A luxury hotel is redefining conferencing in a unique way. Reece Webb explores an unconventional conferencing space that puts flexibility at its heart.
Located next to the famous Båstad Tennis Stadium, Hotel Skansen understands that appearances are only half of the equation.
So when it came to renovating the largest venue on the Bjäre Peninsula, the challenge was to create something unique that blends luxury, flexibility, and technical expertise to deliver truly memorable conferencing experiences.
This delicate balance is now a reality for the Hotel Skansen Båstad, a facility which has undergone a complete renovation from top to bottom, including its new meeting place: The Galleria. This new space has been given a fresh purpose, with a capacity for up to 600 people with access to state-of-the-art AV technology that offers maximum flexibility and user friendliness. But this is no ordinary meeting space.
It features an unusual, sloped design that demanded an expert systems integrator to specify and design an AV system that offered the luxury and ease of use that supported the needs of the hotel now and into the future. For Hotel Skansen, there was only one choice: Fremlab, a long-term AV partner that has been working with the hotel for decades.
Carl-Fredrik Malmgren, owner of Fremlab, explains: “This is one of my oldest clients. I’ve been working with them since 1983, and it started with a summer disco called the Grand Slam which didn’t have any conference facilities at all. In 2007, the hotel built the building where The Galleria is. We created a conference hall for 200 people, equipped with projectors and sound, but at that time, The Galleria was built as a garage.
“After a while, they needed more event space, especially during tennis season as they have a lot of exhibitors there. Although the room was built as a garage, it was used more as an event space. They had a client with an event for more than 200 people, so we put in temporary equipment. The space itself is challenging because it is narrow and long, and it was decided in 2024 that this room will be transformed into a combined event space, conferencing venue and restaurant for 600 people. That was the goal.”
Making space
In a space as unconventional as this, Fremlab faced structural and spatial limitations that affected where audiences could sit, and by extension, where equipment could go.
As a trusted and experienced partner to the hotel, Fremlab stepped up to the plate without a restrictive list of requirements from the client, relying on decades of know-how to deliver results. Malmgren says: “We had no tender documents, so everything we did was from our own experience and from our own thoughts about how it should work.”
Fremlab specified four Absen NX2.5 LED screens, supported by Novastar VX1000 controllers. Three Absen displays serve as the backdrop for the main stage, while a supporting screen provides additional vantage points for guests seated around the room, always ensuring a clear view and having the option to act as a source of information during conferences.
Malmgren says: “We quickly came up with a solution of three screens, but the client wanted to have a fourth screen on the shorter end of the room. In the original plan, there were two stages with one on the short side of the room, and one on the long side. I said that if we have equipment for performances on the short side, we need a screen there, sound system and delays, with speakers that would hang from the ceiling and cause an obstruction when watching from the other direction. I suggested that we should forget that and focus on having four stages on the ‘long’ side of the room. The client agreed with this, and these four screens required a lot of thought as there are guest companies coming in. The fourth screen is used for table seating and to provide information to guests as it is close to the entrance. You have the three main screens, with the centre, full HD screen larger than the others.”
Connective clarity
With flexibility at the centre of this project, Fremlab provided the key ingredients to enabling in-house and guest technical teams with the patching options that they need to create a truly unforgettable conferencing experience. To achieve this, Fremlab provided 15 Crestron NVX D20/E20 decoders/encoders to offer as many options as possible.
Malmgren explains: “We have patch panels at three different positions in the room, offering connection spots for sound, internet, SDI patching, RG45 and portable NVX boxes. We have two portable NVX boxes for inputs and two for outputs. At the main front of house connection point, you have two HDMI inputs with an NVX box on the back. You can connect two laptops, and with a Crestron panel, you can choose to route the laptops to specific screens. When we are using that position, we usually use a video mixer which goes out on one feed, with presenter mode on another feed. We have been thinking a lot about event companies coming in with patching requirements. This avoids cable canals over the floor, and we are very flexible with this setup. There have been external companies in already who have said that the system is well designed and correctly placed. The basic connections are already there and ready to rock from the beginning.”
Fremlab supplied a full lighting system throughout the space, providing six Lightmen Stage100F fresnel LED lights, supported by 10 ADJ Jolt FX2 LED panels. The lighting system is operated by a Swisson DMX splitter, which can connect an external DMX desk to take control of the lights, while a DMX interface controls lights from a Crestron 10-in touchpanel when no external desk is connected. An additional Crestron KNX interface allows for control of other house lights directly from the touchpanel.
Malmgren continues: “We control all the house lights from the Crestron panel. We can control the stage and ceiling lights, as well as RGB lights in the ceiling. If an external guest comes with their own lighting console and want to use moving lights, then you can access the house lights with connection to each individual lamp. From the Crestron panel, the first RGB lamp is controlled by an individual DMX channel, so that when you press red, all the lamps become red. But if you connect your own console, you can access each individual lamp due to the priority unit from Swisson. The stage lights operate on six channels, but from the Crestron panel it’s only one channel. This has been done to make it simple for staff when there is no technician, it must be simple to use for a non-technical operator to change the basics.”
For audio, Fremlab supplied a Bose sound system, consisting of eight AMU208 ArenaMatch loudspeakers, alongside four Bose MB210 subwoofers and PowershareX amplifiers, meeting the needs of the space with clarity and punchiness in mind.
Malmgren says: “There is a nice sound system comprised of four subs and eight loudspeakers which can produce a high level of sound. If you have a band performing in the room, then you will need to install a more substantial PA, which bands usually provide. The system is capable of 115db, and as the Bose system is so clear and undistorted, people don’t realise how loud it actually is.
“There are also four Sennheiser microphones and four wireless headsets which cover the needs of this room. We have a storage facility which has a patch panel with six SDI and six RG45s, because during the tennis, there is a TV production there and they want to send signals forwards and backwards, so we have a lot of ways of doing this.”
Completing the project on time, Fremlab successfully rejuvenated this technically challenging environment, delivering a 600-person conferencing space that offers maximum technical flexibility, comfort, and quality conferencing in a unique environment. For Fremlab, the biggest challenge came from the design of the space itself, which was never intended as a conferencing environment.
Malmgren explains: “The room itself was the biggest challenge. We couldn’t do anything about it, and we had to work with it. I am very happy with the sound, and I thought that the sound would be the easiest part from the beginning. The LED screen solution is also very good, and I think that with all the preparation we have made for visiting companies, it’s something that you don’t see at many other places.”
The future looks bright for The Galleria, as conversations turn to the future of this flexible space and the potential for expansion.
“If they want to add an NVX unit, it’s so simple,” says Malmgren. “There is no matrix or mixer which is full, we can just add another box and another fader in the touchscreen. That is very valuable. There were also conversations about installing a camera in the congress hall and another in The Galleria, so you could sit in either of the two rooms and watch the same stage. That hasn’t been ordered yet, but the client is talking about creating a conference space for 600 people, and this is the only solution. I’m very happy with what we have achieved. I have heard from people that have been to a conference here, and we were told that Fremlab had done a great job with the high-tech equipment that we installed, and that’s very nice to hear.”
Tech spec
Audio
Bose ArenaMatch loudspeakers, MB210 subwoofers and PowerShareX amplifiers
Sennheiser wireless microphone system
Lighting & Video
Absen NX Series 2.5mm LED modules
ADJ Jolt Panel FX2s
Crestron DM NVX AV-over-IP system, 10-in touchpanels and KNX interface
Lightmen Stage100F fresnel LED lights
Novastar VX1000 all-in-one controllers
Swisson DMX splitter