IKH Areena is a multipurpose sports venue located in the town of Kauhajoki, Finland. Opened in October 2022, it is home to the professional basketball team Karhubasket, which plays in the highest national tier – drawing thousands of fans to its home games – and serving as a meeting place for the town’s 13,000 citizens.
The space comprises three restaurants, a lobby, six VIP sections, one big conference room, a gym for the team, dressing rooms, and the court on which they play.\
Solution
A few AV equipment companies were considered, but ultimately Kramer was selected. In addition to scoring top marks for its products’ capabilities and ease of use, Kramer’s local presence and support were a major plus, helping make Kramer the top choice. Its local presence and Finnish-language support were priorities for both the system integrator, Luova Tehdas, and the customer.
Luova Tehdas began designing the AV solution before the arena was built, opting for an AVoIP system. “You can achieve so much more with AVoIP and send anything to anywhere,” says Antti. “It is such a simple solution, yet it allows us to do much more than with a basic matrix system. Plus, it’s more flexible, and we can scale up if needed.”
The comprehensive system includes 50 KDS-7 encoders and decoders, and Kramer Control with SL-240C and KT-1010 touch panels. To complete the solution, the Kramer equipment was connected to high-end speakers and amplifiers, and screens from various manufacturers.
Value
Ville Nurminen, Technical Manager and AV Operator for Karhubasket, is more than satisfied with the arena’s AV system, and is particularly pleased with the ease of use, versatility, support, and quality.
“The setup is really easy to use, which was one of the main points, as we didn´t want to have a specialist in the arena at all the times,” he says. “Luova Tehdas did a good job of making the user-interface friendly. Having a couple of iPads with the Kramer software installed is also a great feature as users don´t have to go to the control room; you can see that everything is working smoothly from the iPad,” he continues.
Antti is also a fan. “Since the Kramer system is so intuitive and easy to use it has also reduced support calls. And with the ability to make changes online, we’ve been able to provide remote support.” This, of course, is a significant time and cost saver for both Karhubasket and Luova Tehdas.
Installation came with some added challenges as the integration team had to wait for construction to be completed, which was finally done just one month before the opening game. Despite the tight schedule, the AV system was live in time, helping create a great start for the new arena.
Antti recalls: “We had great support from the local Kramer office, and we could call our Kramer Account Manager at any time – he also called us and asked how things were going.” He adds: “He is not just a guy that we buy from, we now consider him a friend.”
With huge global shortages plaguing many AV companies at the time, Antti was impressed that all Kramer equipment was delivered on time, hassle free.
The Kramer AV system has proven to be extremely reliable, which is essential in a live game environment. The arena’s IT team is happy, and each game’s audience gets a far more entertaining and immersive experience.
In addition, the goal of a customizable solution has paid off, with Karhubasket’s AV team’s ability to easily modify the panels as needed.
Best of all, Karhubasket’s expectations have been fully met. As Ville says: “I can only recommend Kramer. There is nothing in the system that is not as promised. With Kramer, there’s no false promises.”
Antti also rates Kramer highly as a partner: “Kramer has been there every step of the way. They have great local support and service. And products in stock. I also think the reliability is important: everything works, and the quality is impressive.”
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.
