of two expansive levels of exhibition space, meeting rooms, pre-function space and amenity/dining areas. To handle audio for both this facility and the hotel, Harvest Productions specified a MediaMatrix-based system during the planning stages of the OPCC.

The original OPCC production design, drafted by Austin, TX-based Boner Associates, called for a more traditional routing/matrixing system. Harvest submitted their value-engineered MediaMatrix solution, at the request of the owner, to the consultant, which was accepted as a substitution. Harvest Productions founder and co-owner Robert Ditsch recalled, "By using MediaMatrix we met and exceeded the job specification, therefore providing greater flexibility in room combining and automatic mixing of all microphones within the spaces, for a total of 24 channels of automatic mixing in the larger room."

Harvest laid out a design that integrated the entire convention complex using CobraNet running on a fiber optic backbone. "Because we installed a fiber backbone between the hotel and convention center, each building can pick up any microphone input or any room's output on the system and act as an overflow, if desired," Ditsch said.

Harvest Productions
816.483.3889

MediaMatrix
www.mediamatrix.peavey.com