Client background 

 

The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) plays host to many high-profile organisations ranging from major drug companies to worldwide research groups.

Only the most ultra-modern presentation facilities will satisfy the brief of such demanding users and the largest room at the RSM venue must provide them.

 

Challenge

 

The RSM contracted Video South Medical Television to transform their main lecture hall into the ultimate interactive auditorium.

Tasked with reshaping the interior of the building to increase the capacity of the lecture theatre from 220 to 300, Video South were left with only a matter of weeks to carry out their extensive A/V installation.

Time was of the essence, so when Video South were asked to provide interactive, on-screen audience response with at-seat keypad and microphone participation, they contacted IML as the obvious choice to design and install a system.

 

Solution

 

After liaising with furniture manufacturers, IML installed radio-linked Communicator handsets with in-built microphones into the armrest of every seat.

 

IML also worked with manufacturers to design the seats to automatically charge the handsets once they had been replaced into the armrest.

 

Part of the brief specified that handsets must fully integrate with videoconferencing cameras. This would allow delegates invoking the press-to-talk microphone on the handset to be located by the cameras during a question and answer session.

 

An embedded circuit was created, giving each handset a seat code. When a delegate presses the microphone function, their handset code is sent to the AMX control processor. One of the eight cameras set up with touch panel and automated seat-location control then locates the delegate wishing to speak and the large Matrix automatically routes their image to the remote party.

 

This system allows very fluent interaction between all members of a meeting. The Communicator handset, based on a two-way Dect digital radio can be used for several two-way interactions with audience members. The two-way audio is impressively amplified via flat ceiling loud speakers. The handsets can be used in this mode so individual audience members can be amplified within the room as well as speaking to the remote party on videoconference.

 

The handsets also act as an interactive voting tool. For example, the large screen in front of delegates may ask: "Do you think medicine has moved forward in the past year?" The screen would then ask delegates to vote, pressing 1 for a 'yes' vote, 2 for a 'No' vote or 3 for a ‘not sure’. The results are displayed instantly on screen in graph form and saved to a database for post show analysis.

 

Other benefits

 

IML’s screen and keypad display windows are fully customisable with backgrounds, logos and fonts allowing them to be easily integrated into the design of a conference.