QHotels has teamed up with events production company Universal Live and Universal AV to equip its conference rooms with the very latest ‘touch of a button’ audiovisual technology. The goal was to ensure that screens and audio within QHotels’ meeting rooms are capable of being operated at the touch of a button, allowing hosts to focus on the content of their meeting rather than scrambling under desks to connect wires or amend resolutions on projectors.
Universal Live provides QHotels with full technical production for events and meetings taking place within its hotels. But for this latest fixed installation, it turned to its sister company, Universal AV, to come up with a bespoke solution for 30 different rooms across the QHotels group, all of which vary in size and shape.
Fixed LCD screens were installed in smaller meeting rooms and projector screens fitted in larger conference spaces. A Barco ClickShare wireless presentation system now also features in these meeting rooms, allowing corporate guests to wirelessly connect their laptop or tablet to the room’s meeting screen with just one button. This means delegates can flick from screen to screen in the most efficient way.
The installation work was carried out by Universal AV technicians and was carefully scheduled around each hotel’s busy program of meetings, conferences and events to minimize disruption.
Each element involved a user testing stage, whereby QHotels’ corporate customers experimented with different options to ensure the final technology installed was the best and most intuitive solution to meet hosts’ needs.
Extra care was also taken to ensure that the work was carried out sensitively within QHotels’ historic and listed buildings. For example, at The Midland in Manchester the screen is disguised within a gilded frame and has the appearance of a mirror when it’s not in use, to ensure that it doesn’t detract from the hotel’s ornate surroundings.
Elsewhere, trunking concealing cables has been hidden with a vinyl wrap matching the room’s wall covering or color, ensuring attention to detail was applied throughout.
“We are always looking at ways to improve our audio visual offering and Universal Live and Universal AV work very closely with us to ensure we stay ahead of the market,” said Joanne Barratt, group operations manager for QHotels, in a statement. “While we are introducing ClickShare across our entire portfolio, we are also looking at what is likely to follow.”