In summer 2026, the forecourt of Helsinki Music Centre was transformed for 39 days into a stage for international football excitement, urban culture and a diverse programme of live entertainment. Capital AV was responsible for the complete audiovisual delivery of Coca-Cola Fan Zone: two large-format LED screens, a robotic camera system for live production, site-wide sound reinforcement, and lighting for both the main stage and the wider event area. The technology for this long-running outdoor event was designed to serve up to 5,000 visitors each day during Finland’s brightest season and in constantly changing weather conditions.

Coca-Cola Fan Zone was Finland’s first FIFA-licensed fan zone for the FIFA World Cup. Most of the tournament’s matches were shown in the grounds of Helsinki Music Centre, but the 39-day programme offered much more than a traditional football viewing area. Artists performed on the main stage, which also hosted podcasts and player interviews, while the large screens were used for open-air film screenings. A varied selection of food and drink, together with activities for the whole family, made the area a lively all-day summer destination in the heart of Helsinki.

The most visible elements of the technical production were two LED screens of different sizes. The Absen T5 main screen, which formed the visual centrepiece of the event area, measured 15.2 × 6.3 metres – almost 96 square metres – and had a pixel pitch of 5.5 millimetres. Its scale created a stadium-like atmosphere and allowed visitors to follow the action clearly even from long viewing distances.

The second screen measured 4.5 × 2.5 metres and featured a finer 3.9-millimetre pixel pitch. It served viewing areas located closer to the display, where the shorter viewing distance called for a more detailed image surface. Together, the two screens expanded the viewing area and ensured that the programme could be followed clearly from different parts of the site.

The screens needed to perform equally well in bright daylight and as the evenings grew darker. Sufficient brightness, contrast, wide viewing angles and image clarity were key considerations when selecting and dimensioning the LED technology. At the same time, the video system needed to accommodate a wide variety of content, ranging from live sports broadcasts and films to event graphics and stage programming.

A live production system based on remote-controlled robotic cameras was installed to relay the stage programme to the large screens. The cameras captured performances, interviews and other programme content, while also following the presenters as they moved across almost the entire upper courtyard. The live feed brought the performers and programme closer to visitors whose direct sightline to the stage was limited. Together, the robotic cameras, video control and large-format screens transformed the main-stage programme into a shared experience across the entire event area.

The sound system also needed to provide exceptional versatility. During match broadcasts, clear commentary and the crowd’s shared excitement were central to the experience, while concerts required greater power and dynamic range. Podcasts, interviews and other speech-based content, in turn, demanded excellent speech intelligibility. The placement and aiming of the loudspeaker system were designed around the shape of the site, audience capacity and long listening distances, ensuring that sound was distributed as evenly as possible throughout the viewing area.

The main stage hosted programme content that changed almost daily. The same technical system needed to adapt quickly from artist performances to podcast productions, player interviews and audience activations. The audio, video and lighting systems were therefore designed to be flexible and easy to operate, enabling efficient changeovers between different programme segments.

The atmosphere across the site was created through an extensive outdoor lighting installation. Hundreds of metres of warm-toned festoon lighting were installed throughout the grounds of Helsinki Music Centre, helping to define the large event area and create an inviting atmosphere suited to an urban summer event. The lighting connected the viewing areas, food and beverage outlets, social spaces and the different audience activities into one coherent environment.

In addition to the festoon lighting, several dozen outdoor-rated wash fixtures were used throughout the site. They created broad areas of colour, highlighted the event structures and added visual impact as the evenings grew darker. During daylight hours, the lighting primarily supported the performers and camera images. In the evening, it played an increasingly important role in shaping the atmosphere and visual identity of the entire site.

Many of the production’s most demanding solutions remained completely invisible to the audience. The grounds of Helsinki Music Centre provided an excellent setting for a large fan zone, but the scale of the site, changes in elevation, pedestrian routes and structural load restrictions made meticulous advance planning exceptionally important.

Long runs of power, signal, data and fibre-optic cabling were required between the screens, stage, loudspeaker system, cameras and control positions. The hundreds of metres of festoon lighting and the fixtures distributed across the area also required extensive power and data distribution. Cable routes were planned as a complete system so that technology could be delivered safely and as discreetly as possible to every part of the site, without unnecessary cable crossings along public walkways. Accessibility and clear routes for visitors, staff and technical servicing also needed to be maintained.

The site’s load restrictions had a particular impact on the design of the large screen and loudspeaker structures and their ballast systems. The load, placement and weight distribution of every structure had to be carefully matched to the areas available. The structures needed to be safe and capable of withstanding changing weather conditions, while also fitting into the architecturally significant surroundings of Helsinki Music Centre.

Rather than operating for a single event day, the entire system needed to remain fully operational for more than five weeks. Outdoor-rated solutions, weather protection for equipment and connections, carefully managed power distribution and the serviceability of the systems were therefore essential parts of the overall design. The technology needed to perform reliably in heat, rain, bright sunshine and the fading light of late summer evenings – from one day and programme format to the next.

Capital AV’s role was not simply to supply screens, cameras, loudspeakers and lighting fixtures, but to build a fully functioning temporary event infrastructure around them. The result was the transformation of the Helsinki Music Centre forecourt into a large outdoor arena for the summer, where football, music, cinema and shared experiences reached thousands of visitors through one technically unified environment.