Big Ten football doesn’t take an off-season. So, when Northwestern University needed a place to host home games during construction of their new stadium, they transformed the lakefront into their home turf —and called Insane Impact to light it up.
But this project was no small task, presenting unprecedented challenges that demanded innovative thinking and flawless execution.
"The challenges were immense across the board," remarked Jessie Marks, Chief Revenue Officer at Northwestern. "You don't know what's lurking around the corner. Where were we going to get power? How would we set up the boards? How would we run the feeds to our control room?"
Beyond the logistical hurdles, time was Northwestern's biggest opponent. With only 75 days until the season opener, the pressure was immense.
Charlie Smith, COO at Insane Impact, recognized the ambitious nature of the undertaking: "They were trying to do something crazy. Nobody's ever done something like this before."
The stunning shoreline of Lake Michigan became the canvas for this groundbreaking temporary stadium project. However, the lakefront location created unique sightline challenges that required creative problem-solving for outdoor digital signage.
"We had this spot right on the water... we knew the video boards were going to be on the east side, facing the lake," said Marks. "But we had a big problem: the majority of our seats were in the north and south end zones. We couldn't block a majority of our seats from seeing the video boards."
Understanding that a high-quality LED scoreboard is integral to the gameday experience, our team engineered an innovative dual-display solution.
"We came up with an idea," Smith explained. "We said, 'Hey, we're going to build two scoreboards and angle them slightly to make sure that everybody gets a chance to see them.'"
Our team delivered a dynamic stadium LED screen system that became the centerpiece of Northwestern's lakefront stadium for two complete seasons. Featuring two main video boards, each spanning 40 feet wide by 10 feet deep within their structures. The viewable area of each board measures an impressive 37 feet 9 inches wide by 22 feet tall, constructed from 12 cabinets wide by 7 cabinets tall.
Complementing the main displays, two ribbon LED boards enhance the stadium's visual experience. One is integrated into the double-decker section, and the other is positioned in the endzone. Both ribbon boards are identical, measuring 195 feet 3 inches wide by 37.79 inches tall and are built from 62 individual panels. All displays in this installation deliver crisp, clear visuals with a 10.00mm resolution.
The solution exceeded expectations, providing an exceptional viewing experience regardless of seating location.
"The viewing experience was good for everybody in the stadium," confirmed Marks. "It didn't matter if they were in the endzone or on the sideline."
As a solution-minded company committed to excellence, our team thrived under the pressure of this unprecedented challenge. Our expertise and rapid deployment capabilities proved invaluable to Northwestern's success.
"Insane Impact had that expertise to really say, 'Okay, we've done this before. We've seen it. We can apply it here and get it done for you in a record amount of time,'" Marks recalled.
