Two years on from laying the foundation stone, Derby Arena was officially opened to the public on Friday 20 March complete with a sizeable d&b audiotechnik T-Series sound system supplied by Orbital Sound. The new venue incorporates a 250m indoor cycle track - only the fifth of its kind to open in the UK - as well as being designed to stage large cultural events, exhibitions, product launches and conferences, with a seated capacity of up to 3500 and up to 5000 capacity seated and standing.

Derby Arena is a key addition to the city's sporting and cultural facilities, taking the lead as Derbyshire's largest venue. In its capacity as an event venue it comes under the responsibility of Derby LIVE, the Council's entertainment arm, which is responsible for managing all of the venues and outdoor events.

Headed up by Production and Technical Manager Gareth Chell, Derby LIVE was given the task of identifying and installing a new sound system for the venue, as Gareth explains:

"Our aim was to specify a high quality system that would be able to take large scale events in its stride, as well as providing an excellent back-up for incoming tours, who generally bring in their own PA rig.

With such a prestigious brand new venue, we wanted to go for a recognised brand that would inspire confidence for visiting engineers, as well as delivering a great sound in the arena space. We've been using d&b audiotechnik systems for some time, installed in the old Derby Playhouse and in the Assembly Rooms, which had performed extremely well and reliably over a number of years.

For the Derby Arena we felt that the T-Series would be an ideal fit, giving us great audio delivery out of a lightweight and very compact system. Orbital Sound was awarded the contract, extending our existing relationship with the team who have given us excellent support for more than 4 years."