Aztec Event Services is rolling out its newly acquired ‘silent seminar’ technology this autumn, after investing over £50,000 in the Bosch Integrus infra-red audio broadcasting system. Having previously hired silent seminar technology when required, the growing demand for this service has prompted Aztec to acquire its own suite of equipment. Aztec successfully rolled out the system at Cross Media 2012, 3-4 September 2012 at the Business Design Centre, London and is planning to deploy silent seminar equipment at a string of events this autumn, starting with Employee Benefits Live, 25 -26 September, Olympia, London.

This investment meets the needs of the increasing numbers of seminars and lectures being held on the exhibition floor where the noise levels are often high.

One solution to overcoming high levels of background noise during seminar presentations is to use a PA system to amplify the speakers voice, but this approach has several drawbacks in the typical exhibition environment: it adds to the overall noise levels, making things difficult for exhibitors nearby, the cavernous interiors of many exhibition halls create distortions and echoes that can render a speaker unintelligible, and audiences close to the speakers are deafened, whilst those at the back cannot hear properly. The alternative is to build a dedicated seminar room which does overcome these shortcomings, but with a considerable price tag, as the room has to be designed, constructed, furnished, lit, wired for sound and then soundproofed.

Aztec’s newly acquired Bosch Integrus system cleverly sidesteps all these problems by beaming the speakers voice from infra-red transmitters straight into individual headsets worn by audience members. The system supports four channels allowing Aztec to host up to four separate seminars simultaneously (or one seminar in four languages).

With this equipment, Aztec can offer measurable savings by removing the need to build and furnish seminar rooms.

The infra red system has the additional advantage of being largely immune to electrical and radio interference, and the Bosch Integrus system was chosen by Aztec because of its superior performance in challenging lighting conditions that can cause interference in less advanced infra-red based systems.

When installed the system allows seminars to be held in large open plan spaces without contributing to overall noise levels and ensures the audience can hear the speaker with complete clarity and in real time. Each headset features individual volume controls, allowing each audience member to choose their preferred volume, a feature particularly useful to the hearing impaired.