Neal S. Blaisdell Center Event Production Services
AVS Audio Visual Services Hawaii provides audio, LED video, projection, cameras, lighting, and technical crew for events at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, from Arena concerts and high school graduations to Exhibition Hall trade shows and Hawaiʻi Suite breakouts.
Unlike a hotel ballroom, the Blaisdell is a 22-acre, city-owned campus between King Street and Kapiʻolani Boulevard, with several distinct venues. Each one has its own acoustics, sightlines, and house procedures. A recent city renovation also updated much of the campus, including the Arena's house lighting and grid, telecommunications infrastructure, the Hawaiʻi Suite, and the Concert Hall's back-of-house. Our team builds each production around the specific building you've booked and advances every detail with Blaisdell staff before load-in.
Clear Sound in a Round Arena
The Arena's circular, multi-purpose bowl puts audience members on several sides of the stage, so loudspeaker placement has to cover the seats without washing sound across the hard surfaces of the room. For concerts, school graduations, and large assemblies, AVS designs d&b audiotechnik systems with delays and fills aimed at real seating zones, mixed on Yamaha digital consoles. For graduations, we pay special attention to name readings and speeches, so families in the loge hear every name clearly.
The Exhibition Hall presents a different challenge: a flat floor with constant crowd noise from booths and conversation. There, we zone the audio so a general session stage can be heard without overpowering exhibitors nearby. Shure Axient Digital wireless, RF coordination, and intercom tie it all together. In the Concert Hall, we work with the existing house systems and theatrical procedures. In flexible rooms like the Pīkake Room, we bring a system sized to the program.
Keeping the Stage Visible From Every Seat
In an arena-style room, many seats face the stage from the side or from far away, so our video plan starts with the worst seat, not the best one. AVS combines INFiLED 2.6mm LED walls, Barco 4K laser projection, and Sony HDC-3100 camera systems for IMAG. Presenters, performers, and graduates crossing the stage stay visible from the loge.
On the Exhibition Hall floor, the same video system can feed a main stage, sponsor screens, and overflow viewing in the Hawaiʻi Suite, with recording and playback for on-demand content after the event.
Lighting Matched to the Program
One week the campus might host a corporate keynote, the next a concert or a hula competition, so AVS adapts lighting to both the building and the event. That can mean camera-ready key light for an Exhibition Hall keynote, intelligent fixtures and concert looks in the Arena, or supplemental lighting that works with the Concert Hall's theatrical lighting and follow-spot positions. We provide fixtures, control, branded washes and gobos, and experienced operators. When a lighting design needs to fly, we manage the rigging advance with the venue's required rigging provider, including weight advisement and logistics, so the plan works within the venue's procedures.
Which Blaisdell Space Fits Your Event?
The right space depends on audience size and format: the Arena for concerts, graduations, and large assemblies; the Exhibition Hall for trade shows and banquets; the Concert Hall for seated performances; and the Hawaiʻi Suite or Pīkake Room for smaller programs.
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Exhibition Hall: Approximately 65,000 square feet of open floor for trade shows, banquets, and large meetings. AVS supports general session stages, zoned audio, sponsor displays, and exhibitor presentation needs.
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Arena: Honolulu's circular, multi-purpose arena for concerts, graduations, sporting events, and large assemblies. Audio, IMAG, LED, and stage placement are planned as one system so every seat in the bowl gets a good view and clear sound, with any flown elements coordinated through the venue's rigging provider.
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Concert Hall: A fixed-seat performing arts hall, recently refreshed behind the scenes. Added production integrates with the theatrical infrastructure, stage conditions, and established house procedures.
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Hawaiʻi Suite & Meeting Rooms: Twelve 22′ × 30′ breakout rooms on the first floor that can be combined or opened to the Exhibition Hall for an extra 8,100 square feet, well suited to concurrent sessions, green rooms, and production offices. AVS supplies matched projection and audio packages so every room delivers the same presenter experience.
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Pīkake Room: A flexible room of about 4,200 square feet that works as a small theater or for meetings, catered events, and specialty programs.
The Advantage of a Team Based on Oʻahu
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Kapolei inventory, a direct H-1 drive away: Gear for an extra breakout room or additional wireless channels comes from our Oʻahu warehouse, not a mainland freight shipment.
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Advance done before show day: We work with the Blaisdell team on access, loading, power, house systems, internet, and security, and manage rigging logistics with the venue's approved provider, so show day has no surprises.
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One partner at any scale: The same team can handle a Pīkake Room seminar or a full Arena production.
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A local lead for mainland producers: Touring teams, agencies, and corporate planners get an on-island technical partner who knows the campus.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an outside AV company produce an event at the Blaisdell Center?
Yes. AVS works alongside the Blaisdell team and integrates with house-controlled systems where the venue requires it. During the advance, we confirm access, loading, power, patching, internet, and security with the facility, and coordinate any rigging through the venue's required provider.
What AV does a graduation at Blaisdell Arena need?
Most graduations need clear speech coverage throughout the bowl, wireless microphones for speakers and name readers, IMAG screens so families can see each graduate, and lighting for the stage and photos. Many schools also add recording or livestreaming for relatives who can't attend.
How is trade show audio handled on a busy exhibit floor?
We zone the system. The general session stage gets focused coverage aimed at its seating area, while exhibitor areas stay at conversation-friendly levels. That way presentations can be heard without drowning out booth activity across the rest of the floor.
Can you work with the Concert Hall's existing house systems?
Yes. In the Concert Hall, we work with the existing house systems and theatrical procedures. In flexible rooms like the Pīkake Room, we bring a system sized to the program.