When you think of The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), corporate entertainment is probably the last thing you think of, but that’s exactly how we used the world-leading charity’s iconic London headquarters earlier this week.
BAFTA 195 Piccadilly is a truly world-class space and provides innovative state-of-the-art facilities. Paired with its holistic Q-SYS solution which powers the building’s five floors of flexible, creative spaces, there was no better place for us to host our Future of AV Summit.
Joined by experts from Microsoft and Google, along with President and COO of QSC, Jatan Shah, the 130-strong audience of Q-SYS Partners came together to engage in a day of discussions about the exciting future of our industry.
The AV Industry is one of the most dynamic and fast-growing industries in the UK. In recent years, we have moved beyond just simply AV/IT convergence and are now seeing AV convergence with the wider technology industry. With this comes new challenges as we see the transition from product to platform, but this also poses an exciting opportunity to evolve, lead, and solve these new challenges.
The event showcased each space’s potential and the versatility that comes with a software-based AV&C solution.
At the heart of 195 Piccadilly, The Princess Anne Theatre offered a feast for the ears and eyes. This is one of the most technologically advanced screening facilities in the world, so the space was the perfect place for us to introduce our partners to the latest Q-SYS innovations and share exclusive insights into our future.
The Creative and Future Galleries transformed into a bustling hive of conversation during each break. Designed to revive a timeless art deco feel, the divisible open gallery and mezzanine floor still employ hints of the clever technology that is woven throughout the entire building to provide digital signage and adaptive background music. We are seeing more and more companies looking to develop flexible, multi-purpose spaces like these, and technology has a huge role to play in facilitating this. BAFTA is a great example of how a single, unified AV&C system can offer a simplified user experience while seamlessly distributing content.
Accompanied by a jazz trio and with the Q-SYS popcorn freely flowing, it was inspiring to speak with partners from across the industry to hear about the opportunities they are seeing and the challenges they are facing.
Delivering a high-quality hybrid experience was high on everyone’s agenda, and the insights from Microsoft and Google indicated that the paradigm shift to flexible work is certainly here to stay. With no ‘one size fits all’ model for flexible working, the opportunity is there for companies to use technology to not only optimise and elevate the in-room experience but also the experience of those working remotely.
One thing was obvious, there was no escaping the ever-evolving topic of AI. Is it just hype? What does it mean for our industry?
Having helped shape our journey to unleashing the potential of AV through the software and technology revolution, Jatan Shah offered food for thought during his Future of AV speech. New technologies are challenging, for sure, but if we rise to the challenge we can use these exciting developments to enrich the experiences of users.
“The acceleration of technology within our industry is more than ever before. This is why Q-SYS is excited for the future of AV.” – Jatan Shah – President and COO of QSC
If we’ve piqued your interest, stay tuned for the next edition of this Future of AV blog series where we’ll dive into how you can optimise AV&C to deliver a hybrid experience.