SITUATION
Pleasure Pier is a premier waterfront entertainment destination for family fun on Galveston Island in Texas. Extending over the Gulf of Mexico, the pier is home to Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, along with classic amusement park rides such as a double-decker carousel, a 100-foot tall Ferris wheel, a roller coaster with a 100-foot tall vertical climb, and a 200-foot tall swing – recognized as the highest ride in Texas.
The most difficult challenge to overcome in this new build audio installation was the length and narrowness of the pier. At 1,130 feet long and 125 feet wide, integrator Chills & Thrills, Inc. (CTI) of Houston, TX was tasked with installing a robust audio in this unusual environment. The system included paging, indoor and outdoor background music, TV and stage audio, pre-recorded message playback, and centralized control for the entire system. More than just being able to monitor the system from a single location, the Pleasure Pier IT team required complete control over the volume of each ride on the pier as well.
SOLUTION
To accommodate the length of the pier, CTI built dedicated IT infrastructure to support the AV system. Five AV rooms were built at appropriate intervals along the pier, all connected via fiber optic cabling, and each room containing the equipment needed to feed the audio for rides, the live entertainment stage, general paging, and TVs located in two event rooms. While the control of the system resides in the dedicated control room, these AV rooms have amplifiers, AudiaFLEX DSPs, switches, and monitoring screens inside for increased system monitoring capability.
Pleasure Pier also wanted the ability to play pre-recorded messages about ride procedures, closures, and emergency messages in case of inclement weather. CTI installed remote controls on specific rides most impacted by weather with these message presets for ease of delivery and consistent messaging.
CONCLUSIONS
The topography of the pier was a unique challenge for both CTI and Pleasure Pier to overcome. By using Audia, CTI built flexibility into the audio solution, and made it possible for them to create a system that could send any audio, to any speaker along the pier. The centralized control made possible with this solution, significantly increased the convenience and ease with which the IT team and staff can manage the audio throughout the amusement park.
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
