The discipline of 3X3 basketball is fast, modern, and exciting. Three players per team compete against each other, playing on one hoop, and a game has 10 net playing minutes or ends when one of the teams reaches 21 points. 3X3 basketball has already become a tradition in Austria, as the Olympic Qualification (2021 in Graz), the European Championship (2022 in Graz), and now the World Championship (2023 in Vienna) have all been held in the country.
For this event, Highend-Soundworks was chosen as the partner for technical planning, and, as in 2021, the GETEC Group was brought on board as the technical service provider to bring the two-week event to the court.
Since the event is not only a spectacle on-site but also for TV viewers around the world, lighting designers Patrick Pichlmair from Highend-Soundworks and Jakob Gailhofer from GETEC Eventtechnik have opted for the new SmartArena spotlights this year.
We reached out and lighting designer Patrick Pichlmair commented on the switch: “Due to the fact that the new spotlights were already used by GETEC for the mega-event ‘RedBull Play Streets,’ where they provided excellent results in illuminating an entire location, the choice for SmartArena was quite easy. The system convinced me as an illumination solution for sports areas in TV applications.”
Jakob Gailhofer commented on the project: “The main reason for the decision was that the lights are 100% flicker-free even in super slow-motion TV recordings. It’s remarkable that we were able to perfectly illuminate the court with a relatively small number of spotlights and targeted light distribution. The illumination could be further optimized with the interchangeable lenses.”
Patrick Pichlmair, co-founder of Highend-Soundworks, was very satisfied with the result. He said everything worked well and that there are currently few comparable spotlights on the market. The uniform illumination of the playing field was easily achievable, and the lamps’ outdoor capabilities made it very practical. He sees the future in further merging arena lighting with show lighting to create more possibilities for designing lighting concepts for sports events.
On the sporting side, the two Austrian teams surprised everyone by reaching the quarterfinals. There was much praise from various sides for the organizers: “I’ve been to a World Cup six times, and this is the best one I’ve ever experienced,” said Austria’s men’s coach Milan Isakov. SmartArena is definitely looking forward to lighting up more 3×3 basketball events in the future.
FACTS:
- 1500 lux on the match court.
- Number of lights used: 20 units (to minimize player glare).
- The lamps’ outdoor capabilities were highly practical.
- Super slow-motion was 100% flicker-free.
- Lighting design was carried out by Highend-Soundworks.
- The spotlights were produced in Styria.
GENERALLY:
Organizer: Austrian Basketball Federation, Canovagasse 7/2, A-1010 Vienna, Website: www.basketballaustria.at
Sporting Execution: FIBA – International Basketball Federation, Route Suisse 5, 1295 Mies, Switzerland, Website: www.fiba.basketball
Technical Service Provider: Getec Eventtechnik GmbH, DI Jakob Gailhofer, Neupauerweg 30, 8052 Graz, Website: www.getec-group.com.
Technical Planning: Highend-Soundworks, Andritzer Reichsstraße 62, 8045 Graz
Equipment Used: SmartArena Tera GEN3r LED Floodlights by Preworks GmbH, Website: www.preworks.at
Photo Credit 1 – Photos 1, 2, 3, and 5: Andreas Pichler (office@aphotography.at) Website: www.aphotography.at
Photo Credit 2 – Photo 4: Martin Pröll (Proellography / office@proellography.com)
SmartArena Sales and International Support: Preworks GmbH, Website: www.smart-arena.com
