Markets /markets Customer Profiles /markets/customerProfiles/default.asp Avanta Business Centres /markets/customerProfiles/Avanta/default.asp Avanta Business Centres United Kingdom Business /markets/customerProfiles/Avanta/imgs/boardroom.jpg /markets/customerProfiles/Avanta/imgs/meetingroom1.jpg /markets/customerProfiles/Avanta/imgs/meetingroom2.jpg /markets/customerProfiles/Avanta/imgs/meetingroom3.jpg Avanta Business Centres /assets/literature/Avanta.Business.Centres.pdf /assets/literature/thumbs/present_Avanta.jpg PDF | 724 KB 2009-10-13 1 “The Novara Control Pads are so easy to use, when you press a button it does exactly what it says it will do and that makes it so straightforward. In our experience it is the ideal solution. The units have proved to be extremely reliable.” Avanta is a leading UK serviced office company which manages over 670,000 sq ft of office space in prime locations in London, the Thames Valley, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh. The company opened eight new business centres in London and across the UK last year, and is continuing to expand its portfolio and diversify its network of locations. London is a key market for Avanta and its business presence in the capital includes office suites in the West End, Midtown, City and Hammersmith. In today’s business environment the demand for serviced offices is buoyant, and the customers know exactly what they want: great value for money; choice of location; and access to fully-equipped conference rooms with the latest AV technology. Val Pearson is the UK Operations Manager at Avanta, and she’s responsible for the smooth running of Avanta’s 16 UK business centres. “We rent out meeting rooms to internal and external clients who need access to all the latest technology. Some of our clients might use our rooms regularly but many of them will only hire a room once,” Val explained. “We needed a system for controlling the technology in our meeting rooms and it had to be self-explanatory and straightforward to operate. Also, it was crucial that it did not involve our staff constantly having to show people how to use it.” Simple Flexible Room Control Avanta consulted specialist installer Martin Cowling at AV Communications for the solution, “I recommended an AMX system using AMX Novara ControlPads because it’s ideal for simple, flexible, cost-effective room control”, said Martin. “I like the logical layout of the Novara because this makes it easy to operate, in fact anyone can use the system without the need for training. Also, in a corporate environment you need a control pad that’s fairly rugged and capable of withstanding heavy use, and the Novara is reliable and robust and meets this need perfectly,” he explained. That was two years ago, and Avanta now has AMX Novara control in over 30 of its meeting rooms. The Novara ControlPads give presenters fingertip control of the latest AV equipment, including LCD projectors, TV/VCR, audio, video conferencing, plasmas screens, and laptops. Combination Rooms “To control the PC, video, and audio switching I used the AMX Solecis Integration Switcher. Some of Avanta’s meeting rooms are combination rooms with removable partitions so they can be separated to create double or triple meeting spaces. This requires a flexible solution and Novara and Solecis are versatile and adaptable enough to work with these demands”. “I recommended an AMX system, using AMX Novara control pads, because it is ideal for simple flexible room control”, said Martin. “I like the logical layout of the Novara which makes it easy to use and therefore no training is required to operate the system. Also, but just as important, it’s reliable and robust enough for the corporate environment where it has to be fairly rugged and capable of withstanding heavy use.” Real Benefits Does Avanta think the investment has been worthwhile? According to Val, “Definitely, The control pads have proved to be extremely reliable. Novara is the ideal solution for us because the panels are logical and self-explanatory. When you press a button it does exactly what it says it will do. We simply show our customers where the panel is then they take it from there and can operate the room technology with confidence.”