It is possible to increase the degree of room use even further by activating a function (Confirm) that automatically releases the room and allows it to be booked by others if the meeting is not confirmed within a certain period after the planned starting time. The installation of Evoko Room Manager is described as simple: a touch-screen showing bookings and other information is installed outside the meeting room and is connected to the company’s Exchange server. It is no more difficult than setting up a new e-mail account on the server. Moreover, the system requires no new software.

Daniel Assarson, sales and marketing manager at Evoko commented ‘Evoko Room Manager comes at a time when more and more are thinking of ways they can more efficiently make use of time. Meetings are not the least of such vital considerations. Evoko Room Manager solves these problems by simplifying the very process of booking rooms and rendering the booking status easier to understand.’

Maverick, says Sidwick, is the leading the technology shift from presentation to collaboration, supporting the view that is endorsed by most leading companies today that ‘knowledge work is the key to business success.’  Substantial opportunities with new, key technologies are being offered to Maverick resellers, presenting a unique opportunity to develop incremental revenue streams as well as enhance current and newly specified solutions.

Sidwick believes that ClickShare is one of the most exciting products to be introduced into the market. He describes the initial channel response as being unprecedented. “We have been overwhelmed with the response to ClickShare. The Maverick European teams are busy supporting the launch with reseller recruitment and enablement events which are already oversubscribed.”

Barco ClickShare - "unprecedented response".

In a second announcement, Jane Hammersley rejoins the Maverick team, bringing a wealth of knowledge regarding collaboration practices and environments combined with extensive corporate and AV channel experience, making her the ideal person to launch and support ClickShare. “Jane is responsible for ensuring the delivery of a consistent Pan European approach with locally relevant development activity. Expect to see new, innovative solutions and services being offered by Maverick that will further increase the revenue and margin opportunity for our channel partners.”

Smart AV, audio visual and interactive hire specialist, today announce their partnership as the exclusive UK partner of Poken.

“Smart AV are very excited to become the exclusive UK Partner for Poken. We are constantly striving to stay at the forefront of new technology and adding a social media product which incorporates NFC technology to our extensive interactive product portfolio is an exciting prospect” explains Darren Poultney, Managing Director of Smart AV.

The Poken empire are also celebrating the long-awaited partnership, with Head of Sales and Hospitality, Rudy Marrero commenting- “Smart AV were a natural choice for this new division. Their forward thinking attitude towards new technology and highly respected reputation within the exhibition, conference and events marketplace makes them our ideal UK partner and we are extremely excited to be working with them.”

Smart AV believe that Poken will enhance what they already offer to exhibition/conference organisers, agencies and high-end corporate clients, increasing networking opportunities for visitors and delegates as well as improving ROI for event organisers through refined analytics on event, conference and exhibition activity.

The LifeSize Unty 500 - aimed at the mid-market

Traditionally, says LifeSize, telepresence solutions require various components for optimal functionality, including a video system, mounted display, audio device (such as a micpod or phone), and camera as well as furniture and coordinating room makeovers for uniformity in eachoffice. The LifeSize Unity Series removes the complexity from this model byoffering an integrated solution that takes only minutes to assemble without the use of tools and without sacrificing quality. This new product line boasts best-in-class video, audio and presentation capabilities elegantly designed and powered by superior LifeSize video technology as its engine. 

“With the LifeSize Unity Series, the telepresence experience is now in reach for companies of all sizes,” said Michael Helmbrecht, vice president and general manager of video solutions at LifeSize. “Let’s face it, businesses need to speed decision making and improve productivity across the entire organisation. By creating a series of products optimized to provide a telepresence-class experience, yet simple to deploy and use, we are making HD video conferencing easier than ever to bring to every home office, executive office or conference room. For companies who need to conserve their IT resources or have traditionally thought video conferencing was toocomplex or expensive to deploy, the wait is over.” 

LifeSize Unity 50 is a True HD 720p30 tabletop or wall-mounted solution with a 24” LED display for executive offices, small workspaces and home offices. Engineered with simplicity in mind, the LifeSize Unity 50 is ideal for companies who want to deploy the telepresence experience quickly, requiring only two cables for quick plug-and-play setup. LifeSize Unity 50 is powered by LifeSize Passport.

LifeSize Unity 500 provides Full HD at 1080p30 with a 40” LED display. Its said to be ideal for executive offices and small meeting rooms, the solution provides immersive video communications in an all-in-one turnkey system, requiring no tools and can be assembled in fewer than 10 minutes. LifeSize Unity 500 is powered by LifeSize Express 220.

Pricing and Availability

• LifeSize Unity 50 is globally available today and starts at approximately £3,019
• LifeSize Unity 500 is globally available today and starts at approximately £15,096

Freestorm visual collaboration solutions are said to transform how people work together using interactive displays and remote collaboration tools, helping them improve productivity and reduce costs. Freestorm solutions enable interaction with virtually any digital material, and remote users can fully participate in collaboration sessions, increasing engagement and fostering teamwork. The SMART Board 8055i interactive flat panel includes presence detection, an innovative feature enabled by sensors that automatically detect user movements, turning on the display and keeping it active when people approach it, and saving energy by turning off when the display is not in use. SMART Meeting Pro software and Bridgit conferencing software enable all meeting participants, whether in-room or remote, to share documents, write notes, save files and easily distribute collaborative work.

“Freestorm visual collaboration solutions demonstrate SMART’s leadership in providing business customers with interactive displays, software and services to address their increasing collaboration and connectivity needs,” says Linda Thomas, VP of products at SMART Technologies. “The SMART Board 8055i interactive flat panel, SMART Meeting Pro software and Bridgit software were developed with these needs in mind, enabling increased engagement both in-room and over distance, which results in more meaningful collaboration and better business outcomes.”

Pricing and availability

The suggested list price for the SMART Board 8055i interactive flat panel with SMART Meeting Pro 3.0 software is US$6,999 in the United States. The suggested list price for Bridgit 4.5 conferencing software including licensing for 500 concurrent users is US$12,999 in the United States. Prices outside the United States vary by country and may include applicable taxes, duties and import costs. SMART Meeting Pro 3.0 software and Bridgit 4.5 software are now available globally. The SMART Board 8055i interactive flat panel is expected to begin shipping globally in August 2012.

“In our industry, InfoComm is a very important audiovisual gathering and to demonstrate this complete solution to our dealers is very exciting. Retracta Vu Traveller is an important solution for commercial applications and we couldn’t be more pleased with the response we have received from our dealers.” Says Howard Sinkoff, CEO of Vutec.

Eyetease on show at Screen Media Expo 2012.

Scala says it will showcase a number of innovations that help organisations be bold in how they command attention of connected consumers with their digital signage. The Scala exhibit will include a new interactive screen communication solution that can be managed through a variety of mobile devices, including a smartphone, Apple iPad or tablet, using QR code technology. The solution enables organisations to connect to individuals with micro-targeted messaging.

“Scala will demonstrate how our solutions help organisations, from retail and quick service restaurants to corporate communications, banks, hospitals and education, effectively interact with their target groups,” said Tom Nix, Scala CEO. “By combining digital signage with complementary technologies and media, like mobile devices and social media, our customers can deliver personalized experiences that communicate the right message at the right time.”

PSCo Technical Distribution will show Eyevis omniSHAPES.

New UK omniSHAPES distributor PSCo Technical Distribution will show the technology at Screen Media Expo. With seven tile shapes available as standard and bespoke shapes possible omniSHAPES allows designers to represent their brands with novel and inspiration display. With the unique ability to create convex or concave omniSHAPES is said to offer a high degree of flexibility to digital signage, advertising, rental and staging and exhibition applications. Other brands on display with PSCo include: Panasonic, Samsung, NEC and Sharp.

In another eye-catching exhibit, Eyetease Media will show the iTaxitop 2.0 is to be shown on a London Black Cab and a New York taxi. Philips Public Signage is exhibiting in partnership with AOpen and NDS. Their joint stand will also be home to the newly-refurbished Mobile Solutions Suite in which demonstrations of the solutions offered will take place. The range of solutions on show will cover applications including touch screen solutions for car dealerships, way-finding solutions for hospitals and shopping centres, touch table content for corporate receptions and museums, plus a complete range of retail digital signage solutions.

On the player front, BrightSign will exhibit its new BrightSign HD solid-state digital signage controllers for the first time on its joint stand with Pixels. Also on the stand will be demonstrations of touch screen way-finding, portable tabletop display technology, QSR menu board featuring Live Text, video wall synchronisation, BrightAuthor presentation creation software, BrightSign Network publishing and management software as well as the new BrightSign Network Web UI.

• 16th May         DeVere Hotel, Bolton
• 22nd May        Hilton Hotel, Dunblane
• 29th May         Merchant Hotel, Belfast
• 31st May         Green Isle Hotel, Dublin
• 13th June         Wokefield Park Hotel, Reading

Martine Dodwell-Bennett: "“SHAPE is our flagship event that brings together our vendors, resellers and end users under one roof."

SHAPE has now become a regular event in the AV/IT channel calendar and Steljes says it is set to break all attendance records. Registrations up by 40% on this time last year. The road show will highlight the latest innovations from all Steljes’ major vendors and explores developments in green projection, specialist AV products and mixed reality tools to enhance teaching.

The event is free to attend and includes a seminar programme with three separate streams specifically designed to support the needs of resellers, educationalists and corporate end users.

Commenting on the SHAPE 2012, Martine Dodwell-Bennett, Sales and Marketing Director, at Steljes says “SHAPE is our flagship event that brings together our vendors, resellers and end users under one roof. It is a valuable learning and networking opportunity for attendees. Each year our objective is to take SHAPE to the next level by adding value new revenue opportunities for our resellers with new products and new markets. This year is no exception with the introduction of the Specialist Products Division. We can now offer our resellers the full range of core AV connectivity solutions from signal conversion products to cloud based digital signage with social media networks and custom built solutions for video walls for retail and command and control environments.”

To register for SHAPE 2012 all you have to do tis click  the leadervboard banner at the top of this page and complete the registration form.