Want a little something special for your conference? How about completely covering the walls of a large amphitheater with superior quality audiovisual — making it sound and look as if meeting attendees are smack dab in the middle of FirstEnergy Stadium, ready to cheer on the Cleveland Browns?
Or, how about a large screen hologram of a human model? Depending on camera position, tech operators can zoom in on specific organs and body systems.
“This is incredible technology. It’s the future of medical education,” says Jeff Burr, director, event technology, PSAV, which partners with InterContinental Cleveland to bring cutting edge audiovisual and event technology to the hotel’s Bank of America Amphitheater.
InterContinental Cleveland was built as a new hotel in 2003 and is owned by its neighbor, Cleveland Clinic. Understandably, the 500-seat, state-of-the art amphitheater is particularly well suited for medical conferences. But corporations and organizations find the space (flexible in size and services) to be an unparalleled opportunity. The amphitheater was refreshed and expanded in 2015.
At every seating unit there is a power connection, internet connection directly connected to Cleveland Clinic and an audience response system to instantly poll attendees. Every seat has a full view of the screens and platform. Also, forget frantically navigating around chairs and tables to get a microphone to someone with a question. It’s all built in. And did we mention the comfortable seating that makes attendees feel as if they are sitting in a high-end boardroom?
“People may sit in the amphitheater for six to eight hours. You need to make it state of the art, comfortable and attractive,” says Craig Campbell, the hotel’s area director of sales and marketing. “There is no doubt that conferences, meetings and events have been booked in Cleveland because of this facility. If it wasn’t available, those event planners would have gone elsewhere.”
Burr says the best high-tech programs “run on redundancy.” He happily will explain AV amenities that include gobos (templates that enhance lighting) and video shadowing (balanced camera work). But having whole-system backup at all times is what can make or break a conference.
“A total of four high-end projectors are built in,” explains Burr. “If one should fail during a presentation or show, we can seamlessly roll to the backup and audiences will see not much more than a flicker on the screen.”
It goes without saying that the Cleveland Clinic is a world leader in medical innovations. Campbell sys that “forward thinking extends to its technology needs and the capabilities” at Intercontinental Cleveland and PSAV. The ongoing investment is, of course, a huge benefit to Northeast Ohio in general and the international medical community. (Medical conferences and meetings are both recorded with television station quality and live-streamed across the globe.)
But Campbell sees the amazing AV experience at the hotel as vital and unique for other purposes as well, including motion picture releases and the introduction of new products, to name a few.
“If you have heavy hitters attending your conference, you better have a facility that can accommodate all the latest AV needs,” says Campbell.
9801 Carnegie Ave., 216-707-4100,
intercontinentalcleveland.com