DirectOut manufactures excellent audio solutions for engineers and designers across the globe. Krzysztof Borowicz is an audio engineer working for Commercial Audio, DirectOut’s distributor in Poland. With just one week’s notice, Borowicz flew out to EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Japan to program two PRODIGY.MPs at the heart of both the Netherland and Philippines Pavilions, overseen by a turnkey partner for the EXPO, BeWunder.
“I was in Frankfurt meeting other DirectOut partners and doing some training when a friend called and asked what I was up to next week! A week later, I was sitting on a flight to Japan,” Borowicz recalls. “It was all very quick, but thanks to the flexibility of the globcon software, many things can be programmed in advance - even remotely. That helped me work more efficiently and avoid surprises on-site. Both Pavilions are a real multi-media experience, with many conversions between different formats, networks, computers and loudspeaker systems.”
EXPO 2025 was set on an artificial island called Yumeshima, and in the region of 28 million visitors attended during the six months that the fair was open. 158 countries took part, each exploring different themes and ideas around the common prompt ‘Designing Future Society for our Lives’. Each Pavilion delivers a unique experience and the Netherlands and Philippines Pavilions were no exception.
BeWunder delivered 15 of EXPO 2025’s pavilions including the Philippines and Netherlands Pavilions, with a comprehensive scope from design to realization. For the Philippines Pavilion, the organization oversaw everything from the multimedia systems to the exhibition façade, developing the final design and delivering the complete exhibition, including multimedia and lighting systems, interactive elements, scenic fit-out, exhibit fabrication, graphics, and signage. To manage the pavilions complex audio network requirements, BeWunder selected DirectOut, recognized for its proven track record in delivering reliable solutions.
“At BeWunder, we shape spaces that bring vision to life, from concept to realization and we insist on the highest standards of creativity and precision, for us DirectOut is a natural fit,” Shane Murphy, BeWunder’s Head of Project Management Spatial Experiences, explains. “The result of this work is an immersive pavilion that reflects the cultural richness and spirit of the Philippines with precision and care. The quality of the PRODIGY Series consistently meets the highest standards across all our projects, and of course, we trust the brand. In addition, as a company with German origins, this alignment feels natural to us.”
The Philippines Pavilion was titled Nature, Culture & Community - Woven Together for a Better Future and took visitors on a journey through a woven forest of Philippine art works, investigating human identity through textile craft, highlighting sustainability and home-grown materials. BeWunder also oversaw the integration the materials, artworks and cultural artefacts. The result weaved a story of humanity with traditional practices and textile crafts of the Archipelago, promoting tourism, trade and cultural exchange in the region by developing global connections
The Netherlands Pavilion was titled Creating a New Dawn Together on Common Ground and was an open, circular space, built around a central glowing sphere, complete with a bespoke interactive sound system, designed and manufactured by BeWunder, that enabled visitors to engage with content in dynamic and personalized ways.
BeWunder ensured seamless integration of technology and storytelling, translating the creative vision into an immersive and memorable experience. It was a pavilion where people could meet and inspire each other. Visitor were offered a narrative-led experience as they are invited to create their own journey through the halls.
Audio was delivered via a zoned L-Acoustic loudspeakers system, fed from a Dante network, with Milan AVB also utilized. Visitors were surrounded by video walls, telling the story of a future with plentiful and sustainable energy for all. Borowicz over saw the audio systems for both pavilions, as he describes, coming into the process at short notice meant that he was grateful for the expertise and support of DirectOut.
“I had to make a quick decision. I had no idea what I was heading into, it was a real adventure and a very nice experience,” says Borowicz. “Before I flew to Japan, I called DirectOut and explained the situation. I asked if I could call them if I needed to and they couldn’t have been more helpful. The PRODIGY.MPs were processing audio, managing DSP; I use them as part speaker-management, part backup playback-switcher, there are so many possibilities. It’s just a 2U rack-able device, but it does so many jobs that to replace it, I would need a whole rack of convertors and processors. This flexible setup ensures high-quality audio distribution, precise timing, and reliable system performance throughout the exhibition.”
For Borowicz, the technical challenge of bringing all those elements together seamlessly was one that he relished. Not only did he have to get the pavilions working, he also had to ensure that the teams staying in Japan could repeat the experience daily, without any issues. This required a streamlined interface and rock-solid reliability. Something that the PRODIGY.MP and globcon deliver effortlessly.
“There were many different zones in both pavilions and the sounds were really part of the journey,” he explains. “There were many different sample rates, formats and clocks; the Philippines Pavilion alone, had at least 16-20 zones. It had to be bullet-proof and it was amazing to have such powerful DirectOut tools to help bring everything together. I needed to learn a lot about Milan AVB, very quickly, so it was a great journey and a great lesson!”
Borowicz stayed with the project until everything was prepared for opening. With the fair running for six months, from April to October 2025, there were bound to be changes required. In order to facilitate any amendments, he designed a globcon interface, accessible from a networked device anywhere in the world.
“Having globcon as a remote access tool was amazing. I could make any changes I needed from wherever I happen to be. When I came back to Poland, I was able to access my remote sessions so simply it was like I was working directly at my console in Japan,” he concludes.” “Honestly, there is no other tool that could do the job of the PRODIGY.MP. In addition to routing analog, Dante, and Milan AVB signals, both PRODIGY processors were also responsible for clock management across the AoIP networks. I didn’t have a single problem, my only issues were managing all the possibilities and understanding exactly what I wanted to achieve. Even with the time difference from Japan to Europe, the DirectOut team answered every email within a few hours. Having that support behind me made me feel really safe.”
