The countdown to the ibtm world has begun! November 28^th through to November 30th will see a ‘who’s who’ of global conference and event players get together in the Fira in Barcelona. Besides the tradeshow, the educational program is also an important part of the ibtm. Encompassing a large number of high quality innovative, creative and groundbreaking subjects presented by top speakers from the industry.

Like previous years ibtm has chosen to concentrate the entire educational program in a single location on the tradeshow floor at the ‘ACS Knowledge Village’. Sessions become more visible and easier accessible to visitors, who don’t have to leave the tradeshow floor to attend. ACS and ibtm have been working close together to deliver the vision of the village.

This year’s ACS Knowledge Village will be centered around a meeting area providing access to three hexagonal shaped theaters, a Tech theatre, a press room and a news area. ACS’s brand Eventresult is onsite to ensure the extensive program runs smoothly by implementing their presentation management system. The Speaker Service Center on the back of the Tech room provides speakers with the possibility to prepare their presentations in peace, surrounded by technical specialists. The Tech theatre provides a unique and interactive showcase of the latest innovations impacting the meetings and events industry. In the adjacent area you can meet the companies behind the top 10 innovations who were shortlisted from over 60 Technology and Innovation Watch Award entries.

For the first time the meeting area will include a Knowledge Village Information Desk manned by ibtm and a ACS and Eventresult hospitality area (P100). From here ACS is taking interested visitors for a tour backstage or for a chat and a drink. The newsroom, also located on the central square is a dynamic area visible to the public in which all content for the digital TV and signage network on site is produced. Also present here is an interview corner, where live interviews will be held throughout. Additionally some of the important keynote speaches wil be streamed live to the ibtm website.

We look forward to meeting you in Barcelona.

Participation is free of cost, all you need to do is register at www.ibtmworld.com

ACS invested greatly in LED lighting recently. First of all, in conjunction with CLSled, a new robust LED spot was developed, using the knowledge and experience of ACS experts. Secondly, a large number of DTS Scena LED80 theater lights and profiles have been purchased at Full AVL Distribution. The lamps were used for the first time at the ESC (European Society of Cardiology) conference at the end of August. With around 33,000 participants, this is the largest medical conference in Europe.

Lighting for congresses is a strange thing. Unlike the theater world, where conventional lighting enjoys preference, congresses lean towards aspects like: reducing energy consumption, reducing costs and reducing footprint. Utilizing LED lighting, 80-90% savings on energy can be achieved compared to conventional light.

As of yet, ACS is the only AV company in the world that consciously made the choice to facilitate major congresses with LED instead of conventional lighting. For the ESC congress, 22 conference rooms that were especially constructed by ACS, were all provided with LED lighting. In total, over 500 lamps were required, all of which were simultaneously purchased.

“This was the time to make the investment. Not only are we the first player in the market that offers this, but we also show that we think in the best interests of our clients,” says Annemiek van Iersel, Manager International Projects of ACS. Despite the fact that this was a major investment, ACS will not incorporate this into ACS’s tariffs. The customer therefore optimally benefits from the low energy costs. The advantage for ACS itself is, besides a unique product and even more satisfied clients, that it also offers savings in both time and space. The lamps are more compact and space efficient, which is better for transport and also simpler in construction. For example, a series of lights are connected with just one lockable cable, whereas its predecessors require much more peripheral equipment and accessories. It therefore cuts like a double-edged sword!

Verlichting voor congressen is een vak apart. In tegenstelling tot de theaterwereld waar men graag met conventioneel licht werkt, zijn voor de congresmarkt aspecten als verlaging van het energiegebruik, waardoor lagere kosten kunnen worden gerealiseerd en het terugdringen van de  footprint, steeds belangrijker. Met ledverlichting kan een energiebesparing van circa 80-90% t.o.v. van conventioneel licht worden bereikt.

ACS is het enige AV bedrijf ter wereld dat bewust de keuze heeft gemaakt om grote congressen te faciliteren met LED in plaats van conventionele verlichting. Voor het ESC congres moesten 22 speciaal door ACS gebouwde congreszalen van LED verlichting worden voorzien. Hiervoor waren in totaal meer dan 500 lampen nodig, die allen in één keer zijn aangeschaft.

“Dit was het moment om de investering te doen. Niet alleen zijn we de eerste speler in de markt die dit heeft, maar ook laten we zien dat we denken in het belang van onze klanten,” zegt Annemiek van Iersel, Manager International Projects van ACS. Ondanks dat het een grote investering is geweest, zal ACS haar klanten geen hogere kosten doorberekenen dan voorheen. De klant profiteert dus optimaal van de lage stroomkosten. Voor ACS zelf levert het, naast een uniek product en tevreden klanten, ook besparing in tijd en ruimte op. De lampen zijn compacter in ruimtebeslag voor transport en zijn ook eenvoudiger in de opbouw. Zo wordt een reeks lampen aangesloten met slechts één door koppelbare kabel, waar er bij de eerder gebruikte armaturen  veel meer randapparatuur nodig was. Zo snijdt het mes aan twee kanten!

We are very happy to announce that ACS recently signed a letter of intent for a partnership with the European Association of Geoscientists (EAGE). The partnership concerns the supply of audio visual facilities and temporary room building for the upcoming annual conferences of EAGE. EAGE’s annual events attracts over 6,500 geoscientist and engineers to explore the newest technologies, state of the art products and innovative services.

The 79^th annual conference will be held from 12-15 June 2017 in Porte de Versailles in Paris, France.  The conference comes with an impressive 11,000m2 exhibition space where approx. 350 exhibitors will showcase their services and launch new products.

The letter of intent also includes the 80^th annual congress to be held in June 2018 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

From left to right on the picture:
Jessica Ylstra, Managing Director ACS
Elsbeth Koutsoglou, Directir Operations EAGE
Jerry Gaspersz, Manager Operational Support Department EAGE
Annemiek van Iersel, Manager International Project ACS

De 79ste jaarcongres van EAGE  zal van  12 t/m 15 juni 2017 worden gehouden in Porte de Versailles in Parijs. Naast het congres is er ook een indrukwekkende beurs van 11.000m2, waar ca. 350 exposanten hun nieuwe producten en diensten zullen presenteren.

De intentieverklaring tussen ACS en EAGE omvat ook het 80ste Jaarcongres van EAGE dat in juni 2018 zal worden gehouden in Kopenhagen.

Van links naar recht op de foto:
Jessica Ylstra, Managing Director ACS
Elsbeth Koutsoglou, Directir Operations EAGE
Jerry Gaspersz, Manager Operational Support Department EAGE
Annemiek van Iersel, Manager International Project ACS

© Corbin Ball & Co

These are exciting times. The rate of technology change is accelerating with thousands of ideas, apps and innovations bubbling up to help meeting planners, exhibitors, venues and other meeting participants to do their jobs better and improve the attendee experience.

This annual review covers many of the major events technology trends to watch for this coming year.

Social media channels are targeting events with a focus on video and live streaming.

Social channels are finding that events are a great way of gaining market share especially with streaming video. Nearly every social channel has added or enhanced their video offerings over the past two years.

We will see increased demands for live streaming events by attendees. The challenges for event planners will be increased Wi-Fi bandwidth demand.  Also, the event host with deep pockets will be the likely target for copyright violation issues.

Data analytics will enhance the attendee experience and will greatly improve events.

The good news is that finally data management systems have matured to the point where data integration is a simpler task. With state-of-the-art cloud-based systems and robust, well-documented API’s it is now possible to collect and analyze data from a myriad of sources. As cloud-based systems get more powerful each year, big data tools are opening a new world of predictive analytics that can have huge impacts on events. In addition, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) tools are growing more powerful as well, helping to sort through this blizzard of data.

Engagement becomes an increasingly key component to events.

The ROI of an engaged attendee is simple: attendees who are emotionally involved/committed get more out of the event.  They learn and retain more. They are more interactive. They bring out more in others. They will like rate the event higher and will be more likely to return in future years and encourage others to do so as well.

Fortunately, many technologies are evolving to build engagement like mobile surveys, polling and social Q&A, gamification activity, wearable beacons/smart badges, live streaming etc

This plethora of engagement tools is working into events in a big way and will transform the impact and power of face-to-face meetings in very substantial ways.

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are starting to make headway at events.

This was one of the key trends listed in my last year’s trend article. Although this will take a few years to fully develop, the billions of dollars spent by technology firms such a Google, Facebook, Samsung, Microsoft and others are beginning to show at events and tradeshows. VR is the closest thing we have to the Start Trek “Holodeck” and, as these tools develop, these virtual approximations will become increasingly realistic.

We are just scratching the surface in this area. The major hardware is yet to roll out and we will see significant advances in the next couple of years. it seems inevitable that we will VR and AR tools proliferate at events and exhibitions.

Facial recognition, biometrics and sentiment analysis will be used to measure attendees’ mood, engagement and demographics.

Technology has developed to the point where face recognition systems can determine attendees’ gender, approximate age, ethnicity, mood, and even specific individuals in a photo database. Postings on social media can be analyzed for sentiment as well. We will see these tools used as events and exhibitions to measure engagement, demographics, sentiment and even spot potential troublemakers.

In the future, these measurements could be captured with mainstream activity bands such as Fitbit or Apple Watch if biometrics developments continue and attendees opt-in.

Bonus Trend: A repeat from previous years’ predictions:

Despite the increased use of virtual meetings technology, face-to-face meetings and tradeshows will remain viable.

Webinars and other virtual meetings are great for short information exchange. However, in today’s multi- tasking and often distracting work environment, attention spans are short. Thirty to forty-five minutes is usually the maximum you can expect someone to pay attention to a webinar while sitting in front of a monitor.

Meetings, on the other hand, take people to a more focused environment with fewer distractions. As long as attendees are informed, entertained and fed, event hosts can keep them engaged for days. At the minimum, we share a social contract to at least look like we are paying attention at an event. The opportunities for networking, brainstorming, and relationship building are usually far greater at face-to-face events than online. For an exhibitor, it is often the best way to meet so many qualified buyers in such a short time. For buyers, it is a great chance to meet vendors of interest – all together in one location, categorized and mapped for your choosing.

Meetings provide a vastly richer, more targeted, and more focused learning experience than nearly any virtual meeting.

Note: this listing is a summary, you can find the total report on: https://www.corbinball.com/article2/29-futurism/186-7meetingstechtrends-2017

Voor 2017 geeft Corbin Ball de belangrijkste meeting technologie trends weer:

Social media kanalen richten zich steeds meer op events met focus op video en live streaming

Events zijn voor social media kanalen een geweldige manier om marktaandeel te winnen, vooral met streaming video. Bijna elke social media kanaal heeft een verbeterd video-aanbod toegevoegd gedurende de afgelopen twee jaar.

Er zal dus meer vraag zijn naar live streaming events door deelnemers. De uitdagingen voor de meetingplanner ligt in de toenemende vraag naar Wi-Fi bandbreedte. Bovendien zal de organisator met diepe zakken waarschijnlijk doelwit worden van zaken omtrent schending van het auteursrecht.

Data analyse zal deelnemerervaringen en meetings sterk verbeteren

Met state-of-the-art-cloud-gebaseerde systemen en goed gedocumenteerde API’s (Application Programming Interface) is het nu mogelijk gegevens uit een groot aantal bronnen te verzamelen en te analyseren. Hiermee kunnen voorspellende analyses worden gedaan die enorme gevolgen voor de meetingindustrie kunnen hebben. De mogelijkheid om echt ROI te meten maakt meetings interessanter voor corporate marketing en verbetert ook de waarde van het lidmaatschap van een associatie (vereniging).

Betrokkenheid van deelnemers wordt steeds belangrijker bij meetings en events

De ROI van een betrokken deelnemer is simpel: deelnemers die emotioneel betrokken zijn halen meer uit een bijeenkomst. Ze leren en en onthouden meer. Ze zijn interactiever. Ze brengen teweeg bij anderen. Zij waarderen het event beter en er is meer kans dat zij terugkomen op een volgend event en anderen aanmoedigen om hetzelfde te doen.

Gelukkig zijn er vele technologieën in ontwikkeling om betrokkenheid op te bouwen, zoals gemakkelijke mobiele enquêtes, polling, het volgen van social media-activiteiten, gamification activiteiten, wearable bakens / smart badges, matchmaking en networking tools, live streaming en het delen van foto apps, tweede scherm technologie, interactieve sessies, etc. etc.

Deze overvloed aan mogelijkheden zal de impact en de kracht van face-to-face meetings aanzienlijk transformeren.

Virtual reality (VR) en augmented reality (AR) beginnen belangrijker te worden tijdens events

Dit was een van de belangrijkste trends in het vorige trend artikel van Corbin Ball. Alhoewel dit nog wel enkele jaren zal duren voordat het volledig ontwikkeld is, zie je nu al dat de miljarden dollars die uitgegeven zijn door technologiebedrijven zoals Google, Facebook, Samsung, Microsoft en anderen zichtbaar worden tijdens events en beurzen. Voorbeelden zijn de reality tours die gemaakt kunnen worden in hotels of destinaties, maar ook tijdens vakbeurzen. Of het virtueel bijwonen van concerten, speciale evenementen en zelfs grote conferenties.

Gezichtsherkenning, biometrie en sentiment analyse zal worden gebruikt om de stemming, betrokkenheid en demografische gegevens van deelnemers te meten

De technologie heeft zich inmiddels zodanig ontwikkeld dat wanneer gezichtsherkennings systemen aanwezig zijn gender, geschatte leeftijd, etniciteit, stemming, en zelfs specifieke personen kunnen worden herkend. Berichtjes op social media kunnen zelfs geanalyseerd worden op sentiment. Deze instrumenten worden gebruikt tijdens events en beurzen om de betrokkenheid, demografische gegevens en sentiment van deelnemers te meten en zelfs potentiële onruststokers te spotten.

Bonus Trend: Een herhaling van de voorspellingen van voorgaande jaren:

Ondanks het toegenomen gebruik van virtuele vergader technologie, zullen face-to-face meetings en beurzen altijd levensvatbaar blijven.

Face to face vergaderingen, daarentegen, nemen deelnemers mee naar een gerichte omgeving met minder afleiding. Zolang deelnemers worden geïnformeerd, vermaakt en gevoed, kunnen meetingplanners deelnemers betrokken houden voor dagen. De mogelijkheden om te netwerken, brainstormen, en het opbouwen van relaties zijn meestal veel groter tijdens face-to-face evenementen dan online. Voor exposant op een beurs is het vaak de beste manier om zoveel mogelijk gekwalificeerde kopers in zo’n korte tijd te ontmoeten.

Bijeenkomsten bieden een veel rijkere en meer gerichte leerervaring dan vrijwel elke virtuele vergadering!

Dit artikel is een samenvatting, het totale artikel is te vinden op: http://www.congreswereld.nl/Achtergronden/63/6856-de_belangrijkste_meeting_trends_voor_2017

We would like to introduce you to Jarno de Boer, who joined our international sales team on 1 September. Jarno made a positive mark over the last 15 years in the international PCO industry and brings a wealth of experience to the team as a commercial manager. He will be located at RAI Amsterdam, and will focus on the portfolios of both ACS and our partner company Eventresult.

Jarno began his career began at the former Amsterdam Convention Bureau. This is where his fascination for the fast dynamics of the international market for associations was ignited. In subsequent years, he has worked in various commercial roles mainly at International Conference Services and Congrex.

Over the past year Jarno focused on the development of ‘Campus Party’, a major international multi-day technology festival. Jarno is also an Advisor to various initiatives, including the VR Days Europe. This experience helped him develop an interest in AV and IT. He sees it as a driver for change and opportunities within the Association industry, and also as an accelerator for interaction within international conferences and meetings.

The switch to ACS, the largest AV and IT supplier within the international conference market and partner of associations, PCOs and venues throughout Europe, was the logical next step for Jarno. In his new position at ACS, he will focus on the further development of the national and international conference market.

Whether it is an event with the Dalai Lama, a football conference in the Hotel Okura, or a podium on the football field of the Amsterdam Arena – give the assignment to Herman Stöve (43), Operations Coordinator at ACS audiovisual solutions, and he will ensure that it will be delivered to the customer’s requirement. Day and night. “I have my phone turned on all night long.”

What’s his secret? Stöve is a multi-tasker. He began with ACS at the age of 21 as a driver, and moved step-by-step to his current position. Because Stöve has worked his way up through the organisation, he knows everything that the audiovisual portfolio can do and also what the limitations are for each piece of equipment.

Can you explain exactly what you do at ACS the AV company?

“After sales have secured a contract and agreed on the deliverables, I start working on the customer’s requirements. I look at what is achievable in terms of light, sound, video and display screen. For example, we recently had to take care of a conference for a football organisation in the Hotel Okura. They wanted a full colour background screen of five by twenty meters that would display images of football players. They also wanted the option for sound and microphones. I always check in advance that everything is available on the days that the conference will be held. It was an event of two days, but it is also important to take into account the time needed for the construction and dismantling. For me, an event is only complete once all the equipment is back in its place in the warehouse. Sometimes things can get broken. When this happens I know that I cannot use the broken equipment at my next event.”

“The event at the Hotel Okura was a relatively simple assignment. However, I also had the responsibility of the conference with the Dalai Lama. I needed to take into consideration the enormous security requirements. To the same levels were required for a conference about radicalisation.”

“I am busy with national events. Someone else focuses specifically on the events in RAI Amsterdam. For international events we have the AV company’s Projects Department.”

What makes this job fun?

(Without thinking). “The variety. No day is the same. Each customer has their own needs and requirements and you have to constantly make sure that a beautiful finished product is being created. What was special about the example I described at Hotel Okura, was that we were only able to start setting up at 20.00. The conference would start the next day. So we needed to work in shifts through the night to get everything ready on time. In the morning, we hand over to the engineers.” “When do I feel relief? I have done this job for long enough not to panic. I stay calm. But I was happy when it ended well and everything was back in the warehouse.”

What makes ACS so special in the way they handle this?

“Taking care, is what ACS the AV company is good at. That allows the customer to have full peace of mind and leave it to us to take care of the audiovisual aspects of the congress. In addition, and I speak on behalf of the department in Amsterdam, we offer flexibility. We are available from six o’clock in the morning until two or three o’clock into the night. We are able to supply at least 95 percent of the requests we receive – requests to supply audiovisual equipment like microphones, sound systems and screens – we are available at these times and deliver within an hour. Our customers know that we offer this, whilst other audiovisual companies do not.”

What is the biggest challenge you have overcome?

“I have experienced everything. But what I found particularly challenging, was a conference in the Amsterdam Arena. The client wanted visitors to see a podium on the football field from the stands. It was important that the sound equipment from the field could be heard in the stands.” “In our profession technology is a necessary evil. At a concert the audience will see the light, sound and images. But at a conference you do not want to see all of these elements. Technology is therefore not more than an aid.”

How do you ensure a satisfied customer?

“If all the customer requirements are implemented within budget. You do not want to make lots of changes halfway through.”

What are the possibilities for a customer of ACS audiovisual solutions?

“Anything is possible as long as there is a big enough budget. We are a one stop shop: we supply every product. If we are missing something in-house, then we look for partners who can supply to us. The customer can leave everything to us.”

It already promises to be a spectacular hotel. It will change the skyline of Amsterdam. With 650 rooms it will be the largest hotel in the Benelux. Designed by none other than world-renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. In 2018 nhow Amsterdam RAI will open its doors on the grounds of the congress centre. nhow Amsterdam RAI will be a huge eye-catcher, and there will be many more hotels arriving in the capital over the coming years. This will make Amsterdam even more suitable to hold conferences, annual meetings or trade shows. The question is which hotels will offer the appropriate opportunities for conventions and how this market will develop further? ACS, as a partner of Amsterdam RAI and an expert in the hotels sector and conference venues, will bring you up to date.

Growth especially for hotels in the three and four star segment

What is going to happen in the hotel sector in Amsterdam in the coming years? There will be a wealth of hotel rooms in the capital. On 1 January this year the number of rooms calculated by the Regional Hotel monitor Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (MRA) was 30,777. This year, approximately 1,750 hotel rooms will be added. In the four years thereafter, if everything goes to plan, there will be more than 3,700 hotel rooms added to this total. The MRA reports that there will be an additional eighteen thousand rooms, but the opening dates are not yet known.

This does not only include Amsterdam, but also the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (the area in and around Amsterdam which includes: IJmuiden to Lelystad and Purmerend to the Haarlemmermeer). This region has 634 hotels, according to the report ‘Key figures for Amsterdam as a conference destination in 2015’. With a total of 42,000 rooms, seventy seven percent of these hotels are 3 stars or lower. The four and five star hotels have proportionally more rooms and feature state-of-the-art meeting accommodation and good facilities for events.

The new hotels included in the MRA report do not detail the star ratings. The memo Hotel Monitor 2016 the city of Amsterdam: “As far as it is known, it is most likely that the developments will be three and four star. Both the MRA and the City of Amsterdam reflect this. ”

New hotels are also situated outside the centre of Amsterdam

What is the location of these hotels when we look at Amsterdam itself? The nhow Amsterdam RAI is clear. Of course there will be hotels in the city centre, near to the Beurs van Berlage, which is a good venue for events. The Overamstel business area will also be developed in the coming years as a hotel district. Hotelier Van der Valk is creating a four star hotel with 206 rooms and meeting and conference rooms. Van der Valk also has plans to build a five star hotel with 245 rooms at the RAI railway station. In addition, the Maritim Congress Hotel, Park Inn Hotel and Hotel Postillion will also be expanded.

Hotel growth is a natural step for Amsterdam as an International Convention City

The arrival of these hotels fits perfectly into the image of Amsterdam as an international convention city. In recent years, the city has been able to provide accommodation during major conferences. This underpins the reputation of the capital as an international congress city. Playing a major role in this success is Taskforce City Wide Congresses, which is a collaboration of the large business hotels, Amsterdam RAI and Amsterdam Marketing.

In 2013, a charter was established between three, four and five star hotels, offering 16,000 rooms to organisers of citywide conferences (multi-day conferences with at least 5,000 international participants). This allows Amsterdam to respond quickly and efficiently, without consultation, to answer quotation requests for large events.

This agreement helps ensure that Amsterdam remains one the ten most important congress cities in the world. This ranking is based on the number of international conferences and the number of participants. This competitive position for Amsterdam will be further increased with the planned hotels in combination with the conference venues like Amsterdam RAI. Looking for a hotel for an event? And would you like to use the most modern audio visual and IT solutions? Look no further than ACS!

It is with great pleasure that we introduce our new International Projects Manager, Annemiek van Iersel. Annemiek has 20 years of international experience in the sector, both as a client and as a supplier. During her career she has worked in several multidisciplinary teams.

Annemiek started her career working as an intern at Congrex Holland. She soon found her niche in the profession, the company and the industry, and worked her way up to managing director, experiencing the company is all its facets during this journey. In her diverse positions in the company, Annemiek has not only organised many congresses in the Netherlands, but far beyond in Europe, Asia, South Africa and the United States of America.

After working at Congrex for 13 years, Annemiek took a position at Gielissen as a Business Unit Manager, Exhibition & Event Services. Just like at Congrex, Gielissen places great value on service and quality. Her team was made up of various disciplines, such as operations, sales & design. With her team, Annemiek coordinated several trade fairs across the world for conference organisers, associations and trade fair media companies.

Annemiek will lead the international team and will be responsible for the sales and successful completion of international congresses.

Haar carrière is Annemiek ooit gestart bij Congrex Holland als stagiaire, zij werd al snel gegrepen door het werk, het bedrijf en de industrie/branche, waardoor zij uiteindelijk alle stappen binnen het bedrijf heeft kunnen doorlopen, tot en met managing director aan toe. In de vele posities die zij heeft bekleed heeft Annemiek veel congressen mogen organiseren in Nederland, maar vooral ook in het buitenland, zowel in Europa als ook in Azië, Zuid-Afrika en de Verenigde Staten.

Na 13 jaar bij Congrex te hebben gewerkt, was Annemiek werkzaam bij Gielissen als Business Unit Manager Exhibition & Event Services. Een afdeling waar ook net als bij Congrex dienstverlening en kwaliteit hoog in het vaandel staan. In haar team waren veel verschillende disciplines vertegenwoordigd, zoals operations, sales en design. Samen met haar team heeft Annemiek veel beurzen wereldwijd gecoördineerd voor zowel congresorganisatie bureaus, associaties en beurs media bedrijven.

Annemiek zal leiding gaan geven aan het internationale team en zorgdragen voor de sales en realisatie van internationale congressen.

ACS invests heavily in Meyer CAL64 Digital Column Array

The Dutch company ACS, specialist in high quality AV solutions, confirmed its investment in Meyer Sound CAL64 digital Beam Steering column arrays. The CAL64s are proof of their success among their customers who previously purchased the smaller Meyer Sound CAL32. This step places the CAL64 at the forefront of innovative av technology for its demanding customers. Meyer Sound’s distributor, Audio Electronics Mattijsen, managed the acquisition and developed a customised package of accessories.

“When making our choice, the Meyer Sound Column Array’s exceptional performance and its practical advantages were the deciding factors,” says Purchase Manager Wim Meester. “Using a laptop, you can ‘place’ the sound in the listener’s area, giving an exceptionally high level of intelligibility, particularly in difficult acoustic circumstances for speech. An added bonus is that the loudspeakers can be quickly and easily mounted by our technicians. It is pure practicality, a minimalist column speaker in the same colour as the grey curtains used by ACS for temporary venues. It thus creates an attractive whole.”

ACS audiovisual solutions from Amsterdam is one of the Netherlands’ major suppliers of AV equipment to national and international customers. One of its core activities is to supply AV technology to major international conferences and events with thousands of participants. ACS does not only supply the technical coordination and operation, but often also part of the technical concept development and the building of dozens of temporary conference venues. Every top of the market conference needs a comprehensive package of professional support for rigging, lighting, image and, of course, sound.

Managing Director Jessica Ylstra expands. “We see that, depending on the project, our technicians prefer certain equipment and brands. Our customers too often have specific preferences. We consulted with our major customers on the purchase of the Meyer CAL speakers, allowing us to enhance customer loyalty.”

By investing in the Meyer Sound system, ACS demonstrates its drive for innovative high-end presentation and conference technology. To date, Meyer Sound CAL loudspeakers were regularly installed in venues requiring the highest possible audio presentations. Examples include the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, het Konzerthaus in Berlin and the Musikverein in Vienna. This is the first time in Europe, and possibly in the world, that a rental company makes the move to purchasing this sound system.

CAL Digital Beam Steering Column Arrays

Eric Mattijsen (Audio Electronics Mattijsen) says “Of course column arrays are not new, but Meyer Sound’s CAL series has exceeded the performance of all other column arrays. We can direct the sound beam and change the form and, if required, even split them. However, the most important aspect is that this can be done at a significantly wider frequency range (100hz tot 16kHz) with controlled phasing and natural sound without crazy spikes and lobs. These features come to the fore in acoustically challenging situations such as blaring conference halls. The results are fabulous and very convincing.”

In order to achieve this, the CAL64 has more than 64 custom-made speakers, 64 amplifiers and 64 Digital Signal Processing channels. The steering is done through AVB digital audio networking and/or analogue inputs and Compass™ remote control software. Depending on the programme and the use of the balconies, the sound shape and direction can be adjusted, thereby avoiding undesirable acoustic energy.

As a member of the Global Freeman Certified Partner Program, ACS audiovisual solutions is part of a proud community of like-minded organizations that focus on quality, capacity, value and ethos.  We work as one of Freeman’s designated suppliers and support their regional business.  In addition, we collaborate in the development of additional opportunities with our Freeman partners around the world.

About the program

Freeman, the leading global provider of brand experiences, announced the launch of its Global Certified Partner Program in October 2015 – the program is a continuation of a focused effort that began several years ago to build a network of global suppliers, which has now become a formally recognized program that evaluates, qualifies and connects a community of suppliers who are able to meet Freeman’s high standards for quality, value, stability and customer service. Freeman uses these suppliers to support its teams as it delivers global programs for leading brands worldwide.

“Our existing North American customers want to increase their presence and deliver consistent brand experiences worldwide,” said David Gauthreaux, executive vice president of global sales for FreemanXP. “Similarly, our clients in EMEA and Asia Pacific are looking to do the same. As a design-driven company, Freeman has been investing in its global solutions for many years, and today we have a solid base of operations in Europe, Canada and Mexico. By extending our reach through third-party partners with an expanded, formalized program, we can better create value for our customers and continue to manage global growth in a smart and meaningful way.”

The certification program allows local partners the opportunity to work with Freeman on behalf of its customers in a seamless manner. The qualification process helps ensure that Freeman can deliver the same level of consistency and quality around the world. “In the last year alone, we’ve worked with dozens of partners to create brand experiences for several hundred customers in more than 35 countries,” said Joe Popolo, CEO of Freeman.

About Freeman

Recognized by Advertising Age as the world’s largest brand experience company, Freeman uses the power of integrated digital and live brand experiences to move markets, connect people, support growth and generate revenues for the world’s leading organizations. A design-driven company, Freeman generates insights that define program strategies, target audiences and deliver messages that generate meaningful results.

Through its expansive network of offices, talent and global partnerships, Freeman has the reach and access that is unmatched in the industry. A family- and employee-owned company, Freeman is known for its 87-year history of stability, strength and customer service achievements. Freeman is a values-driven company with a strong and purpose-built culture that is dedicated to connecting people in meaningful ways. This is accomplished through a process of continuous innovation and improvement. Freeman produces more than 4,300 expositions annually and 11,000 other events worldwide. Freeman has been awarded six consecutive J.D. Power awards for the excellence of its Customer Call Center.

For more information, visit www.freemanco.com

They say size doesn’t matter, but that’s not always true. When it comes to images and videos, size matters a lot. So much so, in fact, that the wrong decision can have a significant impact on the way your visitors experience your conference.

At ACS, we take great pride in our attention to detail. It’s what allows us to help our clients create uniquely memorable events, but it’s also the foundation for our AV consultancy services. We know what it takes to leave a lasting impression on visitors and participants alike, and we don’t want you to miss out on vital information that could improve your conference or business event.

That’s why we’d like to take a moment to look at aspect ratios and the problems they cause when they’re not managed properly.

Competing paradigms

Most people rarely give any thought to aspect ratios. And why would they? More often than not, aspect ratios are tied to specific media that are rarely seen side-by-side.

Take, for example, the 4:3 aspect ratio. Also known as 12:9, it is predominantly used as a television standard. Many people grew up with it and it wouldn’t seem out of place in most living rooms. The same can be said for the 16:9 widescreen standard, which has become ubiquitous due to its use in widescreen television broadcasts, DVDs and high definition video.

But even though most images and videos you see on a daily basis conform to these aspect ratios, they are far from interchangeable. This is due to the fact that screens and displays can’t be designed to display both formats optimally. There’s always a trade-off, and that’s where it gets annoying.

You can’t have it both ways

Each aspect ratio has its own unique look and feel. While a 4:3 screen looks vaguely square, being only slightly wider than it is tall, a 16:9 screen clearly looks rectangular. This creates a frustrating problem: content that looks great on one screen might look horrible on another. There are three ways to display 4:3 content on a 16:9 screen – pillars (placing black vertical lines at either side of the image), stretching (stretching the content horizontally) and zooming (zooming in on the center of the image until the content fills the frame). This means you have to choose between adding unnecessary borders, cropping out important information or distorting the image.

The same goes for converting 16:9 content to a 4:3 screen. Here, you can either use letterboxing (adding black bands above and below the image) or pan and scan (cropping out the sides of the image to fit the screen). Again, you either lose information or add distracting black bars.

The solution? Make a choice and stick with it

If you’re hosting a conference, it stands to reason that you want your visual presentation to look as good as possible. After all, the visuals and the information they convey are your centerpiece. It would be a tremendous waste of effort to set up everything you need for a great show, only to plaster your screens with ill-fitting content.

Fortunately, the solution is simple.

1. Choose your aspect ratio before you start setting up the conference.
2. Make sure every screen and projector you use is designed for the aspect ratio you’ve chosen.
3. Enforce this aspect ratio ruthlessly.

If you want to create the most seamless video experience possible, everything from the opening video to the presentation materials your speakers use should match the aspect ratio you’ve chosen. So make your decision and stand firm. Your visitors will thank you for it.

Every now and then, something shakes up the event industry. When economical video solutions first hit the market, slide projectors started hitting the dumpsters. And when the internet came onto the scene, everybody scrambled to be the first to log in.

Now, we’ve been living comfortably with high-definition video, high-speed internet and ubiquitous social media for what feels like a lifetime. We tend to forget how much the world has changed in the last few decades.

When was the last time you swore at your smartphone for being unable to connect to the web? You know, that magical little box that fits in your pocket and puts everybody you know and the collective knowledge of humanity at your fingertips? Exactly.

Jaded minds make poor visions. If you’re always waiting impatiently for the next major innovation to arrive, craning your neck to see what’s up ahead, you might miss the wealth of opportunities that are right under your nose. That’s how hybrid events were able to sneak up and take the event industry by surprise: they were so predictable, such no-brainers, that most people didn’t realize they still had to be invented.

How it all got started

When you launch a product or host a conference, you know you won’t be able to fit the entire world into the venue. It’s just one of those facts of life. You can also be pretty sure that at least some of your visitors won’t be able to make it, even though they really want to be there. That’s another one of those facts. And if it’s an exclusive event, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll run out of seats before you run out of people to fill them. Sad, but true – even the biggest fans have to miss out sometimes.

Except nowadays, they don’t. The internet has become far more than just a collection of corporate billboards sitting next to a digital highway. And it’s been that way for ages, too! Even social media, the cornerstone of the once-revolutionary Web 2.0 wave, has already become old hat. So it’s really not all that surprising that hybrid events have become as popular as they have. People demand interaction at a distance, and those events that provide it have more to offer their audiences.

So what is a hybrid event, exactly?

Any event that has both offline and online participants is a hybrid event. If you stream your keynote speech live to the general public, that’s a hybrid event. If you make the experience available via webcasting, that’s a hybrid event. Even if you only set up a Facebook page and a Twitter feed for your event, it’s still hybrid. Simply put, you can hybridize any event by making it accessible online in any form.

But there’s a big difference between simply fitting the definition and actually owning it.

The anatomy of a true hybrid event

If you want your event to leave a lasting impression on your attendees, you need to make sure that every detail is perfect. The lights, the audio, the presentations, the way the rooms are decorated and furnished – everything has to click into place. The experience has to be seamless for every visitor. We all want to feel special sometimes.

The secret to organizing a true hybrid event is simple: just put the same amount of thought and attention to detail into the online side of things.

If you want people to participate in your event from afar, you have to roll out the red carpet. There are a lot of other things they could be doing online, after all. They don’t have to put up with a flaky live stream or a heavily redacted Twitter feed when there are cat pictures out there waiting to be admired.

So make your intentions known. Show people you care about their participation and help them do so regardless of whether they make a physical appearance. Encourage online discussions, share videos and talking points as freely as you can, and loop valuable comments and critical opinions back into the mix. Do everything you can to make the online audience feel like they are part of the event.

Technology is key

In order for a hybrid event to be successful, you have to back it up with the right technology. There should be no barriers to online participation, both for those that made it to the conference and for those that stayed at home.

Everything from your on-site presentation management to your live streaming solutions and social media integration has to be up to the task. That might seem prohibitively challenging, but a hybrid event can increase your reach by a factor of 10 – which makes it well worth the effort. And if you don’t know where to start, ACS and Eventresult are always happy to help.

Content innovation

Are you looking for innovative ways to create extra impact during your conference or event?

Each conference or event is unique and we would like to keep it that way. But that is not enough, we want and need more; each congress should get more visitors every year, offer high end key note speakers and impressive technical marvels. The trends and developments around the organisation of a conference or event develop quickly and offer us plenty of opportunities to respond to this growing demand for authenticity.

What is the role of ACS in all of this?

ACS audiovisual solutions has responded to this trend and offers its customers content innovation. Now you’ll be thinking; what does that mean? We will explain it to you!

Content innovation is providing impactful creative content during a conference or event. That is, putting down a creative show through impactful video, lighting and audio. A not just regular video, lighting and audio; but a magnificent show in which creative content has been added, including the required layout, theme and design you are looking for!

How we will make this happen?

ACS has provided creative content for several customers, which was implemented in the opening ceremonies of some major conferences and events. In this way the organizing party really adds an extra experience and dimension to the congress, which has a positive effect on the visitors and the rating of the congress!

Due to our experience in this field, we were able to further develop our knowledge of offering content innovation which makes us able to guide our customers through the whole process. ACS works with a number of creative partners with who we create the overall concept for the development of the creative content. In addition, we also take care of all the technical support and control onsite.

Nothing will stop you now in organising an impressive congress!

Sure, they used to jam during slideshows, leaving the audience with nothing but a blank screen – but until the 80’s, slide projectors were the most effective way to share images such as vacation pictures or corporate presentations with large groups of people. For our younger readers: these so-called “slides” are small pictures in a plastic or cardboard window that can be shown using a projector. They were just as much a part of the 80’s as Madonna, cassette tapes and the the first portable game devices (that contained only one game).

Back in those days, slides were immensely important to ACS (Audiovisual Conference Service). Along with overhead projectors, slide projectors were a constant presence at the conferences, events and congresses we facilitated. And these technologies were just the beginning: over time, more new AV solutions followed. We experimented with ways to transmit images electronically, first via cameras and video projectors, then via revolutionary live connections for long-distance transmissions, video conferencing and more. And where are we now? Well, ACS certainly doesn’t use slides anymore. Nowadays, we rely on smart IT solutions and the most advanced AV technologies available.

ACS provides modern AV solutions

Ever since our company was founded in the 80’s, ACS has kept up with the times. By pioneering the use of video technologies as they emerged in the 90’s, we began to specialize in video, sound and lighting solutions for corporate events like stockholder meetings, product presentations and conferences. In addition, our sister company Eventresult provides a host of smart IT solutions for the conference industry that augment our innovative audiovisual solutions.

“Creating a stress-free experience.” According to managing director Jessica Ylstra, that’s what it’s all about. “ACS makes the lives of its clients easier by handling the organizational aspects of business meetings and conferences. Our work has one goal: to make sure that speakers and participants don’t have to worry about technology at a conference and can concentrate on getting their message across to their audience.”

A prime example of our philosophy is the Presentation Management System we developed together with Eventresult. This system is used at conferences to make sure that every presentation starts on time. In addition to the technical solutions, we also provide a centralized speaker service center , where speakers can get the support the need – both before and during the conference. This unique approach allows us to deploy state-of-the-art AV solutions and IT systems, including webcasting , overflow, digital signage , narrowcasting and voting systems. The Presentation Management System saves time, prevents mistakes, maintains quality and contributes to a professional look and feel.

Anytime, anywhere, from Amsterdam to Rome

Our work transcends borders. We have several local branches in the Netherlands, each fully stocked with audiovisual technology. ACS has offices in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam and the Amsterdam RAI, which has selected us as its preferred supplier. And we don’t limit ourselves to the Netherlands. We offer our services in conference cities all across Europe, from Paris, Barcelona and Vienna to London and Copenhagen.

Of course, our operation was much smaller in the 80’s. We started out in Amsterdam. Back then, ACS was a part of the Amsterdam RAI. In those days, the demand for quality AV solutions at conferences was growing rapidly. The Amsterdam RAI used ACS to meet that demand.

After the initial AV boom, ACS grew steadily, evolving into the international player it is today. Then, in the late 90’s, the company began to grow exponentially. We changed our name to ACS&Projects and started taking on projects outside the RAI. To increase our rental coverage, we acquired two AV companies during this period: SCHAAY and Avisco, based in Rotterdam and Amsterdam, respectively. This allowed us to expand our base of operations greatly. Our acquisition of Avisco made us the go-to specialist for AV solutions for hotels and meeting centers. In 2009, we opened new offices in Utrecht.

In 2004, our company separated from the Amsterdam RAI and became its own entity. Two years later, we changed our name to ACS audiovisual solutions. Why the switch? For starters, our new name fits better with our corporate philosophy and ambition. We want to make sure that business events run as smoothly as possible and that participants never have to worry whether they’ll be able to share information effectively. We support them by providing a comprehensive selection of AV solutions and IT services.

Catering to thousands of people

The number of visitors ACS can handle at conferences is almost unlimited. Whether it’s fifty people or a hundred, five hundred visitors or thirty thousand. In the 90’s, the RAI couldn’t host more than seventeen hundred visitors. That wasn’t enough. Even then, conferences had become more demanding. Not just in terms of AV solutions, but in terms of attendance as well. The throngs of visitors grew and grew, overwhelming the capacity of available conference rooms. ACS decided to tackle this problem by building temporary rooms, which helped conference centers greatly increase their capacity. We’ve since perfected this technique. Now, we can transform any conference space into a fully functional, fully furnished room, complete with audiovisual solutions and a fitting look and feel.

Our concept has proven its worth many times over. Take, for example, the cardiology conference we helped organize in Paris, with a total attendance of 33.000 visitors and participants. ACS sent a convoy of 38 trucks from Amsterdam to the French capital. In these trucks, we packed six kilometers of shelving, 7.2 kilometers of curtains, 2.5 kilometers of walls, 23,000 square meters of carpet, 18,000 chairs, 42 kilometers of cables, 360 microphones, 262 speakers, 59 projectors, 1,400 square meters of screens, 65 plasma screens and 720 spotlights. In addition, ACS dispatched a team of eighty professionals to help build and organize the conference.

AV solutions for every challenge imaginable

Conferences like the one in Paris reveal how much ACS has changed over the years. We started out with slide projectors. Now we have LED screens. The tastes and expectations of the general public may have changed, but ACS is still very much in tune with them. Individuality, flexibility and customer focus are our core values and we take them very seriously.

We believe it shouldn’t matter what you are planning. Whether it’s a small meeting or a large-scale conference, at home or abroad – we believe everything should run smoothly. From light, sound and video to content and atmosphere. From the biggest temporary rooms to the smallest audiovisual details. Your message should always be received loud and clear, carried and amplified by the right equipment for the job.

That’s what ACS strives to achieve with its AV solutions. Our experience, know-how, innovative mindset and state-of-the-art technology are completely at your disposal. As your audiovisual partner, we’ll help you every step of the way and offer expert advice wherever you need it. That way, you’ll always be able to rely on tailor-made solutions that suit your needs perfectly.

As for the slides? Well, we’re bound to have some lying around somewhere.

In 2014, the European Hematology Association hosted a medical conference in Milan. Acting as their AV partner, ACS furnished ten conference halls and helped them welcome more than 11.000 visitors with a flawless opening ceremony and a familiar décor. In 2015, the European Hematology Conference came to Vienna, with 10.000 guests in attendance. Again, ACS handled every aspect of their audiovisual needs, from lighting to video solutions and sound, and made sure the amenities and décor in the plenary halls were taken care of.

Year after year, ACS provides its customer with the constant quality they have come to rely on, regardless of which venue they choose. We travel with them, always taking care to make sure their guests receive the unique experience they’ve come to expect and appreciate.

ACS assists conference organizers throughout Europe, building temporary rooms and providing full audiovisual services to help their medical conferences shine. This unique level of experience makes us the go-to AV partner for medical conferences at home and abroad. We can provide everything you need to make your medical conference a success

Scalable, state-of-the-art solutions

Numbers don’t scare us. We won’t look surprised if you tell us you plan to invite 10.000 participants. After all, we can set up a conference hall for 30.000 people if that’s what you need. But we can also help you cater to 300 people. ACS can build temporary rooms that are geared completely towards the needs of our clients – and we make sure these conference halls are equipped with stylish lighting, quality furniture and superlative sound and video systems.

But that’s not all. Our audiovisual solutions are state-of-the-art and our sister company Eventresult has turned presentation management into an art form. Our webcasting, overflow and interactive ePoster solutions help conferences and events run smoothly. And our Presentation Management System means you won’t have to worry about supporting your speakers.

As AV partner we take time to focus on the details

No matter how large – or small – your medical conference is going to be, ACS has a trained team that is ready to help you get everything moving. A team which knows its way around internal and external aspects of organization. Over the years, we’ve cultivated strong local networks in many European cities that we can rely on when we need to. This means we can react quickly and effectively if unforeseen circumstances arise.

We understand the challenges involved in organizing and facilitating medical conferences better than most, and we know that the charm is in the details. As your AV partner, we will always strive to ensure that your visitors have a fantastic experience that matches their expectations and the way they see your organization.

Recently Eventresult implemented a high end digital signage solution at the very unique ‘Public House of Art’.

Public House of Art is one of kind. This new resident of the famous Nieuwe Spiegelstraat in Amsterdam represents accessible art. The concept is easy; one theme every 6 to 8 months and several handpicked artists that deliver their works in line with this theme, from starters until well-known artists, once in a life time opportunity.

Art comes in four prices ranges, so suited for every wallet, with applicable names like ‘house’, ‘villa’, ‘mansion’ and ‘castle’. Choose your pick and you are good to go.

They literally quote ‘we are not a gallery’, but consider themselves more as a concept store of Art. “We take art and our artists seriously, but don’t take our selves too seriously” quoted by store manager Alessandro Tomasi.

Tomasi; “Interaction is very important, that’s why we wanted to integrate digital signage to our concept. Based on that request Eventresult created a digital signage solution which enhances the visitors to browse on artists, their background and their work, all supported with a video of each artist. Tomasi; “this solution gives us the opportunity to be different, to create controversy  and offer our customers/visitors live interaction with the artist. This way they can learn more about their work in a playful way, art should be fun, not boring and static.”

Curious about this solution and Public House of Art? Come pay a visit.

www.publichouseofart.com

Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 39, Amsterdam

www.eventresult.com

NH Collection Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, was once again host to the spectacular ‘Angels of Light’ gala last November.

This annual initiative of WereldOuders, the foundation behind it, enables them to offer structural aid to homeless children in Latin America. Adopted in to so called ‘family homes’, they are offered the love, care and education they so desperately need. Besides preparing the children for a better future, WereldOuders also contributes to the entire community and rolls out educational and medical projects.

WereldOuders aims to expand capacity of the family houses and offer an additional 300 children shelter in 2016 using ‘Angels of Light Gala 2015’ revenues. For children still roaming the streets, exposed to violence and extreme poverty, a necessity. Fortunately this edition WereldOuders raise the record amount of € 273,000,= !

Structural assistance to homeless children is an important charity ACS supports, for WereldOuders the second year in  a row. Managing Director Jessica Ylstra: “We are happy to contribute to a gala with such a huge social responsibility. Children are the future and we must see that we all contribute to that cause. ”

ACS audiovisual solutions and IT partner Eventresult are present in full force at the IBTM WORLD, the global exhibition for congresses and events, which will take place from 17 to 19 November 2015 in Barcelona.

IBTM WORLD has teamed up with ACS and worked out a concept to bring all educational sessions, that were previously scattered in the building, down onto the show floor in the so-called ‘ACS Knowledge Village’.
Enabling better access to educational content for vistitors, hosted buyers and exhibitors, as well as guaranteeing visitors staying put on the show floor. For the management of all the educational sessions the presentation management system of Eventresult will be used.

Eventresult will also contribute to the Innovation Zone this year, where interactive showcases will be presented by the top 10 innovations that are expected to have much impact on the meeting and events industry of the future.

We invite all IBTM visitors to visit our booth right in front of the Knowledge Village (Q139) and join us for a delicious cocktail. This year we present guided tours to show you an insight of our services, in and around the Knowledge Village.

Will we meet you there?

ACS is pleased to announce that our team is continuing to grow in its international scope to expand our international business. Our new senior level manager Hans Henrik Friis has a deep background in technical facilities, extensive management skills and will provide further strength and expertise across several regions in Europe.

As Executive Director of Business Development Hans will focus on international business development for ACS, as well as sister company Eventresult. This way we want to expand our international scope. Hans has an extensive international network from previous positions, amongst others he worked for Brahler in Germany and Dorier/MCI for which he was active in Asia for several years.

RAI Amsterdam and its employees have been supporting AMREF Flying Doctors for over ten years. October 2015 will see the fifth edition of the ‘Kenya Classic’, a bike ride which raises funds for the organisation. Ten RAI employees will be taking part in the event on behalf of RAI Amsterdam, with support of sponsors ACS & Eventresult.

Kenya Classic

The Kenya Classic takes place from 10 to 17 October 2015. During the Kenya Classic 80 participants spend six gruelling days cycling nearly 400 kilometres on a tough course in the harsh climate of Northern Tanzania. The route encircles the Kilimanjaro, the world’s highest freestanding mountain. In both Tanzania and Kenya, the participants will have the opportunity to visit AMREF projects and see where the raised funds will be used.  In the months leading up to the event, participants must raise at least 5000 euros per person for the activities of AMREF Flying Doctors. The total of our very own RAI team is now at over €57,000,which is an extraordinary performance! To raise these funds our colleagues participated in a variety of activities, such as working 24 hours in horticulture and organising a successful auction and raffle.

AMREF Flying Doctors

Established as the Flying Doctors in Kenya in 1957, AMREF Flying Doctors is the largest health organisation in Africa. Its goal is to structurally improve the health of vulnerable communities in Africa, and allow them to escape poverty. In the Netherlands, AMREF Flying Doctors is active in raising funds and ensuring a responsible distribution of these funds to AMREF projects in Africa.

Ibtm world, in partnership with acs audiovisual solutions, brings 2015 knowledge programme to the show floor

New ACS Knowledge Village gives everyone easy access

For the first time, ibtm world 2015 (formerly EIBTM), in partnership with ACS audiovisual solutions, will deliver all of its education content from a newly designed ‘ACS Knowledge Village’ consisting of four purpose built theatres, which will be located on the show floor.

Erica Keogan, Associations and Education Manager, ibtm events commented: “Education is an important part of ibtm world and each year we devote significant resources to providing our attendees with creative, valuable and unique insights into the latest trends and key issues in the industry and to develop new perspectives on both. The concept of the Knowledge Village is to bring all the content down onto the show floor and make it much more accessible to the visitors, Hosted Buyers and exhibitors. This is an exciting move for ibtm world in the evolution of our Knowledge Programme and we could not have done it without the continued support from our partner ACS audiovisual solutions, who helped us deliver the vision of creating a Knowledge Programme hub on the show floor.”

Jessica Ylstra, Managing Director, ACS audiovisual solutions, commented: “We are proud to intensify our partnership! We have been working together for years with ibtm and are happy with our cooperation. With our new partnership we are able, together with our IT partner Eventresult, to bring our combined solutions to the next level. The wishes of ibtm events inspire us to develop new, interactive and innovative AV and IT facilities. This year, we will build four temporary rooms to accommodate all ibtm lecture sessions and we will integrate a new and refreshing concept. We hope our services will create a buzz and intensify the experience of the ibtm visitors and exhibitors!”

This year, ibtm world is introducing seven new global themes to underpin its 2015 Knowledge Programme, which will be led by an exciting line up of influential industry experts on the many and diverse topics facing the industry now and in the future. For further information about ibtm world 2015 speakers, please go to www.ibtmworld.com

Recently ACS participated to an extensive AV dossier of the magazine Events with title “Insights from the men and women from the AV business”.

The article gives you an insight in the AV business from different angles and different experts.

Curious what our innovative developments and do’s and don’ts are? Read the article below.

Dossier AV – Events – ACS audiovisual solutions

ACS audiovisual solutions extended her collaboration as a preferred supplier of temporary room construction for Palexpo Geneva.  This specialist service from ACS will support Palexpo in facilitating large international conferences. Together ACS and Palexpo facilitated the ESTRO congress (The European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology) in 2013, for which several temporary rooms including AV facilities were constructed. ACS provides full service AV facilities and also included IT solutions into the partnership via her IT partner Eventresult.

Jessica Ylstra, managing director ACS audiovisual solutions; “We are proud to work with Palexpo for many years and complement each other in providing full service congress facilities. We are happy to extend our partnership and also to include integrated IT solutions, in this way we can deliver innovative full service facilities and offer Palexpo high quality solutions.”

ACS transforms large empty exhibition halls into a fully equipped plenary area, or any number of separate lecture rooms for the break-out sessions of a congress. Based in Holland, ACS operates across Europe as the preferred supplier to some of the largest and most respected international associations and conference organisers. IT partner Eventresult is a sister company of ACS and provides innovative IT solutions for national and international congresses with presentation management solutions as one of her specialties.

Palexpo is served directly by Geneva’s international airport and located 10 minutes from Geneva’s city centre, which makes it an ideal venue for any international congress.

Pim Schoonderwoerd has been appointed as Sales Manager Eventresult as of January 19th, 2015 and will be responsible for the national and international market. His first focus will be on adjusting the IT solutions offered by Eventresult to the requirements of the users in the congress and hospitality industry.

Pim has ample experience in the IT industry and worked i.e. for eight years as Product Specialist IT at the Congress Centre Amsterdam RAI.  His responsibilities included  IT consulting and sales to leading events such as IBC, the congress of the European Society of Cardiology, the World Conference on IT, Microsoft TechEd, Integrated Systems Europe and the European Haematology Association.

Previously Pim was the owner of REDTREE,  a company offering IT services and consultancy to the international exhibition and congress  branch in Western Europe. His clients included renowned organisations like Ahold, Nike, European Respiratory Society and various national and international venues. In his function as Vice President Marketing & Communications at the Dutch chapter of the MPI, Pim has gained extensive experience in the congress, hospitality and event industry.

We are happy to have Pim in our midst and wish him good luck in his new position.

Eventresult, the IT label of ACS audiovisual solutions, delivers interactive and custom made IT- and presentation solutions like webcasting, digital signage, e-posters and presentation management throughout Western Europe for the hotel, congress and event industry.

For more information about Eventresult, click here.

Will you join us for a Business Boost or a Success Shake?

This fall ACS and Eventresult will be present at EIBTM in Barcelona, the international tradeshow for the meeting, events, conference, incentives and business travel industry.

At EIBTM, 18 – 20 November, ACS and Eventresult will present you the ACS & Eventresult COCKTAIL LAB! In our COCKTAIL LAB you can SEE and TASTE what our perfect mix can offer you!

Once again ACS will also construct the temporary EIBTM Lecture Theatre, this year with a spectacular new lay-out, in which several knowledge-sessions will be organized.

During EIBTM you can join our interactive “MIX & MATCH” quiz, of course accompanied with a delicious cocktail. The daily price winners of an iPad mini are announced on Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19 of November during our happy hour!

Will we meet you at EIBTM in Barcelona?

Location: ACS and Eventresult booth: O130/131

Happy hour: Tuesday 18 & Wednesday 19 November at 17.00 hrs

E!Presenter is a very effective and user-friendly solution, when you are organizing a large congress with multiple speakers. E!Presenter software gives you control of all presentations before, during and after the Congress and enables managing them from a central server. With support of the Eventresult technicians, all presentations are available at the right time in the right room. Lecterns in each room are equipped with user-friendly touch screens, guaranteeing an easy start and enabling manual operation of presentations by speakers. The latest version also makes it possible to adapt the design of the screen to the needs and branding of the organization. In addition to this, E! Presenter software contains added and renewed functionalities such as wireless presentation using a tablet, a Timer, LecternDisplay, a built-in laser pointer with different colours and the possibility to start presenting from a PFD format. More information? www.eventresult.com

ACS was dit jaar trotse leverancier van ESMO (European Society for Medical Oncology) ten behoeve van het ESMO congres 2014 in Madrid. Deze editie bracht bijna 20.000 deelnemers bij elkaar. Met zo’n hoog aantal deelnemers en geplande break-out sessies kon IFEMA niet de benodigde aantal zalen bieden aan ESMO.

ACS, bekend om haar specialistische kennis en kunde op het gebied van tijdelijke zalenbouw en audiovisuele faciliteiten, bood ESMO een oplossing van hoge kwaliteit om alle deelnemers te huisvesten en te zorgen voor perfecte audiovisuele ondersteuning.

In samenwerking met IFEMA en ESMO construeerde ACS 7 tijdelijke zalen, 3 overflow zalen, interactieve voting voor 1500 pax en geïntegreerde AV.

Chantal Cornu, ESMO Congress Operations Officer:

Dit was de eerste keer dat ESMO heeft samengewerkt met ACS, aangezien we in het verleden door de omvang van het congres geen tijdelijke zalen nodig hadden. Het ESMO congres is tegenwoordig enorm gegroeid qua omvang waardoor het bouwen van tijdelijke zalen een noodzaak is geworden. In het algemeen kunnen we stellen dat tijdelijke zalen vaak niet vergelijkbaar met bestaande zalen, echter zorgde ACS middels de lay-out en specialistische aanpak voor een zeer professioneel en modern resultaat.

ACS heeft zeker bijgedragen aan het succes van het ESMO 2014 congres in Madrid. Er was duidelijk zichtbaar dat het bedienen van klanten en hun behoeften in de tweede natuur ligt van ACS, met name in de medische sector. On-site was er een goede samenwerking en nam ACS alle last-minute stress over, door het beheer van kritieke situaties op een soepele manier te laten verlopen, zodat deelnemers er absoluut geen hinder van ondervonden.

Naar aanleiding van deze prettige samenwerking, hebben we besloten om de samenwerking voort te zetten voor het volgende ESMO congres in 2016 in het Bella Center, Kopenhagen. 

Ana Carrazon, Congress Sales Manager, Convention Centre   IFEMA – Feria de Madrid:

Als één van de belangrijkste leveranciers van de European Association Industry, heeft IFEMA nauw samengewerkt met ACS voor verschillende grote congressen die de afgelopen tien jaar hebben plaatsgevonden in onze venue

Ondanks dat ACS als leverancier wordt geselecteerd door onze klanten, ervaar ik altijd een nauwe samenwerking tussen ACS en IFEMA die gebaseerd is op teamwork, niet alleen ter plaatse maar vooral tijdens de voorafgaande maanden van logistieke coördinatie.

ACS heeft aandacht voor details en heeft een professionele aanpak, dat is zonder twijfel ook de reden dat zij preferred supplier zijn voor de meeste van hun klanten.

The European Business Awards are now in their 8th year and have received submissions from an all time high of 24,000 businesses from 33 European member states, all under review by a professional jury consisting of business leaders, academics, media and political representatives. From this group 709 businesses have been selected to enter the second phase of the competition, in which companies can present themselves to the jury and the public by means of a video presentation.

ACS audiovisual solutions advises and facilitates both national and international customers with the realisation of audiovisual presentations for the congress, exhibition, meeting and event market. For smart presentation IT solutions; they introduced the brand Eventresult.

“The nomination in this European contest is a huge recognition of the innovative character of our company” said Jessica Ylstra, Managing Director of ACS audiovisual solutions. “An independent jury selected a number of Dutch companies with the best business cases in the area of innovation from over 24,000 European businesses, and we are one of them ! For us this proves we made the right decision when we started a couple of years ago with our new brand Eventresult, providing smart presentation solutions for the hospitality and congress market. Doing this enables us to put a lot of time and attention in the development of new solutions, by separating them from the daily hectic activities that characterize our branch”.

Adrian Trip, Chief Executive of the European Business Awards said: “Congratulations to ACS audiovisual solutions; it is a great achievement to be named National Champion and we wish them luck in the next stage. The European Business Awards are going from strength to strength, inspiring businesses to greater success and helping to improve the competitive edge of companies across Europe”.

Jean Stephens, CEO of RSM International, said: “Every year this prestigious competition gets tougher and more competitive as more companies, varying in size and across all sectors, choose to compete. With the increased number of entries and countries, this year is to become the toughest Awards yet. It will be exciting to watch as we move through the next round”.

A panel of judges made up of European business leaders, academics and entrepreneurs will review the National Champions’ videos, and award the best of this group the coveted ‘Ruban d’Honneur’ status. Ruban de’Honneur recipients will then go on to the grand finale in 2015. All of the National Champions will also participate in a public vote to decide ‘Public Champions’ for each country. Last year over 93,000 votes were cast, and over 400,000 people visited the EBA website during the competition.

The European Business Awards are sponsored by RSM International, the seventh largest audit, tax and advisory network worldwide. The awards were set up to recognise and reward excellence, best practice and innovation across the European Business community.

For more information on the Awards and its winners, please visit www.businessawardseurope.com and follow us on twitter at @rsmEBA

Eventresult has designed and installed displays for nine meeting rooms and two information kiosks. The housing of the displays is in stainless steel with engraved the name of the meeting rooms. LED-lights behind in the engraving gives extra cachet and fits perfectly with the atmosphere of the hotel.

The information kiosks, located in the lobby and on the sixth floor, do not only present specific hotel information, but also weather forecasts, news and local information

“Together with Eventresult we were able to create a beautiful custom made digital signage solution for the meeting and eventdepartement of Nhow Rotterdam.
The creative interpretation and realization of the signage screens and pillars and the smooth user experience of the technical solutions is something i have experienced as extremely pleasant.”
Sander Creemers, General manager nhow Rotterdam

ACS has signed a three-year partnership with Hotel Okura Amsterdam last November.

In addition to the provision of audiovisual facilities, an employee of ACS will be stationed in-house for customer care and operational support.
ACS and Hotel Okura Amsterdam are very pleased with this partnership and look forward to a fruitful cooperation.

Femke Groeneveld-Weller, Director of Business Development, Hotel Okura Amsterdam: “We choose to partner with ACS audiovisual solutions as our vision for the future completely match each other’s wishes.Every event is different and we expect ACS to turn every event into a unique and unforgettable experience.”

Jessica Ylstra, Managing Director ACS audiovisual solutions: “ACS represents high quality and aims to partner with all high end hotels. With Hotel Okura Amsterdam, the biggest congress hotel in Amsterdam, we facilitate all five star hotels in Amsterdam. We are proud to be supplier of this magnificent hotel! This partnership is a crowning glory on our work as AV and IT supplier in the hotel market of Amsterdam!”

ACS is well known in the event and congress market for its construction of temporary lecture rooms, based on a proven concept. Specifically ACS’ sound velours solutions for the effective reduction of audio inference with adjacent rooms are famous and unique.However, to meet the increasing demands and expectations of our customers and their delegates, we recently finalized a number of innovations which offer the same high quality but commercially more attractive temporary rooms. Currently we are working on an innovation that concerns branding capabilities. Using new types of walls and printable ceiling elements we can transform every temporary room instantly into a room with its own specific atmosphere and branding.Another innovation is effecting costs as well as aesthetics and concerns the transition from the use of conventional lighting to LED. The use of LED lighting can reduce the costs for electricity consumption drastically and also offers much more possibilities for branding.

Onder deze titel organiseert onze IT partner Eventresult op woensdag 20 november tijdens de EIBTM in Barcelona een interactieve paneldiscussie. Graag nodigen wij u uit om hierbij aanwezig te zijn!

Bij veel wetenschappelijke congressen wordt gebruik gemaakt van poster presentaties, waarmee onderzoekers hun kennis kunnen delen. Ondanks de mogelijkheden die het digitale tijdperk biedt, zijn deze poster sessies nog steeds vaak in hard copy.

Omdat digitale posters echter veel voordelen bieden, is Eventresult een partnership aangegaan met de Canadese MULTILEARNING Group, die de MULTIEPOSTER oplossing ontwikkeld heeft. Tijdens het jaarlijkse congres van The International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) afgelopen zomer in Amsterdam RAI, werd voor het eerst in Europa op grote schaal gebruik worden gemaakt van deze ePosters. Deze oplossing zorgt voor meer interactie met en een intensievere betrokkenheid van het publiek. Tijdens dit congres werden met behulp van de 80 touch screen beeldschermen meer dan 2.500 posters toegankelijk gemaakt.

Aan de hand van het succes van het ISTH congres zal een panel van specialisten tijdens EIBTM de inzet van ePosters vanuit diverse invalshoeken belichten.

Het panel zal bestaan uit:

Moderator:
– Patrick Delaney, Vice President Industry Relations MCI Group en Ovation Global DMC

– Peter-Willem Burgmans, Managing Director MCI Amsterdam
– Tilman Hackeng, Professor en Voorzitter Biochemistry Universiteit Maastricht
– Joel Chetzroni, CEO Multilearning Group
– Ben Buurke, Managing Director Eventresult

Iedereen is welkom op woensdag 20 november a.s. van 14.30 tot 15.30 uur in het door ACS audiovisual solutions gebouwde tijdelijke Lecture Theater. U vindt het theater achter het Technology & Event Services Village. De entree is gratis en aanmelden is niet nodig.

Wij kijken er naar uit u te ontmoeten tijdens EIBTM!

Visual Frame can be a smart solution for you!

Visual Frame is a stretched screen which ACS can provide in standard dimensions or in variable sizes. The screen can be built in three different heights; 3.50m, 3.75m and 4m. The width can be extended in increments of 2 meters and can be fitted to any size.

You can project on this wide screen with one or more projectors. The projection is supported by uplighters;  uplighters ensure that the screen can be illuminated in any desired colour during the event.

In addition, there is an option to add dedicated “branding” on the screen, for example the logo of the customer. Visual Frame is a flexible solution which is suitable for meetings and events in hotels, congresses and conventions.

For more information, please contact us.

Largest Cardiology Congress in the World in Amsterdam!

From August 31st to September 4th close to 30,000 cardiology professionals participated in the annual congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) that took place in Amsterdam RAI. ESC is known as the largest medical conference in Europe and even the largest cardiovascular conference in the world.

ESC organizes its conference each year at a different European location. However, there are only a few conference venues able to accommodate such a large number of participants with the possibility to supply the required facilities and solutions, and Amsterdam RAI is one of them.
Because of the extensive cooperation between ESC, the city of Amsterdam, Amsterdam RAI and partners like ACS, the organization looks back on a very successful event.

At every location where ESC alights, ACS audiovisual solutions is their trusted partner for specialist knowledge and expertise in the field of the construction of temporary lecture rooms and audio visual facilities.
Also in their home city Amsterdam, ACS has created a congress accommodation that was specifically tailored to the needs of this high-profile medical conference by the construction of 20 temporary lecture rooms and the provision of all audiovisual facilities in the temporary and existing rooms.

After the conference a tight dismantling schedule had to be maintained to give room to the next big event in Amsterdam RAI, the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC).
In 14 hours’ time a team of 260 persons took down the twenty temporary lecture rooms including 4,000 meter truss and curtains, 22,000m2 carpet, 13.000 chairs and of course all audio visual facilities.

In the meantime the organization of ESC is already preparing for the next two congresses, in 2014 in Barcelona and in 2015 in London.
Also at these locations, ACS will take care of the installation of the audio visual facilities and the construction of temporary rooms. Furthermore innovations in the concept of temporary room building  are expected and are promising a totally new look and feel.