CBS-magazine Dec 2015 - Jan 2016 (EN)

Afgiftekantoor 9099 Gent X / P.508718/Bimestriel

Nr 47 December 2015 - January 2016

ISE 2016 : for you, for your business, for the better…

With the first four-day Integrated Systems Europe exhibition now open for attendee registration attendees can look forward to the biggest and busiest show so far.

ISE 2016 will once again occupy all halls of the Amsterdam RAI. Namely Hall 1 - 12, plus the Diamond Lounge and the new Amtrium building.

Page 10

Wireless Audiovisual?

Yes, But Hybrid!

The future of communication

Changes Affecting Video Conferencing

Research, anecdotal evidence and a simple look around confirms

The business world is changing, driven by technology de-

meetings industry is no different, and is perhaps one of the most

place. (By Andrew W.Davis: Senior Partner Wainhouse

that the work force is made up of many different people. The diverse.

velopments and shifts in both the workforce and the workResearch)

Page 8

For technology users, a “traditional experience”

correlates to a transparent solution that helps in reaching desired goals.

People circulate from the inside towards the outside and vice versa, all this while interacting with

their smartphones or other mobile devices. Few of them know about the wireless infrastructure that allows them to have this mobility.

Page 2

Page 14

Starting With Event Streaming Conference organizers, Enterprises, Associations should use the 60/40 rule in planning resources for before and after a meeting, a conference, a congress.

Page 6

Where The Hell Do We Put All The Digital Signage Screens?

Connections Meetings Page 16

Digital Signage May Forever Change the Business World Page 4

Page 15 16

Changes Affecting Video Conferencing Today The business world is changing, driven by technology developments and shifts in both the workforce and the workplace. (By Andrew W.Davis: Senior Partner Wainhouse Research)

C

ollaboration has moved to front and center in the strategic plans of both large and small enterprises, driven by the need to build better teams, to speed product and process development, and to share knowledge and experiences between team members. Video conferencing, in turn, is adapting quickly to meet a whole new set of customer requirements.

In fact, video conferencing has expanded from its early days of being a stand-alone room-centered technology to being an integral part of personal communications software on desktop and mobile devices.

This article highlights six trends and developments that are bringing video conferencing into the corporate mainstream.

Support for Scale As time goes on, more and more individuals who have grown up with the Internet, mobile devices, and visual communications are entering the workplace. IT departments, in turn, are adjusting to meet the expectations of this evolving workforce and their demands for greater mobility, flexibility and more choice in how and where to work and which tools and devices to use for which tasks. The result is that video conferencing is being democratized – no longer limited to senior executives only, but now a tool available to product managers, business directors, and human resources experts. Hence, enterprises with dozens or even hundreds of room video conferencing systems are now wrestling with the challenge of deploying and supporting thousands or even tens of

thousands of video-enabled small conference rooms and individual workers. The video conferencing industry in turn is responding to this challenge with devices that are easier to use and hence easier to support, with software systems that make deployments more manageable, and with lower cost hardware and software endpoints that can be deployed in large numbers economically.

Increased Reliability For any business tool to be successful, it must be reliable. The solution has to provide a consistent user experience every time, or users will choose another tool.

This is especially true in the communications world, where multiple participants are often involved and where multiple options exist (voice, video, text chat, email, etc.)

In a recent Wainhouse Research survey of video conferencing users, 95% agreed or strongly agreed that video conferencing is more reliable than it was just two years ago, and 92% agreed that it is easier to use as well. 87% claim to be using video conferencing more than they did two years ago, while a smaller number agreed that their company has expanded the roll out of UC solutions.

For video conferencing, reliability boils down to two key elements.

1) Meetings need to launch on time. Having three people in each of four meeting rooms wait while the host resolves a connection problem or a computer peripheral setting is an unacceptable waste of work-

Andrew W.Davis ers’ time. It is also a de-motivator for using video conferencing for future meetings.

2) The user experience must be solid and repeatable. Audio should be clear and echo-free while video should be high definition without artifacts. In addition, the communications delay should be low enough to support interactive, natural discussions. If today’s electronic meeting cannot provide an experience similar to a physical, face-to-face meeting, then the video conferencing solution will not be used.

Integration with Enterprise Systems In the past, video conferencing was largely a silo’d technology, limited to conference rooms and often without an integrated scheduling process. Even when video was deployed to desktop and mobile devices, most enterprise departments deployed video conferencing as a standalone application. This situation is now changing, driven by a growing interest in providing business professionals with a single user interface or even a single application that can handle voice, video, text chat, presence status, and even file sharing. Hence, video conferencing is being re-positioned as an integrated part of the communications solution, a capability that is always-available and easy-to-use.

The video conferencing industry is responding with solutions that enable their room and personal systems to be integrated with unified communications solutions, thereby giving users the benefit interoperability with a larger number of colleagues combined with high quality audio and video. In addition, video conferencing vendors and service providers are addressing the challenges of scheduling shared resources by introducing plug-ins for popular

2

calendaring systems. These make scheduling and reserving a conference room a single-click operation, another driver for utilization.

Infrastructure as Software on Physical and Virtual Servers.

Running enterprise software on physical and virtual servers has been a common technology solution in the business world for many years. But only in the past three years has this concept been extended to video conferencing where the need for complex, high-speed computations and low latency response times are crucial to delivering an acceptable user experience.

Today, gateways, gatekeepers, and other video infrastructure devices are available not only as dedicated hardware platforms, the traditional approach, but also as software running on industry-standard physical and virtual servers. The benefits of this new approach center on flexibility.

Deployment flexibility means that customers can use a third party public cloud offering or deploy solutions in their own data centers Licensing flexibility means that customers can purchase licenses in units of one, and can expand or contract their pool of licenses as needed, without hardware chassis limitations.

Business model flexibility comes from the fact that many solutions require no upfront capital expense – the infrastructure can be purchased on a “pay as you go” operating expense basis.

Technology flexibility means that feature enhancements are a simple matter of software updates – there is no hardware upgrade limitation.

Growth of Inter-Company Video Conferencing Just a few years ago, video conferencing was largely deployed as an internal tool, facilitating communications between colleagues who were on the same IP network. Inter-company video conferencing was, in many cases, limited by network security policies that blocked incoming (and often outgoing) IP video calls. And even if the IP vid-

eo traffic could enter or leave the company’s network, additional hurdles included call routing issues and vendor interoperability challenges. So despite strong interest in inter-company video, attempted calls would simply fail. And because of this, many companies simply gave up on the entire concept.

Today, however, companies have softened their stance on IP video, with most allowing at least outgoing video traffic to traverse the firewall and leave the network. In addition, service providers have expanded their offerings to allow companies to meet over video in the cloud. And over time, video conferencing has become a

Andrew W.Davis to consume video infrastructure as a service rather than as a product, a relatively new business model for the video conferencing industry. Cloud services offer customers a

that do not adopt a communications plan that embraces video will risk becoming non-competitive. Fortunately, the video conferencing industry is responding with solutions that offer strong performance, at lower price points, and that integrate more easily into the work environment than ever before.

AV integrators and value-added resellers need to stay abreast of these developments and be prepared to offer solutions that will deliver value and competitive advantage to their customers.

common tool for inter-company communications.

Recent Wainhouse Research surveys of video conferencing users show that up to 1/3 of video calls are now off-net (meaning to external people or sites), and that for enterprises with fewer than 10,000 employees, this percentage is even higher. Typical examples of calling an off-net video participant include interviewing a job candidate, collaborating with a remote expert, connecting with a patient in a telehealth network, and calling on a supplier or customer to discuss a business arrangement.

Adoption of New Technologies & Services Although the video conferencing industry is well over two decades old, hardware and software advances continue to drive higher quality video, lower bandwidth requirements, and feature-rich collaboration applications. But perhaps the trend most in the public eye is the evolution to cloud services, giving enterprises the ability connect with nearly anyone with Internet access. Cloud services enable customers

combination of affordability, flexibility, strong performance, short deployment time, redundancy, scalability, obsolescence protection, and more.

On a separate development path, video conferencing vendors are embracing new compression schemes such as H.265 and VP9. These support high definition at 30-50% lower bandwidths, making visual communications ever more affordable and practical.

In addition, WebRTC holds the promise of video-enabling the ubiquitous web browser, making video conferencing software downloads a thing of the past and allowing almost any device to become a video terminal.

Whether you are an IT professional or a business line manager, whether you work at a large or small enterprise, the trends and technology changes outlined above should be part of your strategic thinking and planning process. Visual communications is becoming mainstream, but not just by providing travel savings benefits, but by also enabling new ways of working. Enterprises

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.

3

Connections Meetings Designing better meetings by Martin Ferguson The future is bright The next 12 months will see a marked increase in meetings and events activity across Europe, according to one of the world’s biggest M&E companies. In November, American Express Meetings & Events published its global meetings forecast for 2016. The findings make positive reading for the entire supply chain. As most European economies strengthen, corporate meetings spend and delegate numbers are both predicted to enjoy modest growth. Survey respondents were quizzed on their plans for the year, from sales and marketing, to training, internal and executive team meetings, products launches, conferences and incentives. While all categories were predicted to see a rise, training and internal meetings were forecast to grow fastest.

The report found that budget is still the key consideration when it comes to choosing a meeting location. Access to airports and proximity of training facilities will also have a bearing on the selection of overseas destinations. But overall, the M&E sector is shaping up for a busy year. Is there a more appropriate time, therefore, to re-evaluate the way meetings are designed and conducted?

In these austere times, companies are obliged to make sure time and money is spent wisely. With properly designed programmes, there are huge savings and productivity gains to be made in the meetings space.

Finding focus The art of meetings is often misunderstood.

Like newspapers, phones, web sites and brochures, is it a medium of communication that

4

will only work if used properly. It could be three people in a small room in an office block; it may be an educational session for 500 members of staff in a hotel ballroom. Size does not matter.

The principle remains the same: content and design must be tailored to the audience and the objectives of the meeting owner if it is to be a success. Preparation is fundamental. This may seem obvious, but many meetings are organised out of habit.

Others are arranged by people who mainly focus on the logistics and operational issues, but perhaps without really knowing why. Many have good reason to bring people together, but don’t properly articulate what is it the actually want to achieve. The main challenge is

room will not work if a meeting is supposed to be interactive. Again, this may seem like common sense, but it happens in a surprising number of cases.

One of the biggest challenges facing any meeting is keeping delegates engaged. Attention spans are not as long as they used to be¾particularly among the Millennial generation¾and it’s all too easy for people to become engrossed in smartphones and tablets when they should be paying attention to speakers and presentations. But who can blame them if the content is boring or irrelevant? This is why preparation is so important.

Failure to hit the right note with participants can demotivate staff and waste company money. The format, the experience and tone must, therefore, support the content and the overall aim of the meetings.

Doing your homework that most meeting owners and arrangers formulate vague objectives. Moreover, they are not aware of the alternative ways to conduct meetings, and so use default formats and processes. There are a myriad of examples, but we can scratch the surface with one: sitting delegates in theatre style rows in a dark

To begin, the meeting owner must be clear about his or her own objectives in order to formulate a good programme. Then, along with the meetings designer, time must be taken to understand the profile of the delegates or audience. If neither of these steps are taken the meeting is destined to fail. Perform an analysis of the delegate profile and be sure they will get what they need in an engaging manner.

There are a number of meetings characteristics to take into account. Physical presence, for example, is very important. It is not a conference call. People are actually in a room and are together. How they feel and move is important. By definition, the meeting is outside of what one might refer to as the real world. A meeting is almost a suspension of time where ideas are discussed and developed with much more freedom than in the real world. Then, the outcomes need to be implemented back in the real world. The meeting owner, as previously mentioned, may have a fair idea about the direction in which they want the meeting to be taken. But if the objectives are not articulated properly the meeting design will almost certainly not facilitate the desired outcome. It helps, in almost all instances, for the owner to physically map out (on paper) the path the content should follow. All of these are building blocks that create the foundation of a successful meeting. Without each one of them, a project

will likely fail.

Storytelling The meeting venue is important. So, too, is the transportation used to get delegates there in the first place. Good food and drink adds to the experience. But these aspects are all peripheral to the content. If there is no content, there is no meeting. In theory, a meeting could be conducted without any of the peripherals. Getting those content objectives right is not easy; one can just say the aim is to provide a platform for networking or a space for the exchange of ideas. It has to be more specific: if, for example, the meeting owner wants every delegate to have at least 10 conversations that will lead to profitable follow up meetings. Then the designer

has something with which to work. If the aim is to get each participant to say at least one sentence to everyone else in the room, it requires a specific type of interaction. That level of detail in formulating the objectives is required in order to tailor the meeting design.

Delivery of the content will make or break the meeting.

Tell true and authentic stories. Make the content sticky by connecting with human instincts such as love, lust, fear and pleasure. Connect with people’s personal lives; delegates will react best to content to which they can relate. It is the key to inspiration. It is also the most effective way to generate interaction. Or, perhaps, even create conflict. Could there be a moral choice to be made at the end of a discussion? People in the room will have stories, opinions and experiences to share. This should be leveraged for the benefit of the meeting.

Measuring success and looking ahead There are qualitative and quantitative outcomes to every meeting. The quali-

tative outcomes should be measurable to determine the meeting’s ROI. The quantitative requires evaluation based on subjective criteria, but will provide key indicators surrounding the effectiveness of each project.

But be sure someone owns the meeting’s outcomes. There must be accountability surrounding the results and takeaways from the meeting.

The world of meetings and event is fast evolving. More is understood about human behaviour and how it can be influenced than ever before. Successful meetings can bring significant value to business, whether it’s savings, increased productivity, people motivation or business development. But in order to maximise the opportunities, meetings owners and arrangers need to start thinking in new ways. Inertia should not hold back the progress of meetings design.

5

Starting With Event Streaming Conference organizers, Enterprises, Associations should use the 60/40 rule in planning resources for before and after a meeting, a conference,

“A

a congress.

horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse” this famous line is uttered by Richard III when he is in despair on the battlefield and calls for a horse to rescue him. In a similar way a PCO (Professional Conference Organiser) or comes to the rescue of a client who is in despair when facing the daunting task of organising a conference, a congress for which it’s organisation often does not have the time, the experience or the manpower.

The organiser takes a lot of weight of the client’s shoulders and has the necessary connections with reliable (technology) partners to prepare and execute the conference, the congress. However too often we see that the period after the conference has not been well planned for, especially the communication and technology part.

Thinking about streaming and webcasting in an early stage of the conference planning, can lead to 3 major improvements. For example, if you organise a 3 day medical conference and the objective for next year is to have even more high level speakers, to grow the attendance to from 500 to 600 guests and to acquire pharmaceutical company as a new gold sponsor, you might want to consider the following points.

Avoid a waste of resources (time, money, energy) To start with the first one, a lot of resources go into creating the content of the conference. Speakers have been persuaded, flown in and facilitated.

Nice locations have been booked and state of the art equipment has been rented to facilitate questions and answers. During the conference the best and brightest minds in that field were present and they talked, discussed and exchanged in meaningful ways.

However If the organiser has not thought about how to capture all that content, after the conference it is all gone.

The conference will not live on forever and all the investment will be spend only on a one off moment in time.

Capturing the speeches, the presentations, the images, the questions, etc. allows for the content to be used afterwards to archive or redistribute it, after the conference . Now the investment is not gone, it has been transformed into practical tangible content. And as it is with many things, the earlier you include this in the planning of the conference, the better the quality of captured content will be.

Achieve the objective of the conference The second point concerns the fact most of these clients are international organisations, associations and enterprises that represent a variety of stakeholders and organise an annual conference or a yearly summits. Most importantly,

Wytze Pieter VanderGaast: Streamdis International Business Development Manager Email: wytze@streamdis.eu Website: www.streamdis.eu these clients have a specific purpose; they have a cause to promote, a platform to offer, an audience to appeal to, donations to collect, etc. The conference they organise are only an element in the process to achieve that purpose and the outcome of the conference has to be beneficial to their ‘raison d’être’ in order to be a success.

Organisers should plan beforehand how the content can be used afterwards to achieve these objectives.

Webcasting can be a tool by facilitating to let more people be involved (reach a broad audience). Or by allowing to revisit the important speeches for study on topics and keywords (offering a platform). It can also be a profit model by selling online access at a basic fee (raising funds).

Don’t miss opportunities to promote the next conference

Streamdis Email: wytze@streamdis.eu Website: www.streamdis.eu

6

Thirdly and most importantly, the end of the conference is already the start of the next conference. As a meeting professional who has fought hard to get this client you don’t just want to organise 1 conference, you want to organise the annual conferences for the next 5 years. Then you also have to plan accordingly and assist the client in making sure that the next edition is even bigger, better and more successful.

Capturing and webcasting is crucial for that because it gives you the material to use in the period between the conferences. By using the content in a flexible and smart way, the organiser can transition gradually from the post event follow up to the promotion of the upcoming conference.

The rich media format that Streamdis uses for example, gives a manageable overview of video and slides which is ready the moment the participants leave the conference. Making the post conference administration less of a burden.

The variety of content (video, feedback, statistics, etc.) can be used in different ways for a neat follow up and promotion towards the next conferences.

The 60/40 rule As a service provider in the area of live or on-demand streaming services, Streamdis is communicating international organisations, associations and corporations. Through the years we experienced that most of the time only 20% of the resources are spend on the preparations for the period after the conference and 80% of the resources are spend on the preparations before the conference such as the location, the guest list, a nice event app, the announcements, etc. To guarantee a lasting Return on Investment a basic principle in business should be considered; the 60/40 rule. In this case it would mean that resources need to be more equally divided between the pre and post phase of the conference.

A Masterclass in Modern Media Streamdis recently was invited by Ann Van Leeuw, lector tourism management, to give a Masterclass Modern Media at the Erasmus University College Brussels. The purpose was to reach out to future professionals in our industry in order to promote

Streamdis Email: wytze@streamdis.eu Website: www.streamdis.eu awareness of the 60/40 rule and to give some insight in what our business will look like in the future. In a time where content management and big data are key factors, the future is bright for organisers that are adapted to the ‘mixed zone’ of hospitality, project management, technology and communication.

Streaming services play an important role in that process but even more so if the planning beforehand is done in a structured way: 1) Think and prepare how you want to use, market or monetize the content of the conference, for example by sending the participants a tailor-made summary with the keywords that are relevant to them. In a later stage ask them how that benefited to their (daily) work

2) Plan your communication plan between the conference and the next conference by creating a multimedia tailor made press package (written and video content available) 3) Consider which formats you will need in the period after and make sure you get what you need out of the conference, for example by creating a 2 minute high level summary on a suitable format (it can be shown on the website), it has all the tools ready at (during) the conference in the correct formats A meeting organiser who from the ‘get go’ thinks beyond the horizon of one conference, is on track to build a long term relationship with a client by helping to make much better use of the resources; time, energy and money.

For such an organiser a client will gladly offer the keys to their kingdom.

Streamdis Email: wytze@streamdis.eu Website: www.streamdis.eu

7

The future of face to face communication Emma Boynton, head of sales and marketing at imago, discusses research into the future of face to face communication. new ideas, challenged the norm and initiated change in every day thinking was most important to them.

Research, anecdotal evidence and a simple look around confirms that the work force is made up of many different people. The meetings industry is no different, and is perhaps one of the most diverse.

One of the biggest splits in opinion was that 92% of organisers believed networking time was most valuable, but this view was not shared by delegates, with only 84.4% believing networking time with colleagues helped build relationships. And students were also not big fans of networking although it is likely that their opinion will change as their careers progress.

We come together from all countries, races, genders, sizes and ages to deliver meetings and events that we hope will have an impact on those attending whilst providing a significant return on investment for the organisers.

As the commercial division of Loughborough University we wanted to explore some of those differences in more detail, in particular we wanted to examine what delegates and organisers believe matters when it comes to business events and how their opinions compare to the leaders of tomorrow, in particular students studying for their MBA. We gathered a vast amount of information and were particularly excited by the opportunity to compare the opinions of those already organising or attending events with future participants. The research included interviews, focus groups and questionnaires with more than 750 individuals and examined the favoured forms of communication for learning new skills, retaining important information and aiding business success.

As an industry we think we know what makes a great event. But the data we gathered during the process allow us, and other organisations, to build a better picture of the market place and to spot opportunities that are not being maximised or highlight areas that are over saturated.

Students, delegates and organisers all agreed that a face-to-face meeting had more value compared to conference calls, emails and other form of communication.

Emma Boynton In particular, 96.6% of delegates preferred face-to-face meetings of fewer than 10 participants, whilst 81.4% of students said they gained more value from their learning experience by being face to face in the form of tutorials compared to working online or independently. This was important because it created an environment where people can learn rather than be taught. With only 3.4% of delegates expressing a preference for large meetings it is clear that organisers need to ensure that breakout and group interaction sessions are given as much, if not more attention than plenaries in the planning of large events.

Possibly the most ringing endorsement of face to face communication is the fact that virtual meetings are only considered to be helpful once you have already met the people you are communicating with.

The value of face to face communication was highlighted by the positive aspects of face-to-face communication including fresh ways of thinking, team unity, investment in employees, engagement and enjoyment. Other benefits included the ability to read facial expressions, interact and test understanding, whilst developing relationships.

All were united in thinking that group interaction and discussion was the top benefit of face to face with 78.4% of delegates and 66% of organisers saying it was the most important aspect in a learning environment, followed by knowledge sharing and the fact that there are fewer barriers to communication.

It was also established that all participants retain information from meeting for far longer than any other form of communication, citing the fact that personality helps retention of information.

Learning from industry experts and gurus was rated as most important by 85.6% of delegates whilst 90% of organisers said listening to speakers who inspired

8

The use of visuals were preferred by 81% of respondents as a means of helping retain information whilst social media was considered least effective, particularly amongst students with 77% saying it was not important in helping them retain information. An interactive format with exercises and questions was also liked but the recent trend for co-creation of content on the day is clearly unpopular amongst delegates. As one of our focus group attendees told us there is nothing better than a white board and pen or a flip chart to help with group cohesion.

The research has been of great value to imago, and the industry as a whole. These highlights are just the tip of the iceberg but above all it clearly shows that people want to talk to people and technology is a tool rather than the end goal

The research was undertaken by Loughborough University and imago. The Right Solution provided methodology, analysis and validation of the research which was conducted amongst 779 respondents using a mixture of focus groups, online and face to face questionnaires. The final research paper is available from http://go.welcometoimago.com/meet-the-future. You can also follow the debate and share thoughts about the research on Twitter via #futureF2F.

Congress Organisation Must Move to the New Generation Generation Y, people born from 1980 to 2000, are often caricatured. For example, they are sometimes considered to prefer text messaging to talking and online life

I

to real life.

n reality, generation Y puts as much importance as previous generations on face to face meetings and encounters.

The Human Being, a Social Creature The reason to prefer real life meetings over other methods is that they make for good business and help in keeping professional relationships active while stimulating personal and professional development.

Of course, technology is a powerful adjuvant for meetings, whether it is used before, during, or after the meeting or event.

But, if we go down to its essence, the human being is a social creature.

Generation Y prefers real meetings because one can gauge the reactions and intentions of people, and “entirely” communicate by putting more meaning in the discussion.

Reflexions of this kind are frequently heard: “Compared to a virtual meeting, face to face meetings stay engraved in memory. There are also more opportunities to discuss business”. Real meetings also tend to avoid typical misunderstandings that can happen in online relationships since it is easier to correctly judge a person’s reaction to a question or a comment when you are in front of them: “There is a lot more stimuli to be received!”

The maintenance of good relationships with existing clients is also cited, along with prospecting: “potential clients that ignored emails you sent them for months become interested in you when you physically meet them”.

The “luck” of real meetings (or the benefits of networking) is also beneficial: “I had a conversation with two people that were not in my direct circle of interest for 40 minutes. They put me in contact with a key person that I called afterwards. The results were very positive, we struck a deal”.

A Clear Warning for All Organisers!

There exists some noticeable differences between the expectations of today compared to the expectations of yesterday. Indeed, the generation Y expects technology to be there during every minute of the “meeting experience”. Let’s not forget that for a majority of them, “nothing existed before Internet”. They need a performing Wi-Fi, hybrid content, social media, a parallel and simultaneous participation on Web platforms (for example a hybrid event), adapted and specific apps (see further down) … and even more!

This is a warning for organisers: the question should never be “Will we need technology?”, but instead “Which technologies will we use to maximize the meeting experience?”

Let us point out that it has been proven that having a hybrid event (broadcasted live on the Web) does not reduce the number of physical participants at the meeting, but increases the total audience by adding virtual participants to it. Recordings of the interventions can also interest real participants, since some of them may be absent during an intervention and may want to view it later on while networking. This new phenomenon pushed US meeting organisers to plan for rooms where it is

It should show the schedule and also save a global profile of the user to give him personalised recommendations (such as which session to follow) to reach his objectives. It should also improve his networking by suggesting similar profiles of people that he may find interesting to meet in a networking session since it is very hard to find the “right” people to meet during these events. The user of the app can also select different fields of interest, and the app will narrow down how beneficial it would be to meet a specific person.

This is where the GPS functions come in handy to find them in the crowd.

We also cannot forget that the smartphone is an important part in the life of

Intronics - Epiphan Email: sales@intronics.be Website: www.intronics.be

Presentations without audience!

Multi streaming, recording and live switching all in one device.

Epiphan PEARL is a user friendly and powerfull device that can combine 6 video/audio sources to make different multiview channels.

Stream your live events, trainings, lectures, security footages, etc... over your network or internet.

In the same time you can live switch and record every channel you made.

Make streaming and recording multiple sources like laptops, camera’s, easy with PEARL. This simple to use device offers a unique all in one solution.

Contact us for a live demonstration possible to network while watching interventions.

Whether we like it or not, video is now part of everyday life. Considering the interest they have in this younger crowd, congress and meeting organisers need to integrate video to have a higher impact on generation Y.

Create A Really Performant App Smartphone integration must be complete. The Wi-Fi needs to be fast and available everywhere, not just operational. On top of this, an app must allow to sign up prior to the event in order to not have to queue up at the entrance.

the generation Y and that the quality of the app will be a representation of the event and its organisation. What might look huge to you is only normal for this generation!

Of course, the event has to continue even when it’s done. The Internet can host discussion groups and follow-ups, the recordings of different interventions to relive them everywhere in the world, while the app collects comments from the participants. The goal is to keep the participation going and to prepare for the next event by motivating and making the next one even better by taking into account the recommendations of the app users!

9

Integrated Systems Europe 2016: 9 - 12 February 2016 Four days: for you, for your business, for the better…

It will be the first four-day Integrated Systems Europe exhibition.

W

ith the first four-day Integrated Systems Europe exhibition now open for attendee registration attendees can look forward to the biggest and busiest show so far.

ISE 2016 will once again occupy all halls of the Amsterdam RAI. Namely Hall 1 - 12, plus the Diamond Lounge and the new Amtrium building.

The increase in sold floor space at the show supports the decision to take the exhibition to four days duration so as to allow exhibitors and attendees the maximum opportunity to meet and network at the event.

The fact that the four-day ISE is “sold out” indicates that it was the correct decision to expand the show and is a vote of confidence from our exhibitors and partners, explained Integration Systems Events’ Managing Director Mike Blackman during his press conference in Munchen. We are sure that it will deliver a richer experience for everyone that attends, he concluded.

Dr Michio Kaku Attendees to ISE 2016 will also experience a range of new features being introduced for the first time. This includes the launch of the Total Hospitality Technology Forum, a one day conference, which will cover technical innovation and its application within the hotel and hospitality sectors.

Exhibitors at ISE 2016 will be able to interact with

10

senior management from the lucrative hotel and hospitality sector with the premiere of the Total Hospitality Technology Forum (THTF). Hospitality Technology Forum will be held on Friday 12 February.

This Total Hospitality Technology Forum is the result of ISE exhibitor feedback that showed a desire for an increased focus on the hotel and hospitality market sector. This interest is being driven by a number of factors including rising consumer ex- Mike Blackman pectations around digital signage; audio and entertainment media. Added to this is the need for ever more sophisticated in-hotel conference facilities; integrated building automation and cost-efficient energy management systems. T he Total Hospitality Technology Forum will address the specific technology-based information needs of the hotel and hospitality market sector. It will be targeting delegates that are senior decision makers responsible for technical and operational solutions in multiple properties. It will also provide exclusive networking opportunities for AV equipment producers and service suppliers keen to introduce their range of products and to meet with senior hotel technology-purchasing decision makers.

Following the announcement that ISE 2016 will include a fourth day, further details have been announced regarding the expanded show format including a number of pre-show and atshow events and a comprehensive seminar programme.

Prior to the Opening Panel Discussion and

Opening Reception on Monday 8 February, visitors can attend tthe Smart Building Conference.

The Smart Building Conference is also on 8 February and the theme for this year is ‘The Network is the Building’. It will include a full-day’s programme with speakers from across the smart building industry, chaired by Bob Snyder, editor in chief of Channel Media Europe.

ISE has revealed Dr Michio Kaku will give the show’s Closing Keynote at 9:00 on Friday 12 February, half an hour before doors open on the fourth and final day.

Dr Kaku is one of the world’s leading scientific figures and an expert in Einstein’s unified field theory and has unparalleled skill in predicting trends affecting business, commerce and finance based on the latest scientific research.

Dr Kaku holds the Henry Semat Chair in Theoretical Physics at the City University of New York.

He received his PhD in physics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1972, and has been a professor at CUNY for almost 30 years.

He also does considerable public speaking on international radio and TV and frequently keynotes major business conferences, focusing on future trends in computing, finance, banking and commerce.

11

Unproductive, Time-Consuming, and Boring: Meetings!

Of course, this is a recurring subject, but it focuses on a permanent annoyance in business: meetings are

T

often unproductive, time-consuming, and really boring.

o face the problem head on, we need to be organized, but we also need to think about it before hand… here are a few tips.

We Hate Blank Notepads!

We do not have meetings simply because it’s tradition! The point of a meeting is to regroup ideas to reach an objective more easily than without a meeting. The agenda should make this process clear.

Choosing the right participants is the key to success. It is useless to artificially “balloon” the number of people present. The participants should have a real interest in the subject of that meeting. We can even plan some members only showing up at specific parts during points that affect them. Usually, a meeting should not have more than ten people, ideally between six and eight.

Delegating responsibilities to the participants is a good plan. Instead of having the collaborators show up with blank notepads and pens, tell them ahead of time that they will have to intervene on a particular subject. To keep the conversation on schedule, tell the participants how much time will be allowed for each intervention to prevent endless speeches.

In this perspective, use technology! It is at your disposal and allows for a more dynamic exchange. Notebooks and tablets can be linked to the interactive whiteboard or to a projector. Every exposition should be fully viewed, as long as it fits the time constraints.

Avoid the Period of Digestion We often have a meeting leader. He needs to be less involved in the problems treated because he won’t talk a lot and his role will be to direct the conversation for the participants to reach the objective of the meeting. The boss should absolutely not be the meeting leader. Regarding timing, you need to be ruthless: the meeting must start and finish at the announced hours. If someone is late, the meeting leader will need to momentarily stop the meeting to make sure he is noticed.

If there is a conflict and two participants want to talk it out, the meeting leader needs to encourage them to do so after the meeting to resolve the problem and to tell everyone the results of their communication during the next meeting.

The meeting room matters. Places that have a feel of hierarchy to them needs to be

avoided, which means no meetings should be done in the boss’ office. The room should, ideally, not be “blind”, which means it should be lit by daylight, and its walls should not echo sound. When it comes to hours, it is advised to not schedule the meeting in the 2-4PM period to avoid lethargy related to lunch digestion.

At the end of the meeting, the leader needs to verbally summarize the decisions taken and the objectives of each participant. He will point out the subjects that are still under discussion and evaluate if the objectives were met. This verbal summary will be followed by a written one (precise and to the point) which will be distributed to the participants a day later.

You Know, The Little Room At The End Of The Hall…

A huddle room, or small meeting room, is a room where you can only fit a small number of participants,

T

usually less than six.

he concept currently has a lot of success in the United States, but it needs to be pointed out that the concept existed for years, in large and small businesses alike.

Minimal Equipment Huddle rooms do not have the prestige linked to large dedicated rooms that are well equipped technologically.

The estimated number is somewhere between 30 to 50 million of these rooms in the world. It is a large number compared to the 10 million rooms of all types (large rooms + board rooms + immersive suits).

The equipment of a huddle room is mostly minimal. Typically, there is a small table, a few chairs, and a telephone. Sometimes, there is a flipchart or a board, and rarely, a LCD monitor used to do presentations with the notebooks of participants.

12

The users usually expect a lot from traditional meeting rooms since they are often equipped with top of the line technology. In huddle rooms, everything is compromised, so they know not to expect much. This doesn’t mean, however, that nothing is valuable.

Immediate Metamorphosis

In the future, huddle rooms will play a more important role. Small informal meetings are going to multiply. Let’s not forget that these spaces favour discreet meetings to fix problems quickly or to make a point on a situation with a few collaborators. Obviously, the participants will show up more often with their personal mobile devices (notebooks, smartphones and tablets), which fits right in the BYOD wave. They will want material that allows them to use their devices as efficiently as possible to communicate their own information. The equipment of huddle rooms will be renovated and improved to efficiently collaborate and increase the possibilities of presentations.

Today, we are seeing the very first step of technological products that are very easy to use and are dedicated to huddle rooms. Most of these technologies are wireless and are related to videoconference. Schools of thoughts are changing, and more often than not, we will try to satisfy participants with the technology available, which is very different from “doing with what we have”.

Small Tips for Large Online Meetings When it comes to meetings and videoconference meetings, the goal is not to replace face to face relations. However, many of the activities of management and enforcement activities can be done in

A

a virtual world.

nd very simply so. We can rapidly exploit the obvious advantages of videoconference and find ways to make it more efficient.

A Few Precautions Of course, using videoconference saves on time that would be spent on the road.

Time is money, evidently, but it’s also an important asset: aren’t we always out of time? Videoconference boosts reactivity, since it favors quick decisions taken with good knowledge. It is also possible to ask questions to experts and have them intervene on their specialty. Another advantage of videoconference, compared to audioconference, is that the information sent and received is infinitely richer: posture, attitude, and mimicking add to the comprehension of the message.

Inviting people to a videoconference is usually done by email. There is a few precautions to take. It is important to give the email an important information in its subject field to make sure that it gets opened.

In the email itself, put the important points at the beginning since most people just read the first lines of emails. The participants that use a mobile device (smartphones and tablets) have to download an app prior to the videoconference. The app download link should be attached to the email. It is important to write that the participants will be filmed. Of course, when it comes to regrouping people from different time zones, you need to find the “sweet spot” and choose a time that is best for everyone.

Ban Multitasking!

You will have to think about putting a camera in front of the screen so that virtual participants can see the work that is being done. At the same time, the material that will be distributed to participants will be transferred without failure.

In everyday life, a meeting that is five minutes late has no consequences. The situation is not the same when it comes to virtual meetings. The time established has to be respected, and the participants will be asked to connect a few minutes

early to iron out the potential problems (that are thankfully rare nowadays).

During the meeting, every participant will have to be careful about the background noise from his work station. It is painfully obvious especially when the call is made from a mobile device. The mute button has to be used to keep the conversation quality as high as possible.

Specific equipment, such as headsets, headphones, and specific microphones, should be used instead of computer integrated microphones or speakers to avoid echo and other noises.

To avoid multitasking (reading your emails, writing text messages, or surfing the Net during the meeting), every participant will be asked to stick to a chart that bans it during meetings.

The behaviour in front of the camera will have to be neat. Many studies show that an exaggerated amount of body language on camera can have disastrous effects. The lighting must be focused on the person and not on the background. In fact, the background should be plain and not bring attention to itself. During the interventions, the participants need to not stand too close to the camera. Bottom line, the participants need to look in the camera to give the impression to the listeners that they are being looked in the eyes.

13

Wireless Audiovisual? Yes, But Hybrid!

For technology users, a “traditional experience” correlates to a transparent

P

solution that helps in reaching desired goals.

eople circulate from the inside towards the outside and vice versa, all this while interacting with their smartphones or other mobile devices.

Few of them know about the wireless infrastructure that allows them to have this mobility.

Long Live Wireless!

They compare every wireless solution to the smartphone, including what we call the wireless audiovisual: they simply expect it to work!

In a professional environment such as a conference room, things move forward when it comes to taking on the challenge of providing, without problem, multimedia content on a screen (to show a video, collaborate, or do a presentation, it does not matter) without having a wired connection.

Currently, we must recognize that wireless technology is, in the AV industry, more of a commodity than a powerful way to transfer data. Future developments may change this story. The principle obstacle to reach excellence is the lack of a trustable wireless bandwidth.

Many concepts, such as upgradeability, flexibility, and profitability, are increasing the popularity of wireless AV transmission.

Wireless systems adapt to the number of users. Whether it’s a single person who wants to display their data or a group of people that wants to interact and share content, wireless adaptation is automatic.

This is obviously not the case for wired connections.

Wireless systems adapt without trouble

to changing work spaces. Collaborative meetings are done in more relaxed and less conventional environments than in the past. The furniture is mobile, the concept and the architecture are often out of the norm. Impossible to setup in a wired environment. Wireless systems are advantageous in terms of the cost/efficiency ratio for the same capacities of content sharing.

Beware Of Wireless!

Of course, there are not only advantages. The disadvantages include a loss of

quality, interoperability problems, reliability and security.

Effectively, in numerous cases, video resolution on wireless is below HD specifications because of bandwidth limitations.

Many wireless content sharing tools are based on Wi-Fi technology, which makes them affordable, but they also risk being less reliable due to packet loss and bandwidth speed fluctuation.

Wireless networks can also create interferences with the business’ network.

On top of this, every device that creates emissions (such as Bluetooth for example) is susceptible to interfering with the Wi-Fi network.

Finally, the waves go everywhere. They pass through walls, ceilings, and floors. One can imagine that the data could be vulnerable and must be secured.

In practice, AV systems can be wireless, but only to a certain point. Wireless is not suitable for critical tasks that are required to maintain top quality audio and video. This limited range, the bandwidth limitations that stop us from realizing everything we want to do, explains the hesitance of the AV industry to create a completely wireless system.

All these reasons lead us to believe that wireless AV solutions will probably stay hybrid.

14

Digital Signage May Forever Change the Business World Digital signage may radically change the way that businesses communicate by replacing newsletters and signs with solutions that

T

have a much stronger effect.

wo statistics: 90% of people use emails to inform or be informed on the state of a business. However, one third of emails are never opened or read.

Production Lines Included!

Immediate communication in businesses is a must. Collaborators want to know what they need to know, immediately.

To remedy this, we can use digital signage systems in production lines. The screens show, via color codes, indications that are immediately translatable in terms of productivity. For example, if a production line is slacking, a color code can be used to let the whole team take note of the issue (not only the concerned individual or individuals).

Other businesses use statistics as motivational factors by putting a spotlight on their most productive workers, whether it is in the sales department, the customer service department, etc. In Australia, a large car manufacturer displays sales data in the entrance hall of its head office in real time from its different dealers.

In fact, everything is now possible, thanks to a mix of open software, a dynamic web, and presentation tools such as HTML5.

Kiosks with touch screens could be a first step to train new collaborators or to improve on existing training.

Security, Training, Signage It is often said that one image is worth a

thousand words. What about video? Video helps keep the workplace safe by ensuring the proper wear of safety equipment and to learn safe and efficient work practices.

The impact is double: on one side, it is evident that avoiding injury and not breaking tools improves work efficiency of a production line, and, on the other side, workers know that their employer cares about their safety and well-being.

Digital signage also allows for the distribution of a given message at a specific time and place, in direct contact with the latest events.

Digital signage is also a very efficient way for visitors to find their way in a large business.

Touch screens deliver step by step instructions, and can even be programmed with intelligent systems that will send a web version to the person’s smartphone if they desire (by scanning a bar code, for example). Some offices are equipped with “Low energy Bluetooth� which helps navigation and even sends a notification, for example, that the invited clients have arrived or that all the participants of a meeting entered a reunion room.

Using digital signage shows that the business knows how to use high technology in an intelligent way, which is an important tool to attract and retain personnel, especially younger generations.

It is easy to see that applications of digital signage can be extremely efficient, as long as it is important content. No matter what the message is, it only becomes efficient if it is pertinent and people notice it.

15

Where The Hell Do We Put All The Digital Signage Screens?

We’ve known it since a long time in the domain of publicity: the location has a lot of importance. It is the case for posters and signs, which is why magazines charge a different price for ads depending on the location of

I

the message.

t is not a surprise that the same rules apply to digital signage. There are a few rules to respect along with common sense.

The Content Determines the Location The content of the message determines the location.

The message you want to diffuse will be the criteria for placement.

For example, if you want to reach your personnel, it is useless to put a screen in the management meeting room. If you want to diffuse information about weather and traffic, put the screens close to the exit of your business. If your content is interactive, make sure that the touch screens are easily ac-

cessible, and if there is sound, do not put this setup close to a zone where silence is required.

A good way to approach the problem is to set desired objectives and to place content in logical locations where it would be considered interesting, useful, or even indispensable.

The screens also have to be not only visible, but also noticed!

Even the biggest of screens will not be noticed if it’s placed too high. The golden rule is to put the screens at eye height or slightly higher.

On top of this, you need to make sure that their images are not spotted by lights that are close by, by windows, or backlighting coming from outside. It is indispensable that people see your message and interact with it (by scanning a QR code or via smartphone snapshots for example).

For wayfinding type applications, it’s a matter of making sure that even the shorter people can easily touch the screen.

Spreading the Notion of Digital Signage Important traffic zones are ideal for digital signage. This seems obvious, but this truth is sometimes ignored for technical reasons. For example, if the cables are already in another spot, they might not get routed back to the perfect location.

If you diffuse multiple messages in a row, choose a location where people regroup and stay for a certain time. This will allow them to see everything that you want to show them. It may be an information desk, a café or cafeteria, elevator waiting zones, lounges, or lobbies.

When we talk about digital signage, we always think about huge screens. However, way smaller screens allow to reach the public’s attention! Here, we’re talking about the insides of elevators, small screens at the entrance of conference rooms, but also messages for internal communications and screen savers on collaborators’ computers, summarizing the messages on their screens. The challenge is simple: “short and sweet”.

Digital signage can even spread to smartphones and tablets by RSS, website, or even with a dedicated app.

As a matter of fact, regardless of the material, the important part is to adapt the content to it, then place the screens in a location where your targeted public will see them.

16