NEWS: BUSINESS
ISE to tackle ever-changing worlds of EdTech and Unified Communications WORLD
With hybrid and remote working and learning solutions more crucial than ever, visitors at Integrated Systems Europe 2022 will be able to see the latest innovations in the communication and collaboration sector and discover tools that will make meetings more effective, ensure students can learn from anywhere and create equity for inperson and remote participants. Visitors can register for the Digital Learning Summit on the afternoon of 11 May, which focuses on hybrid learning as well as how AR, MR and XR are helping to deliver everything from just-in-time learning to more authentic assessment. The summit will explore the full scope of the transformation currently occurring across education. Content chair and programme director at IMS Global Learning, Gill Ferrell, said: “We want to inspire education leaders with a vision of the benefits that digital transformation can bring, and we aim to achieve this by showcasing and discussing examples that are aspirational but achievable. Also, our success stories are based on technologies and standards that are readily available to learning providers in all parts of the education sector.”
The Unified Communications and Education Technology Zone in Hall 2 will be a good starting point for anyone interested in this technology.
Dmitry Odintsov, CEO at TrueConf, a company also featuring in the Education Zone, said: “We’re confident that the upcoming spring in
HP, Avocor and NEC will be present, showing their product portfolios catered towards remote/hybrid learning and bringing people together regardless of learning methods.
Barcelona will be marked by such a longawaited tradeshow that will finally bring global AV industry professionals together despite ever-changing epidemiological conditions.”
Of course, effective meetings require highquality audio too and that’s where Shure comes in, with its Microflex Ecosystem and Stem Ecosystem portfolio. For education settings, Nureva is set to debut an integrated combination of audio, video, device management and product services. The Unified Communications and Education Technology Zone in Hall 2 is one of six Technology Zones that group together exhibitors in the major technology areas, making it simple for delegates to plan their visit to find and compare the wide variety of solutions they need for their integration projects. ISE is teaming up with IOT Solutions World Congress (IOTSWC) at the Fira de Barcelona in May, to present an ecosystem for digital transformation to professionals from several industries. The joint celebration of the two events is said to provide a crossroads between two different sets of disruptive technologies. IOTSWC will bring together experts and companies working on AI, Digital Twins, Internet of Things and Quantum Computing. www.iseurope.org
CMI finds its place in the sun AUSTRALIA
Almost a decade has gone by since CMI Music & Audio opted to install LED lighting into its Brooklyn headquarters just outside Melbourne. The small investment led to an overnight 30% reduction in electricity bills for the long-established distributor of Harman Pro brands together with Adamson, Fohhn, Tascam and Universal Audio. The decision to install solar panels for generating its own electricity followed in 2018. CMI executive director and CEO, Peter Trojkovic, commented: “I was watching the time it took for a solar system to pay
Peter Trojkovic
for itself drop and drop over the years. We made the decision to invest when that period hit around five years and now it’s down to four years or less.” With panels installed on the roofs of multiple buildings at its site, including the office, warehouse and sheds, the 57kW system generates more than its current requirement. Without taking inflation or electricity price rises into account, the electricity bills are now 40% of what they were in 2013. Five of the six electric forklifts are recharged from the solar array and the team is currently investigating battery storage options. Air
conditioning continues to be the single largest electricity expense. CMI conducted a lot of research prior to the installation and Trojkovic advised caution before investing. “Our solar panels are European, and our inverters are USmanufactured. The bottom line is, if you can pay for it over four years, you then get at least another six or more years of electricity free. Now, it wasn’t a cheap exercise, but I felt it was something we had to do as an environmentally responsible organisation. It was a matter of not if, but when.” www.cmi.com.au
L-Acoustics and Mixhalo enter strategic partnership WORLD
L-Acoustics has announced that it has become a major investor in Mixhalo, as well as the exclusive audio professional partner of the San Francisco-based company. Founded by Incubus guitarist and songwriter Mike Einziger and violinist Ann Marie Simpson, Mixhalo enables live event organisers to give audiences lowlatency audio, delivered directly to their phones and headphones via the mobile app. Since 2019, the companies have collaborated on residencies by Aerosmith and Sting, as well as major sports venues, using L-ISA Technology as well as the Mixhalo app.
The partnership will foster cooperation and co-development between L-Acoustics and Mixhalo to create hybrid solutions that combine sound reinforcement from loudspeakers and wireless audio signals sent via Wi-Fi or 5G. L-Acoustics will provide guidance to support Mixhalo’s organic growth and participate in strategic discussions via the appointment of a board of directors. “I’m convinced that hybrid solutions for live events will bring unique immersive experiences to audiences everywhere,” explained Guillaume Le Nost, executive director of creative technologies at
L-Acoustics. “Whether to improve coverage in hard-to-reach seating areas, offer additional content like sports commentary at a game or create a unique and personal experience onstage like Mixhalo did for Aerosmith fans,
the potential is bound only by the shared imagination of our development teams.” www.l-acoustics.com www.mixhalo.com
10 PRO AVL ASIA March–April 2022
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