Daniel J SaitA major aspect of this year’s EI Live! show, the UK’s only trade event dedicated to the smart building market, will be an enhanced learning zone offering valuable insights and tangible take-aways for installers.
Organisers have gathered together some of the industry’s most experienced practitioners and leading companies to present on key areas. Here are just a few of those already signed up to speak at the show on May 10-11 at Sandown Park – times of the talks will be announced nearer the event. More top presenters are being lined up, so stay tuned for more information. Free registration for the show can be found here
Time-table for the courses and presentations is at the bottom of this article.
Course: ‘Understanding and Troubleshooting UHD, HDR, HFR’
The Learning Zone this year is being sponsored by CYP, a company that is always a big supporter and provider of training.
Martin Featherstone, CYP commercial director, says: “With the wealth of technology available to today’s integrator, it is crucial to keep abreast of the various ‘standards’ and solutions available and, critically, how to achieve the very best results for the customer. At CYP, as well as delivering AV innovation, we know that training is vital and the popularity of our AV Academy workshops proves that there is a real hunger from the industry for unbiased technology advice. We are delighted to be partnering with EI Live! to bring you the Training Zone at this year’s show, which underpins our commitment to offer the industry the crucial support that is necessary in this fast-paced industry.”
The course CYP will be presenting on both days will deliver to installers an understanding of how to cope with the shift to new standards and solutions.
Presenter: CYP Technical Training Manager – Nick Bovill. A highly experienced AV professional, Nick has 15 years in the field, including at Samsung, where where he was an instrumental member of the training team. Nick also has extensive experience as an AV engineer, having toured throughout Europe and written, recorded and produced music and sound design pieces that have been used extensively on TV and radio.
Nick Bovill, CYP’s European technical training manager
Course: TCP/IP Concepts for the AV Professional
Control4 will use EI Live! to present a session looking at the importance of networking, entitled TCP/IP Concepts for the AV Professional. Needing to know how concepts around TCP/IP work is a must these days. What does a subnet mask do? What’s a default gateway or a DNS server? When do you use a static IP address verses a dynamic one? These are some of the questions facing the modern installers and Control4 will look to answer them.
Alex Cockram, national trainer for the EMEA region for Control4
Presenter: Alex Cockram, national trainer for the EMEA region for Control4, specialising in Training for home control and networking solutions.
Course: The Cinema Designer (TDC) Home Theatre Training
Show-goers can also hear about one of the most inventive, time and money saving design systems available as Guy Singleton of install company Imagine This presents a session based around his own invention. The Cinema Designer (TDC) Home Theatre Training seminar is aimed at home cinema installers, dealers and manufacturers and outlines the methods of designing home theatre or screening rooms to industry standards using revolutionary TCD software. TCD is the first fully cloud-based home theatre and screening room design software that will give all integrators the luxury of accurate designs in minutes.
CEDIA/CEA (now CTA) CEB-22 and CEB-23 are the international standards for all theatre designs; the course will touch on all aspects of these standards, from immersive audio to UHD video and its correct implementation, to award winning projects. TCD software will form the basis of the discussion points to allow for a fast paced, but incredibly accurate design which conforms to industry-recognised standards, so come and learn how to save yourself time and money and win more projects.
Guy received the Special Recognition accolade by CEDIA
Presenter: Guy is a fully qualified registered electrical and electronics engineer who has been involved with CEDIA since 1998.
Guy currently resides on the CEDIA EMEA standards council, the PDAC (professional Development Advisory Council) as well as many of the technical councils and white paper groups. He teaches and lectures internationally on CEDIA’s behalf and has presented as far afield as India, United States and Holland. Guy is a subject matter expert for CEDIA’s education council, specialising in lighting, HVAC and home theatre design. Guy is also a CEDIA judge for both the USA and Global awards program and is a qualified ISF instructor.
In 2016, Guy was presented with the prestigious ‘Special Recognition’ award from CEDIA EMEA for services to CEDIA and the industry as a whole. Simply put, Guy is one of the top installers on the planet right now, time listening to him is extremely well spent.
Course: How To Win Friends With Interfaces
Cliff Stammers, founder of leading Crestron programming company Oxberry will present a seminar entitled: How To Win Friends With Interfaces.
Cliff says: “A lot of what we do can be construed as being a dark art to our customers, so how do we throw as much light as we can on our work, without giving away all of the secrets? One approach is to make interfaces as engaging and as instinctive as possible.”
Cliff is one of the top Crestron programmers around
Presenter: Cliff Stammers has built an entire and very successful career out of creating compelling functionality and interfaces and will offer his insight on how to wow your customers. One of the most experienced Crestron programmers in the world, Cliff has been active in the market since the late nineties.
Past clients include various celebrities, professional sportsmen and women, Middle Eastern Royalty, Russian oligarchs and billionaire business people all over Europe, the Middle East and America. Cliff’s company, Oxberry was responsible for programing the Crestron Experience Centre at the company’s company UK HQ in Cobham and Crestron’s flagship New York Showroom on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. If you want to improve the way you interface with your projects and customers, Cliff is the man to help.
Course: uControl = free whole-home AV control
HDANYWHERE (HDA) is sponsoring this year’s show and is also presenting a seminar entitled: uControl = free whole-home AV control from HDanywhere.
In short, uControl is an App that turns iOS and Android devices into a universal remote control for operating AV devices connected to an HDA system via IR. Installers are encouraged to come and learn to harness the power of uControl, HDanywhere’s innovative and intuitive control System. In this 45 minute session, attendees will learn: The benefits of cloud-based control, how to set up display and source control in under 10 minutes with no additional hardware, the benefits of HDA design, the roadmap for uControl including Alexa integration.
Joe Fletcher, HDanywhere’s training and technical support manager
Presenter: This session is delivered by Joe Fletcher, HDanywhere’s training and technical support manager who joined the company in 2014 to pursue his passion for pro AV after previously working as an educator in the music industry.
Course: How KNX makes your projects easier and your business more profitable
KNX as a platform has been gaining in popularity in recent years with its flexibility, ease of use and compatibility with other automation platforms delivering many pluses. One of the companies blazing a trail here is Ivory Egg,which supplies and supports a wide range of KNX products and solutions.
Martin Hawley from Ivory Egg will be presenting a seminar entitled: How KNX makes your projects easier and your business more profitable. In a nutshell, this session will explore what KNX is and how installers can use it to increase the value and scope of projects. Attendees will also find out what the benefits of using KNX will bring to customers and to their business.
Martin Hawley will be showing how to make KNX work for you
Presenter: Martin has worked within the KNX industry for over seven years supporting Architects, M&E Consultants and Integrators on their journey with KNX. He is able to speak with confidence, authority and enthusiasm about the entire smart home industry.
Course: Listening to Music and Movies in 2020
CEDIA is set to present its session ‘Listening to Music and Movies in 2020’
Consumers’ lives are increasingly mobile, urban, connected, and complex. As these trends continue, people will have access to more content, in more formats and in more places than ever before. Numerous applications from airlines to automotive, from super yachts to urban apartments are being developed. How will this look, sound, and feel in 2020? How will innovations in other markets impact on the expectations of our clients? Join us to explore some of the possibilities.
Andy Oattes from LODE Audio will be presenting this session using all his insights as one of the team behind one of the UK’s leading multi-room audio system providers.
Presenter: With nearly two decades of experience in the AV sector, working with world-leading brands such as SONOS and Linn, Andy heads up global sales for Lode Audio. Lode Audio is a London-based, premium audio platform manufacturer, best known for developing high-quality solutions specifically for the CI sector. Andy is a huge music fan and observer of all things related. He is particularly fascinated with audio reproduction and the impact of technology on the way we consume music.
Andy has over 20 years experience in the AV industry
Times and dates for the Learning Zone
10th May
10.45 -11.30 Control4
11.45-12.30 HDAnywere
12.45-1.30 Ivory Egg
1.45-2.30 CYP
2.45-3.30 Cliff Stammers: Turn up at 2.30 for a 2.45 start.
11th May
10.45 -11.30 CEDIA
11.45-12.30 CYP
12.45-1.30 HDAnywhere
1.45-2.30 Ivory Egg
2.45-3.30 Guy Singleton/TCD: to ensure you get a seat, please come to the learning zone at 2.30.