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The Key Ingredient of Any Meeting: Presentations!

It is the method of choice for communicating the desired messages – which is what the effectiveness of the meeting ultimately depends on.

It is too often forgotten, unfortunately, but the exchange of information constitutes

the primary goal of meetings and conventions. It is a matter of informing, motivating, persuading and setting new objectives and defining future perspectives.

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The future of Wi-Fi will be shaped by « customer personalization » How To Deserve The Success Of A Hybrid Event

What if participating to the Monday Morning Sales Meeting was really motivational…

Today, the future of Wi-Fi in hotels goes well

Hybrid meetings are one of the biggest trends of upcoming events.

One of the most traditional emblem of the Sales culture in

As we know, the slogan « No Wi-Fi? No

with a virtual “online” event.

a necessary step to define the “to-do’s” and “targets” fra-

A hybrid event, as we know it, combines a traditional “live” event

the Enterprise is the Monday Morning Sales Meeting. It is ming an expected successful week.

beyond the simple provision of reliable and free connections.

customers » is becoming increasingly topical, especially on the other side of the Atlantic.

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Videoconferencing services are leaving the meeting room!

Mobile PCs, the cloud and the mobility in today’s

world are boosting the adoption of videoconferencing

services by enterprises. It was in 1964 that AT&T gave a public demonstration of its Picturephone. The new

advocates of videoconferencing then already supposed that it would not be long before it swept over the world like a tidal wave.

Shop windows are doping themselves with digital displays Page 20

The State Of Watchmakers

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Charging Your Smartphone Wirelessly!

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The iPad in Companies and at Meetings and Conferences It is a constant in the corporate world: whenever a tablet is used professionally, there is a good chance

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that it will bear the Apple label and is an iPad.

he reasons are many. The intrinsic quality and aura of the Apple brand play their part too, of course, and the absence of viruses due to the closed system design of iOS is also a big advantage.

Creating, managing and selling From the outset, iPads are equipped with powerful applications that enable you to work.

These include Pages, Numbers and Keynote, but there are plenty of others, such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

The creation of documents is therefore well within the capabilities of all users. One can even display, modify, and share AutoCAD drawings!

Functions for archiving, sharing and synchronizing files are highly available via systems that work more or less like Dropbox.

PDF document management is taken into account by numerous applications, which enables users to work together effectively. One can also scan documents, create PDFs, and process these PDFs using OCR software so as to obtain a text version.

Even more important, particularly for salespeople: one can have documents signed easily, in a natural way and either with the index finger or via a stylus, and then store or print them or send them by email.

Communicating, planning and traveling But there is much more: iPads are perfectly suited to videoconferencing and remote communication. They have all the necessary built-in technology and, here too, the applications are very reliable. Some are

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products of big name companies like Adobe, Cisco and IBM. Meetings too are well served: an iPad can share its screen with more than ten others, and applications enable the shared use of a whiteboard with unlimited zoom via the Internet. The result is full collaboration between participants.

Software can also be found for project management, job scheduling and SMART kapp work lists, customer manSMART Technologies agement and work time tracking as well as billing and accounting.

Points of sale will have applications at their disposal that are suited to them and very user-friendly, possibly with even a credit card reader.

For business trips, you can search for the best flight, reserve it, follow the movement of planes, perform the booking of your stay and discover the restaurant that fits your expectations, while at the same time keeping an eye on travel expenses and having a list at your disposal that shows you all the items that « are not to be forgotten ».

At meetings, conferences and other meetings of associations, iPads can offer powerful dedicated applications to enhance audience participation. Personal profiles, event calendars, a ’who’s who’ of the participants, business cards, on-the-fly business meetings, the possibility of interactive voting, taking photos and the presence of collaborative

Prysm work tools are just a few of many (the list goes on and on) options available to increase the level of convenience for each delegate.

This is really a galaxy of applications that all take ergonomic principles into account and from among which companies will be able to choose those that best satisfy their needs.

Transform yourself into a brilliant orator Contrary to common belief, you don’t have to be a brilliant orator to give an excellent speech.

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You only need to be well prepared. Here are a few pointers…..

o doubt you will give your speech in the context of an event. As a rule, the programs of events are published in advance. Make sure your speech has a catchy title and then many people will be looking forward to it even before the event.

Winning over or losing your audience before opening your mouth Another important truth: you can win over or lose your audience even before launching into your speech. Indeed, it is an established fact that if people think that you will be good, you have every chance of being seen as good. To this end, make sure to polish up your biographical details, as they will be presented in the program and used by the moderator to introduce you. And, contrary to the advice offered by many people, never admit to suffering from stage fright or feeling anxious.

In the same vein, you should pause for a few seconds before beginning. You will steady your breath, calm your nerves somewhat and, in particular, you will give the audience time to settle down and concentrate on you and your message.

If you are not using a microphone, make sure you speak loudly enough for people at

the back of the room to hear you. One advantage of non-amplification is that you will be able to stroll about in the midst of your audience and this will boost your « de facto » presence. You will be able to do the same thing with a lapel microphone, but be careful here, as you will need to speak a little more slowly and clearly than you would do without amplification.

The direction of your gaze is important.

Regularly sweep your eyes over the audience from right to left, without hurry, in such a way that everyone in the room will feel engaged.

Short, cryptic and forceful!

Your hands must not remain motionless.

They can be used to emphasize and increase the impact of your points, except that you should avoid waving your arms around compulsively. All your gestures must appear to be correctly dosed.

How you begin your speech is particularly important. You are strongly advised not to start with something like « When I was asked to speak on this subject, I wondered what to say… ». You should prefer openings that are dynamic and even a bit dramatic, like « This year we are going to radi-

cally change our organization… ».

There is a trick you can use to invigorate your sentences: put the main verb at the beginning of the sentence, and do this systematically for long sentences…., which you should try to avoid, as it is advisable to use sentences that are short and sometimes even cryptic, but forceful, and whose meaning is explained afterwards, like “Failure is not an option”, “Never again”, and “No excuses”.

Make use of striking adverbs and adjectives that enhance and add color to your sentences.

Not simply « Our many challenges » but « Our many exciting challenges ». Not simply: “Let’s work on our problems” but “Let’s work energetically on our problems”.

The repetition of words can be very effective. It hammers home the message and these words remain inscribed in the memories of the listeners. Remember Obama’s well known « Yes we can ».

Finally, to complete this rather short overview, be careful: you must not speak too long! Nobody has ever complained that a speech was too short and if you cannot say what you have to say in twenty minutes you should go away and write a book on the subject.

Keizershoevestraat, 26 2610 Wilrijk - Belgium Tel: +32 478 948951 Fax: +32 3 2397516 Email: jp.thys@cbsmedia.biz Website: www.cbsmedia.biz Publication Manager Jean-Pierre Thys Editor Jean-Claude Lesuisse Translation Babel Ophoff Vertalingen Printing Lowyck Publisher Jean-Pierre Thys Keizershoevestraat, 26 2610 Wilrijk - Belgium Communications Business Solutions is published 5 times a year. Online registration forms on our website will be considered for a regular free copy.

Subscription Print: 55 € (Belgium) – 60 € (Europe), 85 € (other continents).

All reproduction rights reserved for all countries. Reproductionof the texts (even partial) is prohibited without permission of the publisher.

Member ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) Communications Business Solutions is available in print in french and dutch and online in english, french and dutch.

The Key Ingredient of Any Meeting: Presentations!

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It is the method of choice for communicating the desired messages – which is what the effectiveness of the meeting ultimately depends on.

t is too often forgotten, unfortunately, but the exchange of information constitutes the primary goal of meetings and conventions. It is a matter of informing, motivating, persuading and setting new objectives and defining future perspectives.

Pioneer in this field The 1950s saw the blossoming of the first presentation techniques that increased the impact of speeches and were suited to meetings of a large number of people. These techniques were overhead projectors and 8mm films. Then there were the slides, which caused image presentation to really take off.

But it was in 1985 that the first computer-based system was created. It was called « Present » and ran only on Macintosh computers. So this was the precursor of PowerPoint, which took over and became the most used presentation software in the world.

Current situation and great opportunity These days the range of possibilities has become almost infinite. Speakers can enrich their messages in a great number of ways!

For example, they can opt to broadcast

high-resolution visuals (HD video and dynamic animated presentations); they can decide to make interactive presentations by encouraging participants to intervene vocally or through digital questionnaires (interactive voting); they can choose their own computers (Windows, Mac, tablets and smartphones IOS – Android). Additionally, they can work online by employing the Internet to use content available in real time (such as YouTube or websites providing quarterly figures or online presentation tools).

Until now, speakers remained limited in their possibilities by the need to make their presentations in the traditional PowerPoint format.

This is no longer the case since Slidebox, a Dutch company specialising in presentations, makes it possible to handle all current presentation formats. So today speakers can make full use of the richness of their messages.

What does the future hold?

Of course, there will be further improvements. Meetings and other conventions are part of a range of communication tools that allow the delegates before, during and after the event to have access to the content which can take a variety of forms: HD record-

ings of presentations, PDF files which can be easily displayed on tablets and smartphones etc.

We also think of information about the author, the programme, summaries of a convention which are so important to obtain a complete picture of the event. They can be found on a website by means of a smartphone application or during the event itself.

Slidebox specialises in the optimisation and collection of these different data so the information is the same everywhere and easy to manage.

Slidebox BV Buitenwatersloot, 312 2614GR Delft The Netherlands E-mail: info@slidebox.nl Website: www.slidebox.nl

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Charging Your Smartphone Wirelessly!

As always, the short battery life in our everyday electronics is sinful. One of the main offenders is the smartphone, the multitasking electronic by excellence, which lets you access the internet, email,

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games, and much more on top of making phone calls.

espite the use of less power-hungry chips and high performance batteries, battery life has not improved by a lot and charging your smartphone is often the best solution.

The Compatibles And The Others To charge your phone, you need to plug it into an electric outlet via its designed charger. It is a small task that will become unnecessary in the future with the success of wireless QI chargers with the consumers. We have all found ourselves unable to locate our chargers in the past.

Wireless charging is done by induction.

The way it works is very simple: put your phone on the charging plate and you’re done! Wireless chargers are also developed by many car manufacturers for the batteries in electric cars. You only need to park your car on top of a charging zone for your battery to be full the next morning.

Sadly, not all smartphones are “QI compatible”. We estimate that 80% of smartphones are compatible. Thankfully for the non-compatible phones, some manufacturers make accessories designed to

be attached to the back of the phone and allow QI compatibility, such as the Galaxy Samsung phones prior to the S6. There also exist sliding induction plates for the iPhone that plug themselves into the iPhone connector.

The Swedish Giant Gets In The Ring!

It is interesting to note that Ikea, in its project called “Home Smart” in partnership with the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), made furniture with integrated wireless chargers. As a matter of fact, some lamps, night tables and desks have a QI wireless charging system. For the non-compatible devices, Ikea also planned covers and shells that are QI receivers.

Let us also note that the QI technology

Tech’n (Integrated Technology) Email: info@tech-n.nl from WPC is already available in hotels, restaurants, airports and public spaces.

To finish off, we need to state that the wireless charging business is made of three competitors: the WPC (with the QI technology mentioned in this text), the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) and the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP). Each of these organisations try to impose their vision of wireless charging, but as of today, QI technology is undoubtedly in the lead.

Emergency Storage on Tablets and Smartphones Often people buy a smartphone or tablet with little storage space, without however opting for the lowest price. They believe it will be enough for the needs these devices are expected to satisfy.

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nce they own the device, they download the desired applications, take photos, store documents, books, newspapers, download a few movies and that’s when they realise there is not enough memory.

A highly portable solution Soon they regret not being able to use an external hard disk, as is possible in the world of computers.

However, given the way these devices are evolving, it would be unacceptable having to lug a heavy device around.

Today, there are solutions out there. The idea is to separate the applications (which have to be on the smartphone or tablet) from the data (all sorts of files, texts, audio or video).

These solutions are highly portable. One of them is a simple USB flash drive, except that this special flash drive, which comes with a removable SD memory (so you can use as many SD cards as you want but only one at a time) creates a Wi-Fi network that the devices can connect to. Let’s be clear from the start: it suffices to put the USB flash drive in your pocket after pressing a button (which activates the Wi-Fi network) and the smartphone or tablet can access

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all the data on the flash drive, no matter where you are since it is the flash drive itself which creates the Wi-Fi network. It is a personal hotspot of sorts. There are flash drives of 16, 32 and 64GB. The Wi-Fi network thus created allows for the wireless connection of several devices (eight for example) and the flash drive provides several hours of autonomy (four, for example).

Almost nothing but benefits!

Here’s an excellent solution for using tablets and smartphones on planes and while travelling. But, keep in mind, when the de-

vices are connected to the Wi-Fi network of the USB flash drive, gone is the WiFi connection to the Internet (because you can connect a tablet and smartphone to only one Wi-Fi network at a time). In practice, it is possible however as the settings allow for the flash drive to be connected to the Internet Wi-Fi network, which does gives access to the flash driver. But this (based on our own experience) reduces the transfer speed, which can be annoying when several photos have to be read one after the other.

Also a plus: the charging of the flash drive.

Charging occurs by connecting the flash drive to the USB port of a computer… or by plugging it directly into a USB charger. We have been able to charge it easily using our iPhone charger. Very practical given the size of the accessory!

Moreover, while it’s charging in this way, it can continue to transmit its Wi-Fi feed!

You can also transfer on the fly images taken with the smartphone or tablet or store in their memory any file from the flash drive.

Finally, it is a solution (which really works) that addresses any insufficient memory capacity of tablets and smartphones.

The future of Wi-Fi will be shaped by « customer personalization » Today, the future of Wi-Fi in hotels goes well beyond the simple provision of reliable

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and free connections.

s we know, the slogan « No Wi-Fi? No customers » is becoming increasingly topical, especially on the other side of the Atlantic.

Information messages Nevertheless, one can imagine that, alongside free and proper (and really reliable as well!) basic access, a « high speed » connection is offered that allows the sending and receiving of large files. It is often preferable to opt for a small expenditure that enables you to save a lot of time rather than rely on an offer that is free but requires ten times more time to achieve your ends. It is the difference between a tourist who simply wants to check his emails and a businessman who, for example, has to send and download videos and take part in videoconferences.

But let us go one step further.

Wi-Fi and connectivity in hotels will allow them to forge an increasingly personalized link with their customers. In fact, hotels, sponsors and salespersons will have a unique op-

portunity to connect directly with their customers via the Wi-Fi network.

Let us imagine a business customer walking into a hotel lobby. He receives a welcome message as well as the number of his room on his smartphone.

At the same time he is kept informed of the different events that will be held during the day. Following this, our businessman will receive a message with details on the opening times of the restaurant, the specials of the day and the time breakfast is

served, and then another message informing him when his room will be serviced and still another telling him when the cleaning will be finished so he can avoid going there while it remains unavailable.

And suggestion messages!

These « push » notifications make life simpler but, of course, they also present hotels with opportunities to generate revenue from advertising for « specific content ».

In fact, wireless connectivity is constantly progressing and Wi-Fi will not only serve as a gateway to information, emails and the Internet. It will enable hotels to connect better with each customer individually. Hotels will focus their policies on the anticipation and satisfaction of individual needs so as to improve the customer experience. Every customer is unique, as we know, and has specific tastes.

The advantage is that they change very little. And with this in mind, databases of past visits will enable the sending of personalized proposals based on previous behavior. Notifying a customer that his favorite entertainment is available a few hundred yards away from the hotel and enabling him to reserve seats without having to go to reception, or informing him of local restaurants offering his favorite dishes and cuisine, is well within the reach of Wi-Fi technology.

This technology is still in its infancy.

Wi-Fi in Hotel Rooms: The Opinion of Hotels!

We already wrote a lot about the requirements of business travelers when it comes to Wi-Fi connection

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in their hotel accommodations.

pparently, the leaders of hotel groups all sing the same tune. It is interesting to us that their point of view, surprisingly, completely meets the desires of the travelers.

‘’Internet is like running water and electricity’’ Christopher Nassetta, from Hilton Worldwide, states that his group is very proactive when it comes to responding to the Wi-Fi demands of its clients. He advocates for a tiered pricing system as well as a basic Wi-Fi service.

For him, the Internet is now an integral part of today’s world.

Stephen Homes, from Wyndham Worlwide, thinks that having access to Internet can be compared to having access to oxygen. He finds it shocking that travelers are sometimes charged for Internet, and states that the majority of the hotels of his chain do not charge for Internet. ‘’Internet has to be available, just like running water and electricity’’.

Wayne Goldberg, from La Quinta Inns & Suites. Today, it’s not about giving the technology to the clients, but rather letting them use their own devices to their full potential.

For Goldberg, Wi-Fi is an excellent example.

The standards went from 6Mb of bandwidth to a minimum of 50 and up to 100 Mb. The

standards were elevated in response to clients demanding very clearly to be able to stream videos and use multiple devices. All this was done for free.

Wi-Fi Even in Cars!

Wi-Fi everywhere to respond to the demands of streaming from the clients. Clayton states that an average family comes with at least two (often three) devices and they need to be offered bandwidth.

Conclusion? According to the United States, a country well known for its affinity to the subject, free high-quality Wi-Fi is the upcoming norm. Old Europe always lagged a bit behind, especially when it comes to technology in its hotels, and it will take a bit longer to adapt. But, certainly, the time will come!

Greg Dogan, from Shangri-La Hotels. Here again, a perfect track record. They are the first group to offer a free Wi-Fi connection.

Today, Wi-Fi connectivity even spreads to cars of the group for free. Greg emphasizes that he is always surprised when travelling by the outrageous prices billed by some establishments.

Sonia Cheng from Rosewood Hotel Group, Carl Michel from Generator Hostels, Nicholas Clayton from Jumeirah Group, Craig Reid from Auberge Resorts and Larry Korman from Alias are also on the same wavelength.

Free, A business couple working in a suite of Hotel Catalonia Barcelona Plaza modern, and fast

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The Drone That Takes Good Pictures Drones are quite popular with the consumers. They are these flying radio-controlled objects that fly several tens of meters

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from the ground and take back images from their onboard camera.

heir battery life is weak and many lower-end models are not very dependable. The onboard camera is of the same quality: it takes pictures of a low quality, which perfectly fulfills an informative and recreational role.

A Powerful Way To Create Original Images Next to the consumer world is the world of the professional drones. The accuracy of the professional drones is always on point, the battery life is larger, the controls are more precise, and the hardware is bulkier. This whole kit lets the user take pictures and film movies of a high resolution.

These drones are a powerful way to create original images for a business that, up to now, had no possibility of filming images of this kind. Even a helicopter has to fly higher and its size doesn’t allow it to squeeze into tight or even hostile environments (only the hardware is exposed to danger in this case, no human lives are at risk). Furthermore, the cost of renting a helicopter is way higher than hiring a “drone team”. A lot of specialised providers are available in Belgium and offer all

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the skills required.

Imagine the construction of a hydroelectric station. Up to now, aside from the costly helicopter solution, we had to be content with close-ups of the ongoing work and shots from the departure of the banks or a zoom in on a boat. The drone allows you to film the whole process seen from above, to speed by the construction like a speedboat, then raises in the air when it gets close to the station. Thousands of original images are possible and extremely useful to create a commemorative movie of the construction.

A Versatile Tool A professional drone can do marvels during events, fairs or congresses gathering a large crowd by offering, here again, images that would be impossible to take using traditional methods. The use of drones inside halls and exposition rooms is a major positive: in a few minutes, it is possible to obtain images that give an idea of how big the event really is compared to images taken from any other filming methods.

Finally, the examples of drone usage from businesses are extremely numerous. We

reckon that you have already imagined, since you started reading this article, what drones could bring to your society!

To include the images properly in a business movie, it is important to think about how specific they have to be right when the scenario is created. It is a question of creativity, and we have to recognize that creativity is becoming rarer nowadays.

Let us not forget that this new way of taking pictures is a good match to digital signage, which is in a constant need of original and striking images. Although, using this tool doesn’t mean you should abuse it! Like a good recipe, you have to balance the different ingredients with finesse!

Being Well Understood During International Conferences Conferences and different languages… Happy (or sad?) cacophony where misunderstanding reigns supreme… or particular times of valuable exchanges? The fact is there: for a human being, nothing

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is better for understanding than using your mother tongue.

n the meanwhile of the unlikely (desirable?) day where all the mothers will speak the same language, translation and interpretation will be at work!

Simultaneous Interpretation During a conference, there needs to be ways of interpreting in place. Interpretation consists of transposing a message of a language into another language, although there are a lot of demanding restrictions: it needs to be natural, fluid, and it also needs to adopt the tone and inflexions of the speaker.

Here, during these international conferences with people from different places and cultures speaking different languages, the job of an interpreter consists of allowing them all to communicate, not by translating each of their words, but rather by translating the ideas they are communicating.

Different types of interpretation are possible.

The most well-known by the general public is simultaneous interpretation, where the interpreter works in a soundproof booth with at least one colleague. The speaker in the room uses a microphone and the interpreter, hearing the speech in his headphones, translates the message almost instantly via his own microphone.

In the room, every person can choose which translated language they wish to listen to.

Consecutive Interpretation And Whispering “Consecutive” interpretation, which has mostly been replaced today by “simultaneous” inter-

pretation, is done otherwise: the interpreter, sitting amongst the crowd, listens to the speaker, and when the speaker is done, he translates into another language with the help of notes. Consecutive interpretation keeps its utility in certain contexts (very technical reunions, work breakfasts, reunions in small committees or visits in the field). Let us note that a seasoned interpreter can translate interventions up to ten minutes long, or even longer, with great precision.

An alternative to “consecutive” interpretation is “whispering”. In this case, the interpreter is part of the crowd, sitting or standing, and interprets simultaneously directly to the ear of the participants. Whispering, used during bilateral meetings for example, saves a lot of time compared to consecutive interpretation.

The “Relay Interpretation” A situation seen frequently is the “relay”: a participant speaks a language not covered by the interpretation booth. Imagine there is a Japanese speaker and that the booth that translates towards French does not know this language.

This booth can connect itself (by audio link) to another booth which covers the language of the speaker and does the relay. For example, let’s say the booth that interprets towards German knows Japanese and that the French booth knows German. The interpreter works from another language (German) from the one of the speaker (Japanese) without a noticeable quality loss.

We know that interpreters normally work towards their mother tongue, but some of them

have a mastery of a second language that is sufficiently high to let them interpret towards this language from their mother tongue. This is called “retour” interpretation. In addition to this, a few interpreters master their second language so perfectly that they can interpret towards this language from any of their known languages.

They can then work in two booths. The “retour” is very useful to do “relay interpretation” from lesser spread languages towards widespread languages.

“Asymmetrical” interpretation There can be situations where all the participants speak in their mother tongue, but listen to the interpretation in a limited number of languages. This is known as “asymmetrical” interpretation. Very often, the participants understand one or many of the widespread languages without feeling comfortable enough to communicate in these languages. The interpretation is only done, for example, towards three “active” languages.

Finally, a last word about simultaneous interpretation in sign language, the interpretation towards hard of hearing people. It is usually done from spoken language to sign language and vice versa. The interpreter makes sure to have good positioning so that he is facing the participants that are hard of hearing. It is important to note here that there is not a single universal sign language that is understood by all. Even if many gestures and expressions are universally recognisable, there is more than one hundred sign languages or dialects in the world!

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Videos for businesses - mission possible…..in more ways than one!

Video technology and business, it is a love story that has passed through several phases. Fifteen years ago this

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technology was reserved for large budgets. Those days are gone.

udiovisual systems for businesses cost well over a million Belgian francs at that time and required considerable resources in terms of both personnel and material.

An amateur approach creates an impression of greater authenticity This was because one had to take into account the deterioration in image quality, which depended on the number of « generations »: during editing, with each copy of the tape, the quality decreased. Video cassettes for distribution were thus obtained that were of a markedly inferior quality compared to that of the original footage.

No problems of this sort exist today: thanks to the magic of digitization, copies are safely preserved against degradation. Nevertheless, certain precautions must always be taken in order to produce a video of excellent quality – as we will see below.

But to make a brief aside: is it always necessary to produce a video with images of impeccable quality? The answer is clearly « no »: in certain circumstances, it is even advisable to adopt an amateur approach, as this creates an impression of greater authenticity. In fact, « professional quality » is always associated with « staging » and this supposed mastery reduces the power of the message - for example, on blogs (where content is more important than form), during « customer reviews », and for « buzz » videos and « viral » videos.

On the other hand, if one adopts the framework of a « live » recording, the public quite happily accepts a lower quality standard as the video is perceived as a record produced in the heat of the moment.

Of course, the accumulation of handicaps must be avoided: an unclear image PLUS a sound marred by interference PLUS erratic camera movements PLUS untimely blurring of images discourage the viewers. The amateur approach must not be taken too far.

Restraining one’s ambitions where necessary To return to the high-quality business video, the one that will be found on the company’s websites, on DVDs, and on digital signage screens,

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here the constraints are obviously quite different.

Already, good photographic and sound recording equipment is required and attention must be paid to fine-tuning the lighting. But technology is not everything.

One also needs a specific communication goal, with a clear message. The project must be thought through with due consideration given to

the target audience and the broadcast media.

You must also be realistic and your ambitions must be commensurate with the portion of your budget you wish to allot to them. For example, cinema and TV have accustomed us to finding many extremely expensive special effects « commonplace » and « elementary ». Your ambitions must be in line with your budget, otherwise disappointment is the inevitable outcome!

In the case of audiovisual material intended for projection on large screens, it is highly advisable to call upon professional personnel. The search for a good provider will be a thorny issue. Which doesn’t mean that you should then turn your back on the creative process: it is precisely on the basis of your needs that these professionals will offer you a synopsis, which will be refined by exchanging information with you! It is therefore up to you to redirect the team while taking care not to stifle creativity.

Then comes the stage of the scenario where every detail must be approved (sets, settings, dialog, casting etc.). It is the final stage, the final « safety net » (not to be neglected, for any subsequent modifications will be costly, even impossible!) before the filming per se and the final editing.

Meetings…. Obligation or enthusiasm?

Obligation and enthusiasm are two different things. The first is a constraint while the second is born of inspiration, spontaneity and desire. Ultimately, it is rather like the difference between a recipe to be

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followed and creativity.

comparison proves nothing…. But your meetings….. Do they stem from a desire or do they occur to fulfil obligations?

More productive with meetings than without them?

In the business world, time is valuable and a myriad of activities make competing claims on it. A person’s energy is therefore continually in demand and any decision to hold a meeting is based on the assumption that the time and energy devoted to it will be more productive in the

long run than without this meeting.

It is a gamble, as we can well imagine. In other words, « Considering what the group must achieve, and given what we think we can accomplish by working together in a remarkable fashion, what do we need to discuss »?

According to experts, discussing the progress made in achieving the most important goals should be the first choice, especially if this progress does not meet expectations.

In the same way, it would be fruitful to hold a meeting in support of a colleague who is wrestling with a particular problem and who has requested some suggestions because he believes that the combined experience of the group members will help him find a solution.

Making the best use of the participants’ time Likewise, meetings bringing together a large audience may undertake the task of clarifying an organizational problem in such a way that the issue may later be fully addressed by a smaller group.

Short and targeted instruction on par-

ticular points in order to provide the members of the group with the necessary expertise on specialist topics that need to be dealt with are also an excellent motivation.

In fact, and these examples are meant to provide a contrast here, the worst of all motivations is « We are having a meeting because that’s what we do every Monday ».

The aim must be to make the best use of the participants’ time, with discussion being limited to the problems that are important and that count. If you want to hold meetings on a regular basis then that is no problem provided that the agenda of each meeting is scrutinized to make sure it is in accordance with the above considerations.

The Renovation Of A Meeting Room While it may not be possible to do miracles, old meeting rooms can be greatly improved in efficiency by making

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a few investments to bring them up to date.

n the past few years, businesses have invested in technology to increase the efficiency of its colleagues. Sadly, a lot of meeting rooms did not receive investments, and it takes more than comfortable chairs and fancy polished tables for these rooms to deserve their name.

Why Not An Interactive Flipchart?

Computer equipment is a must.

There needs to be a main computer connected to the network and spare plugs to charge the personal gadgets that will be brought by colleagues. A Wi-Fi network is also a must, since most tablets and smartphones do not have Ethernet ports.

Now, we need to consider a projector or a monitor. Presentations, spreadsheets, and videos need to be easily shown on a screen.

It will be up to you to choose whether you need a projector or a monitor, depending on the size of your meeting room.

Replace the traditional flipchart with an interactive white board! Your meeting room deserves it! It is a tool that is natural to work on, and it can display information coming from a computer, then everything can be re-

corded to be emailed or printed. Because of this, notes no longer need to be taken by colleagues, which means they can completely focus on the presentation.

only be answered once the meeting is over.

If we look a step further, telepresence, which is costlier, allows the feeling of a “real” presence of participants that are far away. It is mostly used in “executive” meeting rooms, where the executive management organises their meetings.

In the (rare) case where an investment in videoconference is not possible, you can at least equip your meeting room with audio conference equipment.

Finally, keep your cables tidy! Even in this wireless world, there will always be cables.

Hide them as much as you can by attaching them, and place the equipment in a predetermined spot (for example, a closet). Order and method need to be predominant for the free space to actually be free.

Open Yourself To The World!

Open your meeting room to the world! Think “videoconference”. You will be able to talk live with your teams on the other side of the world, or with your sales teams, wherever they may be. Do not forget that tablets, smartphones, and notebooks can all access the Internet from anywhere, and that it is essential to gain time by augmenting productivity. Nothing beats a live exchange at the perfect time, especially not an email that will

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A Little Useful Story about Useless Meetings Picture this: you are hard at work, right in the heart of resolving an issue (any issue) when, suddenly, a

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notification pops up on your screen: « meeting in 10 minutes ». Sounds familiar?

his is bound to take the wind out of the sails of productivity as you have to interrupt the task at hand and return to it later.

But… will the meeting really last ten minutes?

And, most importantly… will it be useful? Let’s hear the views of Mike Brandes, Certified Technology Specialist with InfoComm.

There are plenty of vague and useless meetings!

Companies hold many useless meetings! For instance, there is the way too long weekly status update meeting where 20 people discuss the status of their projects. Real leaders/managers shouldn’t need to call a meeting to know where their employees are on a given project, but that’s another topic.

Another example: the ‘vague’ type of meeting! Its title is already vague, like “New Product Design”. Of course, there isn’t an agenda and there isn’t a set direction in which the meeting is supposed to go. Also, there is no telling when the meeting is over. Instead, five to ten people sit around a conference table talking in circles.

One nagging metaphysical question remains: « what did we just spend the last hour talking about? ».

One last example, this one relating to a useless meeting: your boss sends you an email and

then walks over to your office as soon as he has clicked the “send” button to ask you how you will respond to this email (which you probably haven’t even received). Of course, he will repeat the content of the message and wait for your response.

Simple fixes However, there are simple ways to make meetings count.

Pay a lot of attention to the agenda. That may seem like a no-brainer but, unfortunately, in practice it isn’t. You need to have an agenda that is not vague — a specific agenda that ad-

dresses each topic to be discussed, the reasons for discussing them and the expected outcome.

A brief example? « New Product Launch. Determine timeline for R&D, development, quality assurance, testing and then release of new product. This tentative schedule should be sketched out by end of meeting. » That little sentence took me only a short while to write but could save at least 30 minutes in a meeting. It’s clear what needs to be discussed and decided, and what the outcome should be.

This saves time, money and a lot of agitation.

Also, it allows all parties involved to prepare for the meeting.

Another simple tip: post-meeting reactions, decisions. Each manager informs their team of the decisions that were made and of the implications for their work going forward.

For the example above (new product launch), Marketing develops an ad, Manufacturing develops an assembly timeline, Quality Assurance develops a testing schedule, etc.

Finally, after the meeting, there MUST be a written summary. This is a key document which will prevent having to hold the meeting all over again because no one remembers what was discussed. And it will provide the reference to measure how effective the follow-up measures were.

An Eloquent Tablet at your Service!

What we are dealing with here is nothing less than the worthy descendant of the flip

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charts which dominated conference rooms for so long.

hile modern-day large interactive tablets still accept pens, they are also capable of turning your fingers into writing instruments. In addition, they digitally record what you write and draw!

Works very well Sharing content is, indeed, a major plus for meetings. Tablets create PDF files,

ways easily do so by connecting a printer to the tablet), you can use the interactive tablet to send copies directly to the participants. You can also post them on a website and/or make them available for download.

It works very well. Either you display the content which you carefully prepared in advance, or you create the messages ‘live’ as your presentation progresses. Obviously, a mix of both methods is possible: any presentation can be put on pause to add annotations. You can also use handwriting recognition for your text!

Giant display The connection of an interactive tablet is made via a USB port or a wireless module; Mac, PC Windows and Linux are welcome and this way the Prysm tablet becomes a giant display on which you can take notes and write.

PowerPoint documents, HTML and JPEG Additional software includes handwriting files; in other words, they can handle all recognition, screen capture, conversion types of applications. Rather than print- of the session’s content into files which ing documents and hand them out at the are saved, and sharing with remote parend of the meeting (although you can al- ticipants.

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Smart Technologies As we are working in an IT world here, all connections are possible, including the wireless connection of tablets and smartphones.

Finally, a few words about the image quality. The new generation of interactive tablets also incorporates 4K technology, or Ultra High Definition. This huge qualitative leap forwards (3840 x 2160 pixels against 1920 x 1080 in Full HD) is, of course, very interesting, regardless of the tablet’s dimensions: let’s not forget that you write on it and that, therefore, the definition plays a key role. The difference is also noticeable when rendering graphics, images and videos, provided related sources are selected!

What if participating to the Monday Morning Sales Meeting was really motivational…

One of the most traditional emblem of the Sales culture in the Enterprise is the Monday Morning Sales Meeting. It is a necessary step to define the “to-do’s” and “targets” framing an expected successful week. But for a few years now, this Sales Meeting is facing evolutional roadblocks: increased mobility of the sales teams, international attendance, and a significant and evolution

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of communication tools.

raditionally, the Monday morning sales meeting is ran using a Paperboard, used to write key items and visualize elements discussed among participants.

This annotation tool is quite productive but using it is not without inconvenient: - It often lacks empty paper sheets - Users forget used paper sheets, potentially exposing to the next meeting participants confidential information.

- The meeting leader needs to detach the paper sheets to photocopy them, or take digital pictures to share them with the audience.

- and all this with the non-eco-friendly feeling of wasting paper, at a time where “no paper in enterprise” policy is promoted, even if it is sometimes perceived as an utopia.

Recently, the Canadian company SMART Technologies introduced SMART kapp, the

modern replacement of the traditional Flipchart, which solves these issues.

It is basically a digital dry-erase board, with the same shape and size (42”/107cm ) as a traditional Flipchart, but the Paper sheets have been replaced by a smooth glass surface to write on. It is also available in a shape of a 84” (213cm) dry-erase white

white board and the smartphone, to visualize instantly the content on the phone display!

This link is made thanks to the SMART kapp free app, available on Apple Store and Google Play.

The app enables the user to capture some snapshots of the whiteboard content, as it is being written (including the written modifications and erasing). Therefore, it is no longer necessary to take a digital photo of each page using a smartphone. Moreover, the user can share the snapshots by email or post them on social networks, or even generate thru the smartphone a dynamic URL to share the evolving SMART kapp content in LIVE with five participants locally or remotely.

Seeing the content for remote users is instantaneous, thru “one click” on the URL, but will require either the mobile phone or a separate audio conferencing tool to establish a voice communication between each participant.

In addition, the user can subscribe to a Premium features (less than 2 euro per month), and be able to share the URL with up to 250 people, add a passcode to protect the live session, or create a static URL to avoid unnecessary repetitive URL sharing.

With SMART kapp, all participants have access to the same LIVE content, can save it, share it, and keep track of all what has been shared. It is becoming more difficult to omit some elements of the meeting, or a “todo”. The end result is a productivity increase and a more energized sales team!

‘connected’ meeting room, for a low cost, easy to install, without need for IT support, nor any specific maintenance (except the pen replacement once in a while), creates an attractive focal point for customers, and saves money. SMART kapp appears to be a great opportunity for the Hotels and Meeting hosting industries to modernize their Meeting Rooms, while adapting to the work methods of the 21st century.

SMART Technologies Website: www.smartkapp.com Download the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSN0aHh1zk

Such technology, as easy as its paper based predecessor, but which benefit from today’s smartphones, changes the way people work in the enterprise. Psychological barriers to waste paper are lifted, and costs concerns too: average yearly paper cost for a typical meeting room, in an hotel or a congress center is around 3200 euros, plus labor costs. With SMART kapp, it ranges down to 800-1100, depending on the solution, and is a one shot! board.

Both are pre-printed with a unique QR code, which the user needs to scan to establish a Bluetooth connection between the

Beyond the Enterprise, a collaboration tool like SMART kapp is ideal for a Hotel, or a congress center, looking for ways to differentiate its value and services offering. A

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Audio Conferencing Has Become Truly ‘Mobile’ The face of the world of audio conferencing has changed since the arrival of BYOD. Indeed, workers are

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using their own devices to communicate, including smartphones of course.

n the other hand, the very fact that people always have a smartphone with them increases the odds that they are available to participate in a conference call.

From BYOD to BYOA Similarly, the number of audio conferences through a PC or mobile phone running a dedicated application is on the rise. These applications, which are based on IP, thus the in-

it fragments the user base: different interfaces, different possibilities and confusing as to « who can call who ».

For instance, Wainhouse Research has found that more than half of voice calls are connected to an audio conferencing service.

While in the past the norm was traditional audio conferencing, today’s norm is audio conferencing with integrated web collaboration, possibly enriched with video and increasingly integrated into unified communication.

Ease-of-use and attractive prices

ternet, are very easy to use. It often suffices to click on a calendar or link. In fact, BYOD has led to BYOA (Bring Your Own Applications).

In the end, however, their use has given rise to ‘shadow IT’ of sorts which can be damaging to the setting up of conferences since

This development has several consequences. The ‘usual form’ of communication is becoming increasingly rare in view of the current billing plans (‘unlimited’ options) offered by mobile telephone operators and in light of telephone applications that « hijack » the telephone network by relying on the Internet.

People are beginning to realise that easy audio conferencing is FINALLY possible with a simple click. Microsoft Outlook, Google Agenda and others create a conference call

link which is automatically included in every invitation to a meeting. It thus suffices to click, when appropriate, on « participate » to be automatically connected. In the course of the audio conference it is no longer necessary to form key combinations (for instance, pressing « *8 » to hang up); it suffices to press the « mute » pictogram.

Under these circumstances, these days it is best to choose a business audio conferencing system that offers integrated web and audio services. Prefer an unlimited audio conferencing option (‘all you can use’).

Hence, it is no longer necessary to set up a free line for participants to call, as used to be the case.

Tools for Vocal Expression Meetings and microphones go together very well, the former often needing the latter. But one must not forget that

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a microphone is a tool which amplifies the voice and not a way to get good vocal expression!

ndeed, the microphone, for all its advantages, will never turn an annoying voice into an interesting one! A few techniques to make good use of them…

was still open! It is not always simple and therefore… one has to remember to ‘mute’ the microphone at the right time.

The Voice, a Communication Tool in its Own Right The first time you use a microphone can be a bit of an unsettling experience. Under the pressure of having the eyes of all the members of the audience on you, it is hard to control the tone of your voice, its volume and its pace.

Those are the three parameters that will bring substance and give life (sense and emotion) to your message. You have to get used to your voice before trying to use it as a real communication tool, which it has the potential of becoming. Depending on the case, raising your voice, increasing the pace or, conversely, uttering slow words in a serious tone of voice helps a great deal to get your message across. In this regard, exercise and experience are the keys.

However, having a good understanding of how the microphone works is also essential.

For example, it is important to know how to turn it on and off: Remember the misadventures of quite a few public figures who made private comments while… their microphone

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Microphones and ‘hot spots’ and ‘cold spots’ Microphones of the ‘lavalier’ type are very common. This microphone is attached to the clothes of the speaker, who must be aware of it and wear clothes with a lapel (or a tie) to hold the microphone. A wireless lavalier requires the presence of a transmitter to be worn close to the waist, on a belt for instance.

It is important to know that a lavalier works best when positioned about ten (or more) centimetres below the chin. It is not unimportant; you have to do precise tests, for if the microphone is positioned too high,

it will cause ‘hot spots’ and ‘cold spots’ when the speaker turns their head. You can picture the ‘area of operation’ of the microphone as a V-shape of sorts with the base being the microphone.

Wireless microphones are very popular as they enable you to walk around freely to have a more powerful presence. But here, too, you will need to do some testing in advance as the Larsen effect (resonance of the speakers in the microphone) is devastating.

A desk microphone or a microphone on a stand also requires standing at a suitable distance. Often people speak too close to the microphone, which amplifies all of their breaths and other jaw clicking sounds, not to mention the ‘pop effect’ due to explosive consonants being too close to the microphone’s membrane.

A Projector Really Dedicated To Your Meeting Room Business meeting rooms see a lot of images. The choice of an LCD or DLP projector can be quite profitable.

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How to choose the right one?

here exist a few tips that may help.

They are easy to understand and remember, because they all boil down to common sense.

The Concern For A Good Brightness The brightness of the projector is a part of this basic logic. To determine the required brightness, one needs to consider the desired image size and the necessity, or lack thereof, to keep certain lights on during projection to allow participants to take notes. An obvious example: if you have a large room and you need a bright picture while keeping the lights on, you will need the maximum amount of brightness.

The brightness of projectors is indicated in ANSI lumens. Generally, projectors are between 500 and 2100 lumens.

To have a more specific idea of required brightness, here are some examples. For an image of 1.5 to 1.9m in a small (5 to 10 participants) room without lighting, a projector from 500 to 1000 lumens will suffice.

A dim lit medium sized room (10 to 30 participants) with an image of 2.5 to 3m will need a projector with 1000 to 1500 lumens.

For a completely lit up large room (30 to 100 participants) with an image of 4 to 7m,

you will need a projector from 1500 to 2000 lumens.

Do Not Limit The Quality Of The Original Image The resolution of the image is another important factor to consider. The right reso-

lution will need to be chosen according to the resolution of the used source images.

The resolution of the projector has to be

the same as the images. While laptops are popular nowadays, this means the XGA resolution (1024 x 768) or, even better, the SXGA (1280 x 1024) are the most popular resolutions and should be your basic standard while projecting videos or AutoCAD. It would be a shame to limit the quality of the original image. To avoid the problem of your projector becoming obsolete, a good idea would be to buy the highest resolution projector possible to make sure that you can project the highest resolutions without compromising image quality.

One last small tip that is easy to understand: before buying, ask the seller to compare many projectors side by side in your meeting room to achieve optimal results. It may seem obvious, but it really helps in choosing the right projector for your needs.

Video and Digital Signage – Everything is Possible and that’s the Tragedy!

Need we remind that films have captivated the public for over a century? Films and videos are all the more entertaining

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given that they only require a minimum of effort and the information is easily absorbed and retained.

eople are accustomed to watching them through multiple media: TV sets, of course, but also computers, smartphones, tablets etc. It is estimated that videos are six hundred percent more effective than print and direct mail. These days, putting these magical tools on digital signage screens is a piece of cake.

Adapted and Pertinent Content Everything is possible and that’s… the tragedy! For the content disseminated must be appropriate and pertinent. It all depends on the location of the digital signage system, the type of people moving in the area and the message one wants to convey. For example, in the entrance hall of a large company, an hotel, a congress-convention centre could play a ’welcome video’, while in the waiting room of a dentist one may choose to disseminate specific information messages.

If digital signage is installed inside the company, it can, through adapted training videos, keep to a minimum the learning time for personnel, for example, or effectively disseminate a message from the management (such as a « message from the CEO »).

In the canteens and other relaxation areas,

one can broadcast footage of a company party or an open house.

Shorter = More Effective!

In any event, the length of the video greatly determines how well the information will be retained. Short videos (less than one minute) attain a huge retention score of 80%, whereas videos lasting anywhere between two and three minutes score 60%, which, we will agree, is still quite good.

If you decide to make your own video, make sure you disseminate the most important information first; especially if the digital signage systems are placed in high-traffic areas where there is a risk that mobile viewers are unable to watch the entirety of a clip. The beginning is somewhat similar to the TV concept of ‘prime

time’.

The image quality must be adapted to the screen size. In the case of digital signage, it is essential that it be excellent and in HD. Given the distance from which people watch, it is rarely necessary to use 4K, apart from exceptional cases and circumstances.

If the video is produced in-house, make sure to use a stable support system while shooting to prevent any shaking.

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Wainhouse Research Invites our European Clients and Readers to Cross the Pond

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Alan D. Greenberg, Senior Analyst & Partner, Wainhouse Research

very year we make the Wainhouse Research North American Summit a global affair. Past North American Summits have drawn delegates from the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Israel, South Africa, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Japan, China, India, Singapore, and elsewhere.

The entire Wainhouse Research crew is excited about some new elements to our Summit this coming 27-29 May, 2015 – most notably for some free passes (more on that below). Foremost, this year we will have more analyst and enterprise user talks on the topic of Unified Communications and workplace transformation than ever before. That’s where the focus will be: Wainhouse Research data, Wainhouse Research analysis, Wainhouse Research’s take – along with enterprise users – on market trends, real-world best practices, and ways of accomplishing successful collaborative technology deployments.

Enterprises large and small will be speaking to making UC global or local. Dell Corporation’s Lawrence Grafton will speak to how he pitched to Michael Dell himself on an enterprise video initiative that would unify corporate messaging to more than 100,000 employees and ensure that everyone, no matter where they are in the world, is speaking the same language.

His idea, DellTV, leverages Sonic Foundry’s Mediasite Showcase, My Mediasite, analytics and policies to change how it trains and communicates in a truly global environment. Workplace furniture designer Herman Miller’s Nic Milani will speak to building a workplace environment for collaboration that help people feel supported, engaged, and able to collaborate effectively. The cloud will be under scrutiny: Emma Richardson of the Colorado East Central BOCES (a service center) will talk about how interconnectivity (and cloud-based collaboration) is leveling the playing field, while Gene Warren, CEO of Warren Global Conferencing, will explore the impact of mobility, HD Voice, IP-encrypted voice, and cloud computing on conferencing service providers. Jennifer Klein of Principled Learning Strategies will speak to efforts for using collaboration in global contexts – and what educators need to support their efforts.

And then there are the Wainhouse Research analysts.

Industry executive asking a question from the audience

Andy Nilssen, Can Microsoft Lync Online truly replace your mainstream web conferencing service? – We will take a critical look at Lync strictly from the perspective of its strengths and weaknesses for those thinking of replacing a mainstream solution such as WebEx or GoToMeeting.

Andrew W. Davis, 50 Video Conferencing Trends, 50 Shades of Grey – The many trends rocking video conferencing today Bill Haskins, Tomorrow’s UC - Innovation or Good Intentions? – This session will take a look at these developments, comparing and contrasting across emerging solutions and next-level strategies from Microsoft, Cisco, and companies like Unify, Google and … Amazon!

Alan D. Greenberg, Alexander and the Horrible Terrible No Good Very Bad Day for Collaboration – This talk will explore the collision of online and brickand-mortar collaboration; 2) the impact of new solutions that combine real-time

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and on-demand tech; 3) the rebirth of the LMS; and 4) how user-generated content is changing the opportunity map.

Steve Vonder Haar, Mixing it Up: Breaking Free From the Confines of Webcasting – Steve will discuss that while “traditional” webcasting applications are effective and generate substantial value, advances in streaming platforms make video more malleable than ever before.

Marc Beattie, Where’s the Growth in UCaaS? – This session explores the promise, the problem, and possibility of UCaaS – for your enterprise or your service.

Ira M. Weinstein, Selling Collaborative Technologies: A View from the End User Alan Greenberg Side of the Negotiating Table – This session will provide vendors and service providers with direction concerning what they can do better to move sales opportunities further along, and end user organizations will hear a few ideas about how better to manage their vendors But the most exciting new element this year: free passes! For the first time ever, Wainhouse Research is offering one free pass per subscribing organization of our On Demand subscription services. If an organization subscribes to any one or more of those services at the time of registration, they are entitled to one free pass. If anyone ever thought about subscribing, this is a great excuse.

Besides the analyst and user focus, we are planning a pre-conference Workplace Transformation workshop with Compass Business Solutions, a casual welcome reception on Wednesday May 27th, and an all-new optional analyst dinner on Thursday evening, May 28th. With the theme of workplace transformation, we expect to continue to add speakers in the coming weeks.

Videoconferencing services are leaving the meeting room!

Mobile PCs, the cloud and the mobility in today’s world are boosting the adoption

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of videoconferencing services by enterprises.

t was in 1964 that AT&T gave a public demonstration of its Picturephone. The new advocates of videoconferencing then already supposed that it would not be long before it swept over the world like a tidal wave.

Over the following years, however, videoconferencing stayed confined to meeting rooms, where the cost, complexity and limited range of many systems discouraged their use.

And more than fifty years later…..

Today, more than fifty years later, the deployment of videoconferencing finally fulfills the original hopes, thanks to unified communications.

Indeed, it is unified communications that have established the use of videoconferencing at the workplace.

According to Nemertes Research, who, at the end of 2014, collected data from 180 companies, 43% of these enterprises had added videoconferencing to more than 10% of their workplaces (whereas in 2012 only 17% of them had done so).

Today the main suppliers of « universal » unified communication systems are Avaya, Cisco, Microsoft, Mitel and Shore Tel. And emerging technologies like WebRTC eliminate the need for a dedicated client and allow videoconferencing to be easily extended to outside the company’s boundaries.

Many suppliers are also responding to the needs of mobile use, so much so that isolated individuals can participate in a group or one-to-one video conference, independently of their location.

For a company, use of the cloud means that it can be sure to save on initial investment costs, since it is the service provider who takes care of the infrastructure. The cloud,

too, is evolutive, adapts to the company (scaling up or down) and removes the need for personnel dedicated to the management of infrastructures.

Videoconferencing is finally off and running Most cloud services allow videoconferences to be easily offered to customers, partners and suppliers, who can use their own terminals or connect via WebRTC-compatible browsers.

Cloud providers also reduce the costs of connection points, making video capabilities less expensive for both large conference rooms

ble on any device and from any location.

An illustration of the current trend: between 6,500 and 10,000 video conferences are held per day in the Google company, and this is related to, among other things, the ease of accessing them (a simple mouse click)! According to Wainhouse Research, in 2015 around 200 million persons will work collaboratively via videoconferencing.

Consequently, the new generation who are entering the world of work today have always been able to chat with their friends and family by video and expect to find the same possibilities at work, wherever the location.

Videoconferencing is finally off and running.

Interesting for the company at all levels!

An interesting fact: the growing availability of videoconferencing in the office and on mobile devices is being accompanied by the increasing deployment of videoconferencing systems for meeting rooms (average growth rate of 32%).

All company departments can benefit from video collaboration. According to a surPrysm vey of more than 5,000 persons, 88% of senior management members are highly satisfied with its use. The same is true of 83% of IT personnel, as well as marketing and finance department staff (75%).

As for sales staff, 92% of them are satisfied, as are 73% of customer service staff and 83% of engineers. Pretty good scores!

More than ever, videoconferencing is becoming inescapable within the framework of unified communications (UC), and the trend in this field is summed up in the following short phrase: « at any moment, everywhere and on every peripheral device whether it be mobile or fixed ». Collaborative video tools will continue to proliferate, allowing the maximum benefit to be gained from information that is conveyed, according to Dr. Mehrabian, author of the book « Silent Messages », through the words used (at 7%), via the voice (at 38%) and from « meta-communication » (facial expressions, gestures and postures)(at 55%).

and small offices.

Furthermore, the widespread availability of « consumer » videoconferencing services such as FaceTime, Google Hangouts and Skype has given rise to the idea that videoconferencing capabilities are always availa-

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Prepare Hybrid Events with Great Care!

More and more companies are interested in organising hybrid meetings, conventions and meetings. Remember that a hybrid event is an event which, in addition to bringing participants physically together, allows a remote ‘online’ audience, connected to the Internet, to learn about

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(and participate in) the event.

his formula is meeting with increasing success despite some reluctance on the part of the organisers, who initially feared the ‘cannibalization’ phenomenon.

Like a TV director Indeed, the biggest fear was that the interested audience would stay home and that such a situation would significantly diminish real and active participation in the event. It has since been demonstrated that this fear was groundless as a hybrid event makes it possible to increase the audience of an event by allowing the participation of people who would not have come anyway. Additionally, and this is a direct consequence, a hybrid event allows for the « globalisation » of the event, adding to its impact.

The organisation of a hybrid event does not differ fundamentally from that of a traditional event, except for the fact that it must be prepared more thoroughly and that one has to make sure the appropriate technical equipment is in place and in good working order.

Therefore, one must organise more ‘in depth’ than usual and ‘cut’ the course of the event,

much like a television director. The timing must be respected, if only because part of the remote audience will certainly be interested in particular moments of the event (specific speeches for instance) and will only connect then.

Timing the speaking time Thus, the preparation also requires that the various players (chairman, speakers) time their speaking time and submit, for technical purposes, the various documents that will be used. This way, during the various speeches,

Mediasite

the appropriate visuals can be shown on the screens.

From a technical viewpoint, one will need to talk to an Internet expert who specialises in hybrid events and, among other things, discuss with him the transmission speed that is possible, keeping in mind that audio « costs » less in bandwidth than video, for example.

One will also need to make a choice in terms of the quality of the images put on the Internet. Good quality requires high-speed connections.

The ultimate in hybrid events is to allow remote participants to take the floor (during question/ answer sessions for example) and, in certain cases, to allow the people in the audience to see the speakers. One can also put in place voting systems to take the pulse of Internet users in real time and bring up the results on one of the screens set up at the event.

Finally, and this is one of the benefits of a hybrid event, the sequences broadcast will be stored on the machines, allowing everyone (those physically present, the remote participants and… those who are absent) to watch the event again or to watch it « à la carte ».

How To Deserve The Success Of A Hybrid Event Hybrid meetings are one of the biggest trends of upcoming events. A hybrid event, as we know it, combines a traditional

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“live” event with a virtual “online” event.

oday’s technology allows the setup of links that are high quality and simple to create. For the organisers and speakers, there will be more and more situations of a real and online public at once.

Conversion From Virtual Towards “Live” It is obvious, and we would like to make it clear, that a live participation offers more advantages and value than a virtual participation, especially when it comes to possibilities of networking, establishing personal links, and being immersed in the event.

The setup of a hybrid event may however bring a larger audience and offer an international perspective to the event. Furthermore, a certain percentage of virtual participants become “live” participants. That being said, it is important to know that for the “online” participants, it is no longer enough to just stream the event, they deserve more

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than this.

They need to feel like they are completely a part of the event. The speakers need to take some time during their introductions to look at the camera and greet the virtual participants just like they would greet the participants physically present in the room. The live participants will also need to be aware of the situation. A good way of getting everyone interested in the hybrid event is to announce the number of online participants and to tell everyone where they are from. Finally, the questions from the room will have to be Sonic Foundry mixed with the opinions of the online participants.

Cross Interventions “Thinking about the online participants” is also not leaving them with the image of an empty conference room.

Before the event actually begins, stream commentaries and information on how the event is going to happen.

The respect of timing is even more important during a hybrid event. The online participants connect themselves

Sonic Foundry at key moments to follow the discussion on a specific subject. Just like on television, if you are late or if another subject is going on, they might simply… go on with other things and disconnect themselves.

The reactions of the online participants are important. They can react in different ways, depending on the technology that is in place. It may be a “comments” tab, it can be done through social media such as Twitter for example, or in other ways (such as the video streaming of the participants, in fancier cases). The president or speaker then needs to inject those comments and make them public in a way that they will be part of the discussions. The two publics (real and virtual) need to benefit from this.

The State Of Watchmakers It was particularly interesting this year, since the release of the Apple Watch, to watch the state of the traditional watch companies. They had a meeting during the recent Baselworld in Basel, from the 19th to

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the 26th of March.

t is still too early to tell, but many Swiss watchmakers already took the dive and proposed smartwatches, such as Breitling (chronograph connected to a smartphone), Frédérique Constant, Bulgari Diagono (prototype), Alpina and Mondaine.

The Combination Of Watchmaking And Innovation Its functions are aimed for health and wellbeing, it would easily offer a two year battery life, and it embodies traditional Swiss watchmaking and technological innovation. In addition to this, they are compatible with Android and iOS smartphones.

Frédérique Constant has a vision of a watch “that is a bridge between Silicon Valley and

Of course, the Breitling smartwatch is also considered a menace to Swiss watchmakers. Elmar Mock (one of the creators of the Swatch) told the daily “Le Temps” that he believes that “the smartwatch puts the mid-range classic watch in danger”.

François Thiébaud, president of Tissot, disagrees: “There is a synergy, not an opposition”.

He estimates that the phenomenon of the smartwatch has been a positive one: “Watchmaking has never been discussed this much before!”

Tissot sees its smartwatch project differently: labelled “swiss made”, the watch does not depend on a smartphone and will have a large battery life.

Photo from left to right: Monsieur François Thiébaud, Président de Tissot Monsieur Johann N. Schneider-Ammann, Conseiller Fédéral Monsieur Nicolas Clerc, Vice-Président Département Produit Tissot Monsieur Nick Hayek, Président de la Direction Générale du Swatch Group Switzerland”. On the side of Breitling, we’re talking about a smart chronograph, made for pilots.

The Strength Of The Symbol

Adrian Bosshard, the director of Certina,

says the following: “We sell high-quality watches that last a long time, not electronic products of mass production”.

Elie Bernheim, director of Raymond Weil, underlines that “the main problem with the smartwatch is its obsolescence.” It is true that watches, until now, represented a lifelong investment.

However, he sees a real potential in this new market.

Thiery Stern, president of Patek Philippe, believes that “the smartwatch may bring the concept of “watch” back to popularity and motivate the younger crowd to adopt it”.

He insists on the media coverage of smartwatches that pushes people to “overreact”.

Finally, he would “love to see the third and fourth generations of these models”, highlighting that we are still only at the very beginning of this market.

The consensus is around the idea that a watch is “a symbol, a status, a memory related to an event of our life”, as opposed to what a smartwatch can offer.

Baselworld

Thierry Stern, Président de Patek Philippe

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A Galaxy of opportunity for anyone whose involves visual communication From 18-22 May 2015, the Koelnmesse exhibition centre in Cologne plays host to FESPA 2015, the world’s largest event for the speciality print community, attracting thousands of printing applications who come from all over the world to see the

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latest technology innovations in large format printing. focused on. Graphics are becoming an increasingly measurable part of the communications mix.

ut, according to FESPA CEO Neil Felton, this print ‘mecca’ is also a galaxy of opportunity for anyone whose involves visual communication to attract, promote, engage, direct or inform.

Print for impact

Neil Felton

Here he outlines some of the trends that will be reflected in this year’s event…

A Galaxy of Opportunities for Communicators The digital revolution which has turned marketing communication on its head in the last 15 years has also stimulated an explosion of creativity for printers, transforming what print can do as a medium of visual communication.

Digital wide format print technology means that the economics of print have changed fundamentally – projects or ideas that would have been infeasible to realise in print just a decade ago are now possible, and digital print enables a degree of individualisation that is music to the communicator’s ears.

Graphics of any kind can now realistically be printed and cut to any individual specification, personalised, or tailored to the needs of a particular environment.

Reimagining print And don’t limit your thinking to paper or cardboard; it’s time to reimagine print. Even in signage and display, think about how you could use textile-based soft signage to good effect, both for visual impact and to reduce transportation and storage costs. Or consider how you might potentially use printable magnetic media to create POS graphics that can be endlessly repositioned on any metal surface.

Did you know that developments in inks mean it’s possible to create dynamic graphics that physically react to their environment – images that appear, disappear or change with changes in temperature or the addition of water for example; touch sensitive inks, or clever metallics or tactile inks that allow you to create luxe effects without the cost.

And contemporary printable self-adhesive vinyls

make it possible to wrap virtually any three-dimensional object, meaning anything can carry your brand or campaign image – cars, bicycles, boats, planes, furniture, entire buildings. If it moves - or if it doesn’t – wrap it!

Print in the digital mix Today’s print – even POS graphics and outdoor – sits very comfortably in our multichannel marketing world.

Devices like QR codes, Near Field Communication and iBeacons are making print an interactive medium that acts as a very effective bridge between the physical and virtual, encouraging the viewer of the graphic to extend their engagement in the online space, or using geo-location data to enable a level of personalised targeting of information or promotion.

Printed graphics can easily be combined with digital signage or screen media to make for a more multisensory experience, incorporating audio and video, or delivering dynamic information. Many visual communications specialists can advise on clever solutions that mix printed and screen media to deliver ‘wrap-around’ experiences for your customers.

What’s more, advances in areas such as eye-tracking mean that you can now equip instore or outdoor graphics with devices to feedback on engagement levels – consumer dwell-time in front of a graphic, and feedback as to which areas of the image they

If your business lends itself to events or experiential marketing, then wide format print is the solution to create jaw-dropping pop-up spaces, or event graphics with the wow factor, from straightforward flags and banners to branded hoardings, awnings, crowd-control fences, printed podiums, backdrops, inflatables…

And even in more classic areas of marketing – promotional or commemorative merchandising for example – up to date print technologies and materials make it possible to produce garments or giveaways that are creative and personal, and in small quantities to support time-limited promotional activity and eliminate inventories of outdated merchandise gathering dust.

No boundaries It’s true to say that print today has virtually no boundaries; the technology exists today to print economically on just about anything. Cement, glass, ceramics, wood, carpet, textile, metal – today, anything is possible, a fact that has the potential to transform all areas of display.

Whether it’s for a retail space, hospitality environment, corporate office or showroom, if you can imagine it, you can print it. In the era of immersive brand experiences and the growing role of the retail space as a ‘showroom’ supporting an eventual online purchase, wide format print is your best friend. It enables you to transform walls, floors, ceilings, glazing, surface coverings and soft furnishings.

And the best bit? The comparatively low cost of decorating with print means that you can refresh any space regularly, whether that’s to change the seasonal look and feel of a restaurant, to ring the changes in a hotel or event space, or to reflect campaigns and promotions in a store.

FESPA 2015 Global Expo– with its component events FESPA Fabric for printed garments, European Sign Expo for signage, and Printeriors for decorative print applications - is your gateway to discover your new universe of print.

FESPA 2015, 18 – 22 May 2015, Koelnmesse, Germany Visit www.fespa2015.com for more information.

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Shop windows are doping themselves with digital displays The digital display is inserting itself into more and more screens! Previously confined to big screens, it is now embedding itself in smaller screens and in strongly innovative combinations. The most striking characteristic: the digital display is increasingly

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involved in touch screens and in interactivity.

he boundaries between interactive kiosks and digital signage are therefore disappearing. This is in the normal course of things, given that interactive kiosks also made use of screens. But today this has been taken much further.

Shopping Window Adidas

From the traditional shop window to true « window shopping »!

In reality, it is the very philosophy of digital signage that is evolving. Not long ago it served mainly to catch the eye, to disseminate information and advertising messages. It imposed itself by its size and luminosity.

This is still the case, but, on the one hand, smaller screens in the very departments of stores enable visitors to choose their own path and, on the other hand, and most importantly, some real revolutions have taken place.

The revolution that follows is exemplary. It involves Adidas-style window shopping, applied to its NEO range, and the system was first installed as a prototype.

The brand invested in…..the traditional shop window in order to transform it into a genuine virtual shop. First advantage: this shop is open 24/7. Second advantage: it attracts attention on a massive scale. Third advantage: its playful aspect, which appeals to the young generations (ultimately Adidas’ core target).

But let’s see how all this works. The shop window is a large touch screen on which a « virtual » model and Adidas products appear. A bar code (QI) is displayed, which the potential customer only needs to scan with a smartphone in order to obtain a PIN code. From this moment on, his or her mobile phone is connected in real time with a shopping bag that appears in the window. All products dropped by the consumer into the

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bag, by gestures on the window, appear instantly on the smartphone. The customer can change the product details and can also inform his or her friends via social media. The life-size digital mannequin carries the desired product and moves according the customer’s wishes.

It is huge fun.

Consumers are already innovative actors

Shopping Window Adidas

The touch medium of the future, the interactive shop window is a revolution in the marketing and media world. It allows a simple glazed store front to be transformed into a real interactive communication tool that enables passers-by to be actors in the animations produced on the shop window.

Obviously, this technology is still in its infancy, but renowned brands are already embarking on the interactive shop window adventure. For example, AS Colourmatic, a brand famous for its colorful T-shirts, offers an interactive shop window that analyzes the passer-by in terms of the « cheerfulness of their clothing ». The system then suggests a more trendy choice of colors, available in the store.

For its part, Starbucks has installed an interactive shop window in Toronto that « rewards its customers and the passers-by in the city »: trial offers, mark-downs and drinks are offered as part of the program!

In England, the readymade clothing brand WESC has invited passers-by to make a hologram dance, according to their position along the window.

Finally, Nike+, using Kinect technology, animated a whole series of shop windows with balls that flew (virtually) when passers-by walked past the window. Other shop windows allowed passers-by to perform a jump and to see the score achieved etc.