AV Integration May 2019 by Sun Circle Publishers

INTEGRATION May 2019

www.av-integration.co.za

IN THIS ISSUE

MEDIATECH AFRICA 2019 SMART OFFICES FOR THE SME SENNHEISER MICROPHONES

FEATURE

AV FOR THE LEISURE MARKET

Mindstec Distribution (South Africa) Tel: +2711 803-0093/0096/0098 Email: info@mindstec.com

First Floor, Building 2 703, Woodmead Office Park 20 Morris Street East Woodmead, Johannesburg

IN THIS ISSUE

CONTENTS

MEDIATECH AFRICA PREVIEW • LEISURE MARKET AV • SMART OFFICES

DSS EUROPE TO EXPLORE NEW FRONTIERS

BARCO READIES ITS XT LED SERIES FOR SHIPPING

THE AV-ENHANCED LEISURE EXPERIENCE

SHEDDING NEW LIGHT ON AFRICAN ART

CRESTRON FLEX TRAVELS ACROSS SA

PROSPECTRE DISPLAYS GREAT RESULTS

A SIGN OF THE MEDIATECH FUTURE AT EMPERORS AFRICA 2019 PALACE

TECHNOLOGY CONTRACTING IN AFRICA

A SOUND SOLUTION FOR HERITAGE AN INDUSTRY EXPERT INSTALLATION

HOW TO FIND AV SOLUTIONS AT MEDIATECH 2019

AI AND THE USER

OKADA MANILA CASINO UPGRADES IP VIDEO SYSTEM

MINDSTEC TAKES THE SA MARKET BY STORM

8 SHURE MXA910 CEILING ARRAY MICROPHONE

18 ALPHA TECHNOLOGIES

42 SMART OFFICES FOR THE SME 1

ADVERTORIAL

ABSEN DELIVERS ACE TRAINING IN NAIROBI

Absen Certified Engineers complete their training in Nairobi Kenya, April 2019

Absen recently held a three-day training session in Nairobi, Kenya with 24 technicians and engineers from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Ethiopia. As a free value-added programme for Absen customers, the training covers the basics of LED displays and expands to include more advanced technical knowledge and know-how. Participating engineers and technicians had the opportunity to learn and master advanced LED display technologies, with hands-on experience troubleshooting real-life scenarios. Only the participants who passed both the written and hands-on exams were recognised as qualified Absen Certified Engineers (ACE). Absen has a proven track record globally, and has occupied the position of leading Chinese exporter of LED displays for ten consecutive years. The Absen Africa team has held the No.1 position in the African market in terms of market share since 2006. As Absen achieves greater market penetration across the African market, the company has invested significantly in the quality of service and support across the continent – from Casablanca in Morocco, down to Johannesburg in South Africa, west to Lagos in Nigeria and east to Nairobi, Kenya. Absen has successfully delivered six ACE training courses in Africa over the past four years and, as a result, boasts a contingent of more than 70 trained and certified ACE engineers. Absen is therefore able to guarantee solid service support to all of its clients in the African region. Eric Van Daele, an experienced engineer from Rwanda, attended the course and commented: “I can’t extoll enough how professional the training and trainees were personnel. The Absen team spent all day with

us and were excellent. They were able to answer all of our questions and their ability to pass on their experience could not be faulted.” Paul Mutunga, a technician from Kenya who attended the most recent training programme, has attended previous ACE training sessions and decided to return for a refresher course. “Working in this fast-paced changing industry, staying up-to-date with regards to advances in LED display technology is critical for everyone involved in the pro AV industry. Absen’s ACE training presents a great opportunity to learn and, therefore, make sure that my skills and knowledge are current. I attended ACE training four years ago, and despite having completed the course successfully, I still learned an enormous amount over the past three days. I intend to return for future iterations of this course so that I can continue to develop as an AV professional.” Absen provides not only high-quality products but also excellent service support, demonstrating its committed to providing maximum value for its customers. ACE training is a critical aspect of this commitment to service and support, as it ensures the human capital necessary to resource after-sales service in Africa and across the world. To this end, Absen has held 74 ACE training sessions that have produced more than 1200 certified engineers worldwide. With more than 1000 references in over 50 countries and regions in Africa, Absen’s sales team have made an indelible mark upon the African market over the past ten years. Absen continues to grow its market share across the continent and has provided display solutions for a wide range of applications including in the OOH advertising vertical, in the rental market, as well as for cinemas, rental solutions and a wide range of fixed installations. For more information on Absen, contact www.absen.com

“Each time we hold an ACE programme, the training applications flood in from countries across the region. The technicians who are familiar with Absen and the great products that we have deployed across the continent show great interest in attending. Full consideration is always taken before embarking on a new round of ACE training because we all we need to make sure that high-quality training is given and the attendees can really learn what they need for daily work.” – Jessica Xiao, the Absen sales director of the African market

Trusted LED Supplier

10:30

Mr.Ricky Qiu (Sales Manager) TEL: +86-136 0961 5154

Shenzhen Absen Optoelectronic Co.,Ltd

E-mail: ricky@absen.com

Twitter: @LEDAbsen

Address: 18-20F Building 3A, Cloud Park, Bantian, Longgang District,

Facebook: @LEDAbsen

LinkedIn: Absen

Shenzhen 518129, P.R.China

Instagram: absenled

FAX: +86-755-89747599

TEL: +86-755-89747399

E-mail: Absen@absen.com

Website: www.absen.com

EDITOR'S COMMENT

avintegrationza

avintegrationsa

avintegrationza

EDITORIAL Nicole Barnes – Editor editor@pro-systems.co.za +27 (0)66 489 3482 David Cornwell – Staff Writer david@suncirclegroup.com

SA BUSINESS NEEDS AV SOLUTIONS

CONTRIBUTORS Chaz Nielsen | An AVIXA-Certified AV Technologist, Nielsen specialises in AV solutions for the corporate, commercial and domestic markets.

Greetings, and welcome to the autumn edition of AV Integration by Pro-Systems. There are few among us that would dispute that the first quarter of 2019 has been a challenging period for business in South Africa. With fluctuations in the Rand, increases in VAT and fuel prices, together with flailing international investor confidence and uncertainties about our state-owned entities, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered the country’s projected GDP growth rate from 1.4% to 1.2% for 2019. While there is hope for a recovery in the months ahead – and according to analysts, we are in fact moving out of recession – there is little dispute that companies in SA are under pressure. It may be tempting for AV professionals to feel dispirited at the moment – however, it is a great time to reflect upon the fact that many of the benefits of smart office technology directly address some of the pressure points that businesses currently face. This is immediately evident if one considers something as simple as the cost of business travel. Video conferencing has the potential to dramatically reduce the cost of doing business by reducing the need for both local and international travel. Decentralised workspaces, where teams do not need to drive to a central location to meet and collaborate, also open up multiple opportunities to save on operational costs.

Cover image: Emperors Palace, Gauteng South Africa

PUBLISHERS PUBLISHER

Simon Robinson | simon@suncirclegroup.com

SALES

Claire Badenhorst | sales@suncirclegroup.com

WEB

Michael Lotriet | web@suncirclegroup.com

DESIGN

Trevor Ou Tim | design@suncirclegroup.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Albertina Tserere | data@suncirclegroup.com

ACCOUNTS

Helen Loots | accounts@suncirclegroup.com

Sun Circle Publishers (Pty) Ltd Tel: +27 11 025-3180 Epsom Downs Office Park, 13 Sloane Street, Bryanston, Johannesburg PO Box 559 Fourways North 2086, South Africa

As an industry, I think it is a good time to start educating business owners about the benefits of migrating to smarter business practises – especially during difficult economic times. There is no better opportunity to do this than at the upcoming industry trade fair, Mediatech Africa, which will be held in Johannesburg between 17-19 July. In this issue, AV integrator Chaz Neilson has prepared a fantastic article aimed at the first-time buyer, which will equip your clients to make the best of the show. Also, Bruce Genricks of Electrosonic has offered a great opinion piece on how small and medium enterprises can get the most out of the smart office trend. Please visit the show’s website www.mediatech.co.za and invite your clients to attend. Registration is free of charge, and the show will offer an unmissable opportunity to demonstrate that a little money spent on AV today means saving a lot of money over the long run. I look forward to seeing you at the show. Regards

Nicole Barnes

Editorial Disclaimer The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of AV Intergration or any employee thereof. Sun Circle Publishers makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. Sun Circle Publishers reserves the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner it sees fit comments that it, in its sole discretion, deems to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, or is otherwise unacceptable. All contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, in any form whatsoever, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publisher.

INDUSTRY NEWS

DSS EUROPE TO EXPLORE NEW FRONTIERS DSS Europe is a leading European strategy event, exploring the business and technology of Digital Signage and Digital-out-ofHome (DooH) marketing. Now in its 14th year, the summit provides a unique mix of keynotes, conference channels, awards and exhibition showcases involving some of the world’s leading digital signage experts, thought leaders and leading technology and service suppliers. DSS Europe will take place on 3 and 4 July at the five-star Hilton Munich Airport in Germany, ensuring a premium environment ideal for both learning and networking. DSS Europe is a joint venture between Integrated Systems Events (ISE), producers of the Integrated Systems Europe exhibition,

and invidis consulting, a leading German digital signage consultancy. The theme of this year’s DSS Europe conference is Customer Centricity in the Age of Personalisation, Experiences and AI. The two-day event will explore tools for creating customer-centric experiences, present best practices in artificial intelligence-powered analytics and discuss digital trends and drivers in various vertical markets. Florian Rotberg, managing director of invidis consulting, comments: “The Digital Signage Summit Europe comes at a very exciting time for the industry. At last, solutions

are coming on stream that promise to deliver the personalised customer journeys that the industry has been seeking for many years – and deliver them in new and different ways. At the same time, the digital signage value chain continues to evolve as new players enter the market and established players re-examine how they can best add value.” Mike Blackman, managing director of Integrated Systems Events, adds: “The Digital Signage Summit is simply the best business strategy conference out there for Digital Signage and Digital-out-of-Home professionals. Our partners at invidis consulting know the industry better than anyone, so attendees can look forward to two days packed with insights and best practices that will help their businesses to thrive in this rapidly-changing market.” For further information and registration for the event, please visit www.digitalsignagesummit.org/europe

CRESTRON FLEX TRAVELS ACROSS SA The Technological Innovations Group (TIG) took to the road in May with the Crestron Flex and Oblong Roadshow to showcase the most advanced meeting room technologies to integrators across South Africa. The roadshow started at TIG’s offices in Johannesburg between 14 and 17 May before visiting Cape Town on 21 May and concluding in Durban on 28 May. “South Africa is the tech hub of the African continent and has huge potential for growth. The TIG team are really excited at this ambitious undertaking and the prospect of getting out and meeting integrators and their customers,” comments Robin van Meeuwen, CEO of TIG. In an industry first, TIG’s Crestron Flex Roadshow featured Crestron corporate solutions together with a virtual demonstration of Oblong Industries’ flagship Mezzanine platform. The demonstration illustrated how combining Crestron and Mezzanine technology allows meeting

participants to share multiple streams of content, from multiple locations, simultaneously. In this way, innovative and more effective ways of working become possible, because when teams can see more and share more, they can do more. Speaking to AV Integration during the Johannesburg leg of the event, Crestron regional director Rupert Denoon stated that he and the TIG team are very excited about the growth in demand for smart office technology in South Africa and the Flex Roadshow aims to provide integrators with an opportunity to experience Crestron’s Flex range, first-hand. “The modern workplace is fast-paced, flexible and dispersed, and South African businesses need technology that not only keeps up but evolves with the

organisation. Crestron’s Flex solutions uncouple hardware and software, which means that an end user will only need to invest in hardware once while being able to switch between a wide variety of software platforms as the need arises. This flexibility goes a long way to allay many of the fears that customers have around being stuck with a single solution or platform despite their changing needs.” TIG is the exclusive sales agency for Crestron in EMEA and is a strategic sales partner for Oblong Industries’ flagship collaboration platform, Mezzanine. The ‘TIG on Tour’ roadshow brought solutions from both brands to dealers, consultants and end-users who want to experience the most forward-thinking meeting room innovations.

INDUSTRY NEWS

JOHNSON CONTROLS LAUNCHES TECHNOLOGY CONTRACTING IN AFRICA Governments and businesses in Africa are making sizable investments in smart buildings, precincts and cities. To address the growing challenge of planning, integrating and maintaining a multitude of different, highly connected systems, Johnson Controls is launching a new offering in the Africa region called ‘Technology Contracting’. “With technology advances and an explosion in cloud connectivity, a new approach is needed to construct and run smart buildings,” says Archibald Makatini, regional general manager at Johnson Controls in South Africa. “Johnson Controls’ Technology Contracting provides the needed expertise and oversight to plan and coordinate the implementation, then optimise the performance of the many different engineering, electrical, building and IT systems necessary to power a smart facility. “This offering has been available internationally for over a decade. Now, with a growing number of smart facility and smart city investments in Africa, Johnson Controls is committed to building the capacity and resources to power an African Technology Contracting team.”

Technology contracting provides a single point of control and accountability, from planning to running a facility. It reaches across design-assist, ensuring key players such as architects, engineers and technology providers align to meet project intent, and includes oversight of installation, integration, commissioning and maintenance of complex building, business and specialty systems. Johnson Controls, a multi-industry leader with over a decade of engineering, plant, security and facility management experience across industry sectors, is one of a few providers that can offer technology contracting with confidence. Each one of Johnson Controls’ Technology Contracting clients is assisted by a dedicated project team comprising technology, engineering, facility management and other experts with global experience. “Our goal is to build an Africa Technology Contracting team that not only draws on Johnson Controls global expertise, but has a deep understanding of the challenges specific to the continent,” says Makatini. Marius Brits, Connected Technology BDM at Johnson Controls, adds: “Mass urbanisation is making it a priority to put in place the fundamental infrastructure needed for smart buildings, facilities and cities. We are already seeing the first smart cities being planned and built in Zambia, Ghana, Mauritius and Kenya. We are also seeing smart airports, universities and

EXTERITY TO OPEN SOFTWARE INNOVATION CENTRE IN PORTUGAL Exterity has announced its intent to set up a software innovation centre at the Science and Technology Park of University of Porto (UPTEC) in Porto, Portugal, to expand and complement its core technical development facility in Edinburgh, UK. With products deployed in over 50 countries, Exterity is firmly established as a key provider of video and digital signage solutions for numerous vertical markets. The addition of a

software development centre in Porto will enable the company to boost the pace of innovation to meet growing customer demand.

Archie Makatini

hospitals being designed. However, it is also becoming vital to invest in smart building capabilities for existing buildings to ensure security and cost efficiencies can be achieved.” Johnson Controls leverages a partner ecosystem of manufacturers, distributors and value-added resellers to bring proven, repeatable, best-in-class technologies to new construction, retrofit or technologyrefresh projects. “With our ecosystem of partners, we have the collective brainpower to engineer genius into the DNA of a building, delivering the possibilities of the Internet of Things and advanced technologies to support innovation today and tomorrow,” says Makatini. “We have the shared experience to provide flexible procurement strategies, material logistics to address the challenges of site logistics and project financials, labour diversification strategies to meet workforce fulfilment requirements and the lowest market prices by using staged material purchasing or a just-in-time delivery model.”

“With a boom in tech start-ups over the last few years, Porto has become a centre of excellence for technical innovation as well as a desirable place to live and work. With 2019 building on another very successful year for Exterity, we want to quickly expand our software developer resource to support our clients’ current and future needs. Porto is an attractive option for us to do this, giving us direct access to a strong developer talent pool and a creative, supportive tech ecosystem at UPTEC that will nicely complement our core technical development centre at our Scotland HQ,” says Mike Allan, chief technology officer at Exterity.

PRODUCTS NEWS

BARCO READIES ITS XT LED SERIES FOR SHIPPING Barco is introducing its newest LED series, which offers outcome-driven solutions for all indoor LED applications Over the past few years, high-resolution LED has established dominance as the core technology in the world of display visualisation, and its use cases are booming across many segments. Barco’s XT series is specifically designed to provide premium quality and reliability, addressing a broad audience in a wider range of indoor LED applications. The XT series offers spectacular visual performance, high reliability and great

operating flexibility and is suited for many indoor applications. “Barco has a long history in the LED market,” says Nicolas Van den Abeele, senior VP of entertainment. “With the XT series, we are bringing our high-end LED solutions into markets where Barco has been present for many years, but where LED has never been the leading technology. Now we can offer them three complementary display technologies: projection, LCD and LED.” With 16:9 being the dominant aspect ratio for video, PowerPoint slides and other content types, it makes sense to have a visualisation canvas with the same format. Each XT LED tile has a 16:9 aspect ratio, which makes it easy to create native Full HD or UHD screens. It allows the displaying of your video content in full without compression or unused canvas. Introducing four models, with pixel pitches of 0.9, 1.2, 1.5 and 1.9 mm, the XT series offers customers the ability to pick exactly the size that best suits their application. The field-proven image processing solution Infinipix offers perfect image quality in both maximum brightness and dimmed modes

and is ensured to stay constant over time – a unique feature of Barco screens. This results in a pleasant viewing experience that is further optimised through the easy alignment and patented camera-supported seam correction technology from Barco’s healthcare division. “LED technology has matured and now offers higher performance and resolutions at a better price-point,” says Bram Dieryckx, VP LED division. “This opens up opportunities for LED in high-resolution indoor applications, such as control rooms, meeting rooms, board rooms, flagship venues, digital prototyping labs and many more.” The XT LED platform implements all necessary features to maximise uptime of the wall, including redundancy of both power and data. Users can also be notified upfront of any warnings or failures, so proactive measures can be taken in advance rather than facing sudden complete wall downtime. The ultimate versatility and 24/7 reliability of the XT series enable it to be deployed in many different environments. The XT LED series will start shipping from July 2019 onwards.

PRODUCT NEWS

INTERNATIONAL AWARD-WINNING SHURE MXA910 CEILING ARRAY MICROPHONE Have you ever considered a video conference room with no microphones on the table, yet still able to deliver unintrusive high-quality audio? The Shure Microflex Advance MXA910 ceiling array microphone delivers the professional quality networked audio Shure is known for.

Built for integration From huddle to multipurpose spaces all the way up to sophisticated boardrooms whilst never compromising speech intelligibility, integrated automatic mixing is driven by the Shure IntellimixÂŽ DSP Suite which lobes when speech is detected to provide clear voice reproduction with minimised background noise.

Design your room and customise your application

Convenient, secure and state-of-the-art The convenience of Dante Networked Audio with POE++ as well as AES-256 Encryption ensures that your meetings are shielded from interception.

Compatibility Shure MXA910 is compatible with any Dante-enabled DSP as well as third-party control systems which do not compromise the IT policies and control systems already in place.

Shure Designer Software enables users to configure the lobes with gain control, parametric EQ and compression per lobe, giving you total control. Echo reduction and eight presets allowing flexibility on a room by room basis.

ADVERTORIAL

PROSPECTRE DISPLAYS GREAT RESULTS FOR ELECTROSONIC Electrosonic SA, a leading distributor of professional AV solutions in South Africa, announced the addition of ProSpectre Advanced Display Technologies to their arsenal of quality products at Mediatech 2017. The company is now celebrating its second anniversary as the sole distributor and the brains behind the in-house brand, which has rapidly gained a footprint in the pro AV market across various verticals. Company director, Bruce Genricks, shares his thoughts about the success that Electrosonic has enjoyed over the past two years with ProSpectre Displays. HOW HAVE INTEGRATORS IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN RESPONDED TO THE PROSPECTRE BRAND? Our research has shown that our dealers and integrators enjoy the combination of excellent pro-level quality and affordability offered by ProSpectre. They also enjoy the convenience of having stock available locally and that they generally do not have to wait for stock to be imported before they can fulfil their orders.

We have also received a lot of positive feedback around the two-year warranty that comes standard on the product – which can be upgraded to a five-year warranty for a nominal fee. Electrosonic is one of the longest-standing distributors in the pro AV market in South Africa, and we have established a reputation for solid after-sales support. Our dealers know that when they purchase equipment from us, we have the experience and knowledge to ensure that repairs will be carried out quickly and professionally, and that loan units are always available so that the end-user never suffers downtime. We have very quickly established that this is the case for all ProSpectre displays, and therefore the product has been very well received by the market.

“MMPA was introduced to Electrosonic’s

“Over the past two years, we have used

ProSpectre displays about a year ago,

ProSpectre screen for several high-profile

and we have been very impressed with

installations, and we have consistently been

the product. One of the most important

very happy with the results. Our failure rates

selling-points is that ProSpectre displays

with ProSpectre displays are currently at zero

feature all of the functionality of a professional

– and when we have needed support, Electrosonic has

display, including being designed to run 24/7, at a

always come to the party with support, outstanding product

very competitive price-point. I have a long-standing

expertise, and their willingness to go the extra mile for their

relationship with Electrosonic and am confident that

clients. ProSpectre displays – especially the large-format

when I specify brands that they distribute, I will always

rage – are very aggressive on price, and we are therefore

receive the support and after-sales service that my

able to do more for our clients with their available budgets.”

clients demand.”

– Jesse Bosch, head of Business

– Steve Moss, managing director of MMPA

Development at Prosirius

HOW HAS THE PRODUCT DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS? When we first launched ProSpectre, the panels were either fitted with an Android or i5 processor, which was pre-installed in the OPS slot of each panel. Based on the feedback that we received from our dealers, we have updated this design so that all our new models are factory-fitted with an Android processor and an open OPS slot. If a panel is then fitted with an i5 processor, the end-user will have a dual processor system that switches effortlessly between operating systems.

WHERE DO YOU SEE THE PROSPECTRE BRAND GOING OVER THE SHORT-, MID- AND LONG-TERM? ProSpectre is already widely accepted in the ProAV market, and I expect it to penetrate even further into other markets such as digital signage, hospitality and education. In the future, the brand will incorporate other technologies, including LED and OLED.

WHAT INSTALLATIONS HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED USING PROSPECTRE DISPLAYS SINCE ITS LAUNCH? We have a wide array of approved dealers working across multiple verticals. As a result, ProSpectre screens have found their way into the corporate environment as boardroom displays and larger format screens in auditoriums. They have been used by our integrators for the retail and leisure markets for digital signage solutions, as well as for wayfinding and shared in-venue advertising. We have also seen ProSpectre displays with touchscreen capabilities deployed in some highly innovative showrooms for the motor industry.

HOW HAS YOUR SUCCESS WITH PROSPECTRE POSITIVELY AFFECTED ELECTROSONIC? ProSpectre has given Electrosonic and our dealers the ability to offer end-users complete solutions. This ensures compatibility across the various technologies that are incorporated into an installation. Of greatest significance is that when things go wrong, we can take full responsibility for ensuring that the end-user receives the support that they need to ensure uptime, get a return on their investment and continue to do business knowing that the technology that they have invested in will work.

“We have been working with Electrosonic for more than twenty years and have come to rely on them for outstanding customer support and after-sales service. When sourcing ProSpectre displays for our installations, we really like the fact that they have a solid stock holding of the entire range in the country, negating the challenge of having to wait for panels to arrive before delivering a project.” – Brett Lancaster, managing director at Audiotech SA

REVIEW MICROPHONES

A SOUND SOLUTION FOR AN INDUSTRY EXPERT Peripheral Vision recently upgraded its on-site conferencing capabilities with the new Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling Mic II.

Conferencing solutions can impact on a business’s bottom line in a number of different ways, and – as such – represent one of the fastest-growing verticals in the professional AV integration industry. The new TeamConnect Ceiling Mic II from Sennheiser promises the exceptional audio quality that has become synonymous with the brand coupled with an intuitive, easy-to-use interface. As AV Integration learned from Wynand Langenhoven, the CEO of Johannesburg-based Peripheral Vision, “Sennheiser Team Connect Ceiling Mic II has brought about a new level of audio pickup for a ceiling microphone like never before, but with a level of flexibility and versatility that is unmatched from any competitor.”

CONFERENCING IS KEY Peripheral Vision is a leading two-tier distribution company that specialises in importing the world’s most eminent brands (such as Barco and NEC) and providing dedicated, comprehensive solutions to its customers. As such, as Langenhoven explains, the company knows the value of investing in high-quality technological solutions. He offers a pragmatic, incisive view of the vital qualities that any conferencing solution should possess: “Good audio pickup and speech intelligibility is the most important part of any videoconferencing or audio recording. This is the selling-point of the Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling Mic II. At no time have I not understood the voice from an installed ceiling microphone clearly.” He also expands on the growing role of conferencing solutions across all business types and models, confirming the health of this sector of the pro AV industry. “Videoconferencing is becoming a significant business requirement,” he says. “Moreover, audio recordings of meetings sometimes have significant business value.”

REVIEW MICROPHONES

WHAT'S UNDER THE HOOD?

FEATURES

Langenhoven gives us an expert view on what sets Sennheiser’s TeamConnect Ceiling Mic II solution apart. “The microphone only requires one echo-cancelling microphone input. That means that I could even connect it directly into the microphone input of a videoconferencing system that provides adequate built-in echo-cancelling performance. So, in such a case, there would be no need for a third-party, multi-channel echo-cancelling DSP system, which is a significant cost-saving. Competitor products require multiple echo-cancelling microphone inputs, which means I can never connect it directly into a videoconferencing system – it is just not an option at all.” He continues: “The TeamConnect ceiling microphone has Dante audio out (like its competitors), but it also has an analogue audio output. That means if I don’t have a Dante input on the videoconferencing system, or the third-party DSP I am connecting to, I don’t need to purchase additional hardware to convert the Dante signal to analogue audio. When relevant (which it is in most cases), this is also a significant cost saving.” In terms of the microphone’s design, and how it is able to capture speech in such high fidelity, Langenhoven says that “the new and unique feature about the TeamConnect ceiling microphone is the fact that it uses 28 discrete

Easy to install Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) makes integration of the ceiling microphone very easy. An open media control protocol (API) allows you to make individual adjustments.

Speak freely Thanks to the unique patented automatic beamforming technology, your messages are clearly transmitted to external meeting participants from anywhere in the meeting room. Perfect integration Far 100% connectivity – Connect the microphone via analogue or digital DANTE™ audio outputs to any conference system.

microphones in combination with advanced DSP technology to dynamically track and home in – in a very focused manner – on the dominant speaker in the room. This significantly reduces multi-path audio from the room, which makes voices from the microphone highly intelligible no matter where you are and even while you’re moving around. This is the only microphone that does this in the horizontal as well as the vertical dimension. So, you can be sitting or standing, and it still tracks you perfectly. This is the most impressive ceiling microphone technology I have ever experienced, and you can actually hear the difference.” Langenhoven expands on the dynamism and adaptability of the new Sennheiser TeamConnect microphones, suggesting that this is where they truly clear the field. “Some competitive ceiling microphones offer beam-forming technology perform at a similar performance level to the Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling Mic II for voice audio within its fixed pickup area (which needs to be set up for every room). But it’s when you move out of the competitor’s fixed microphone pickup area that the Sennheiser microphone really stands out and performs better because, it follows the speaker dynamically. This means that not only does the TeamConnect ceiling microphone perform better, but the setup requires significantly less effort, than its competitors.”

Everything under control Optimise your digital workflows with Sennheiser's Control Cockpit software. The microphone can be easily controlled and monitored from anywhere in the corporate network. DDM Ready TeamConnect Ceiling 2 uses the latest Audinate chip set to make the day-to-day business of IT managers and integrators even easier. The ceiling microphone is therefore fully compatible with the Dante Domain Manager™ and benefits from the numerous advantages. For more info: www.audinate.com/products/ software/dante-domain-manager

REVIEW MICROPHONES

BUSINESS BENEFITS Langenhoven concludes by sharing some of the reasons that Peripheral Vision opted for the TeamConnect Ceiling Mic II solution, as well as some of the benefits it has already brought to the company’s operations. “I can use the TeamConnect Ceiling Mic II in a variable furniture application setting. I don’t need to concern myself about where the microphone works and where it won’t work. The fact that it just works everywhere in a space is actually significant. This was the most important fact that caught my eye. “Furthermore, the multiple mounting options for the TeamConnect microphone means that I can use it in an exposed T-grid ceiling structure, a flush-plastered ceiling structure and even a no-ceiling structure. That means I can standardise the product for all applications.” Delving into what kind of ‘applications’ he has in mind, Langenhoven says: “The microphone is suited mostly for applications where remote, hands-free audio is required for spaces up to 60 square metres and even larger spaces, as multiple TeamConnect microphones can be connected together into an external third-party DSP. The same would apply for audio recordings from any spaces, such as boardrooms,

videoconferencing venues, courtrooms and any space where clear recordings are desired.” As far as aesthetics are concerned, “the TeamConnect Ceiling Mic II is inconspicuous and completely blends in with the venue. It is so usable that if engineered correctly into the venue, you would think that the speakers in the venue are using roaming microphones when, in fact, they are not.” As a note to conclude with, Langenhoven reflects on the return on investment that Sennheiser's new microphone systems offer. “The investment in one TeamConnect ceiling microphone is actually not too different from the investment required for an installed multi-microphone desktop system (and all its elements), and there is simply no comparison when it comes to audio quality and speech intelligibility. Another advantage is that, with this system, there is nothing cluttering up the boardroom table!” For more information about Sennheiser’s new range of TeamConnect Wireless conferencing solutions, visit www.sennheiser.co.za; for more information about Peripheral Vision’s comprehensive range of AV solutions, visit www.peripheralvision.co.za

EXPERT OPINION

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE USER BY DANA EITZEN, Corporate and Marketing Communications Executive at Canon South Africa

"The age of the customer isn’t just a passing

phase. Customer experience will continue to make or break a business, so organisations can no longer afford to be passive or reactive." – Forrester’s Global Customer Experience Index

EXPERT OPINION However, with customer expectations constantly rising, businesses continue to fall behind. Forrester’s Global Customer Experience Index continues to find that most companies are rated as “poor” or “very poor” year on year1. In order to future-proof their business, organisations need to be asking themselves, not ‘What do customers want?’ but rather, ‘What will customers want?’ In the past, introducing new technology involved the arduous installation of expensive, on-premise equipment. However, technologies such as automation, the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) are allowing businesses to become more agile and increasingly able to deliver the seamless, personalised and real-time experience that represents the future of CX.

FRICTIONLESS A ‘frictionless’ experience means an effortless one, and – for a customer today – effortless means being able to interact with a business whenever and however they would like to. Businesses delivering a seamless, consistent experience across all communication channels build customer confidence, which is crucial for encouraging loyalty and ensuring retention. However, as customer communications become increasingly complex and fragmented, manual management is not only a drain on time-poor businesses, but also leaves them open to unnecessary and costly errors. This reality has made the introduction of automation increasingly crucial. Incorporating automation into manual processes provides businesses with a wealth of benefits, from increased efficiency and reduced costs, to freeing up employees for more business-critical work. The integration of artificial intelligence and automation into customer engagement demonstrates new possibilities. Intelligent automation systems can deconstruct vast amounts of data to automate entire workflows and learn as they go. In the not-too-distant future, intelligent automation – or Robotic Process Automation – will help organisations to handle unstructured customer data from emails, calls or social media. SEB, a major Swedish bank, now uses a virtual assistant called Aida to interact with millions of customers. Aida can also ask callers follow-up questions to solve their problems and is able to analyse a caller’s tone of voice and use that information to provide better service. Whenever the system can’t resolve an issue, it turns the caller over to a human customer-service representative and then monitors that interaction to learn how to resolve similar problems in the future.

PERSONAL Personalisation has become the ultimate marketing buzzword over the last five years, with businesses rhapsodising about its ability to drive revenue and transform loyalty. Whilst being a ‘customer-centric’ business has always been important, it has become even more so in the digital age, where consumers have unlimited access to competing products and services. However, curating these cultivated experiences is a very time- and resource-intensive process. Businesses must continually track interactions with their brand in order to build a

According to research company Gartner, customer experience (CX) – more than products or solutions – is the new battlefront for business, with 81% of marketers saying that by 2020 they expect to be competing mostly or completely on the basis of CX.

clear view of a customer’s preferences and deliver relevant, personalised offerings. AI is increasingly being integrated into the future of CX thanks to its ability to provide intelligent, data-driven recommendations. Automated systems cannot be programmed to handle every possible customer journey; therefore, the experience will always be limited. In contrast, AI finds patterns in an overwhelming number of data points, makes recommendations and then learns and adapts based on the resulting customer response. A customer entering a website for the first time will have no existing history, but with AI, every click and action is fed into its algorithms, which identify and process countless factors to make a recommendation. And, with every further interaction, the AI will begin to build and strengthen its ability to recommend.

REAL-TIME The average response time to customer queries and complaints is about 12 hours, yet according to new research, customers these days expect a response within one hour. Digital technology and social media have become such an intrinsic part of everyday life that we expect to experience the same real-time communication when we speak to a business as we do in any other context. Forrester warns that businesses will lose customer interest if they don’t deliver and refine experiences based on data from real-time engagements. Businesses have to move away from stagnant approaches, like customer surveys, and continually adjust their approach based on each customer interaction. IoT-enabled devices are driving this real-time revolution forward, by offering businesses immediate insight into a customer’s experience with their brand and the opportunity to improve and tailor it before alienating the customer. The age of the customer isn’t just a passing phase. Customer experience will continue to make or break a business, so organisations can no longer afford to be passive or reactive. In the past, lengthy implementations limited the ability of businesses to transform in step with their customers. But today, automation, AI and IoT provide an exciting opportunity for businesses to invest in the seamless, personalised and real-time experiences that will continue to define the future of CX. For more information about Canon, please visit www.canon.co.za.

COMPANY PROFILE

A SOLID SOLUTIONS PROVIDER

Alpha Technologies will be showcasing their extensive array of products at Mediatech Africa in July. In a recent interview, AV Integration spoke with Alpha Technologies marketing director, Tiaan Hoogstad, about the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history, current offerings and future development.

COMPANY PROFILE

Alpha Technologies is a distribution company specialising in audio, visual and automation products for the African market and serves as the local distributor for many top international brands including Bose, Barco and Biamp, as well as their own locally developed house-brand ALFAtron. Following a strategic corporate merger in 2017, Alpha Technologies has established a firm foothold in the market, largely based on its dedication to providing excellent customer service to its dealers, as well as expert support.

WHAT IS ALPHA TECHNOLOGIES DRIVING GOAL? Most of the directors come from an integration background, but now we sell to integrators. Therefore we understand what integrators want and what they wish to avoid. We don’t sell to end users. We choose partners in the industry, be it small integration companies on the West Coast or big integration companies in Johannesburg. Our future lies with partners; that’s the approach we take to market. We focus on supplying the best possible product combined with the best service.

TELL US ABOUT THE MERGER BETWEEN ALPHA TECHNOLOGIES AND TID It’s been two years since the merger, and we are happy to report that it has been a great success. We are one of the playmakers in the industry because of the way we service the market. We’re making our mark, and the industry is responding well.

HOW HAVE THINGS CHANGED SINCE THE MERGER? We have built the business comprehensively over the last two years and have expanded to around forty staff members countrywide. Originally, Alpha Technologies was only in Johannesburg. After the merger, we opened branches in Cape Town and Durban. All the branches are fully-fledged offices with service centres, showrooms, training facilities, and sales staff. We have streamlined many of the brands that we distribute – and the ones we offer now are critically important to what we do. Every single person in this company knows exactly what every product does. Companies are shifting their focus to becoming value-added companies, which is something that we are proud to say we have achieved. We can design the solution for our partners, supply the necessary products, and we provide comprehensive aftersales service.

WHAT VERTICAL MARKETS DOES ALPHA TECHNOLOGIES SERVICE? We focus on the entire Pro-AV industry, but when you investigate specific verticals, such as corporate, hospitality, retail, events, education or residential, we’ve got a very particular set of products that services each one. We strive to be distributors who offer full turn-key solutions, nevertheless with a focused approach. We’re able to offer everything from projection, to brackets, cabling, microphones, amplifiers and DSPs, speakers and everything in-between. We’re at a point now where we have got a solid customer base that relies on us to provide products across the board to ensure that they can deploy a turn-key solution to the end user while relying on a single supplier.

COMPANY PROFILE

WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO YOUR CUSTOMER BASE? We are extremely committed to providing our partners with the support that they need over the long run. We strive to offer the best product warranty, so the installer and the end user have peace-of-mind when it comes to after-sales support. We also provide the local support necessary to honour our warranty that is extended on all the products from Bose, Biamp and Sony. We have complete faith in the robust nature of our in-house brand, ALFAtron, and as such, we provide a seven-year warranty on all these products. Our partners are, therefore, confident that when they use us as a distributor, their installations will receive the after-sales support that ensures that end-users’ needs are met.

WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PAST FEW YEARS? We’re probably proudest of the new relationships we’ve built over these last two years. The company has five directors, and all have diverse backgrounds, but that makes us very agile as a team, and we have all been able to build on the relationships that we had with clients before the merger and bring them into the fold of the new company. Clients that were purchasing audio solutions from TID are now buying products for Video, and those who worked with Alpha Technologies for their video solutions are sourcing audio solutions from us. Bringing those two families together was a major goal in the merger – and we are very proud to have achieved this. We are also very pleased to have established a comprehensive Solutions Department in Johannesburg. The purpose of this department is to provide clients with an opportunity to purchase a solution rather than a box. A client may approach the solutions team with the intention to purchase a speaker – but once they have had the opportunity to speak with one of our consultants they could discuss their project or installation holistically, and we are able to advise them on a full-spectrum solution, with our product range which carries between 5-7 year warranties . It comes back to

that idea of establishing ourselves as a solution-based distributor. The Solutions Centre basically means that we don’t move boxes only; we sell comprehensive solutions that are fully supported over the long run.

WHAT IS YOUR FOCUS AT THE MOMENT? For us, dealer training is the foundation of great service, and we will continue to grow this aspect of our service offering. Clients need to know our product ranges in order to be including them into their offerings. We have established training centres in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg, and we hold dealer training every Thursday. Alpha Technologies holds the first Barco we present Training Facility in the world where we offer certified training for Barco, Biamp and Bose.

TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE BRANDS THAT YOU DISTRIBUTE Bose is a key product within our range, and is a top-quality brand worldwide, with an ever-expanding product range. We are very excited about their amazing Design Max speakers, which will start shipping later this year. Biamp has a very strong foothold within the corporate vertical in South Africa, because of the solid warranty and reliability of the company’s offerings in DSPs, evacuation systems, and huddle room products. Biamp is also soon launching new ceiling microphones which will be able to track and follow the audio. Barco We Present which is one of the top Wireless presentation brands in South Africa which is gaining popularity in the corporate and educational verticals. ALFAtron, is our own in-house brand, is designed specifically to meet the unique requirements of the local AV market and offers robust, simple, commonsense solutions in a range of products. The 7-year warranty is a no-nonsense swap-out

COMPANY PROFILE

warranty, and many local integrators are increasingly relying on us to manufacture, distribute and support ALFAtron products for projects across all verticals. we also distribute Beyerdynamic including their studio headphones, consumer headphones, microphones, boardroom installations and conferencing systems, – which have proven popular for several high-profile government projects. Grandview is a superior quality screen brand which we support; these screens are used everywhere from corporate to education and home cinemas.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR PERSONAL FAVORITES? It’s hard to choose a favourite because each product that we distribute has its own unique features and applications. However, the Bose ShowMatch is one of my personal favourites, because it gives you Bose-quality sound out of a massive PA system, made for up to 5000 people. On a smaller scale but no less impressive is the Bose S1 Pro Bluetooth Speaker, which has been made specifically for musicians. Another unique product that captures the imagination is the worlds’ first throwable microphone from Catch Box. The mic is designed for meeting and brainstorming sessions, where speakers can simply throw the foam-covered box around the room to those people who wish to participate. Furthermore, it can be customised in a colour of choice, as well as with the company logo.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE THE COMPANY’S CORPORATE CULTURE? We are a small and agile team that functions more like a closeknit family rather than the traditional corporate style. Most of our clients know the five directors personally as they make a point in personally getting involved where needed.

Demonstration space at Alpha Technologies Head Office, Johannesburg

We also believe in face-to-face contact with our suppliers and have visited them regularly, in countries like China, Europe and the Middle East. Our directors regularly visit our branches, and together with the salespeople they try to see all our dealers as we want to make sure that they know that with just a quick phone call we will be there to support them, no matter how big or small.

WHAT ARE THE EXCITING FRONTIERS IN THE INDUSTRY? IT and IoT (the Internet of Things) is going to be a major player in the worldwide market and for us. We’ve invested in IT personally, so we’re able to keep up with the IT spec that’s going out as we are seeing a shift in the market, where IT and AV industries are aligning.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR ALPHA TECHNOLOGIES? We’re looking forward to accelerated growth in the markets we cover. Our vision is to offer the best possible service to our dealers and to represent the brands that we offer in the best possible way, in South Africa and the rest of Africa. We’re grateful for the support we’ve had, and we’re looking forward to growing the AV market as a whole. The future for Alpha Technologies is bright.

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THE AV-ENHANCED LEISURE EXPERIENCE

Digital signage at Emperors Palace, Emporium, Gauteng

As the digital revolution unfolds, there is no sector that is untouched by the transformative influence of converged IP-based audiovisual technology. This is without question the case for the leisure and hospitality markets. The following feature highlights some of the AV technology being adopted by a variety of venues in the leisure, hospitality and tourism markets.

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FEATURE "Casinos, hotels, galleries and tourism centres around the world have taken advantage of the opportunities that advanced AV technologies present to make spaces more engaging.”

!Khwa ttu San Heritage Centre, Western Cape

The leisure, hospitality and tourism sectors are primarily centred on providing people with experiences. It is therefore not surprising that casinos, hotels, galleries and tourism centres around the world have taken advantage of the opportunities that advanced AV technologies present to make spaces more engaging, simplify processes such as ticketing and hospitality services, and streamline in-house marketing and communications to provide an enriched visitor experience. From fully immersive video walls, digital marketing, touch-panel wayfinding and state-of-the-art control solutions to something as simple as ticketing – integrated AV has found its way into almost every aspect of the sector, and guests and visitors are increasingly starting to expect service providers to offer fully converged

and tech-savvy experiences across venues and facilities. The following feature explores installations in a variety of settings that have taken advantage of IP-based audiovisual technology. The common thread that runs through all of these seemingly diverse projects is the deployment of solutions that allow for greater flexibility, creativity and effective use of resources through network-based solutions. As little as a decade ago, one would expect to find AV in a cinema, boardroom or auditorium. However, as technology develops and new applications emerge – it is becoming increasingly clear that we are entering a new era of global adoption of AV technology, which promises to transform every aspect of our lives. – Nicole Barnes

A SIGN OF THE FUTURE AT EMPERORS PALACE

HERITAGE INSTALLATION

OKADA MANILA CASINO WINS BIG WITH IP VIDEO SYSTEM

SHEDDING NEW LIGHT ON AFRICAN ART

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A SIGN OF THE FUTURE AT EMPERORS PALACE 24

Digital signage at Emperors Palace, Emporium, Gauteng

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AV Integration spoke to the Creative Studio team at Emperors Palace, who worked closely with local digital signage experts PVision to achieve the goal of transforming the company’s in-venue marketing into a simple, slick digital solution that saves both time and money.

Peermont’s Emperors Palace Hotel, Casino, Convention and Entertainment Resort has recently undertaken a modernisation programme that has resulted in the successful deployment of a comprehensive digital signage solution at its flagship resort, soon to be extended across the company’s impressive portfolio of properties in sub-Saharan Africa. Conveniently situated alongside O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, Emperors Palace brings together timeless classical elegance and entertainment. No expense or detail has been spared in the pursuit of pleasure and opulence at the resort, which is evident in the sweeping facades, tasteful designs and up-market atmosphere that permeates every corner of the establishment. Emperors Palace offers guests luxurious accommodation in four unique hotels, a health and beauty spa, a state-of-the-art casino with multiple gaming spaces, as well as the finest in dining options and entertainment choices, including an ultra-modern cinema complex and world-class conference facilities. Leading gaming and hospitality group Peermont successfully operates 12 properties across South Africa and Botswana. The company is renowned for its excellence in design, development, management, ownership and operation of multi-faceted hospitality, conferencing and gaming facilities and is committed to maintaining international standards and offering guests world-class experiences.

EMBRACING CHANGE In 2017 Emperors Palace embarked on a new strategy to improve the resort’s communication channels. “Two years ago we were relying heavily on printed content, including mounted posters and pop-up banners to engage with guests and promote events, products and campaigns on offer,” explains Sharon de Leur, Emperors Palace marketing manager. “Static signage has several shortcomings. Firstly, to service a property of this size, we appointed a team whose sole responsibility was to dismount and remount posters and banners. This was a very labour-intensive and arduous process. The second factor to consider is the cost of printing. While we can do a lot of our printing internally, it is still prohibitively expensive – and despite carrying the cost of a high-level printing facility, we were still dependant on outside contractors for more specialised printing jobs. Lastly, and most importantly, it was vital for us to improve our greening footprint.” This made the shift to a digital signage model for their in-venue marketing campaigns an easy decision and Clive Tavener, the resort’s operations executive was quickly on board. “When the idea was first proposed, we installed a single large-format screen in the Entertainment Emporium. We immediately saw the value in digital signage, most significant being the rapid return on investment – not only revenue-wise but also in terms of enhancing the guest experience,” Tavener comments.

“One of our biggest considerations was to ensure that we on-boarded a service provider that would be able to install the screens in the Emporium without damaging the hand-painted mural on the domed ceiling.” – Scott MacLellan, head of Creative Studios, Emperors Palace

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“One of the biggest motivating factors for the upgrade to digital signage at Emperors Palace was the cost comparison between our annual print spend versus the once-off cost of a screen – which we were able to pay off within a year.”

– Clive Tavener,

operations executive, Emperors Palace

THE RIGHT TEAM Drawing on years of experience in the field, Scott MacLellan, creative studio manager at Emperors Palace, boasts a solid understanding of both the benefits and risks of digital signage solutions and was a driving force behind the change. “While digital signage has the potential to engage guests, generate additional advertising revenue and save on costs, when done badly it can look very amateurish, or fail to work completely, defeating the whole object of the investment,” he points out. With this in mind, MacLellan and his team undertook an extensive tendering process to ensure that he contracted an installer that would be able to provide a professional, robust, well-supported and cost-effective solution. “We wanted to be sure that the company we contracted to undertake the installation would be able to pull off a professional installation despite the challenges presented by the environment. Taking into consideration the delicate nature of the décor and the limited hours during which an installation team could work on-site due to the 24/7 nature of the resort. Finally, we needed to be sure that the contractor in question would be able to provide the after-sales support needed to ensure that maintenance and technical glitches would be carried out swiftly and effectively. The wealth of experience and expertise that Pvision brought – as well as their comprehensive and highly flexible product offering – played a large role in our decision to award them the contract, and we have not been disappointed,” MacLellan mentions.

polished, luxurious look and feel of the resort,” MacLellan points out. Three large-format double-sided LED screens were suspended from the arched ceilings of the three main passageways leading off the Entertainment Emporium, taking advantage of the architecture to ensure maximum visibility to diners and those passing through. The primary challenge, however, was that the area proved a very delicate site, which demanded a very subtle and highly experienced hand. Stefan Swanepoel of PVision explains, “To start off with, the hand-painted ceiling is 12m from the ground, and the steal I-beams in the roof above are a further three to four meters above the ceiling. We had to construct a solid structure in the ceiling to hold the dual LEDs in place with steel ropes that were thin enough to ensure that we only made the smallest holes in the hand-painted ceiling. This was handled with absolute care by Paul Bouwling and his team.” Swanepoel and the consultants at PVision specified an LED screen for the installation, as “the Entertainment Emporium is a big, open space with lots of light. We, therefore, had to come up with a large-format screen that

PICTURE PERFECT The heart of the digital signage installation achieved by PVision is located in the Entertainment Emporium at Emperors Palace. The area features a replica statue of Michaelangelo's David, surrounded by an array of restaurants. An inspiring domed ceiling encapsulates the space, which has been hand-painted to give the impression of an expansive Mediterranean summer sky, providing a light and airy ambience for diners. Several walkways lead off to the casino floor, retail outlets and cinema complex. The Entertainment Emporium provides a perfect space for an effective digital signage deployment, as many guests enjoy dining among well-placed screens that offer an engaging montage of content, while being highly visible to foot traffic at the same time. “In the past the area was filled with hanging and pop-up banners, which contrasted with the

Paul Bouwling and his team installing the dual-sided LED screen in the Emporium at Emperors Palace

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Large-format double-sided LED screens installed at Emperors Palace Emporium

was light enough to be hung from the 12m high ceiling and bright enough to compete with the ambient light levels in the space. The double-sided LED screen was the most fit-for-purpose solution that we could come up with at an affordable price.” In addition to the ceiling-mounted displays, PVision installed several 49” standing LCD Signage Displays, which are arrayed in circumference around the central water feature at the Emporium. Specially designed for advertisement, the units’ portrait standing design, high-quality tempered glass and commercial-grade LG IPS panel make them a perfect fit for this environment – especially as the screen is designed for long-term 24/7 operation. The standing LCDs have been mounted in stands that have been custom-designed by PVision to compliment the surrounding décor. “The restaurant owners are very pleased with the installation of the standing panels in front of their establishments, as it provides a very sleek and engaging platform for them to advertise their brands and communicate specials on offer to guests,” states MacLellan.

PULLING IT TOGETHER As PVision director, Jacques Landsberg, points out, “A screen without a content management solution is like a big black canvas with all the potential in the world, but essentially blank.” Understanding the importance of providing the right hardware to enable a well-managed digital signage solution, PVision installed the BrightSign operating system on all of the screens deployed at Emperors Palace.

MacLellan explains that the Peermont group relies on two content management systems to oversee all of the displays throughout its chain of hotels and casinos. “We have two content scheduling systems that work in tandem at present,” says MacLellan. “We use a cloud-based solution called Infinity on all of the standard displays in our hotels, at till points and on the gaming floor. Stefan [Swanepoel] provided BrightSign to manage the content that we run on our in-venue marketing screens, and I have found the solution to be very efficient and user-friendly.” MacLellan goes on to explain that much of their content is developed by an in-house digital design team, while larger campaigns are outsourced to specialised agencies. Once the content has been developed and approved, it can be scheduled to run on screens throughout the complex at strategic times and can be updated almost instantly. Also, the content can be scheduled to display on screens at other properties operated by Peermont. “At present, I can schedule content at Khoroni Hotel and Casino and Thaba Moshate Casino and Convention Centre in Limpopo and the Frontier Inn and Casino in Bethlehem,” MacLellan says. “The benefit of developing and scheduling content centrally for all of our properties is that we can achieve brand consistency across our various establishments. We are also able to support our smaller venues by scheduling content on their displays for them – negating the need to have a marketing specialist at each site. As such, Peermont is planning to expand its digital signage campaign to most of its properties in the years ahead,” MacLellan concludes.

“It immediately became clear that much of the static signage that we were spending so much money on faded into ‘wallpaper’ for our guests, while the video content on the screens added a level of interaction and engagement not easily achieved with more traditional models of advertising.” – Scott MacLellan, head of Creative Studios, Emperors Palace

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HERITAGE INSTALLATION

On Heritage Day of 2018, the !Khwa ttu San Heritage Centre was launched in order to preserve the history, acknowledge the challenges and celebrate the successes of all San cultural groups in southern Africa. This award-winning facility, located on the R27 near Yzerfontein in the Western Cape, contracted Digital Fabric to install the technologies that would provide a truly immersive experience for visitors. AV Integration chats to Gavin Olivier, founder of Digital Fabric, and Michael Daiber, CEO of !Khwa ttu San Heritage Centre, to learn more about the installation and the Epson EB-L1105U projectors that lie at the heart of the centre’s cutting-edge immersive displays.

“A FULLY IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE” Johannesburg-based Digital Fabric is an internationally-acclaimed audio/visual design and integration company celebrated for its work on, among other projects, the Apartheid Museum and The Springbok Experience. As Gavin Olivier explains, “The !Khwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre approached us to get involved with a fully immersive visual experience. Together with the museum team and its stake holders, Digital Fabric designed a fully-automated projection and audio solution to be integrated into the architecture.” Michael Daiber elucidates that the immersive nature of the centre – which presents displays on “hunting, gathering, healing, village life and music” – is about far more than technology for technology’s sake. “Rather than represent these themes in a Western style of cataloguing knowledge,” he explains, “we reflect San ways of thinking by using quotations – plus film images, sounds and smells – to knit the various topics together in ‘clouds of sensory association.’ To immerse people in a San world, we wanted to use a world-class 270° film and a specially-commissioned soundscape of 24 hours in the Kalahari.”

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A CLOSER LOOK AT THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN DIGITAL FABRIC AND THE !KHWA TTU SAN HERITAGE CENTRE

EXPERT INSTALLATION

TELLING IMPORTANT STORIES

In order to achieve this complex projection setup, “we simulated the space in 3D, allowing for pixel accurate calculations,” Olivier explains. “This allowed the content creators to shoot in the best possible format and camera combination for the intended outcome. Our reputation for delivering highly technical AV solutions and interactive experiences is why Digital Fabric was chosen to deliver this project,” he says, and provides some more information about the specific technical requirements demanded by the !Khwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre. “Various design challenges arose due to the curvature of the roof and floor-to-ceiling heights in relation to the desired screen height in the venue. To combat this, the Epson EB-L1105U projector was chosen along with the ultra-short throw lens, making it possible to place the projectors within the tight space relative to the image size. The EB-L1105U also delivers excellent brightness and stability over time, and this suits the museum’s intended operational requirements. It’s a workhorse that simply delivers for us without fail.” Olivier goes on to explain that “Digital Fabric recommends the use of EB-L1105U projectors in permanent installations where long duty-cycles and stable operation is required. In addition, these projectors have proven versatile when interfacing with specialised warping servers and museum automation systems developed by our company.” In addition to installing seven of these cutting-edge projectors in the venue, Digital Fabric provided video server playback, multichannel audio and

From Daiber’s perspective, not only does the Epson projector provide “superior vision, outstanding image quality and great clarity,” but the Centre has been delighted with the “reliability and service” it has received from Digital Fabric. Welcoming more than 20,000 visitors every week – and already honoured with the Best Heritage Experience prize at the Africa World Travel Market Responsible Tourism Awards – the !Khwa ttu San Heritage Centre is a fantastic example of how immersive technologies can be harnessed for social gains. “The vision of !Khwa ttu is to empower and support the San through heritage and education initiatives. Our San partners, additionally, wish to engage visitors around issues of climate change and environmental responsibility, as living sustainably lies at the heart of ‘traditional’ San lifestyles. Building our museum addresses our core purpose by providing a platform for the San to tell their story.” As Daiber says, “it remains remarkable just how little visitors know about the San and how their genetic story places them at the heart of human origin stories. Our presentation of San heritage introduces questions about real needs, environmental knowledge and sustainability. This fulfils our multiple visions of telling a San story and an environmentally-relevant story about the relationship between a healthy environment and healthy communities,” he concludes.

lighting elements. “The team installed custom-engineered projector brackets, also modelled in fine detail within the 3D model. Museum operators have access to a simplified user interface panel, allowing the daily operation of the system to be as simple as turning a key. The fully-automated system allows for the remote monitoring and control of the server rack components, as well as checking operating temperatures in the system.”

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OKADA MANILA

CASINO WINS BIG WITH

IP VIDEO SYSTEM Photos courtesy of Okada Manila Casino / www.okadamanila.com

Okada Manila is a five-star integrated resort and casino, carved into 44 hectares of Manila Bay’s picturesque oceanfront. The hotel boasts 993 luxury suites and villas, each furnished with world-class amenities, state-of-the-art technology and spectacular views of Manila Bay or The Fountain. Situated in the heart of Entertainment City, the Okada Manila casino provides guests with a unique location to play for the biggest progressive jackpot in the country. It offers the best of traditional table games like Baccarat, Poker, Roulette and Craps, plus more than 3,000 electronic gaming machines. As a world-class destination that combines advanced technology with deluxe amenities, Okada Manila wanted to offer cutting-edge video entertainment throughout its property. With a 24-hours-a-day operation catering for thousands of international visitors, the resort required a reliable video solution that could deliver digital signage content to each of its 3,000 electronic gaming machines and 204 TV

screens on both the casino floor and in public spaces. With a mix of static, dynamic and live video content, the solution needed to be flexible enough to interface with a wide range of display types and aspect ratios while also being easy to manage for operators – ensuring the right content, branding, wayfinding or messaging gets to the right machine, or screen, at exactly the right time. Okada Manila chose Exterity for its low latency, high picture quality, easy usability and the reliability of the company's IP video systems. The centrally-managed solution enables the seamless distribution of promotions and jackpot information on each of the electronic gaming machines. This ensures guests have access to relevant content and branding at exactly the right time. The installation includes Exterity’s AvediaServer central management system, AvediaStream HDMI Encoders and AvediaPlayer Media Players.

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Exterity’s IP video system delivers high-quality digital signage content directly to Okada Manila Casino’s gaming machines and TV screens throughout its casino floor, with quality and reliability guaranteed 24 hours a day.

Electronic gaming floor at Okada Manila

Local technology integrator All Visual & Lights Systems (AVLS) was instrumental in securing the partnership with Exterity, and undertook full testing and Proof of Concept (PoC) with the client to ensure the solution delivered exactly what was expected. A spokesperson for AVLS said: “The flexibility of Exterity technology enabled us to deliver content to a wide range of end-point devices whilst retaining image and video quality. Exterity’s feature-rich, fully-configurable IP video application means the hotel can now easily create and deliver content to multiple screens across the casino, greatly enhancing the guest experience.” The solution enables the casino to display dynamic, streaming and scheduled content on any of the hundreds of connected screens including standard TVs, SmartTVs, computer screens, mobile devices and thin clients as required.

“The Casino at Okada Manila is the newest, most dynamic casino in Entertainment City, and we wanted an AV solution that reflected our commitment to the guest experience. The Exterity IP system has provided us with a dependable and high-quality solution that positions us at a world-class resort at the forefront of technology,” says a spokesperson for Okada Manila. Colin Farquhar, CEO at Exterity, added: “Dynamic and engaging video content is essential to the 24/7, thriving and lively experience that integrated resorts such as Okada Manila offer, so being able to use one platform that can ensure that the right content gets to the right machine or screen at exactly the right time is paramount. We look forward to our continued collaboration with AVLS and Okada Manila to ensure that we deliver best in class experiences to the resort’s guests.”

Photos by Alet Pretorius, courtesy of the Javett Foundation

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SHEDDING NEW LIGHT ON AFRICAN ART The newly completed Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria (Javett-UP) will be opening its doors in September of this year and boasts the latest in architectural lighting solutions, with a network-based control system that places lighting entirely in the hands of the user.

FEATURE PRO AV LEISURE MARKET AV Integration spoke with Christopher Till, who is currently directing the planning and commissioning of the Javett-UP, about this exciting new space for the promotion of arts and culture in South Africa.

A CENTRE OF ENGAGEMENT The Javett -UP is the result of a collaboration between the University of Pretoria and the Javett Foundation. The iconic building that will house the Javett-UP straddles Lynnwood Road in Pretoria, creating a new bridge between UP and the surrounding areas and ensuring that the centre has a footprint both within academia and the community. On completion, the space will comprise several galleries, with spaces for exhibitions, multidisciplinary events and performances. Director, Christopher Till explains that the Javett Foundation is a South African charitable trust established in 2013 by the Javett family interests. The Foundation aims to support philanthropic activities in line with the family’s long-standing interest in, and support for, education and skills development, as well as their ongoing commitment to the arts. “The Javett family collected works by key twentieth-century South African artists, and by 2012, the collection had become large enough for Michael Javett to explore how it might be put to optimal use. He decided that if these important artworks were housed in an art centre attached to an academic institution, the collection could significantly enhance education in the arts. Most importantly, he wanted to ensure that these seminal pieces would be available to the wider public,” Till points out. In addition to showcasing the Javett Foundation’s extensive collection of South African artworks, the centre will house the gold treasures of Mapungubwe and works from the university’s collections. The Javett-UP will be a vital resource for the university, helping to strengthen teaching, learning, research and community engagement and outreach.

AN ENLIGHTENED VISION

Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria (Javett-UP)

Pieter Mathews and Associates, a Pretoria-based architecture firm, took the leading role in designing the building that would become the Javett Art Centre at UP. According to Till, the architects took inspiration from the iconic South African rock formations found at Mapungubwe – a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is recognised as the ancient home of the first indigenous kingdom in Southern Africa between 900 and 1,300 AD. “As you drive down Lynnwood Road it is quite an iconic building, with the bridge gallery that goes across the road serving as a striking linkage between the Departments of Visual Arts and Architecture at the University of Pretoria. The Javett-UP has already become a visual emblem for Pretoria’s urban city landscape,” says Till. During the planning phase of the project, Till approached renowned architectural lighting designers Paul Pamboukian and Joao Viegas, of Pamboukian Lightdesign, to design a

Artistic rendering of the exhibition space, Javett-UP Image courtesy of Pieter Mathews & Associates

FEATURE PRO AV LEISURE MARKET

state-of-the-art lighting installation to ensure that art works could be displayed in the best conditions. Till and his team envisioned a highly flexible lighting design that could spotlight artworks positioned anywhere in the various exhibition spaces. “We have elected to keep the palate of the interior design of the gallery neutral and wanted to create temperature and atmosphere with dimmable white LED lighting. In addition, we needed the installation to be power-efficient and easy to operate,” explains Till. Working in close collaboration with architects, Pamboukian and his team put together an inspiring and highly functional design for the Javett -UP which was deployed with assistance from architectural lighting control experts, Electrosonic SA.

interface to make the system programmable for the end-user. The Helvar uSee interface unit connects to a router system and automatically discovers channels and groups, allows scene recall, scene edit and energy monitoring graphing – all in a simple-to-use, intuitive manner. The system includes scheduling and logging functions for emergency lighting and duration tests, and maintenance alarms allow for scheduled lamp replacement. The uSee user interface allows gallery staff to access, programme and save scenes using the uSee platform on any smart tablet or devise. Schwartz explains that the gallery can move an exhibition into an allocated space and simply clip fixtures along the track as required. Using a tablet, the user is then able to set a lighting scene for the exhibition space and save it. These scenes can be recalled as required, either automatically when the gallery opens or at a specified time. The uSee interface prevents a situation where a programmer would have to programme multiple pre-sets and save them on the system for the end-user to select when needed – which decentralises control over the system and stifles creativity. “Enabling the end-user to design and write their own scenes, without having to consult with a programmer, is one of the most important distinguishing factors of the Helvar system, and is perfectly in line with what Christopher [Till] and his team envisioned at inception,” Schwartz concludes.

A DAZZLING ACHIEVEMENT

EXCITING EXPECTATIONS

Speaking to AV Integration in a recent interview, company director Bruce Schwartz explains how Electrosonic became involved in the project. “We have worked with Pamboukian Lightdesign on similar installations in the past, and therefore we have a shared knowledge-base and proven problem-solving track-record,” Schwartz points out. “While installation of this nature may seem very simple on the surface, the skill is in designing the topography of the network and deploying the necessary infrastructure to ensure a lighting design that fulfils the needs of this unique space and is easy for gallery staff to operate. Fortunately, Electrosonic has both the technology and skills at our disposal to achieve optimal results.” Pamboukian Lightdesign and Electronic consulted closely on the best control solution for the Javett-UP and decided to implement a system that would allow gallery staff to operate specified lighting tracks rather than individual fixtures. “After careful deliberation, we decided that the size of the Javett-UP – which spans several floors with various levels, intimate rooms and breakaway spaces – made it impractical to control individual fixtures throughout the building. As a result, we designed a system, using a comprehensive lighting control management system from Helvar, which enabled us to create a distributed dimming and control system throughout the space.” Schwartz explains. “We have dimmers and control points on each floor, which are all connected onto an IP-based network. This design provides a degree of redundancy so that if one ‘brain’ fails, the others can take over and continue operating.” Once the immense task of establishing an independent IP network, designing the network topography, installing the hardware and cabling and integrating the lighting tracks was achieved, Electrosonic deployed Helvar’s uSee user

After many years of dreaming, planning, designing, building and refining, the Javett-UP will become a reality in the later part of 2019. “The Javett-UP aims to become the default destination for those seeking engagement with the art of Africa, not only in the Pretoria area, but into the continent and internationally” says Till. Many of our most ancient creation myths suggest that light is the foundation upon which we are able to distinguish order from chaos. The innovative and highly advanced lighting installation deployed at the Javett -UP creates the opportunity to shed new light on the art of Africa. Due to the depth, diversity and significance of the work that will be exhibited at the Javett-UP, it holds the promise of becoming an epicentre of cultural discourse through the arts not only on the African continent – but on a global scale.

The Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria will hold its inaugural exhibition on 24 September. Please visit http://javettup.art for more information or follow the Javett-UP on Instagram @JavettUP and Facebook: The Javett Art Centre at UP.

Photos by Alet Pretorius, courtesy of the Javett Foundation

Outside the Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria (Javett-UP)

CORPORATE & FINANCE

STADIUMS & VENUES

HOSPITALITY & LEISURE

EDUCATION

SHOW PREVIEW MEDIATECH AFRICA

MEDIATECH AFRICA 2019

AN INSPIRED IMMERSIVE MULTISENSORY EXPERIENCE Modern technological advancements have transformed the workplace and created a high-growth vertical for both audio-visual and unified communications technologies, and as businesses look to create increasingly collaboration-focused spaces, what systems and technologies will do is make that process faster and more streamlined. Today’s hot gizmo can be tomorrow’s e-waste, and if you’re not paying attention, this realisation can pass you by. That being said, it’s sometimes easy to get distracted by the latest shiny toy and forget to go back to basics.

Over the past decade, rapid technological advancements have transformed the workplace, creating a high-growth vertical for both audio-visual and unified communications technologies. As businesses look to create increasingly collaboration-focused spaces, integrated systems and advancing technologies promise to make the modern working environment faster and more streamlined. Today’s hot gizmo can be tomorrow’s e-waste, and if you’re not paying attention, this realisation can pass you by. That being said, it’s sometimes easy to get distracted by the latest shiny toy and forget to go back to basics. At Mediatech 2019, one of the leaders in the AV integration space, Alpha Technologies will once again be present to showcase the brands they distribute throughout Southern Africa. According to Tiaan Hoogstad, marketing director, “We are bringing a lot of new products to the show and will have our international partners attending from the USA, Europe, and the Middle East. We are excited about the progress of technology in the AV space and showcasing the new Biamp Tesira Parle range of microphones which includes ceiling and table microphones with beamtracking technology, which follows meeting participants as they move around the room, ensuring the highest quality voice pick up wherever the person is sitting or standing. Better yet, they require zero microphone setup, reducing installation and programming time for integrators.”

SHOW PREVIEW MEDIATECH AFRICA

Exhibitors at Mediatech Africa will be bringing a host of AV solutions for the corporate market

A wide range of suppliers and distributors of AV technology will be bringing the latest and greatest in solutions for the corporate market to the show, including world leaders such as Extron, Barco, Mindstec Distribution, Absen, PVision, Exterity, Peripheral Vision, Orion AV, Stage Audio Works, System Solutions, Surgesound, PPM Audio Visual and Sennheiser. Speaking about the 2019 event, Exhibition Director Simon Robinson says, “The tech deployed by this sector in the industry is profoundly progressive with a significant aggregate of development in motion since the last Mediatech. This growth is proportional to the excellent potential of the industry. This year visitors should be prepared for more creativity, inspiration, and innovation than ever before.” Current technologies continue to keep persevering, but with significant improvements. If you haven’t looked at technology in a while, it might be a good year to revisit it. Keep an eye on the basics, and how ever-advancing technologies can improve your events! Expect to see more AV trends including significant developments in unified communications – a business and marketing concept describing the integration

of enterprise communication services such as instant messaging (chat), presence information, voice (including IP telephony), mobility features (including extension mobility and single number reach), audio, web and video with a major shift from AV integration systems being software-centric. Registration for Mediatech Africa 2019 is now open, and delegates can sign up at no cost by completing the online registration form on www.mediatech.co.za before 12 July. For those who miss the pre-registration cut off, there is onsite registration – an option which costs R100. Local and international industry authorities will be showcasing the tech trends driving progress in the world of media and entertainment, and the 2019 expo is the ideal platform to keep step with the changes that have transpired over the last two years. The highly specialised biannual B2B trade show attracts buyers, top decision-makers and influential visitors and combines the latest technology with live demonstrations, presentation zones, and special events, and it’s the ideal forum for networking. Add to this the show specials coupled with the event’s unparalleled entertainment value, and there are more than ten good reasons to be at the 10th edition of Mediatech Africa.

“The tech deployed by this sector in the industry is profoundly progressive with a significant aggregate of development in motion since the last Mediatech. This growth is proportional to the excellent potential of the industry. This year visitors should be prepared for more creativity, inspiration, and innovation than ever before.” – Simon Robinson, Exhibition Director

SHOW PREVIEW MEDIATECH AFRICA

HOW TO FIND AV SOLUTIONS AT MEDIATECH 2019 CHAZ NIELSEN SHARES SOME TIPS IF YOU ARE ATTENDING MEDIATECH AFRICA 2019 FOR AN AV SOLUTION

With MediaTech 2019 only a stone’s throw away, it is probably wise for anyone who will be attending to brush up on their industry knowledge ahead of the largest tradeshow for the professional AV industry on the continent.

Mediatech offers the opportunity for AV integrators and Technologists to learn new techniques and get up to date with international trends, as well as to network with other industry professionals. Mediatech also provides end-users with an opportunity to see a wide range of technology and AV solutions first hand. There is, however, a risk that an end user could walk away with a less than optimal experience of the professional AV industry if they are not well prepared. Here follows a few pointers for the AV layman who has been tasked to find the right solution for their meeting room or office space at Mediatech Africa.

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR

Mediatech is a great opportunity to interact with recognised dealers and manufacturers, which limits your risk of inadvertently buying sub-standard products and services. As with any technology being deployed at enterprise level, it is wise to stay clear of grey imports and “cost-effective” imitations of well-known products. When (not if) these units should fail in the future, nine out of ten times the customer (and installer) will experience poor after-sales support, useless warranties and lengthy turn-around times on repairs. Not to mention all the logistics and delivery costs to send and receive units back from overseas suppliers for services rendered. Many times, these foreign suppliers also have not optimised their control systems or product developments to work (or be licensed) with leading or popular protocols like Google, Apple or Android, for instance.

SHOW PREVIEW MEDIATECH AFRICA

Mediatech is a great opportunity to interact with recognised dealers and manufacturers, which limits your risk of inadvertently buying sub-standard products and services.

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TIME IS MONEY

Tradeshows can be an overwhelming experience, and it is often difficult to know where to start on a showroom floor. If you are on a tight schedule and only have a few hours to spend at the show, but would still like to see all the important stuff, it would benefit you greatly to research some of the basics beforehand, such as taking a look at the floorplan and getting to know the industry-recognised AV leaders before you arrive.

TAKE A TECHIE

If you are not an AV or IT professional, or if you are inexperienced regarding AV solutions, I would recommend tagging along with your local AV integrator, technician or salesperson, as they would be more familiar with the brands and technologies that you should be considering for your solution. Your AV Integrator can assist by explaining to distributors and manufacturers exactly what you are after and list any network or environmental concerns regarding the planned installation methods.

KNOW WHAT YOU WANT

If you are looking for a solution for your office, it will be incredibly useful to have a technical diagram of a pre-proposed solution by an integrator handy when speaking to exhibitors. This means that you should be proactive in booking a site inspection at least a week in advance of the expo. At the very least, compile a detailed diagram of your room dimensions that includes ceiling height, room length, cable-routes, door and window locations, floor layout, as well as any other additional important info relating to the environment you are looking to kit out. A functional room diagram could make the difference between a truly professional and a mediocre installation.

DECIDE ON YOUR SPEND

They say “everything always comes at a price” and AV technology is no different. Professional AV solutions can be expensive, and costs quickly accumulate when you throw in more features and add-ons to your solution. Unless you are a technology company that thrives on having the best-of-the-best gear on your premises and you want to impress clients with your state-of-the-art boardroom automation and hardware, you don’t need to spend millions to reach the required solution. Remember, many AV solutions and

products are developed overseas, with first world economies (and budgets) in mind. Therefore, be vigilant when it comes to quotes that border on retail pricing, and employ scepticism when integrators charge more than 30% of the final cost on their installation unless there are some brand-specific programming and back-end configurations that are needed to complete the system integration.

AVERAGE BOARDROOM SOLUTION COST INDICATION: 2-5 seater: R30K – R50K 6-10 seater: R60K – R100K 11-20 seater: R150K – R250K 25-50 seater: R300K – R900K 50+ seater: R1 Million upwards

COMPANY PROFILE

MINDSTEC TAKES THE SA MARKET BY STORM

Syed Abdul Wahab, CEO, Mindstec Distribution at Mediatech Africa 2017

Mindstec Distribution was established in 2006, opening its first office in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

COMPANY PROFILE

Since then, the company has expanded rapidly, with 14 offices currently operating across the world – including India, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, Brazil and Johannesburg, South Africa. Part of a group of companies strategically straddling the Asia, Latin America, Middle East and South African markets, Mindstec is a leader in AV distribution and, for more than a decade, has been responsible for bringing the latest cutting-edge technologies to these regions at an affordable price.

GLOBAL NETWORKS, LOCAL BENEFITS Since the company’s inception, Mindstec Distribution has been at the forefront of establishing and managing distribution networks for suppliers of audio-visual technology from the USA, Europe and Asia. Mindstec suppliers are pioneering, internationally-acclaimed, industry-leading manufacturing brands synonymous with excellence in research and development, technological innovation, convergence, new product development and application diversification. With an ever-increasing network of AV system integrators and dealers, Mindstec Distribution strives to accelerate product application and innovation uptake. The company is continuously investing in its technical expertise to match the ever-changing technology market and to better serve its dealers and the industry itself. As Syed Abdul Wahab, CEO of Mindstec, explains: “We offer distribution with a difference by providing value-adds such as Local Technical support and User Experience technology Workspaces we have created in our regional offices. It is an expense that we have decided to undertake as we feel that it will make a difference. These Technology Workspaces help our channel partners to showcase solutions to their end users. The consultants use these spaces to show to end clients how eventually their final workspaces would look and feel. We have always focussed on distributing State of Art technology and to support the technology locally in all regions.” As Wahab points out, essential to the company’s growth strategy is partnering with local experts in all regions of the world to maximise the benefit to Mindstec clients. “Wherever we set up, we ensure that we employ local expertise, as it is critical that we have people who have ears on the ground in the countries we are involved in. In this way we are able to extend our value to dealers.” He also explains that, on principle, Mindstec Distribution does not compete with its dealers. Instead, customised support solutions are deployed to help dealers maximise end-user outreach and potential. This includes sales, marketing and promotional support, and – over the last decade – the company has evolved into a highly structured organisation that focuses on employee responsibilities and recognition, as well as streamlining operations and following

best practices in terms of human resource development. “Our key value-add is to enable our dealers and SIs to see us an extended arm of theirs to help them with their projects.” Chantal Groeneveld, regional director of Mindstec South Africa, explains: “Since inception in 2015 the South Africa office has grown leaps and bounds and we are looking forward to growing the business in coming years. We are looking at adding new brands to cater to wider audiences, with expansions in audio DSP and VC products, which we will be launching at the 2019 Mediatech Africa show.”

SEE FOR YOURSELF AT MEDIATECH AFRICA 2019 Mindstec Distribution first debuted their impressive range of collaboration, audio visual and digital media technology solutions at Mediatech Africa 2017, and the company are looking forward to returning to the continent’s biggest trade event in July this year to share the latest from their showroom. “As technology is moving at a rapid pace, how we use technology is also changing quickly,” Wahab points out, and visitors can look forward to a selection of interactive touchscreen displays; 4K displays with multisite collaboration; holographic displays that promise to change the world of advertising; and latest in IPTV, digital signage content management and audio DSP products. According to Wahab, “The company caters to a vast network of dealers and resellers and is fully capable of delivering on diverse requirements, from generalised to highly-specific client needs. Being the procurement specialist, Mindstec Distribution bridges the gap between the manufacturer and the dealer, thereby increasing the efficacies of overall operations while substantially lowering supply chain costs for dealers. Mindstec, further, helps its dealers minimise inventory loss through effective stock management strategies.” Don’t miss out on visiting the Mindstec Distribution stall at Mediatech Africa 2019 to discover how the company can help find futuristic, convergent and technology-driven system solutions for your business.

“Wherever we set up, we ensure that we employ local expertise, as it is critical that we have people who have ears on the ground in the countries we are involved in. In this way we are able to extend our value to dealers.”

For more information, please visit www.mindstec.com/za

– Syed Abdul Wahab, CEO of Mindstec Distribution

SMART OFFICES EXPERT OPINION

FOR THE SME BY BRUCE GENRICKS

Electrosonic boardroom, Johannesburg Head Office

Bruce Genricks, director at Electrosonic SA, one of the leading distributors of technology for smart offices in South Africa, shares some advice for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) trying to make the shift towards smart business practices. 42

The rapidly unfolding Digital Revolution continues to impact every aspect of our daily lives – from how we learn, shop, consume media and socialise, to how businesses operate at an organisational level. Rapid advancements in technology have made video conferencing and remote real-time collaboration a practical and highly desirable part of the modern working experience. Also, as we become more comfortable and reliant on the Internet of Things, young professionals expect to be able to connect and carry out their work remotely at any time of day or night, as they would any other task. Research has shown that companies that are geared towards smarter working practices are at a distinct advantage when it comes to attracting and retaining top talent.1 As a result, the vast majority of large multi-national corporations have become early adopters of smart office technology, further driving the trend towards connected workspaces across verticals. The rapid acceptance of the smart working environment as a norm continues to put pressure on smaller companies to adopt new ways of working – or risk becoming redundant. At its most basic level, a small consulting firm that uses video conferencing and can collaborate over a safe and reliable platform with clients across time zones is more likely to survive and thrive than one that cannot or does not. There are, however, several challenges that SMEs face when it comes to implementing smart office technology. While most large corporations have dedicated IT and AV departments that are tasked with keeping the organisation up-to-date with the latest technology trends, many smaller organisations do not have these skills in-house. Also, large companies have large budgets – which allow them to purchase the highest-end AV solutions from the best solutions providers. Smaller companies generally start with a much smaller budget and cannot afford to risk capital on an installation that is not going to generate a return on investment. Despite these barriers, many SMEs are successfully embracing AV technology to enable smarter ways of working and the benefits – which could include reductions in operating costs, higher levels of productivity, more agile business practices and better staff retention – are often immediate and impactful.

EXPERT OPINION

WHAT DO I NEED TO MAKE MY OFFICE SMART? IT INFRASTRUCTURE The backbone of any effective AV solution is your IT infrastructure. Smart offices require connectivity and no part of your smart office solution will work without it. Your first step, therefore, is to invest in broadband and ensure that you have at least a 1-gig network. You also need to ensure that you have a robust internal network, both wired and unwired, with good-quality routers.

AUDIO One of the most important rules of thumb to follow when it comes to AV is that your audio should take priority – and therefore should take the lion’s share of your budget. You cannot have a successful online meeting unless you can hear the person on the other side – no matter how well you can see them. As a result, you need to invest in high-quality microphones; the acoustics of the room needs to be taken into consideration; and all of the necessary amplification and processing needs to be implemented and programmed by an integration specialist.

PLATFORM Once you have your IT infrastructure and audio solution taken care of, you need to consider the video conferencing software that you will be using. As a small business, there is no need to purchase a high-end enterprise solution, especially as these products are designed to operate between regional offices of a single multi-national organisation, where all collaborators are on the same system using the same network. There are many options available that are perfect for the needs of SMEs including Zoom, BlueJeans, Lifesize, Adobe Connect and Skype for Business, among others. All of these options are available online and offer a selection of packages and features that range from free to a per-host fee of between $10 and $20 per month.

DISPLAY Your next consideration is choosing a display for your smart office. An SME is probably not going to have a massive boardroom, so an LCD flat panel is often a good solution for this market. You need to consider the size of your room and ensure that the people who are sitting furthest from the display are still able to see what is on the screen. Screens that are designed for commercial use have vastly different features, specifications and warranties to consumer screens, and it is essential that you select a display that is designed for business use.

CAMERA The most basic camera that is used for video conferencing is a webcam, but while a simple webcam is suitable for a one-on-one meeting on your laptop, you need something better for a smart office. You need a camera that has the appropriate viewing angle and you have several options. You can opt for a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ camera) that is capable of remote directional and zoom control, allowing you to zoom into individuals or widen to

capture the whole room. The other option is to select a tracking camera, which automatically tracks a presenter around the room. This is particularly useful in a training environment, where people need to see the presenter and participants at the same time. The important point is to ensure that you think about the type of meetings you will be having, the number of participants and the size of your room – and then choose your camera appropriately.

COLLABORATION Once you have a solid video conferencing solution in place, you are halfway to having a fully-functional smart office. The next step is to include a collaboration solution that will allow you to share content on your display in real-time with participants. Most SMEs rely on a ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) model, where somebody can walk into your meeting room, wirelessly connect their phone, tablet or laptop and present on your room’s display. There are a number of products that make this possible at an affordable price, such as the Kramer Via range, which provides collaboration functionality in your smart office without compromising the security of your internal network – a huge consideration.

MAINTAINANCE The final consideration is the cost of maintaining your smart office solution. Ensure that all of the equipment used for your installation is sourced from recognised equipment manufacturers that have local representation to carry out warranty repairs. The vast majority of reputable AV integrators offer service-level agreements (SLAs) as part of their offering, which means that they will take care of the installation and all of your AV needs over the long term. SLAs can be negotiated and structured to meet your needs and your budget, which is a worthwhile investment to prevent downtime and ensure the longevity of your installation.

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME The most important piece of advice that I need to share with the small business owner is to consult with a reputable AV integrator before purchasing any equipment or software for your smart office. Professional AV is a specialised discipline, and a certified AV technologist is trained to take into account all of your needs, your space and your budget to design a solution that will fit your current needs and can grow with you into the future. It may be tempting to go online or to a retail store and purchase the different components of a smart office and hope for the best. Unfortunately, one of the secrets of professional AV is that the simpler the solution looks to the end user, the more complicated the back-end installation tends to be. It is not unusual for end-users to arrive at an AV integrator’s door after many failed attempts and bad experiences, having already spent more than was necessary. The best way to avoid this is to approach an AV Integrator and ask for a site visit and quote before making any decisions. As a distributor, Electrosonic does not deal directly with end-users. However, we have a solid database of vetted AV integration companies that service most regions across Southern Africa. You are welcome to contact our offices and request a referral. 1. Keller & Meaney (2017) Attracting and Retaining The Right Talent McKinsey & Company www.mckinsey.com

Mindstec Distribution (South Africa) Tel: +2711 803-0093/0096/0098 Email: info@mindstec.com

First Floor, Building 2 703, Woodmead Office Park 20 Morris Street East Woodmead, Johannesburg