First held in Philadelphia, PA. in 1936, the NFL player prospect draft celebrated another first, eighty-seven years later, in 2023. The premiere NFL off-field, off-season event took place this past April 27 through April 29 and was hosted for the first time since its inception by Kansas City, Missouri, a city itself still buzzing from most recently celebrating a second Superbowl win inside of a four year span for the hometown NFL Kansas City Chiefs.
Activities during the whirlwind three days were held at historic Union Station, Missouri’s secondbusiest train depot providing a unique backdrop for this high-profile, highly anticipated event.
The technology supporting the 88th annual meeting of NFL franchises was a far cry from how the first NFL draft was conducted in the Philadelphia Ritz-Carlton Hotel, where a pool of 90 potential players hoped to be selected by one of the nine teams then in existence for a chance at becoming future legends.
Just a few yards farther from Union Station than a trademark Patrick Mahomes touchdown “bomb”, visitors will find the historic downtown Kansas City Marriott hotel. Though bested by Philly’s Ritz which first lodged guests beginning in 1908, the Marriott trails by less than a first down, yearswise, when its complete history is considered. Known then as the Hotel Muehlebach, the premises initially welcomed guests in 1915. But no differently than NFL teams plagued by stretches of losing seasons, a variety of circumstances led to the Muehlebach’s failure, resulting in its acquisition in 1996 by Marriott Hotels, who planned to include portions of the historic hotel into an extension project for the adjacent Kansas City Marriott Downtown, itself built in 1985, which undoubtedly played a part in bringing on the Muehlebach’s final franchise season.
Today’s Marriott lobby is from the original Hotel Muehlebach, with Marriott having painstakingly lavishly restored many areas faithfully to its period design and also extending restoration to include the Muehlebach’s multiple ballrooms, which actively host functions today.
As a downtown Kansas City landmark, the Marriott, with major portions of its complex classically reflecting a nostalgic pivot toward returning to the 20th century, is as much a destination entity in and of itself, as is the likewise restored spectacular Union Station.
In a bold move that by default, serves to illustrate the contrasting historical periods embraced by Marriott Kansas City Downtown, the decision was made to prominently merge cutting-edge, stateof-the-art display technology with century-old, gaslight-era charm.
Bobby Cardwell, in his 14th season as an A/V sales consultant with Kansas City Audio-Visual (KCAV), was tasked with designing and directing the installation of a massive 35-foot-wide Absen video wall, expected to be operational for the NFL Draft.
Marriott placed a priority on ensuring NFL Draft guests could remain easily apprised of the latest personnel picks, albeit at a pace less hectic than a Chiefs’ defensive blitz, which no doubt was the anticipated experience that would be underway at Union Station.
The video display impressively consumes onehalf of an expansive wall, flanked on each side by Renkus-Heinz narrow profile speaker columns to provide intelligible audio for the auditoriumsized cavernous lobby. While almost 20 feet tall, the video wall renders a comfortable, unimposing feel to those sitting and taking in the view. Eight, DirecTV satellite receivers provide video sourcing to the wall, passing first through AVPro Edge MXNet 1G Evolution II AV-over-IP nextgeneration encoders, with four sources looped out for input into a 4K AVPro Edge AC-MX-44 Matrix Switcher for source-sharing with a Nova Star video processor overseeing video wall image management. Additional displays, strategically located in other parts of the lobby, receive signals on the MXNet 1G EV2 network, but there is no mistaking the starting quarterback for this video team. QSC provides over-control. The system generates a vivid image, precisely detailed with freedom from color banding. Text can be described as tight, with crisp blurfree edges for easy readability, all marquee characteristics desired from a boxcar-sized video display designed for both entertainment and information communication.
Any person unsure of how a more than onehundred-year-old stalwart would adapt to nearfuturistic technology can be clear of conscience and free of lament, as enthusiasm for the video wall maintains the same fervor as for a Chiefs 101-yard kick-off runback.
AVPro Edge would like to thank Bobby Cardwell and KCAV for selecting MXNet 1G Evolution II in tandem with an AVPro Edge HDMI matrix switcher as key players in this all-star installation, unquestionably the next-best place to view a Chiefs game when Arrowhead Stadium is sold out.
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.
