"Like for like" replacement set for BC Place Stadium's video board | Daily Hive

"Like for like" replacement set for BC Place Stadium's centre video board

The 2024 CFL Grey Cup at BC Place Stadium. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Pavco, the provincial Crown corporation that operates BC Place Stadium, is pursuing a relatively modest plan to replace the stadium’s aging centre-hung video board.

In April 2024, the provincial government first indicated the existing video board would be replaced, as part of a number of upgrades that will be performed to the stadium ahead of its hosting of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

This week, Pavco issued a Request For Proposal (RFP), launching the bidding process and seeking a contractor to perform the replacement project for the video board.

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The RFP describes this to be a “like for like” replacement that replaces the LED video board panels, and reuses the existing steel/aluminum structural frame and wiring, where possible.

This means that there will be no display size changes to the four-sided, centre-hung video board.

The existing video board has an area of 2,572 sq ft for each of its two long sides (dimensions of 68 ft in width and 37.8 ft in height), and 681 sq ft for each of its two short sides (dimensions of 32.8 ft in width and 20.8 ft in height). All four sides of the video board are made up of a combined total of about 56 LED panels for total video board area of 6,505 sq ft.

In contrast, in 2023, the Vancouver Canucks replaced the centre-hung video board of Rogers Arena, which represents the third such jumbotron fixture for the venue since it was first constructed in 1995. Rogers Arena’s new four-sided video board is about 1,300 sq ft per side — nearly four times larger than the previous 2007-installed video board’s area of 350 sq ft per side.

Diagram of the 2011-installed structural frame for the centre-hung video board of BC Place Stadium. (Geiger Engineers/TS Sports)

Diagram of the 2011-installed centre-hung video board of BC Place Stadium. (Geiger Engineers/TS Sports)

While there will not be any display size differences, Pavco is looking for new video board panels that are lighter in weight and consume less electricity.

BC Place Stadium’s existing video board was installed in 2011, as part of the venue’s massive retrofit that involved the installation of a new retractable roof.

Pavco notes that the existing LED panels were a custom-built and first-generation product, with the panels designed to interlock with the structural frame.

According to the new RFP, the key objective of replacing the video board is to address reliability issues. The video board originally had a seven-year service support contract that readily provided spare parts, but in recent years, it has become “increasingly complicated” to obtain support and the spare parts to keep the equipment running. In April 2024, Pavco officials also noted that the equipment was nearing the end of its lifespan and required frequent makeshift repairs.

The RFP states that the re-use of the existing structural frame and other components better enables installation work to be performed within a shorter period of time between the stadium’s use for events.

Additionally, this upgrade will provide the stadium operators with “fully functional and redundant video display processors capable of controlling and managing the video screens.”

The 2024 CFL Grey Cup at BC Place Stadium. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

53,788 fans attend the 2024 BC Lions home opener at BC Place Stadium, on a day that 50 Cent performed pre-game. (BC Place Stadium)

The contractor will have the option of performing their work sometime between March 3, 2025, and November 21, 2025, or between November 24, 2025, and February 2, 2026, which is the hard deadline for work to be finished.

The first timeline option would enable work to begin after the stadium’s hosting of the World Rugby’s HSBC Vancouver Sevens in February 2025. The project’s contract will be awarded by the end of February 2025.

This RFP replaces Pavco’s previous two Notices Of Intent to directly award the project to ANC Sports Enterprise and Vidcom Communications instead of conducting a wider open procurement process. According to the notices issued in August and September 2024, which were subsequently cancelled, Pavco originally anticipated ANC/Vidcom could complete the work between December 2024 (after Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert dates) and early February 2025 (just in time for Vancouver Sevens).

Previously, it was stated in the notices that the rationale behind a direct contract award to ANC/Vidcom was based on the position both firms hold as the authorized seller of proprietary products for the video board equipment, enabling a “like-for-like” panel replacement “without extra mounting adaptation.

Existing centre video board of BC Place Stadium. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Existing centre video board and turf field of BC Place Stadium. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Existing centre video board of BC Place Stadium. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

The current RFP does not provide a budget, but the previous notices of intent provided a rough ballpark picture of the costs for this type of work by pegging the previous contract value to ANC/Vidcom at $3.4 million, including $3.17 million to ANC and $238,000 to Vidcom.

Other improvements that will be made to BC Place Stadium in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup include the renovation of the three existing small elevators, the potential construction of up to three new additional large elevators, renovations to the Edgewater Lounge on Level 3 that convert it into a new fan zone accessible to everyone under general admission, repurposing BC Sports Hall of Fame’s existing storage space next to the Edgewater lounge into additional spectator areas, converting the food court area on Level 1 into an enclosed purpose-built multi-functional space, and renovations to the old and outdated player dressing rooms and facilities.

The stadium is also set to see the installation of a natural grass pitch in time for the tournament. Pavco officials previously stated a decision has yet to be made on whether the natural grass pitch would be made a permanent feature of the stadium, or whether it would be temporary, with the venue reverting to an artificial turf.

The current artificial turf was installed in early 2022, and it has a lifespan of roughly five years.

Earlier in 2024, Pavco also completed the installation of four new large digital advertising screens outside the stadium, including one replacement at the eastern end of the stadium next to the viaducts.

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