Helping your staff in a world managing the pandemic

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 As we all try to learn to live with Covid and return to a ‘new normal’, our industry, which has borne the brunt of the lockdowns, restrictions and the ‘pingdemic,’ is emerging and adapting whilst still striving to deliver the highest of standards.

 Many of you have lost key staff members, gained new staff, or are struggling to fill all the key roles.  All of which puts additional pressure on every aspect of your organisation.

 Your clients are still seeking the quality experience you always gave them and many will be returning after a difficult eighteen months, expecting a truly memorable experience with that first celebratory meal out, or a meeting finally not hosted at home on Zoom. 

 Your AV systems may not be the first thing you are thinking about when juggling all of this, but if the staff who knew how to operate them have moved on, or if your AV has been neglected for the past 18 months, there may be some challenges ahead.  Whilst not life-threatening, if not addressed, these will all add to staff stress and customer dissatisfaction, instead of enhancing everyone’s experience.

 CGA Integration can help.  We offer a wide range of support solutions to help you effectively and efficiently manage your AV.  

 Did you know that most CGA installed AV systems are fully remotely supported? 

 A CGA engineer can connect and operate your system, in real-time, to support your team and to teach them how to operate and troubleshoot their AV issues whilst they are at work.

 CGA also offers support packages which include a time allowance to retrain new and existing staff members annually, ensuring that you are always getting the best from your AV systems.

 With us on board, we can help ‘smooth out the bumps’ that will follow new staffing appointments and current staff who need their knowledge refreshed after returning to the workplace.

 CGA can also help you to evolve your AV.  If you don't currently have remote support, this is something that we can add to your AV system and slowly integrate.  This will increase your uptime and reduce the amount of concessions needed when tech is not behaving as it should!  We can also help you to develop your ‘Video conferencing’ provision and ‘Hybrid meeting solutions’ in house to help you to maximise your event revenue.

 To find out how great AV support can make a difference in your venue, why not get in touch?  Call us today on 01344 456500 to give your staff one less thing to worry about tomorrow.

CGA Integration … Making hospitality sound great!

The changing face of worship; how the Covid -19 pandemic may help to expand church congregations

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The Covid-19 pandemic has had a far reaching impact on every aspect of society, and how we worship is no different.  Gathering every Sunday at church to share a service with other members of our congregation may no longer be possible, but this does not mean that communal worship has ceased.  Churches across the land have moved online.  The traditional weekly gathering has been replaced with online services, webstreams and Zoom calls.  Although this has happened through necessity, we must embrace the opportunity that this situation has presented us with and capitalise on the new technological proficiency that we have developed in our local church communities.

Moving forward, as we are permitted to open up our churches and buildings for worship, there will be hesitation from certain members of the parish.  Not everyone will be keen or able to rush back to a shared public space for their regular worship.  As such, there will still be a role for broadcasting weekly online services, to ensure that everyone in the community continues to be provided for.  But this should not be seen as a hindrance.  In fact, in addition to regular parishioners watching online, there is also a new group of people who have found the church during this pandemic.  A group of people who like the accessibility of ‘church at home’ and online services.  Some may well be watching on ‘catch up’ at a different time or even on a different day to the usual Sunday service.  Services online have actually grown the size of regular weekly congregations.

As we gradually move back into our churches, I think we need to develop a ‘new normal’ to include those people who for whatever reason are not with us for our weekly service in person. These may include people in care homes or elderly members of the parish who are no longer confident or able to travel to church.  Couples who do not feel comfortable bringing their baby or young child to church or leaving them in the creche or at Sunday school, who find it less stressful to enjoy the service at home.  Past members of the congregation who have moved away but appreciate the opportunity of familiar Sunday worship with old friends.  New online members who may be geographically distant but who are drawn to your style of worship or those who are local but just enjoy the flexibility of worship ‘on demand.’

Worship leaders need to think about how they can include this new remote congregation in their main services.  Laptop microphones are not good enough to pick up sound from the whole church.  A digital sound processor is needed to connect the existing sound system and microphones being used in the church service to ensure that sound can be clearly transmitted from both the spoken word; readings, prayers and sermons, through to musical worship; communal hymns, choirs and music groups. In addition, a motorised and zoomable digital camera will be needed to effectively record and transmit all aspects of the service for the remote congregation.

This might mean having a camera operator during the Sunday service, ensuring that the right image is shown at the right time or words for hymns are visible on screen.  Camera angles will need to be considered as we think about individuals' privacy as well as young and vulnerable members of the congregation who may attend a service, but who should not be broadcast on a web stream or call to unknown end-users.  These restrictions may dictate the need for prerecorded services rather than a live stream, giving you a chance to review and edit the service and send it out a few hours later.  Thought will also need to be given to communicating how members of the virtual congregation will be notified about and view the services and possibly who the link is sent to to enable a remote connection.

The good news is that a lot of these questions have already been broached during the pandemic and you already have a lot of the tools you need to make this happen.  The same processes which enable the interfacing to the web or Zoom stream which you are already using during lockdown can still be used.

The hardware required to link your sound system and connect your church to the recording stream is an investment and possibly more than had been planned and budgeted for at this time.  If you are not already active in this area, grants are available from church bodies to help you to set up online during this period of social distancing.

By taking the step to invest in a digital sound processor to enable the interfacing to the web or Zoom to effectively stream services will have the added benefit of improving the sound quality within the existing church sound system and through the induction loop, so the sound for all worshippers, wherever they are joining you from, will be the best that it can be.

CGA Integration … Making hospitality sound great!

Now is the time

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As we move into a new decade, 2020 has brought with it new challenges for the Hospitality sector.  International forces such as the growing awareness of Global warming; epitomised by the Australian bush fires, new personal and political eco priorities, the impact of Covid 19 and potentially even Brexit have led to, and will probably continue to impact upon public gatherings, meetings and events.

It is unlikely that we will witness the growth of this area at least in the short term, especially as companies and potentially in time more governments, impose travel bans or recommend limiting social contact.  So what can we, as venues, do to address this change in circumstance?  Has the requirement for meetings and social contact actually gone away, or do we just need to get smarter about how we think about addressing a need that is still very much a reality?

The position we currently find ourselves in shouldn’t be seen as a time to reposition our meeting spaces. As I see it, the meeting’s business will just evolve.  Good business is always best done face to face and with so many social and personal benefits associated with gathering together, I believe it will still be essential for certain people to travel to at least some events.  But as we all address both travel risks and our own carbon footprint, I think there will always be individuals who may not be able to be there in the room, but who certainly will need to be part of the meeting, presentation or event.  Our challenge is to ensure that they are included.

So what can you do?  Cramming everyone around a laptop is just not a valid option and putting individuals on the projector screen via an Internet call does not fully include them in the meeting.

CGA can deliver a range of integrated Hospitality meeting room solutions that makes the process as interactive as possible in the absence of everyone actually being there. Technical solutions with the connection of one or two cables, will allow the whole room to be present through both sound & video, on any call from a clients device through Webex, Zoom, Fuze, Skype or Jabber to name a few key platforms.

Ceiling-mounted microphone panels can be installed and finished to a RAL colour.  When connected to a call, these will enable the whole room (24 + people, subject to ceiling height), to be heard clearly, and they can quickly disappear when the space is in use for other purposes.  In addition, the same ceiling speakers that spread quality music across your room for dining events can also be used to relay the sound from the remote parties.  Spreading ceiling speakers across the room prevents the ‘loud at the front and quiet at the back’ effect of older conferencing systems.

For clarity visuals as well as sound, an HD camera mounted around the main screen can be manipulated to zoom and pan around the room to catch all delegates, or multiple cameras can be used to show physical resources brought into the meeting.

Can you just make a conference call?  Sometimes this is an option, as staff or delegates often just need to connect voices quickly to bring a manager, key team member or contractor together to make a decision and ensure the meeting concludes efficiently.

To help you with this, CGA can offer a fully rechargeable audio conferencing solution that is fully portable.  It can be stored in a charging case or on trays in communal areas so that this system is always ready to go. This solution can be deployed anywhere inside or even outside your hotel, as once charged, all it needs is a client with a device to make the call (e.g. phone, laptop, or pc), so you can make that conference call from the beach bar, roof terrace or even nineteenth Tee!  You can connect a single call by Bluetooth, (using NFC pairing if enabled on your phone), USB or just an audio cable to mobile devices.  This system can connect 24 people ‘around a table’ to a remote caller with great two-way audio.  Further functionality can also be gained by joining multiple calls, (up to a maximum of three), one on each of Bluetooth, USB and audio jack, to join the three remote locations with the other people in the room.

Ask for a demo today as you will be surprised at how ‘joined-up’ these systems are and how you can start showing both your staff and your clients options to manage both their travel and carbon footprints.

CGA Integration … Making hospitality sound great!

Meeting Room Technology

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Technology is by its very nature a fast-moving industry.  As it constantly
evolves, so does how we interact with it, both at home and at work.  As
such the requirements for meeting rooms are changing quickly, with a
growing focus on much more visual and video content being demanded
across a wide spectrum of events & devices.

During meetings, delegates need to connect and collaborate on screen,
in real time and at the highest quality.  They need to be able to move
seamlessly across a range of AV and connectivity solutions, which in
turn need to be available in each, and sometimes multiple, meeting room
areas.

In addition to a main room, delegates need quality break out areas to
develop ideas from the main meeting.  These also need to be spaces
where they can relax and process new information or network and bond
with team members & their clients whilst still being supported by the AV
they need.

These meeting room requirements can be delivered by addressing six
main technological areas; HDMI, BYOD (bring your own device),
Connectivity, Video & Voice Conferencing, Speakers and Digital Control.

HDMI Connectivity

As we start seeing 4k TV’s at home, the minimum quality expected in
meeting rooms is now HD (1080p) resolution.  Most new laptops and
video devices are based on the HDMI connector that delivers digital
quality in high resolution.  Upgrading the connectivity in all meeting
rooms to HDMI is essential, although unfortunately VGA connectivity
is still required for legacy equipment.

BYOD

Delegates no longer just have a laptop which they wish to present from.
BYOD facilitates presentation on screen of content from iPads, iPhones,
Android devices, Chrome devices, Macbooks and laptops, all wirelessly,
from anywhere in the room.

With delegates regularly working in the Cloud and not actually having a
device that stores all their information, this does mean that the need for
a good or preferably impressive internet connection into meeting rooms
becomes essential.  

Delegates can then connect and present quickly and easily using
Chromecast and Airplay as they might at home, or through a useful app
quickly downloaded to their device.  BYOD also facilitates wirelessly
delivered screen sharing; enabling two or more users to present their
content on screen for comparison and review.

Connectivity; touch screens

We are all too familiar with the touch screen functionality of our portable
devices, phones and tablets.  Once delegates have their presentation or
image on screen in a meeting room, they want to be able to touch it and
move, explore, explode or manipulate what they are presenting.  All of
this is possible with a simple USB connection to the screen. Once this is
applied, suddenly the screen can be an extension of their Windows or
IOS operating experience, allowing full interaction on the screen.

Video & Voice Conferencing

Historically dedicated equipment was needed to launch a video
conference (VC) call, this needed to be used by all parties involved
and the telecoms provider needed to provide a solid connection or
bandwidth between all the locations.  But now VC has become ‘the
norm’, and Skype, webex and a range of other video and voice
conferencing facilities are now available in the Cloud.

This means that if a key delegate is unable to travel but wants to
attend a meeting and actively participate in discussions, it is possible
to use such services to bring remote delegates up onto the screen
and hear them clearly through speakers.  In addition, they can share
their desktop computer on the meeting room screen, as described in
BYOD above, enabling them to make a presentation and discuss this
with the other meeting delegates as if they were in the same room.
In a more advanced or larger conference suite it is also possible to
bring remote delegates up on a separate screen to the data, so that
you can see more of the individual, including their body language and
hand gestures.

The move to the Cloud makes it much easier for venues to offer VC
connectivity. A simple USB & video connection to the delegates
Windows laptop or Mac, connects the in-room speakers, microphone,
camera and screen to the delegates call on their VC software.  This
ensures that the delegates has the company IT security that they need,
with the ability to share the call with all in the meeting room. The same
can also be done with a voice call from a mobile phone and all delegates
can be heard, and hear, through the installed ceiling microphone and
speakers.

Installed Quality Speakers

With video content and conferencing, you need both the correct image,
and quality sound which can be heard throughout the room. Speakers
on a television or a sound bar underneath it, are often only enough for
a small room.  If content is to be heard throughout a room, there is a
requirement for quality ceiling mounted speakers throughout. If rooms
are also to be used as private dining spaces, quality speakers are
essential to deliver ambient sound at a quality that reflects the food &
service of the venue to all diners.

Digital Control

As mentioned above, we are all now familiar with touchscreen control.
Centralising the control of the meeting room functionality; screen,
source, lights, AC, VC, etc, can all be pulled back onto one control
platform.  This gives venues and their delegates a tailored, branded
controlled experience, which does not rely on ‘finding the remote
control’ or physically finding a button to press.

Most of the modern display technology and certainly the screen
sharing products all offer the ability to personalise the display of the
system.  This allows venues to add their own Branding and personalise
any login instructions for delegates, making their systems clear and
easy to use. When delegates enter a room the screen can show any
message, logo, room name and instructions on how the delegates
can connect their device to work in the space.

A digital control platform does require some IT backbone, but not
only does it offer the client a better experience, but enables the
venue’s AV integrator to connect and diagnose any problems in real
time and enables the system to proactively send out warnings and
alerts before any hardware fails.