Calculations, geeks with CTS certifications, technical jargon…at the end of the day AV Design is about the ability to solve unique problems with creativity. And that is critical to VisionPoint.

Last year we were given the opportunity to help Hammond Iles Wealth Advisors with a not-so-typical AV project.

The Challenge

Hammond Iles is a Wealth Management Firm based out of Wethersfield, CT. They take a well-rounded approach to their Marketing; hosting educational virtual events and producing their own podcast on all things related to money titled, Your Money Your Purpose.

At the time, they were renting out a recording studio in the Hartford area. On the other hand, they were looking for ways to improve their conferencing and virtual event experiences.

As an organization, they wanted to upgrade their conferencing technology to improve the user experience when conducting one-on-one sessions with their clients. They would often host and participate in virtual events in their industry. With the ability to record these events, they could use the content for educational purposes to share with their clients, and the public.

The Design

After assessing the situation, our Engineering team decided to design a solution built around flexibility. The two priorities were giving Hammond Iles the ability to produce Marketing content in-house and upgrading the quality of their videoconferencing.

Due to the size of the room, VisionPoint suggested a speaker-tracking PTZ camera to capture high-quality video for both conferencing and livestreamed events, paired with two video displays. For audio, our engineering team proposed wireless goose-neck microphones which can be brought up close to the user during a virtual event. These mics also give Hammond Iles the ability to produce crystal-clear audio for their Podcast, eliminating the need to rent out a studio and produce content off-site.

The last element of the design included the ability to record audio and video content for marketing and educational purposes. Using a streaming media processor, Hammond Iles now has the ability to record to a USB drive in various formats. To control the room, users can use an iPad to control every function of the system from making an audio call, to recording their weekly podcast.

Result

We caught up with Greg Hammond, who is a frequent user of the Podcasting Room to see how the solution has been working for their organization.

“For videoconferencing, we use it not only for one-on-one meetings with clients; but also for group settings and sometimes for hosting international conferences.” Greg said. He also mentioned that they host a monthly “Financial Power Hour”, which is an educational workshop for clients that they host through Zoom. We also found out that they are planning to record the events so they can later be shared with clients, and the general public!

Hammond Iles now has a fully integrated and optimized space; helping them connect with their clients on a deeper level, along with supporting marketing initiatives within their organization.

A special thanks to Kelly Bradley and Greg Hammond for letting us come back and take pictures of the space.