If you assumed that Middle Atlantic, probably the AV industry’s most well-known furniture brand, already had conference tables, you’d be wrong. But you wouldn’t be alone. “People probably assume we already have one, but we’ve never really brought a table to the market,” Rebeca Villareale, marketing manager, Middle Atlantic Products, tells CI. That is, until Middle Atlantic unveiled its T5 Series Conference Tables at InfoComm 2017.
Middle Atlantic’s first conference table release comes at a time when meetings are changing and both furniture and technology are either adapting or leading the way.
“People probably assume we already have one, but we’ve never really brought a table to the market,” says Middle Atlantic’s Rebeca Villareale.
The T5 Series features a Tech Kit featuring a patent-pending, swing-out rack that provides up to 3RU (knobs out) or small device mounting that can be located within the table pedestal, according to Middle Atlantic.
There are three sizes, ranging up to seating for 14. There are two shapes – “one more traditional and one more modern,” Villareale says. It’s available in six colors.
T5 Series’ Install-friendly Features
Middle Atlantic says it includes innovative mounting flexibility. Calling it an “all-in-one furniture solution that has all the elements you need for a well-functioning AV system,” according to Villareale, it also included power distribution, table boxes with connectivity, and cable management.
Each T5 solution includes a table top, support pedestals, and a Tech Kit, which ships separately to allow integration to begin immediately. The technology “can be loaded in the shop and installed on site,” Villareale adds.
The racks can be removed, allowing primary integration and testing to occur on a traditional work surface rather than crouching under the table, adds a Middle Atlantic press release. The racks also feature three of Middle Atlantic’s patented tool-free Lever Lock plates for tool-free mounting possibilities. The pedestal conceals both Wiremold InteGreat HDMI Cable Retractors and a Table Box, providing two HDMI connections and two AC outlets for power right at the table surface.
“The conference table is a fixture of many large meeting rooms, but they’re not always conducive to the kind of systems that need to be installed in the room or with built-in connectivity that’s needed in today’s BYOD environment,” says Megan Knedler, director of product management, furniture, Middle Atlantic, in a press release.
“The T5 Series Conference Tables brings together our expertise in reliable rack infrastructure, device mounting, thermal management, power, and connectivity into one comprehensive furniture solution that’s designed how integrators need to work. The T5 Series is a beautiful furniture option built for reliable AV.”
Meanwhile, Middle Atlantic sees its T4 Series Conference Tables as a business opportunity for integration firms. “Not a lot of AV integrators traditionally had a lot of opportunity here,” Villareale says, referring to specifying and selling conference tables to customers. “But in a conference room it’s pretty central.”
As Middle Atlantic puts it in its press release, the T5 Series is creating the opportunity for integrators to broaden their commercial product offering with furniture that’s reflective of modern design trends while being engineered to support changing device requirements, adding value to the AV rack and their integration services. Middle Atlantic simplifies the process of expanding into this category with beautiful, preconfigured T5 Series Conference Tables. The preconfigured T5 Series Conference Tables are available in the same finishes and styles as Middle Atlantic’s popular C5 Series Credenzas.
“We really dipped our toe in the water for conference spaces with credenzas,” Villareale. “We really wanted to make sure what we offer addresses challenges for integrators.”
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