Found in the Etosha National Park wildlife sanctuary in Namibia, Mokuti Etosha Lodge offers authentic campsites to safari lovers and exclusive villas and luxury lodges to those who prize their compfort. The lodge is just a few minutes away from the eastern entrance, the Von Lindequist Gate, and offers guests wildlife encounters within a tropical oasis, making it one of Namibia’s most popular downtime destinations.
Owned by the O&L Group, the lodge recently complpeted an extensive audiovisual makeover, designed and delivered by Stage Audio Works (SAW) Namibia. As part of the project, SAW Namibia completely re-imagined Mokuti Etosha’s conference space and enhanced the surrounding pool and bar areas with easy-to-use audio and lighting control systems.
‘O&L Leisure is a loyal client of ours and we wanted to assist them in offering their guests the highest level of audio and visual services,’ says Stage Audio Works Namibia General Manager, Johadrie de Villiers. ‘Whether there is great sound quality when guests are shopping for souvenirs in the gift shop, lounging next to the pool, dining in the restaurant, attending an event or when they need to conduct a video conference call whilst on holiday, Mokuti Etosha now has the technical infrastructure to offer its guests all of this and more.’
SAW Namibia devised a conferencing solution using equipment from Crestron, Sennheiser, Xilica and Audac. The existing conference centre at was demolished to make way for the new space, which comprises a stand-alone experience centre with wired and wireless presentation capabilities, BYOM video conferencing and basic room control with touchpanel control of lights and the display.
The conference experience centre features Crestron’s wall-mount touchscreen and a Poly Studio video conferencing solution. A Samsung QB 75-inch Class HDR 4K UHD professional display smart LED screen is used to display content. A new multi-purpose divisible conference room with multiple camera angles also required BYOM video conferencing and local Bluetooth audio playback, all controlled from a wall-mounted touchpanel in the two conference rooms. SAW Namibia automated room configuration changes in divisible environments using Crestron Cresnet partition sensors linked to a control processor. This streamlined operations, enhanced efficiency, and optimized space use without manual intervention. The system also brings energy efficiency benefits by adjusting environmental settings based on occupancy.
One of the most significant changes to the space is the camera tracking offered by three 1Beyond AutoTracker 3 Presenter high-quality intelligent PTZ automatically tracking cameras together with three 1Beyond PTZ cameras and four Sennheiser Team Connect Ceiling 2 microphones, which are controlled via a wall-mounted touchscreen.
‘We selected Sennheiser and Crestron for this project due to our longstanding partnership and unwavering confidence in their audio and video solutions respectively, particularly for conferencing’ de Villiers says. ‘The inclusion of Crestron’s 1Beyond camera tracking technology significantly enhances the lodge’s event offerings, particularly with its automatic video tracking capabilities.
‘The conferencing venue is quite spacious and it was a concern that the attendees seated furthest could have difficulty seeing the speaker at the end of the hall,’ she continues. ‘When streaming or recording of a conference was needed, Mokuti Etosha didn’t want to hire in an additional camera crew. What we have supplied ensures that all event attendees can both see and hear the speaker clearly from anywhere in the room. It also improves the inclusivity for remote participants.’
Together with the overhaul of the lodge’s conference offering, SAW Namibia designed and installed new sound and lighting control systems for the pool bar and restaurant at Mokuti Etosha, as well as a distributed background music system across the extended retail and pre-assembly areas. The pool bar benefits from multiple Audac six-inch ALTI surface-mount loudspeakers and Crestron’s SAROS 8-inch in-ceiling loudspeakers, which are powered by an Audac CAP424 amplifier. The sound is controlled by a Xilica Lucia 2 wall controller that fits discreetly into the lodge’s aesthetics. Additionally, Xilica’s Solaro QR1 DSP provides audio processing and optimisation.
In the restaurant, SAW Namibia supplied a Crestron DALI interface, managed by VC4 Crestron Virtual control with a Crestron Cameo keypad for centralised lighting control. The retail and pre-assembly areas both feature two Audac CIRA 8-inch ceiling loudspeakers each, alongside a Xilica Lucia 2 for control.
‘Aside from the conferencing technology, Mokuti Etosha wanted a reliable, high-quality system for background music, which is what we supplied using reliable technology from Audac, Crestron and Xilica,’ de Villiers explains.
‘The lodge is one of the most magical places to stay close to the Etosha National Park and the solutions we provided ensure that guests can get the utmost from their trip whether they’re staying for business or pleasure. The project was not without its challenges, but we persevered and the client is thrilled with the end result.’
‘The refurbishment has truly elevated the entire authentic Mokuti Etosha, Africa reimagined experience,’ Sven Thieme, MD of O&L Leisure and Executive Chairman, reports. ‘We aimed not only to cater to holidaymakers and sun-seekers but also at enhancing the experience for conference attendees, wedding parties and any other special events hosted at Mokuti Etosha. The essence of Africa reimagined extends far beyond leisure; it’s an experience fit for royalty, transcending the boundaries of traditional holiday destinations.’
More: www.stageaudioworks.com
