Sydney Showground Reveals Infrastructure Upgrades

Spice caught up with Sydney Showground general manager Peter Thorpe to find out what’s in store for the year ahead.

What are the planned infrastructure upgrades?The main upgrades include site-wide fibre and data cable upgrade, kitchen equipment upgrades, CCTV upgrade from analogue to digital and an upgrade to 50,000 hour LED of house lighting and lighting controls within The Dome and Halls 2, 3 and 4, providing significant flexibility of use and the ability to dim all lights collectively or individually making further energy savings.

When can we expect them to be completed?
By the end of September 2015.

What are the obstacles to getting these upgrades approved?
No obstacles, these projects have all been funded and approved but need to go through a rigorous procurement process and take time to undertake in an operating venue where works have to be scheduled around client requirements.

Why do you think it’s important to have light rail access to Sydney Olympic Park?
Sydney Olympic Park corridor represents a significant urban renewal opportunity. It is a pivotal and suitable location for increased density in terms of residential, commercial, retail, educational and cultural activity, however site residents and users need quick and simple access to key areas such as Parramatta and the City. The proposed Light Rail route will provide this access.

How much will it cost?
Unknown at this stage.

Who will pay for it?
It is anticipated that private enterprise would provide 100% of the required funding subject to the required density uplift.

Where is this process up to?It is anticipated that the NSW Government will make an announcement soon after the upcoming state election.

View Source

International Conference on Telecommunications Sydney (ICT 2015)

The 22nd International Conference on Telecommunications (ICT 2015) will be held at the Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney from 27 – 29 April 2015 right after ICASSP 2015 in Brisbane, Australia.

 Sydney is the capital of New South Wales and is graced with one of the most beautiful harbors in the world. Sydney is known for its harbor lifestyle and fantastic beaches, which contribute to a relaxed atmosphere that pervades the city. 

 It is an ideal place for scientists and engineers from around the world to gather and share their ideas.

Telecommunications networks are advancing to a new era to support the unprecedented growth of the internet and cellular network usage for communications and information services. Therefore, the aim of ICT 2015 is to gather world-class researchers to share their ideas and progress on solving the future challenges that the telecommunication networks face.

ICT 2015 will feature world-class plenary speakers, tutorials and regular and special technical sessions from academia, research laboratories, government and industry to discuss and exchange ideas in the field of wireless and cable telecommunications network, services and applications.

View source post to register and find out more

The EB Expo Returns to Sydney In 2015

The EB Expo Returns to Sydney In 2015

EB Games was hardly going to turn its back on one of its best concepts ever, but just in case there was ever any doubt, today it was announced that the EB Expo is returning to Sydney in 2015.

The official date is October 2 until October 4 and tickets go on sale 9am AEDT on April 16. You can purchase them on the EB Expo website, at EB Games stores or through oztix.com.au. The event will be held, once again, at Sydney Showgrounds. It is, admittedly, a pretty cool venue.

If you’ve been to previous EB Expos you’ll know what to expect: early looks at upcoming video games, some event-style panels, and my personal favourite: a Waluigi made out of balloons.

Most major publishers seems slated to attend. PlayStation, XBOX, Nintendo, Activision, Bethesda, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment are currently confirmed.

“EB Expo continues to set the standards by celebrating the video game industry and embracing pop culture. We’re boasting the most unreleased games of any exhibition in Australia this year,” said EB Games Marketing and Events Director Debra McGrath.

A couple of cool things to note: John Robertson, of ‘The Dark Room’ fame, will be performing at the show. Turns out he’s bringing his critically acclaimed show The Dark Room to the event. I’ve been super keen to check that out, so this is a positive.

Also — bizarrely — The Umbilical Brothers are also going to be performing. That’s cool. I guess? What does it have to do with video games? No-one knows (or possibly cares).

“Every year the EB Expo team will continue to add fresh new elements to the mix and we’re really looking forward to wow-ing our existing and new crowds with original content,” said Debra. I guess that might explain it.

I’ve always enjoyed the EB Expo and it does manage to get its fair share of top notch exclusive content. I played Titanfall there for the first time. That was cool.