Case Study
Window intercom systems create clear communication at Dubai Expo 2020
October 2021
– Case Description
The Dubai Expo 2020 is a global showcase where more than 190 nations are spotlighting their greatest tourist attractions, discoveries, and ambitions in dedicated pavilions.
Eight years in the making and more than a year late due to COVID, Expo 2020 will attract hundreds of thousands of people over the next five months. With so many visitors, organisers needed to make sure communication at the ticket booths is crystal clear, to move people through efficiently.
A consultation process started in 2018 involving Contacta’s technical design team and Topland, the partner in the region. Topland was contracted to supply and install 119 window intercom systems in Expo 2020 ticket offices.
Project Summary
Meeting hygiene requirements
Expo 2020 requested that speakers and microphones were not fixed to the customer side of the counters. They wanted it to be possible to bring the equipment back in at night for hygiene reasons.
This presented a unique challenge as a suitable portable solution had to be designed.
“We are used to tailoring our systems to a client’s requirements but this was a new one for us,” said Ran Meyrav, Head of New Business Development at Contacta.
“We came up with a design that involved mounting the STS-S70 speaker and small ‘mouse’ microphone onto a specially made acrylic strip. This could be positioned at the correct distance and brought inside through the ticket office hatch windows.”
Containing conversation
The ticket offices are located across the site and each one has between three and 12 windows. With staff sea
The installation team had to ensure volume in and volume out were exactly right. Levels needed to be sufficient to be easily heard but low enough to prevent feedback and stop customers’ voices from being picked up by the microphone on the next window. This was achieved by the adjustments of both volume levels in the Contacta A31H amplifiers.ted less than a metre apart, the next issue to overcome was the potential disturbance from one ticket window to another.
To make the sound even clearer for staff, each position has a Contacta break out box with headset.
Project Highlights
Tailor made portable speech transfer system solution designed
119 STS-S70 speaker pods and STS-M70-1 mouse microphones installed
119 STS-A31H Speech Transfer Amplifiers fitted
STS-SJB-RJ Break Out Boxes used to be able to connect the headsets from staff side
SC-230 Headsets with microphone supplied to allow staff to converse clearly with customers
Final Result
Efficient installation
Despite tight delivery times, Contacta made sure all of the units arrived on site for Topland to install them in time for the opening ceremony.
“I honestly don’t know how to thank you for this. The intercom systems are great and clear. Our Deputy Head tested them today and gave very positive feedback. “Thank you for your hard work in making sure the intercoms were delivered and installed on time prior to the event.”
-Manager, Ticket Operations Dubai Expo 2020.
But that wasn’t the end of their work on-site.