Auditorium Upgrade with audience camera tracking at Energus
The client
Energus is a unique conference and training venue situated on the edge of the picturesque Lake District in West Cumbria. It offers inspiring and flexible interactive spaces with comprehensive business support and training facilities.
The challenge
As a centre of excellence for education and training, Energus had to find its way to a sustainable post-COVID-19 future. With events and conferences on hold during the pandemic, the team at Energus launched a refurbishment of their 204-seat auditorium. The update was designed in partnership with audio visual integrator Pure AV, the company challenged to provide the latest presentation, streaming and conferencing technologies. The Auditorium needed to become a venue capable of in-person, virtual and hybrid events and ready to meet the demands of the post-COVID-19 events sector.
The solution
The Auditorium stands out through a 4.3m by 2.4m LED video wall, which is complemented by a fully controllable ambient lighting system and immersive 5.1 surround sound. The Auditorium features a fully touchless audience microphone system. Seven Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 microphones provide complete coverage of the space, enabling audience members to participate without handling a mic.
"The new Auditorium facilities will place Energus at the forefront of the post-pandemic events industry."
The Auditorium is a milestone for Energus in its endeavour to accelerate their digital strategy as a streaming and video conferencing facility using the latest and greatest tech. The show-stopping LED wall, cutting edge touchless mic arrays and automated camera tracking form a feature-rich, flexible platform ready for virtual and hybrid events.
The audience experience at the Energus Auditorium is enhanced by the addition of automated tracking cameras for hybrid events. The presenter can move freely around the presentation area while their movement is being followed, captured and shared by the integrated PTZ camera. A second PTZ camera, directed at the audience, is driven by the positional data provided by the TeamConnect Ceiling 2 mic arrays. The Crestron control system uses this data so that the camera preset will automatically direct the camera to the person speaking in the audience.
The addition of automated audience-video tracking is a compelling feature for hybrid events. The combination of high-quality audio pick-up and the automatic adjustment of the camera to track the speaker makes it easier for those not in the room to follow the debate and interaction within the auditorium.
