Case Studies:
Miller Insurance's Town Hall space, initially designed in 2014, was due for an upgrade. The space, with a 120-people capacity, had originally only been equipped for basic meetings and retrofitted for Microsoft Teams video conferencing.
The Covid pandemic shifted the meeting landscape, making virtual conferencing an essential feature. Legacy kit and old technologies could no longer meet demands of today’s meeting expectations.
Our challenge was to transform the space into a best-in-class solution that aligns with Miller’s ethos. We aimed to create a reliable, user-friendly environment equipped with modern technology for seamless hybrid meetings. The space needed to be adaptable to various use cases, allowing for multiple potential layouts while maintaining reliability, exceptional quality, and ease of use for all users.
We designed and developed a comprehensive solution to meet the current and future needs of the space. Our design incorporated advanced, yet user-friendly technology to enhance the room's functionality. This setup not only addresses immediate requirements but also allows for seamless expansion as the use case evolves, ensuring the space remains adaptable and efficient based on the new experiences.
This included replacing outdated handheld microphones with state-of-the-art Shure Ceiling Microphones, which significantly improved audio capture quality and user convenience. This also allowed for voice-lift functionality when the room was opened up and used to capacity. The gooseneck microphones were also upgraded to enhance speaker audibility during sessions. All of this was brought together through a Q-SYS Core allowing flexible programming and commissioning to ensure the highest quality of audio was delivered both within the room and to far end participants.
Maintaining the exceptional quality and reliability offered by the Q-SYS ecosystem, we opted to incorporate the NC Network cameras for superior video quality and automatic tracking. These utilised the Shure ceiling microphones to enhance reliability, ensuring all in-room participants and presenters are captured seamlessly at key moments during the meeting, fully engaging remote participants. The Barco ClickShare system was implemented to facilitate seamless content sharing during meetings, while the Crestron Flex Video Conference System ensured robust and flexible video conferencing capabilities within the Teams Environment whilst also offering BYOD capabilities.
Integration of the Q-SYS Ecosystem Network Video Endpoint and Netgear AV Line Switch ensured smooth network operations and high-quality video distribution throughout the space.
Despite the tight time frame, our team executed the project with precision and dedication. From the initial design phase to installation, final adjustments and testing, the project spanned approximately three and a half months. This timeline included addressing and resolving minor issues to ensure the room met Miller's stringent standards for performance and reliability.
The transformation has ushered a new era of collaboration for the space, now serving as a venue for executives to communicate with hundreds of employees at a time.
The internal feedback has emphasised the enhanced functionality and seamless experience the upgraded room now provides. Remote participants can join meetings via Teams with ease, with sessions recorded and shared seamlessly on Miller's intranet. This ensures that all attendees, whether in-person or remote, enjoy an intuitive and engaging meeting experience.
Since the upgrade, the average monthly bookings for the Town Hall increased from 16 to 22, with this number expected to grow further as the space becomes actively advertised. The positive impact of the upgrade extended beyond the Town Hall, leading Miller to onboard us for support with another 33 existing meeting rooms, as well as the installation of two more rooms.
“Project Audio Visual’s passion for what they do was clear to us from day one, and remained throughout the entire installation process and beyond.
“By consulting with us about how we wanted the room to function, coming up with accurate use cases and engaging with stakeholders, Project Audio Visual created a concrete foundation that has exceeded all of our expectations. The results have been incredible with users now rating the room a solid 5 / 5.
“Prior to the installation, people were hesitant to use the room and unaware of its potential, but now it is in constant use which is amazing to see. We barely even needed training as the room is so easy to use, so the drop-in demos were more than enough to get everyone up to speed.
“The installation process was equally impressive. Project Audio Visual's team took out the outdated equipment and replaced it with state-of-the-art technology that has solved all of the room's previous pain points. They were diligent, tidy and left the room spotless.
“Project Audio Visual truly listened to our needs and worked with us to solve problems collaboratively. They stood out from other AV integrators by showing genuine care and passion for delivering the right solution, something which is hard to come by.
“We look forward to continuing working with Project Audio Visual, with more room installations and continued room support in the pipeline.”
- John McFarlane, AV Technician, Miller Insurance
