Using a Digital Audio Network for Themed Experiences
CAMP, A Family Experience Company, is redefining retail for young families with their innovative hybrid spaces. Each CAMP location features a standard toy store (“The Canteen”) at the front, but the real magic happens when visitors discover a secret bookshelf that swings open to reveal an immersive, themed play universe beyond. These massive experiential environments change every six to eight months, featuring beloved characters through partnerships with companies like Disney. Since fall 2024, families have been discovering the world of Bluey at CAMP locations in New York City, Chicago, the brand new Philadelphia store, and the just-opened Houston shop. Powering the audio experience throughout these magical spaces is an innovative solution designed and implemented by Midtown Video, enabling CAMP to deliver seamless themed experiences while overcoming previous technical challenges.
The Challenge: Making Magic Happen on a Timeline
For CAMP, keeping the experience fresh means rotating themed attractions every six to eight months between their locations across the country. This presents a significant technical challenge, especially for audio systems. In locations with traditional analog audio infrastructure, such as the flagship CAMP store on 5th Avenue in NYC, technicians previously needed to physically re-run analog speaker cables when reconfiguring the space for new themes.
The stakes were high, and timelines tight. When transitioning between experiences like “Trolls,” “Encanto,” or “Bluey,” CAMP’s team had just two weeks to complete all AV implementations after sets were built, walls painted, and carpets laid. Since floor maps differ dramatically between each themed experience, audio zones typically required different sizes, shapes, and speaker placements. With an analog system, this meant hours of labor pulling cable and rewiring audio zones—creating stress and potential delays.
Midtown Video was engaged to solve this problem and match CAMP’s 5th Avenue capabilities with their newer locations that were already digital. The goal was to create a flexible audio system that could adapt quickly to changing layouts while maintaining the immersive quality of the experience.
The Solution: A Digital Audio Network for Ultimate Flexibility
Midtown Video’s solution modernized the entire setup, converting the analog audio infrastructure to an agile, digital Dante audio management and distribution system from Audinate. This IP-networked approach allowed audio components, including speakers and microphones, to be quickly and easily re-mapped with each theme rotation.
The implementation involved placing approximately 120 network connections on a 6’x6′ Unistrut ceiling grid suspended 13 feet above the themed experience space. This network grid, with connections available every 6 feet, meant that IP-enabled audio devices could be mounted wherever needed for each new layout. Midtown Video’s team installed NETGEAR M4250 network switches, approximately 20 SoundTube IP-enabled pendant speakers, six IP-enabled trapezoid speakers, and a 15-inch subwoofer with an Audinate Avio Dante-to-XLR-output adapter.
The beauty of this system is its simplicity in reconfiguration. When a new themed experience arrives, technicians simply compare the floor plan against the speaker locations and digitally re-zone the IP-enabled speakers by updating the Dante Software Controller and DSP software. If a speaker needs to be physically relocated, the standardized RJ45 network connections throughout the ceiling grid allow for easy placement anywhere in the space with just a 10-foot shielded network patch cable.
For activity and birthday rooms, Midtown installed RDL Dante/Bluetooth wallplates, giving CAMP staff and guests easy audio connectivity options. The entire system is managed through Biamp DSP controllers, providing centralized control over the audio environment.
Results: Greater Flexibility, Less Stress
The Dante digital audio system has transformed CAMP’s ability to rotate themes efficiently. What once required days of labor to reconfigure now takes just hours through digital mapping. Midtown’s solution eliminated the need to run new analog speaker cables for each layout change, which dramatically reduced installation time and provided greater flexibility in audio zone design.
When the “Bluey” experience opened at multiple CAMP locations, the digital audio infrastructure proved its worth. CAMP staff could focus on building the immersive environment without worrying about technical audio limitations. The result is a seamless, high-quality soundscape that enhances the magical experience for families exploring Bluey’s world. The project has gained industry recognition as well, with Midtown Video winning Commercial Integrator’s 2024 Integration Award for Best Retail Project.
Josh Wright, IT/AV Manager for CAMP, expressed his appreciation for the partnership with Midtown Video, posting on LinkedIn: “Thanks for everything you do for us, Jesse Miller. You’ve always shown us what a partnership is supposed to look like.” He further emphasized the value of their relationship in a personal message: “I’ve made thousands of vendor relationships over my years in business, and I don’t cherish or trust wholeheartedly any of them the way I do the relationship we’ve built. Midtown is special.”
For retail businesses and entertainment venues looking to create adaptable, technology-enhanced experiences, Midtown Video’s work with CAMP demonstrates the power of forward-thinking AV design. The right audio solution doesn’t just support the experience—it enables greater creative freedom and operational efficiency.
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