When Havas, one of the world’s largest global communications groups, decided to build-out their New York City headquarters it needed an AV system installed throughout the facility. It reached out to Verrex Corporation to provide integration for the project. Havas was outfitted with a state of the art system including multiple background music systems within dedicated videoconferencing suites, presentation rooms, conference rooms, team rooms, focus rooms, the lobby, and the boardroom. The system delivers HD content to 250 rooms through hardwire and Wi-Fi, without the need for AV cable hookup.
The piece that makes the biggest impression can be found in Havas’ main presentation room. Using TAD Associates as an AV consultant, Verrex was able to install an 8-foot by 36-foot multi-purpose video presentation system. The screen is comprised of three separate Snapper Wraparound projection screens, provided by Stewart Filmscreen, able to collapse to a width of 12 or 6 feet, allowing a view of Lower Manhattan from the exterior wall behind the system. The outside screens slide manually to center using a ceiling track and roller assembly. It requires two men to push the screens behind center.
Six floor-mounted and six overhead Panasonic ultra-short throw NEC LCD projectors use Scalable Display image processing to create 1536 x 7680 image resolution. The system can produce four separate images, full-screen display, background-full screen display, three evenly-spaced individual images, and two side-by-side images approximately 8-feet by 16-feet. The projectors are held by RP Visual custom brackets that run the length of the system.
The MPR system reproduces voice and program sound audio throughout the main hall using two wireless speakers that allow for mobility of presenters and speakers. Three mid/full and two sub-woofer K-Array speakers provide a crisp reproduction that resonated throughout the hall. The series of speakers are housed with the projection system in the custom brackets running along the floor and overhead.
The system is controlled by an iPAD connected to a Crestron AV2 processor, meeting commands with a graphical user interface for screen set up and source destinations.
“It was a conceptual piece that was designed and developed by Havas and TAD associates,” says Scott Farrara, senior account executive at Verrex in charge of integrating the project. “Verrex priced it and did the installation.”
Click here to see photos of the visual system installed in the main presentation room.
Havas has set the room up in a classroom style, as a theater, and in a town hall type of setting. It has brought in dining room tables for dinners and cleared the space for welcoming parties. The screen has been used for presentations, meetings, and welcoming prospective clients.
“The clients coming in have been wowed by it,” says John Morea, Director of Information Technology at Havas.
Due to the system being multi-sourced, the company is able to provide different forms of content at once. Havas needed a screen that could provide imagery for full-sized bus wraps, a medium the company uses for advertisement. A video can play in one area while a slideshow flips through photos in another and rolling text accompanies the two in yet another space. The audio system allows for more casual presentations as well.
Morea mentioned that, while the system isn’t overly complicated, the company was unfamiliar with the technology. Verrex has worked with the company to smooth out any bugs that needed to be fixed, and to get them up to speed in utilizing the system overall. As the days go by, the system is becoming easier and easier to use. He would recommend the system to companies that are looking for a similar large scale display system.
So what is the biggest challenge if you are considering a project as massive as the screen at Havas?
“It’s a $250,000 room,” says Farrara. While the connectivity and set-up came without challenges, the price is steep for some companies looking for a similar screen. If you have the cash, however, it’s a solid option.
If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!
Leave a Reply