The 15,000-seat INSPIRE Arena at the new Mohegan INSPIRE Entertainment Resort, located an hour from Seoul on Yeongjong Island at Incheon International Airport in South Korea that aims to attract 3.5 million visitors annually, is outfitted with a sound reinforcement system headed by Meyer Sound PANTHER large-format linear line arrays and a host of supporting components.
INSPIRE Arena is built for an array of entertainment, from concerts to e-sports tournaments. “We have a sound system, a lighting system, and a rigging system,” explains Kevin Reilly, Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment’s Corporate Director of Entertainment Technical Operations. “We designed it so a western act can show up basically with backline and I have sound and lights and video and a stage and barricade all here.”
Reilly, a 27-year Mohegan veteran, says that this rider-friendly approach mirrors that at the organization’s flagship Mohegan Sun resort in Connecticut, which is equipped with Meyer Sound LYON and LEOPARD loudspeakers. “For all of the shows that we’ve done at Mohegan Sun, we don’t hear ‘No, I don’t want to use your LYON/LEOPARD rig,’” he laughs.
INSPIRE Arena’s system incorporates 50 PANTHER loudspeakers joined six LEOPARD compact enclosures, 32 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements, and 32 MJF stage monitors. LEOPARD loudspeakers also serve as front fills. The system offers MILAN capabilities and is managed by a Galileo GALAXY network platform.
Meanwhile, an announcement PA system in the venue incorporates 109 LINA compact linear line array loudspeakers and six 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements. “We tuned the Meyer PA for the main concert PA, and they tuned the announcement PA for sports,” says Reilly. “I told the Meyer team, ‘I want to do comedy, and I need to tie these together. Can you help me make that happen?’ So I essentially have three separate PAs: the concert PA, the sports PA, and a full concert and delay stack system. You have all the tools here to do what you came to do.”
The Meyer Sound components were supplied and installed by Ingang Audio of Seoul, with support from Andrew Poh, Meyer Sound’s Technical Sales Support, Asia; and Charlie Albin, Technical Support Specialist, UK.
“INSPIRE Entertainment Resort, as the name suggests, is a multifaceted entertainment venue where various forms of entertainment are possible,” explains Ingang Audio Senior Director Ilwhan Park. “It was crucial to achieve high-quality sound that customers can consistently experience from any space.”
Meyer Sound equipment also supporst venues throughout the INSPIRE complex, with a LEOPARD loudspeakers at the pedestrian mall’s performance stage, LEOPARD and 900-LFC elements in the main ballroom, and LINA loudspeakers and ULTRA-X40 compact loudspeakers throughout the Splash Bay water park.
“With Meyer Sound speakers installed throughout the INSPIRE Resort, clear and high-quality sound can be experienced in any space, including the arena, the ballroom for events and conferences, Splash Bay, Aurora Bar, and Aurora Street,” says Park. “Furthermore, by installing the same brand in each space, convenience in overall sound system operation and after-sales service were also anticipated.”
The arena soft-opened in December with the 2023 Melon Music Awards show, which was presented in the round using supplemental speakers provided by Sound Alliance Korea.
“I had the opportunity to attend the first main event at INSPIRE Arena, the 2023 Melon Music Awards,” Park says. “The sound experienced throughout the event, utilizing Meyer Sound PANTHER, was truly impressive. This was not just my personal impression, but the innovative sound system was widely recognized by the audience and media covering the event.”
