What are Hybrid Meetings?

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Before the Coronavirus pandemic, BYOD was the ‘buzzword’ for meetings.  Hospitality venues wanted to ensure that their meeting and conference rooms allowed delegates to connect and collaborate on screen seamlessly and wirelessly from any device as part of an event, without the need for dedicated hardware, lots of messy cables or a lengthy setup process.

Then the pandemic hit, and with it came remote working, video conferencing and social distancing.  BYOD seemed a thing of the past.

With the goal posts on social contact continually shifting, the world of meetings has evolved.  Over the past year we have all become experts on Zoom Meetings and using Teams, with each of us operating from our own homes in whatever space is available.  But with this has come the frustrations of internet connections dropping out, distraction and noise from others working or learning in our households and the yearning for in person social interaction.    

As restrictions are gradually lifted and people are able to meet in person once more, although the need for BYOD hasn’t gone away, the primary need for meetings will be to link remote delegates with those who are able to meet in person, socially distanced, within the meeting room.  

Enter ‘The Hybrid Meeting’.                  

With everyone now capable of running video conferences and meetings via their own device at home, BYOD has evolved into BYOM (bring your own meeting).  BYOM systems enable you, with a few simple connections, to deliver your meeting on the infrastructure of a hospitality venue’s meeting room, with all the technological benefits that brings; a large screen, installed quality sound and microphone systems and surroundings more conducive to an effective working environment.  This inturn enables those colleagues who are present in person to join with remote colleagues dialing in, where everyone can see the same screen viewed in the room. The good BYOM systems have all the functionality of BYOD, but are delivered in the room as well as on the call or stream of remote colleagues.                                          

Large scale BYOMs can be set up at Hospitality venues to host presentations and conferences for larger numbers of delegates.  You can now run meetings in your larger spaces with a video call or stream going out to remote delegates, routing presenters, radio microphones and on screen presentations to a stream or call, as well as showing this on screen for the distanced delegates in the room.  This type of hybrid meeting is easily achievable in house, but when numbers of delegates are particularly large, you may want to get your events company involved to ensure that the event runs smoothly for all delegates, wherever they are, and to make the event as dynamic as possible.

To fully embrace Hybrid Meetings on whatever scale, you need to get the in-room AV infrastructure right.  

CGA is here to help you get the most from your meeting rooms.  If you would like to find out how your current AV system can be modified to address the issues we face in these current times, why not give us a call? 

Whatever type of meeting you are facilitating, and however technology evolves to meet the needs of our ever changing world, CGA can advise you.  Why not give us a call on 01344 456500 and see how you can unlock your hybrid meeting potential today.

CGA Integration … Making hospitality sound great!

Meeting Room & Events AV in restricted times

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This year the situation we find ourselves in is unprecedented.  We at CGA know that as a result, Hospitality venues have very little budget at present, so we thought that some ideas and tips on how to make the best of your current AV may be helpful. 

As the Covid situation changes, we all know that Government advice is constantly changing and varies throughout the UK.  Currently the general guidelines reflect the need for gatherings in small groups, (rule of six), no shouting or singing, and keeping your distance.  These rules pose challenges when it comes to delivering quality face to face meetings or important conference calls, but with carefully planned technology and AV, these difficulties are not insurmountable.

Facilitating better calls

Are your clients currently making business calls from their spare room, kitchen or lounge?  Do they feel their home is not delivering the correct ambience for meetings, or do they find themselves not in a ‘business state of mind,’ (as they still have their slippers on!)  Coming to your venue could help them to get into work mode, focus better and present the best version of themselves.  Wearing their business attire and presenting themselves in a meeting room that sounds great and has a better camera than their laptop, could increase their productivity.

All the design elements you have invested in; great decor, soft carpets, comfortable chairs and quality AV can come together to create an optimum environment for a video call.  The presence of soft furnishings helps to eliminate echo and reverberations, often too prevalent in kitchens and modern minimalist homes, which detract from the quality of sound in virtual meetings.

Ensuring delegates can be heard

To effectively get your message across in a room of socially distanced delegates, you need what is called a "Sound reinforcement system."  This is best done with multiple ceiling speakers spread through a room, as each speaker gently reinforces the sound of the delegate speaking and saves them from shouting, delivering even sound throughout a room without the aggression and front of room energy generated from a PA system. Many of your function rooms will already have ceiling speakers for background music, and with care, these can be retasked without decoration, to make a vocal reinforcement system to help your delegates deliver safe and effective presentations.

Delivering Hybrid meetings

Even if we are only allowed to have a small number of delegates in our rooms and they have to be socially distanced, it is still possible to enable them to successfully meet with distanced colleagues via a ‘call’ if you get the AV in the meeting room right.  Current AV allows your existing radio microphones to be linked to a call, or for a dedicated ceiling microphone to be deployed to cover a whole room to more effectively bring together delegates who are both at the meeting in person with those dialling in remotely.

Enabling large scale virtual events

Although it is no longer possible to gather everyone together into one room for key presentations in an old-style company conference, did you know that your lectern or radio mics can be linked to a ‘call’ with an HD camera to make a live stream to remote delegates, at the same time as presenting in your function room?  A small group of individuals can reveal the big-ticket items and key corporate messages to everyone in the company, without geographical bias, from your venue.

Whatever type of meeting you are facilitating, we are here to help.  If you would like to find out how your current AV system can be modified to address the issues we face in these current times, please give us a call, we’d be happy to help.

CGA Integration … Making hospitality sound great!

Size is not everything!

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“Wow look at that speaker! We’re not a nightclub!!!”

I have heard this and similar comments time and again when designing a sound

system for a client for the first time.  A regular misconception is that the physical

size of a speaker is directly proportional to the volume or loudness of the sound

system, but that is generally not the case.

It’s true that you will need larger speakers to produce sound for a live concert

than you would need to install in a restaurant, but as sound gets quieter, there

is a minimum speaker size that you will reach, after which you start

compromising on sound quality.

Sound reproduction is all about moving air particles or vibrations.  In a

loudspeaker an electromagnet is attached to a cone which amplifies these

vibrations as it moves forwards and backwards, making sound waves in the

surrounding air and pumping them towards your ears.

So how do we hear music which is made up of lots of different sounds? Without

going too deeply into the science behind this, the frequency of the vibrations

(the number of sound waves that go past a fixed point say every second)

governs the pitch of the sound produced.  To faithfully reproduce all the

different frequencies of sound in a piece of music, good quality speakers use

different sized cones dedicated to high, medium and low frequencies, hence

the need for a minimum sized speaker to accommodate these. Generally in

each speaker cabinet there will be a bass driver (for low frequency sound

waves) and tweeter (for high frequency sound waves) and these will ensure

that sound from all frequencies is covered.

High frequency sound waves generate small movements of a small loudspeaker

surface area (the smaller tweeter cone) and lower frequency sound generate

large movements of a large surface area (the larger bass driver cone).  Basically

the lower the pitch of the sounds you want to replicate, the larger the surface

area of the cone and the larger the cubic volume of the speaker box you will need.

Sound volume (measured in decibels) is actually down to the amplitude of the

sound waves.  The amplitude of a sound wave (or the maximum distance moved),

is a reflection of how much energy it carries, the more energy it has the more air

particles that are moved for longer and the greater the sound we hear.

So, if you want a warm and full sound system throughout all the areas of your

venue, then you will need to have enough surface area of loudspeakers to excite

the air in the space and enough cubic volume of speaker cabinets to enable a

warm and comfortable sound to be generated in all areas.  This will be delivered

through a combination of; the right number of speakers of the right size installed

in the right locations.

Here at CGA Integration we generally use the smallest speaker cabinet required

to deliver a good full range sound in the required space, often in many multiples

to ensure that the distance from the customer to the speakers remains as

constant as possible as they move around the space.  This is explained in

"why so many speakers?!" on the CGA Blog.

Here you will find lots of articles dealing with speaker solutions including

“design led sound solutions” where we explain how to minimise the visual impact

of speakers whilst still generating superior sound & “speaker location; a sound delivery”

which considers the different types of speakers available and where they can be

installed for maximum audio effect.

To sum everything up, if speakers are too small or too few are used, this can

lead to issues in sound reproduction and quality, which will affect the

ambience of your venue.  Just remember, your AV design is created that way

or a reason, as “you cannot change the laws of physics!”

Making BYOD happen effectively in your venue

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What is BYOD?

It is becoming essential that hospitality conferencing venues and meeting rooms are compatible with the growing trend of BYOD (bring your own device).  At CGA Integration we are being approached by more and more venues to ensure that their meeting,conference and huddle rooms are able to operate in a flexible way; allowing delegates to connect and collaborate seamlessly wirelessly from any device as part of an event, without the need for dedicated hardware or a lengthy setup process.  This added functionality and ease of use of equipment will make your meeting rooms more attractive generating more bookings and more repeat bookings from delegates.

The ability to collaborate & present

As we all become more dependent on our mobile devices, tablets and phones, the dynamic and requirements placed on meeting and presentation rooms is changing quickly.  

Firstly, with delegates regularly working in the cloud and not actually having a device that stores all their information, the need for a good or preferably impressive internet connection is essential.  

Secondly it is now normal to touch a screen.  Even at a very young age, children are already familiar with the pinching and finger movements required to zoom into and resize images on a screen.  The next step is to deliver this into your meeting rooms.  It will be intuitive for your clients to move from their touch screen device to a touch screen wall display with the same functionality; allowing them to show all the delegates in a room what is on their device. This is now possible with wall mounted screens and even with projected systems.

Thirdly, we are all working more disparately; in different locations and on our own devices, but often we all still need to show our take or interpretation on the same problem, challenge, or data in question. The next generation of presentation devices allows you to connect and display multiple devices on screen at one time.  This gives you for example, the ability to show the actual sales figures from the salesperson’s device next to the accounts department forecasts, without the need for individuals to meet first to share all the information and collate it onto one PowerPoint slide.

Remote Participants

Modern technology also allows people to participate actively in meetings whilst being in another venue or even country.  If a key delegate is unable to travel but wants to attend a meeting and actively participate in discussions, it is possible to use services such as Skype 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 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 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.

Branding

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 you to add your own Branding and personalise any login instructions for your delegates, making your systems clear and easy to use.  When delegates enter a room the screen can show your message, logo, room name and how the delegates can connect their device to work in this space.

How does it work?

BYOD connectivity works just like logging in to get internet access in a public space.  To ensure secure connection, your delegates will need to use the correct SSID (wireless access point) in the wi fi settings of their device, login and then enter a password to connect securely to the display in the room.

Support and keeping up with device changes

All the quality systems are now network ready. Devices sit on your hotel LAN and can be easily addressed and updated by your AV or IT team over the network, thus enabling you to be ready for the next IOS version or security patch. Some devices even have a management software suite which makes monitoring and support even easier.

How can I make this happen in my hotel?

For more information on how to make your meeting and conference rooms BYOD compatible please contact CGA Integration to discuss your specific requirements in more detail.  We look forward to working with you soon.

Making Sound Improvements; Reviewing your AV for maximum impact

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When was the last time you reviewed your AV?  Does it always creep down the agenda as budget gets allocated to other projects?  

Making sure you are getting the most from your AV doesn’t have to mean a full scale refurbishment project.  By appointing a specialist AV consultant to carry out a review, quick fixes can be identified to help you to get the most from the AV you currently have, both for your clients and staff alike.  An AV review will also identify how things can be improved further with more investment over the longer term, to really make a difference to your venue and the customer experience that you offer.

Do I really need to review my AV?

Ask yourself a few simple questions;

• Is your current AV problem free?  
• Do you know what AV systems you currently have?  
• Do you still talk with the contractor who installed your AV system?
• Do your staff have the correct training to get the best from your current AV system?  
• Are you fully embracing new technology in your conference and meeting rooms?  
• Is your AV giving you the edge on your local competition?

If the answer to any of these questions is ‘No’, then you could definitely benefit from an AV review.

For example, if you offer meeting and conference facilities you will realise that modern delegates are very technologically savvy and have a lot of AV requirements.  Are your conference and meeting rooms offering the facilities to enable;

• BYOD capability
• HDMI connectivity
• HD resolution projection
• Interactive presentation facilities
• Collaborative meeting spaces
• Audio for conferencing from both phones and mobile devices
• Projection bright enough to view without dimming the lights, enabling delegates to still view their note pad
• Loud, even and clear sound and vocal reinforcement throughout a room to hide external sound sources and create the emotional impact required by the speaker or presenter?

An AV review can help you to determine how to offer all of these facilities effectively to business guests, helping to ensure that they continue to choose your hospitality venue.

What can I expect from an AV Review?

CGA Integration are specialists in sound.  We can attend your venue, survey, test and quantify the AV systems and review the hardware you currently have. We specialise in AV for restaurants, bars, spas and hotels, where we design, install and maintain AV systems across all hospitality areas from conference and meeting rooms through to lobbies and ballrooms.

As experienced installation and service engineers, CGA Integration will look holistically at your AV systems and review them, not just as a stand alone systems, but also as part of your overall trading system and how it currently sits with market requirements.  We will consider all aspects of AV requirements including those that affect both your staff and your customers relaxation and business needs.

An AV review by CGA Integration will ensure that;

1. Your AV systems are working as you expect
2. You are offered best options and paths for upgrades to maximise your AV effectiveness
3. You are offered the best and increased levels of support

Here at CGA Integration, we have often found that all some AV systems need is a little TLC.  With a few minor changes to facilitate new and additional functionality, existing AV systems can often offer our customers key differentiators to really help them to sell and upsell their hospitality venues.

So why wait?  Please get in touch to release the full potential of your AV systems and make a sound investment for your hospitality venue.
Info@cga-integration.co.uk

Are you a slave to technology or is your AV working for you?

I have recently had the pleasure of meeting many hoteliers and hotel developers at Hotel Summit; a meet the buyer event and I came away with the feeling that your AV is a burden and an expense and that the technology has not been set up to serve you, it is almost as if you are working for the technology.

In the internet/cat5/network age we have the ability to look at all areas of AV either remotely or across the network so that we can monitor it or it can be integrated with our other systems and then report to us when we need to interact or attend to it!

What is happening without network/remote support?
If you don’t have network / remote support you are unaware of the status of your hardware until if fails or worse still until a guest/delegate complains - leading to (avoidable) equipment failures and breakdowns causing disruption to events, your budgets and leaving your guests/delegates with a bad experience of your facility

What could happen if we added network/remote support?
With remote support or basic network settings your system could email you, you technical people or an external AV company to notify them that a unit is faulty, overheating or needs attention - thus ensuring issues are dealt with before the become a crisis.  With a little more investment systems can be centrally controlled and monitored by you, your technicians an external company - or all three. Customers can be supported, systems monitored in real time and usage & faults logged against each piece of hardware to give you useful metrics.

So what are the benefits?

Maximum up time - avoid preventable problems; lamps reaching the end of their life can be changed before they fail and new lamps ordered in good time. Works can be planned when rooms not in use or out of hours.
Minimise Carbon - minimum site visits as engineers can remotely check parts required. You’ll also have the ability to cross reference room usage/equipment status and bookings to turn off remotely/centrally equipment left on in unused rooms
Maximum Reliability - as faults are monitored and logged against hardware poorly performing hardware or software settings can be changed and evolved to get the best reliability and lowest running cost of all hardware
Improved Customer Experience - as all equipment will perform as expected within a brand standard and your guests will receive a better experience and go away happy!

What areas can be controlled this way?
TV systems - IPTV systems can be remotely diagnosed and supported down to each room's set top box - giving fully support.
IPTV video on demand content - this is now normally delivered and updated remotely - thus ensuring regular secure updates to your on site film and media library
Digital signage - each sign can be remotely managed and supported to ensure maximum up time
Background music systems - many basic amplifiers now have the ability to support Network cards to enable remote support or more advanced systems can support and report to sound processors that give AV support companies full visibility of all sound system hardware.
Hard drive music systems - all hard drive music systems can be supported remotely enabling music update and changes to be made at any time and hardware issues diagnosed and resolved
Video projectors - many video projectors are now capable of reporting back to you over a network to flag problems or with some more interactive systems full remote possibility is possible to allow customer support, fault finding and fault logging
Lighting systems - many of the larger lighting systems now have remote support ability to allow for programming tweaks and fault finding

What is possible?
Video projectors that email or report to you when overheating, filters blocked or the lamp is reaching the end of it's life cycle and will be needing replacement shortly
Sound equipment that can be monitored remotely or linked to your BMS so that its functionality can be monitored
Usage statistics on TV systems so you can increase or reduce certain typed of channel or change you charging structure
Engineers and support staff are able to remotely diagnose faults, restart units showing errors and help users on site for minimum down time.
Engineers who are able to diagnose faults remotely are able to order parts and attend site with the correct part first time to resolve problems in one efficient visit - minimum delay, down time and carbon footprint.
Faults can be logged against certain pieces of hardware so that the items that are not reliable or take a lot of support can be identified and either replaced or reconfigured to reduce cost and reduce the maintenance burden

All of these do affect you initial purchase cost – BUT all will help with your running costs and in turn keep your total cost of ownership lower by reducing calls and increasing the life span of products.  So get your AV working for you.

CGA Integration Ltd

Refurbishing your events room? How can I maximise the effectiveness of this critical space?

Background

Much consideration is placed on the look and ambience of events spaces and ballrooms in our hotels, these rooms are a key part of the hotel armoury, as a successful conference or function booking secures sales in so many other areas.  It is therefore vital that their role, and the technology required to deliver this, is carefully considered as part of any refurbishment cycle.

Design vs. Functionality  Design vs. Functionality

You should not have to trade off design for functionality.  With careful planning the functionality of a space can be delivered alongside beautiful design.  To create a successful ‘events space’ it is vital that the technological aspects are considered alongside the visual appearance of the room as part of the planning process; not just what you need the technology to do, but what hardware is required in order to make this a reality.  Where carefully designed together, a holistic approach to lighting, audio and video needs can be seamlessly integrated into the design of a room to deliver the functionality required in an unobtrusive, even invisible manor.  When done effectively, this actually enhances the overall ambience of the space, as sound and lighting are critical in creating the optimum guest experience,

What Hardware do I need?

Before this question can be answered, it is vital that the key usage of the room is understood.  Requirements for conference delegates may be very different from wedding guests and may differ again for those attending a charity fundraiser or gala dinner.  Understanding how you wish to position your ‘events space’ is key in delivering the best technology to suit your guests.  Many hotels may find that they require facilities which are flexible, to meet the needs of all these kinds of events.  In addition ‘types’ of customers also need to be considered.  Sometimes spaces are hired out directly to ‘the end user’ who will need the venue to provide all of the facilities and at other times they are hired to an ‘events’ or ‘production’ company who will provide their own technology and room dressing, each have very different requirements of the events space.  

  

Designing the most flexible events space

Flexibility is often the answer, as many venues need to be able to adapt to suit many different requirements.  As such, it is important to own a certain level of hardware to allow ‘in house’ events and conferences, as well as to have the ability to provide an adaptable and technologically compatible venue for events companies to hire.  As a basic requirement, every venue needs its own PA and Projector system to allow for background music, speeches, announcements, and presentations.  The specification of these will depend on the acoustics and size of the venue.  It is always worth discussing your customer’s needs with your lighting, audio and video integrator during the planning of your refurbishment.  They will be able to suggest the best solutions for your particular events space.

How do I make my facility appealing to events companies?

Increasingly, large companies are employing events organisers to deliver important events in their corporate calendars.  In turn, events organisers need reliable venues to work in partnership with, as they strive to be as professional as possible.  They need interesting and unique rooms to hold events within or the ability to easily create a unique environment within an existing space.  This relies on three key attributes;

1. Accessibility 

2. Power 

3. Compatible technology 

These in turn need to be designed into the structure of the room to ensure that they are as seamless as possible.  This will subsequently free up more space and therefore enable maximum occupancy within the room. 

  

Accessibility

Dressing a room, building a stage or bringing in lighting & PA equipment requires a large team, lots of boxes and often odd shaped things! If you have the opportunity to consider the loading route for a venue, it is helpful to allow vehicles as close as possible to the events room and if possible, allow the main loading path to be on a level route or one with ramps rather than steps. If this is not possible, lifts are an option, but these need to be goods lifts with a good internal volume and load rating and not guest lifts, as even the best handles of a flight case can bang, scuff or dent a lift interior. 

Power

All events need power, and lots of it!  It is vital that events rooms have a good number of 13amp sockets in a suitable number of circuits, spread around every wall and between multiple doorways. If you have a venue large enough to justify a stage or a flown lighting rig it will be worth fitting what is called hard Power; some large Cee Form/commando style connectors offering higher currents of single or three phase power. These are most usefully placed near the side of the stage, just outside the loading doors near back stage or behind panels in the room where the desk/amps might be or the cable runs to the lighting rig may come down and will allow the staging area to be effectively lit. 

  

Compatible Technology

Sound:  It is essential that your systems are never compromised in the desire to make your facilities as appealing as possible to events companies.  When considering sound requirements it is paramount that your ‘main racks’ and ‘controls’ are not touched by any third party as this will void your warranty with the installation company.  If your existing room sound configurations do not meet the requirements of an events company, it is always safer to allow them to provide their own systems for further specific requirements.  If however you have established a good working relationship with a particular events company it is possible to allow them to connect to the ‘front of house’ audio or video sockets to use the ‘house’ system in parallel with the ‘events’ system.  If you feel this is beneficial for you, it is always advisable to contact your installation company to ensue that relevant safeguards are in place and any training required is conducted with the relevant events company staff.   

Lighting:  There are positive benefits in allowing an events company to integrate their DMX lighting desk with your in house lighting system.  Working with your lighting system provider, it is possible through the installation of DMX sockets and a DMX merge unit to allow the events company to take control of the lighting within a designated room or area.  Your lighting system provider can ensure that this is set up such that the events company can only control the area you choose and that this will not affect any other areas of the venue or safety measures such as ‘lights to full’ in the event of a fire.  Once established, it will enable the events company to dim house lights and bring up stage lights seamlessly. 

  

Hiding the Hardware  

By their very nature, events and functions are temporary affairs and with them they bring what has become an inevitable number of cables, rubber mats and gaffer tape, running around your beautifully decorated venue!  To minimise the visual impact, however, the events room infrastructure can be designed to hide a large proportion of this temporary ‘hardware’.  This in turn will free up more space and therefore enable maximum ccupancy within the events room.  Some options include fitting; 

• Removable skirting board which has a void and trap doors to enable cables to be routed around the walls without being seen. 

• A trough in the floor around the perimeter of the room to allow cables to be laid in and covered.  This works well as it allows cables to cross doorways without impeding pedestrians or wheel chair access. 

• Vertical panels in walls at strategic points to allow floor to ceiling cabling to be hidden behind panels.  This allows the connection and control of lighting equipment without the need for big tripe’s of cable hanging down from trusses. 

• Video screens in the ceiling.  The use of video is becoming more and more prevalent in events for video, data and lighting projection. If screens are pre fitted in the events room ceiling, it produces a clean finish as these screens are nearly invisible once installed.  It also reduces the need for stands and rigging, allowing projection to be done swiftly and easily. 

• Rated flying points in the ceiling*.  Having properly rated flying points in the ceiling, which are compatible with the systems used by the events companies you work with, will enable a rigger to fly all of the lighting rigs and speakers from the ceiling, leaving you with the best possible space for your guests. 

* Flying points always need to be designed with your structural engineer to ensure stability.  Likewise it is always advisable to check riggers qualifications and insurance prior to their arrival on site even if they work for the events company. 

What else should I think about?

Your own staff or events coordinators will often know what will help to make a room work better as they experience the downfalls everyday.  This may be moving doors, changing the direction in which they hinge or the type of hinge fitted to allow silent access for minimum disruption.  It may also be prudent to fit general purpose cameras that can be accessed in back of house areas or the kitchens allow staff and events teams to have an unobtrusive view of the event room to enable them to deliver seamless timely service to guests.  It is also important to ensure that you have the relevant PPL and PRS licenses to enable music broadcasts to prevent any legal infringements.  

Conclusions

Getting both the design and functionality right will deliver a flexible and desirable events space which in turn will pay dividends for your venue.  It is vital to work with your lighting, audio and video integrator during the planning of your refurbishment to ensure that the best solutions are designed for your particular events space to maximise your return. 

Call CGA Integration Today to discuss your next project - 0845 058 4650

or

info@cga-integration.co.uk

www.cga-integration.co.uk

Ceiling speakers

One of the most common questions we get asked by designers is:

"Can we have those small Bose cubes on the side walls of our new restaurant/bar?"

And unfortunately our answer is normally NO!

·        Bose will be the first people to tell you that these are NOT a commercial product and should not be installed in a commercial environment

·        Secondly designers normally choose these are they are discrete - but when you install small speakers such as these you always need to have a complimentary larger cabinet to fill in the bass and low frequencies that these cabinets cannot reproduce.

·        And most importantly mounting speakers around the outside of a venue is not always the best solution and can lead to an uneven sound field within a venue.

What do we need in a good restaurant?
When a guest dines in your restaurant they all receive the same quality of service, they have the same menu, linen, drinks offer, etc
So your sound system should be delivering to ALL your customers the same sound levels, ambience and atmosphere.

What is the best way to do this?
In a simple venue this even sound field is most evenly achieved by using a grid of ceiling speakers.
If you think about it a person walking through a room will always have their ear a constant. Distance from the ceiling, so if the speakers are placed correctly they will have a consistent sound level all the way throughout the room.
Unfortunately if we where to have used the wall mounted solution the same customer will find that the sound is louder near the walls and the sound will be lower in the middle of the room and then get louder again when he/she approaches the perimeter of the room
CGA use a ceiling speaker distribution calculator to match the height of the ceiling, the size of the room and the specification of the speakers to create an even sound field

We can apply this formula to most rooms and the current generation of ceiling speakers have white grills for white ceilings and as they are outside of our normal field of vision they disappear very quickly.

CGA Integration have used this formula in a wide range of venues, following are some of the CGA installations that use ceiling speakers to fulfil our clients requirements:
http://www.cga-integration.co.uk/case_tamarind.htm
http://www.cga-integration.co.uk/case_ducasse.htm
http://www.cga-integration.co.uk/case_chinatang.htm

What if I have not got a flat ceiling?
We can apply this principal to ceilings with exposed beams or even open up to the apex.
In Spains hall in Essex CGA used the ceiling beams to create a virtual ceiling and mounted speakers on this level to create an even sound field across the main dining room.
At Great Fosters in Egham CGA used the apex of the ceiling to mount the speakers - putting all listeners in the far field of the speakers, but also ensuring that all customers are a consistent distance from the speakers creating an even sound field at the listening positions - I.e. At the tables

Obviously every room if differentand each customer requires a different exeperience for their clients. CGA Integration pride ourselves on understanding customer needs to try and apply the corrcet solution in every application. Please see subscribe/Follow this blog to see different ways we solve problems for our customers.

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CGA Integration