AV Technology - August 2008 - (Page 72)

casestudy corporate AV Adds the Magic to Microsoft’s Hat Trick Technicians from CAVCOMM run the show from a production station at the house mix position. FOR MICROSOFT’S “HEROES HAPPEN HERE” TOUR, AV CREATIVITY AND FLEXIBILITY PUT SOME “SIZZLE” IN THE SHOW. By Wendy L. Ellis Longhorn, Katmai, and Orcas are no ordinary Tom, Dick, and Harry. Like a rock band, this trio of new 2008 Microsoft server software has been playing to capacity crowds in a national launch tour that swept 60 cities in just three months. With its theme of “Heroes Happen Here,” Microsoft reached out to the unsung heroes of the IT world: the software developers, IT professionals, and channel partners who have all the know-how and none of the spotlight. “These are the people that get in up to their elbows and actually make these products work,” says Michael Canfield, president of CAVCOMM Corporation of Skokie, IL, which took on the audio visual challenges of this whirlwind tour. “Microsoft has a very traditional dealer network that they support heavily with regionalized business meetings on a regular basis.” But these were no ordinary business 72 | AVTECHNOLOGY | august 2008 meetings. Charged with the task of introducing the new software — Longhorn, the Windows Server 2008 operating system, Katmai, a.k.a. Microsoft SQL Server 2008, and Orcas, Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 — the Microsoft America Team in Dallas, TX, and CAVCOMM knew this tour would have to go far beyond the usual fare. THE “WOW” FACTOR According to NeKeta Argrow, logistics manager for Microsoft Across America, an important goal of the tour was to provide a professional, flawless audio visual display that would show the new Microsoft products to their best advantage, without overshadowing the software itself. “You want to do events that will support the technology or solution you’re trying to deliver to customers and partners as it’s a marketing vehicle,” she says. Equally important was giving the audience a memorable experience. In the 12 largest cities, including New York, Chicago, and Seattle, the day-long event began with a 75-minute keynote presentation, then broke the audience into three breakout rooms for six more hours of software demonstrations. “At the last minute we didn’t really have a scenic look for the tour that I was happy with,” says Canfield. He felt they needed something that would start the program on a high note and hold it together throughout the day. Canfield came up with the idea of cutting life-size silhouettes from corrugated plastic (lifting them from the graphic used as the Heroes Happen Here logo), placing them at the back of the keynote stage behind a scrim and then back lighting them with LED fixtures. “We used LED lighting because it’s compact and energy efficient, and it gives us a palette of colors to make things interesting,” he says. “We’d do a quick dip of the lighting, insert the person acting as emcee between the silhouettes, and she would walk out of the silhouettes with the Heroes Happen Here music playing along. It was a lot of fun and very inexpensive.” “It definitely brought a layer of excitement to the event,” says Argrow. “Even in the smallest of events you want to break that monotony of watching PowerPoints and listening to speakers all day.” Though the keynote started the day on an impressive note, it was the breakout sessions that showed the developers the nuts and bolts of the new software and the advantages it could bring their clients. The breakout sessions were designed specifically for the target audience for that particular product. There were sessions for developers, technology decision makers, database administrators, IT professionals, and Microsoft Partners. In addition, the tour included an exhibit area and a hands-on lab where customers and Microsoft Partners could try the newly released software for themselves. In the 48 smaller cities, the program was identical but without the initial keynote experience and hands-on labs. Instead, each room began with a 15-minute video produced by Microsoft, extolling the talents of their target audience. SITE UNSEEN CAVCOMM maintained program continuity, even though every new venue offered its own set of unique logistics. “The things that successful business-to-business tours most need are flexibility, inventiveness, and creativity,” says Canfield. “With a tour www.avtechnologyonline.com http://www.avtechnologyonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AV Technology - August 2008

AV Technology - August 2008 Contents Precedent Corporate: The Project’s Over...Now What? Government: Generational Diversity and the Rise of the Millennials Education: DIY ISP.EDU HD Videoconferencing On a Budget Using Automatic Mic Mixers The Way I See It: The Standards Dilemma in AV Something for Everybody AV Adds the Magic to Microsoft’s Hat Trick Simple Control for Smarter Classrooms Product Review: VeEX VePAL MX100 Product Spotlight: Amps; Touchpanels New Products Ad Index AV MO: Dealing with Ambient Light

AV Technology - August 2008

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