Latest Technology at Confex
The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre Promotes its Latest Technological Developments at Confex 2006
The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre (QEIICC), London’s prestigious purpose-built conference centre in the heart of Westminster, promoted its major technological developments at this year’s International Confex 2006 which was held in Earls Court 1, London from 21st – 23rd February 2006.
It is important to keep up to date with new technology in an environment where clients have increasingly complex requirements, technological developments and knowledge are at the forefront and there it is imperative to provide a service that matches client expectations.
In order to do this, over the last few years, The QEIICC has invested in a number of innovative technological features. These include a VoIP (Voice over IP) enabled telephone system, enabling the Centre to offer clients more cost effective telephone calls. The QEIICC has also recently upgraded the WiFi Network and Hotspot, which is owned by the Centre and managed in-house, so those attending an event or conference are still able to keep in touch with the office.
Video Conferencing is also something that the Centre is extremely keen to get more involved in and has therefore invested in the necessary equipment, with a dedicated suite being set up on site and a recently developed partnership with Verizon Business, the world’s largest virtual conferencing provider. A rolling programme of massive investment in re-cabling has also recently begun, enabling the Centre to provide higher bandwidth and greater quality of service to clients.
The Centre has also made significant developments on the audio visual side, having purchased new LED lights for each of the main conference areas, new public address systems for the catering areas and investing in new Sanyo XF45 data/video projectors (10,000 ansi lumens brightness) for the main auditorium. The QEIICC has also refurbished the audio-visual systems in our Elizabeth Windsor room with an improved sound system, a new ‘flown’ projector and the installation of permanent lighting bars. A new stage set for that area has also recently been installed.
This investment in technology is also helping to shape the way in which The QEIICC is able to offer clients the best service possible, the most recent example of which is the use of online payment for WiFi Internet Access, through the Centre’s hotspot, which has generated a move towards on-line ordering and payment for all ICT Exhibition requirements. Also, for larger events with multiple session rooms, the Centre is now able to distribute the presentations from Slide Preview to the rooms, either wirelessly or using the infrastructure cabling and file sharing, which is a significant development. Technicians at the Centre are also now able to communicate internally using Messenger, which is very time and cost efficient.
The Centre recognises the need to keep technological developments at the forefront and has several projects scheduled in the near future. The next big project at the Centre will be the re-cabling of the entire building and once completed, will ensure that a more converged voice and data service can be offered to clients. This will include installing the VoIP throughout the building and facilitating high quality internet services for meetings. There are also new WiFi technologies that are expected to be ratified in the next year or so, including Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) providing much higher bandwidth and therefore improving the quality of VoIP and other web services.
Technology between ICT and AV is also moving closer together. Over the next few years, there is an expected increase in the use of IP in AV at the Centre, which can range from remotely operating and managing projectors to controlling lights and transmitting sound across CAT5e/6 as the quality and encoding improves.
The use of Digital Signage is also a key area that is currently under investigation. The uses of this are vast and the benefits obvious to both the Centre and clients, enabling the display of any information that is required easily and quickly. This can include way-finding, video news (such as Sky News) and this also provides further opportunity for advertising as a subsiding revenue stream.
On the audio-visual aspects, the Centre expects to be able to offer clients ‘soft blend’ systems at competitive prices for more of their events in the near future for such instances where pictures are blended together to form one large wide screen image or a ‘picture-in-picture’. The QEIICC is also examining the current interest in High Definition technology, as well as forming a strategy for a digital audio network throughout the Centre.