A successful event is much more than simply getting people together at the same place and time and on the same day. It includes making sure that everyone 
can see, hear and participate. With that in mind Ball Event Center has updated and improved equipment and technology throughout the facility to make sure that every guest and every attendee of every event experiences the Center to its fullest.
Ball Event Center has always offered top-flight audio and projection systems for video conferencing and connections to remote sites, but recent upgrades to the Ballroom, Mabee Learning Center and the Executive Boardroom have improved the user experience even more by going beyond conventional presentation and conferencing technology.
For organizers that means more flexibility, simplified operations and the ability to accommodate more hybrid events. Guests now enjoy better visibility and sound for a seamless experience, whether physically in the Center or located anywhere outside of it.
A Ballroom built for today’s events
The Ballroom’s improved projection and audio capabilities include: 
- Four 159-inch ceiling-recessed motorized screens
- Four Epson projectors
- Crestron Flex technology integrating Microsoft Teams and Zoom
- 10 ceiling-recessed speakers
- Two auto-tracking video cameras
- A matrix switcher for combining rooms
- Acoustical panels to reduce echoing
- Four touch panels for controlling room functions
The multiple screens and projectors allow presentations to be seen and heard throughout the space, rather than forcing people to focus on a single presentation area. That has improved sightlines for guests at large meetings, conferences and other events. Likewise, distributing audio through 10 recessed speakers, with acoustical panels to absorb ambient sound and reduce echo, has improved audio substantially.
The improvements have added to the Ballroom’s usability in that the new matrix switcher allows audiovisual signals to be routed throughout the space, even when it is reconfigured and divided into smaller areas. That allows the spaces to be wholly contained for breakout sessions, then “combined” as needed via the four new touch panels that give organizers and staff centralized control of every area’s sound and visual functions.
From videoconferencing to an integrated hybrid experience
Ball Event Center has always offered mobile video conferencing to remote sites, but the new Crestron Flex systems further integrate those capabilities by allowing Microsoft Teams and Zoom to be incorporated into the technology embedded throughout, so operators are no longer dependent on temporary conferencing equipment or a standalone computer. 
The Ballroom now has two auto-tracking cameras and the Mabee Learning Center has three. Cameras at the front and back of the room allow attendees to watch activities as they happen, with presenters and speakers in constant view. There is less equipment and setup required and a more engaging connection between people in the room and those out of it is easier to establish and maintain.
The Mabee Learning Center’s new technology improves interactions for training and educational programs. Its improvements include:
- Two 98-inch wall-mounted displays at the front of the room
- Two 65-inch wall-mounted displays at the back
- Crestron Flex technology integrating Microsoft Teams and Zoom
- Eight ceiling-recessed speakers
- Six ceiling microphones
- An audio amplifier
- Three auto-tracking video cameras
- A touch panel for controlling room functions
Besides improvements that support two-way participation, the new ceiling microphones amplify sound throughout the room, eliminating the need to pass microphones. Speakers, participants and instructors can easily move around the room, encouraging more spontaneous interactions that remote attendees can see and hear, and even participate in themselves.
A boardroom designed for discussion 
Improvements in the Executive Boardroom include:
- A 98-inch wall-mounted display
- Crestron Flex technology integrating Microsoft Teams and Zoom
- Eight ceiling microphones
- XPanel control for network connectivity
- Two ceiling-recessed speakers
- 96 24-by-48-by-2-inch acoustical panels to reduce echoing
The enlarged presentation space for video conferencing and the ceiling microphones means less dependence on tabletop or portable equipment, particularly important in a space where conversation is integral to its usefulness. The panels reduce sound bouncing and echo, improving the clarity of the speakers and the transmission to remote participants.
A new generation of event technology
The improvements go far beyond simply replacing older equipment with new. The previous technology provided all the tools needed for presentations, audio and remote connections, but now they are fully integrated into the rooms themselves, expanding the organizer’s options while facilitating better connections, both in terms of technology and delivering content, instruction and information.
Attendees can see better, literally, both on site and off, and all are better able to become more involved in events because they are no longer simply watching or listening from somewhere else.
The technology may be more sophisticated, but Ball Event Center’s goals are simple: events that are easier to manage and more satisfying for guests and attendees.
