Ben Da Costa, Bendac

BEN DA COSTA CO-FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR, BENDAC

Innovators of Visual Technology

Images: Bendac

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even years ago, David Da Costa and I set up Bendac to take LED display solutions to the next level. The business was grown to be more than just a sales operation – our vision was to have engineers, project managers, account managers, and more. With our state-of-the-art UK showroom, located in the West of England, it allows the whole Bendac team to deliver a customisable, hands-on approach in creating LED solutions. We always believed this was the right way, especially when you have clients spending a huge chunk of budget on LED displays without ever seeing the technology or meeting the team that will be installing it. For the sports industry in particular, it’s something that we feel is vital. Everything else within the industry is precise and focussed on the marginal gains when on the pitch – and that’s how we want to help clubs and sporting venues approach it off the pitch, too. So, that’s why we’ve always invested in our team. We pride ourselves in being innovators of technology, providing full turnkey solutions to enhance venues. From design and manufacturing, all of the framework, shipping the products, expertly installing them, offering maintenance and support, right through to even producing the content – it’s all done in house, from concept to completion.

COVERING EVERY STEP OF THE LED VISION

To breakdown what we provide within our full turnkey solution, from a design point of view, we offer a digital auditing service, which will involve us visiting a sporting venue and taking a look at what digital assets are there already. We take an in-depth look at what a club has and help them to work out if it is fulfilling the needs of the venue itself. It’s not just a case of providing new LED screens. If they have great LED technology already, we know that we can assist in the making the most of it – and that’s something that a lot of our clients really appreciate. From there, we move onto the design, in which we take on a brief from a client and deliver the perfect solution for the LED displays – and that includes the framework, cabling, power and data infrastructure. We can do a content management plan, too, looking at integration between screens, for example. Other software the club is running can also be taken into consideration - whether it’s ticketing or the shop, for example – we will look at taking that information and displaying it on the screens. We then manage the whole manufacturing process and carry out extensive testing on the kit. Once it’s ready, we’ll look at the logistics and ensure the products arrive safely. As part of the process, our engineers, overseen by our installation leads, will get the framework and infrastructure in place for a full Bendac installation of the designs that the client has signed off. Once the LED displays are in, on some projects, we will also provide content. This could be in-bowl animations in relation to the on-pitch action or abstract visuals for hospitality areas. We have designers in house that deliver the content based on what the client needs around the venue. Finally, we have our maintenance and support,

which is carried out by the same engineers that have installed the system. We have two service level agreement options - Prevent and Unlimited. The former is an annual service with remote support, while the latter offers a callout option, which guarantees an engineer there within 72 hours, or 24 hours with an upgraded package. We also offer match-day operations services, too, which we do at the likes of Glamorgan Cricket Club.

A YEAR OF GROWTH

It’s been a full year of trading since the last COVID restrictions eased – and Bendac grew quite significantly during the pandemic, so we targeted 2022 as a year to get more projects off the ground. We’ve really grown our engineering resource as part of this. We’re doing a great job in winning projects, so we really wanted to ensure we have the right level of resources to fulfil those on time and on budget – something that we really pride ourselves on. However, while this was definitely a big year for Bendac, we’re going to be even busier as we head into 2023.

PROJECTS AND PARTNERSHIPS

There are lots of different projects going on for the Bendac team. For Bath Rugby, we refreshed some of the existing assets to keep offering that enhanced match-day experience for the fans. Then, over at Home Park for Plymouth Argyle,

we’ve completed a big infrastructure project, which involved moving seats to make room for a big LED display. We also have the digital revamp at Stamford Bridge, which is being completed in line with Chelsea’s plans to deliver more than just a 90-minute experience on match days. It’s not just replacing existing assets, which we did for the club at the back end of 2020 through to 2021, as the club are now focussing on what can be done in the F&B and hospitality areas of the stadium. They want fans to come earlier than just ten minutes before kick-off, so it’s about providing the experience that makes them want to be there. We’ve provided displays throughout the concourse and hospitality areas, enabling the club to entertain fans with the early or late kick-offs, depending on when Chelsea are playing. We’ve announced our new, two-year partnership with Gloucester Rugby, too, with Bendac set to feature on the front of the team’s European shirt. That’s part of a branding campaign as we look to expand our services beyond the UK and grow into the Irish and French market. We’re doing some great work in the luxury markets in Netherlands and Turkey, but we want to push the brand even further in Europe. FUTURE PLANS

As mentioned earlier, we’re still doing work at Stamford Bridge, with the team working right up until Christmas, so more will be announced after the World Cup break as the club take its fan experience to the next level. Another area we’re really excited about is our focus on the perimeter displays. AFC Wimbledon is our existing perimeter client, though we’re now in serious discussions with two more Football League clubs. As opposed to some of the more traditional methods of either having an outright purchase or having to take on media rights, so the clubs don’t get the full revenue, we’re proposing a solely leased model, in which the clubs can have it as a monthly expenditure. They maintain 100% of the revenue from the advertising – there is just the cost of the actual perimeter display from Bendac. That’s what we’ll be looking to launch soon, so watch this space!

LED AND THE FAN EXPERIENCE

Sport is having to get a lot smarter than just LED screens in stadiums that show the score, or showing that a goal or try has been scored. If that’s all clubs are using LED for, then it’s certainly not worth the investment, in all honesty. As is often mentioned, fan experience is the key to it all. It’s not just a buzzword or passing fad – when fans are paying money for a ticket, they are entitled to ask what is being provided for that cost. Now, with more and more America executives moving to UK and European clubs, we’re seeing the NFL, NBA and NHL-style influence on the venues. It’s very much the bigger, brighter and bolder, the better in terms of display technology. Beyond that, it’s asking what the fan is expecting in terms of information. Is it more detail and statistics on players? Can the messaging and visuals really impact the atmosphere? This is now all being considered – and changing the way LED displays are seen as part of that experience. You just need to watch the World Cup in Qatar – you’ve got dugouts covered with LED displays showing graphics, team names, branding and so on. The sport industry is getting really creative with it, and Bendac want to be at the very forefront of that – delivering the right technology, enhancing the experience for the fans and offering a return on investment for the clubs that work with us.

Game day is more than just the game itself; it’s the atmosphere that keeps the fans coming back. At Henderson, our designs enhance the fan experience, offering an immersive, memorable game day unlike any other. It’s why teams from the NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS, and NCAA trust us to design their state of the art facilities.

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THE FULL PITCH

012 Xcel Energy Center | Minnesota, USA

020 World Gymnastics Championships | Liverpool, England

030 MVM Dome | Budapest, Hungary