As opposed to the government-delimited radio/TV spectrum, the Internet has enough bandwidth to accommodate plenty of webcasters. While today’s biggest ones are major media operations that “simulcast” their content, the most exciting thing about webcasting for businesspeople, especially marketing pros, is how easy, inexpensive and effective it can be.

A “Must-Have” Technology

Businesses have gleefully adopted the new technologies of the Internet Era as they have appeared. When the graphical layer of the Internet we call “the World Wide Web” launched in the early 1990s, having a website soon became a must. A series of other must-have technologies followed and, in fact, today’s iPad rentals are one of the most-wanted must-haves ever.

Right now, though, webcasting/simulcasting is the latest “big thing.” Webcasting is already being used quite extensively in firms large and small for presentations, annual meetings, e-learning (class simulcasts and “webinars”) and other communications activities. With potent CRE computer rentals for the media and webcasting duties – and everything from microphones to mixers to capture the “sights and sounds” of the event, courtesy of our audio visual rentals – we’ve got you covered.

Marketing Benefits

Simulcasting adds viewers around the world at very low cost. If you use CRE for your convention rentals, and plan to do a breakout session, we can help you simulcast it over the Internet. Major convention keynote speeches – and events like Sting’s upcoming appearance at Oracle OpenWorld 2011 – have been simulcast for several years now, but costs are now low enough for everyone.

The webcasting experience of Cisco, a major technology leader, is instructive. Adding webcasting to its annual event in 2009 was “a big risk,” or so the execs thought. The result? There were 10,000 at the live event, and another 5,000 remote attendees, over half of whom were first-timers. Better yet, between a quarter and a third of those remote attendees attended the annual event in later years. Cisco’s experience changed the way this already-successful company did business.

With live audiences, you can use CRE’s Audience Response System rentals to elicit real-time feedback. With a webcast, you have free reign to make it as interactive and collaborative as you want. The options are as numerous as the opportunities in this exciting era of “broadcast democratization,” and CRE can help you every step of the way. Call or e-mail an Account Executive, or use the Quick Rental Quote form, and get your show on the road – and simulcast it, too!

Audience response system technology has been around for years (see this interesting piece from 1999) but the new, small, super-smart and wireless systems of today are both easy to use and powerful. And audience response approaches work everywhere, from stockholder meetings to conferences. Let’s take a quick look.

For Employee Training

With Audience Response System rentals from CRE Rentals,  you can evaluate employees before and after training sessions to better gauge the effectiveness of your approach. In addition, you can arrange for plasma rentals to display important information, then measure its effectiveness in real time. Plus, feedback can be completely anonymous.

In companies where training goes on regularly (even continuously), audience response technology is a powerful tool for helping employees build the requisite knowledge base, as well as retain it. Trainers will continue to learn what works (and what doesn’t) with their specific materials and approach, and can thus “tweak” the training on a continuous basis.

For Sales/Marketing Purposes

For a product launch, sales training session or focus group – anywhere new company concepts, terms and products are being presented – using an audience response setup enables management to gather critical information. Company leaders can determine if their sales force has sufficient product and market knowledge to succeed, as well as discover what is most important to the typical user of their product or service.

Although there are some first stabs at making a Web-based ARS, using a state-of-the-art, self-contained audience polling system allows for everything we’ve mentioned – plus easy voting at stockholder meetings, and feedback on company initiatives, new products and other matters. All of this helps corporate managers determine improvements to every phase of the business, from product development to media strategies.

Top Benefits of Audience Response

Audience response rentals from CRE offer tremendous advantages:

• Speakers can modify their presentations based on the feedback received.
• Information is gathered on-site and in real-time, so it is more up-to-date than surveys done days or weeks after the training or focus group sessions end.
• Votes/responses can be secret.
• Interactivity increases attendee understanding and retention, due to increased attentiveness and participation.
• Audience response technology is easy to use and saves time, effort and money.
• After it is gathered, the data can be stored or output with various reporting options.
• And a happy bonus: Audience Response technology is very green (which we support enthusiastically) and eliminates stacks and stacks of paper.

Call or e-mail an expert Account Executive, or use our Quick Rental Quote form, and we’ll help you freshen up your meeting!

Experts (and buyers) of all kinds

Hardware, software and service companies of all kinds will be touting their wares to 90,000+ media and entertainment professionals from some 150 countries – executives, producers, writers, content distribution/delivery experts, IT managers and many others. CRE convention rentals are key to an effective exhibit – you are going, right? – and, with a shot at over $35 billion in purchasing power in attendance, missing the NAB Show could cost you. CRE can deliver and set up everything you need to make a powerful impression, starting with attention-getting, big-screen plasma rentals.

Show promoters are not kidding when they say that the NAB Show is “where possibilities become realities,” and to maximize your presence you need to be in multiple places – at once. How? You can use both humans and machines for this nifty trick. Send some of your conference team through the Convention Center with iPad rentals stocked with presentations, marketing materials and video clips. If you’re short on humans, you can place a few of CRE’s interactive kiosk rentals in strategic locations to offer product/service info and capture attendee contact data.

Mapping the future

From custom-designed content management systems to the latest software for creating natural 3D environments, the NAB Show is also where you will get up to speed on where the future’s headed. Whether you’re leading one of the 500+ skill-building sessions or polling a room full of broadcast pros with our Audience Response System rentals, we can set it up right – and pack it up when you’re done. After five or six days of interacting with over 1,500 different companies spread across more than 800,000 square feet of floor space, you might be a little tired!

Conferences are just one way that CRE can help you, but you’re not exhibiting and/or attending one every day. For every other day of the year, we’re here with the solutions that will empower you to plow through production bottlenecks with our render farm rentals or store terabytes of digital media on Xserve RAID rentals. Use the Quick Rental Quote form if you know what you need, or call or e-mail an expert Account Executive for assistance. Whether you’re headed to Vegas next month or not, CRE is the right destination when your digital workflow needs a boost or a breakthrough. That’s what we do!

1. The right kind of session

Obviously, the session topic needs to relate strongly to the conference theme. In a recessionary economy, you may need to focus on the one or two most important conferences rather than spread yourself thin covering “second-best” venues. The “right kind of session” also means the appropriate delivery method – video on LCD monitor rentals, presenter with slides, interactive, discussion panel – and compelling content. Experts note that attendees need to feel that the material they are receiving will resonate with them and be filled with concrete and practical advice.

2. Pre-session promotion

In most cases, you can buy the e-mail list of last year’s conference to promote your breakout session at the current one. You can also do some promotion via trade journals, newspapers, blogs and the Web newswire services. Don’t forget that interactive kiosk rentals can serve as “robot PR people” at the conference. The kiosks can run promotional spots as attendees walk by or showcase additional information on the spot. You need to get people to your session, so drum up some excitement!

3. All-important follow-up

Whatever the audio visual requirements are, CRE has audiovisual rentals and the broadest selection of LCD monitor rentals to fill the bill. Add  great content, and you could have a real hit.

Unfortunately, there is no way to speak with every attendee individually, so post-session and post-conference follow-up is essential. Collect attendee contact info with an old-fashioned sign-up list. Or, try polling attendees during the session using an audience response system rental. Not only will you gather feedback about the session but you can also collect attendee contact information.  Once the conference is over, you can start following-up.

Remember, whatever your situation with conventions or digital workloads, CRE is your premier solution provider. Call or e-mail an Account Executive today, or fill out the Quick Rental Quote form, and get moving with state-of-the-art speed and capabilities!

129th AES Convention

AES (the Audio Engineering Society) is a driving force in the evolution of pro audio expertise and education, and it will hold its 129th annual get-together at Moscone Center in San Francisco from November 4-7, 2010.

To help you stay on time and on track, AES is following one of the primary “green convention” recommendations by maintaining a constantly updated online calendar for finding special events, workshops, presentations, tutorials and technical seminars at the event.

If you are exhibiting at the AES Convention this year, showcase your product or service to engineers, executives, marketing directors and product developers with AES plasma rentals – it will put your message on a screen that can’t be missed. If you’re planning any presentations, we’ve got you covered there, too. CRE has the full range of convention rentals to outfit your booth including an interactive kiosk rentals that can display your products and take contact information from attendees.

2010 SEMA Show

From November 2-5 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the premier trade event for automotive specialty and aftermarket products will showcase the latest, greatest innovations. The SEMA Show, not open to the general public, attracts industry leaders, buyers, and retailers from 100+ countries.

If you are exhibiting, consider outfitting your team with iPad rentals to survey visitors to your booth or gather contact information. Or cut through the noise and bring your message to those who need to hear it with bright, bold graphics on our SEMA plasma rentals – 50 inches of true 1080p HD quality color and action sound. The right selection of audio visual rentals guarantees your message is seen and  heard.

G2E: Global Gaming Expo

The Global Gaming Expo, G2E, the only event produced “by the industry, for the industry,” has been on the leading edge of the gaming industry for a decade now and is at the Las Vegas Convention Center from November 15-18. Professionals from around the world will gather to see and learn what’s new and what’s next in a dynamic, ever-evolving marketplace.

G2E’s  exhibit floor is packed with exhibitors and if you will be among them, you need CRE to help you rise above the crowd. Touchscreen LCD monitor rentals are great for that. Splash an animated welcome sign on one and invite passersby to sample videos, watch product demos or browse through your digital brochures and product displays.  If you are conducting a breakout session and want feedback from industry pros, Audience Response System rentals are the way to go.

Exhibiting, attending or both, you will get the advice and the equipment you need with one call to a CRE Account Executive. Call or e-mail, or fill out the Quick Rental Quote form, and we will help you plan a powerful presence that is problem-free.

Green convention centers are similar to the new generation of green hotels. The major areas of concern for the builders and managers of these facilities are

• energy efficiency,
• water efficiency,
• transportation alternatives,
• waste management,
• using environmentally-friendly products,
• indoor air quality and
• ongoing education of guests and staff.

Energy-saving operations

The new generation of green convention centers debuted in the early 2000s with a variety of new, state-of-the-art, energy-efficient features. These include highly advanced, computerized building management systems with the latest in efficient lighting, plus occupancy sensors that reduce demands on lighting and HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) as meeting rooms are vacated. In the most advanced facilities, these systems also reduce power, light and HVAC for exhibit hall setup and breakdown. If you are setting up your plasma rentals and other convention rentals at your hall location, facilities managers can ensure that the power outlets to the floor are on for your convenience even when building systems are scaled back.

When the exhibit hall opens and the conference gets going, energy-conserving compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) come into play and continue reducing the expenditure of both energy (up to 70% less energy than incandescent bulbs) and money. Also making major savings contributions are such construction techniques as the Sarnafil EnergySmart Roof system, which successfully and cost-effectively reduces atmospheric heat absorption. Other green roof systems use pre-vegetated mats, some half a foot thick containing sedum plants and other greenery. to provide both short- and long-term benefits such as reduced rain runoff and improved insulation.

Cleaning, recycling, transportation

Leading edge green convention centers also focus on the back end – what happens after the conference is over. Well-designed, comprehensive recycling programs deal with everything from composting food waste, reusing oil and grease, and collecting wood pallets to gathering up all glass, metal, plastic and cardboard materials. Exhibitors that anticipate a great deal of waste can arrange with facilities management for interim waste pickups or special handling of certain materials. Environmentally safe cleaning products are used in green convention centers, as well as low-flow toilets, efficient HEPA air filtration systems and paper products that are made from a high percentage of post-consumer waste. Before, during and after the big event, the same mindset holds – think green, start to finish.

Green convention centers also extend the enviro-friendly thinking to transportation, too.  Conference center managers work with municipal and private bus systems, and also cooperate with event organizers to set up whatever shuttle systems are most suited to the event and location. The new, still-evolving green convention centers consider every step, every angle and every option that can save energy while sustaining the highest levels of comfort and quality. After you head back to HQ from the convention, and start going through the contact information you captured on your interactive kiosk rentals, the managers of the green convention centers are getting ready for the next conference – and keeping tabs on the latest energy-saving technologies, too.

That pursuit of quality and dedication to progress are qualities that CRE embodies, as well. Whether you require a touchscreen monitor rental for your booth or Audience Response System rentals for a conference breakout session, we have what you need. We also have it when you need it, and can put it where you need it, too. Fill out the online Quick Rental Quote form, and let us know how we can help you get “green”.

Apple’s iPad has been getting a ridiculous amount of press, but precious little has been said about serious, productive uses (even in our own first look). Its size, about midway between a smart phone and a netbook, means it has enough screen real estate to do real browsing, writing (with a nice on-screen keyboard or a Bluetooth wireless one), reading and document handling (PDFs, photos, video, etc.). With WiFi-only and WiFi-plus-3G connectivity, you can stay in touch with one, two or 200 colleagues, customers, clients and/or coworkers, wherever you are, to accomplish pretty much whatever you need to do. When the “excitement of the new” wears off, the iPad should be standing tall, regardless, as it really can be a great tool for you, as Adobe proved this week with its release of iPad-specific publishing tools.

Tablet PCs running Windows have been around forever, it seems, and have been refined over the years. It can be argued that the humble tablet PC was a precursor to the iPad, as it combined Wi-Fi, handwriting recognition, a good bit of audio-video capability and ease of use in a mobile (if not pocket-sized) form factor.With CRE’s tablet PC rentals, conference teams or salespeople can run PowerPoint presentations, maintain contact with headquarters, stay abreast of breaking news or take handwritten notes. On site or on the go, a tablet or pad can be a true collaborative tool. Although Windows tablet PC’s typically run a special version of Microsoft Windows XP, CRE can configure your tablet PC with the ever-popular Microsoft Office, or even the Ubuntu version of Linux. CRE features award-winning tablets from Motion Computing, which can also run Windows 7 if you’re a Top Geek, like the fellow in this YouTube video.

A recent CRE blog discussed some of the new technologies finding their way into Audience Response Systems. In addition to tighter integration with MS Office applications, particularly PowerPoint, the leading ARS makers are making much more capable keypads and are allowing input from more and more wireless devices all the time, from smart phones to (yes) the iPad. There are few better methods for getting real-time input from your audience than one of CRE’s Audience Response System rentals.

Despite CRE carrying a number of interactive, collaborative devices, our interactive kiosks are the only products in the CRE lineup that feature “interactive” in the name. Standalone kiosks let you multiply your presence at trade shows, conferences or your own annual shareholder meetings. They can be set up remotely, as well, to run product demonstrations, capture contact information from interested parties, feature surveys, connect job seekers to your firm’s online employment application and 1001 other things.

When it comes to helping you meet the challenges of today’s marketplace, whether it’s with a number of iMac rentals for post-production or some audio-visual rentals for that conference or presentation, CRE Rentals is ready to help. Send an e-mail or make a call to our experienced Account Executives, or fill out our Quick Rental Quote form, and we will get you “interactivated” and “collaborational” in no time.

It is not difficult to get going with the presentation once you have the plug-in installed. It provides a new toolbar that lets you edit professionally-designed templates to your needs. You can change graphics, colors and styles in a few mouse clicks, use the special toolbar to create content fields and choose your settings, quickly and easily. Save your slide, move on to the next one and repeat as needed. Load your finished presentation onto a laptop or desktop computer, then plug into a projector rental, set up your screen and start getting that audience feedback you need.

How does interactive polling work?

Audience Response Systems offer small response card keypads that are wireless and use both IR (InfraRed) and RF (Radio Frequency) technology depending on the model. With the keypads, the audience can answer multiple choice, multiple response, short answer, essay and alphanumeric questions throughout the presentation.

Need to poll the audience from different (even distant) locations in real-time? Now there is remote polling technology that allows a presenter to address and question audiences, either using a web-based polling application (through their iPhone or Blackberry smartphone) or a hand-held keypad. This gives the presenter the capability of combining the remote results with those of the local group. Real-time feedback allows the presenter to keep remote participants attentive and focused by displaying results of their ongoing input.

Expanded uses, expanded capabilities

Audience Response Systems have proven their tremendous value in a wide variety of settings. No longer do seminars, product demos, breakout session presentations or other corporate meetings have to be one-way streets – someone talks, you take notes – now that true real-time connectivity is easily achieved. The old salesman’s saying, that the best salesmen listen more than they talk, is a powerful insight, and an ARS gives you the ability to listen to hundreds of people at the same time, responding with information that your organization really needs to know. An Audience Response System, being fully plugged into the MS Office applications, makes it easy to tally, analyze and display the gathered information.

Ready to interact with your audience at your next meeting? Simply fill out the Quick Rental Quote form, give us a call or  send an e-mail and we will take care of you right away. Whether you need audience response, kiosks (another great interactive tool!) or plasma rentals, our objective is to equip you with the best tools available so you can finish on time with excellent results, whatever the task.

At CRE, we support all kinds of businesses in every industry, but have a particular expertise outfitting creative people – designers, audio engineers, video pros, marketing mavens – with powerful media manipulators like our Mac Pro rentals. We know how much effort it takes staying updated on all manner of different software and hardware, with the ability to jump into one of our G5 with Kona card rentals and do your thing. Should you decide to take some online training to maintain and/or improve your professional standing and specialized skills, we would commend you for your work ethic – then share a few tips.

Always check training sources

You must always consider the source of online training because not all teachers and schools are created equal. Use your Web search skills, make some calls, ask questions, get references – anything to get some third-party insight. As you search for a source for training, you should consider the type of training that would work best in your specific situation. You can watch live online classes, or buy books and read online class notes, or use webcams to interact with others, and you can study on your own or in a group.

Rentals for in-house training

If you are looking for training for a group of people, perhaps for professional certification of some kind, you can buy the instructional materials on DVD. CRE has the projector rentals, as well as the audience response system rentals, that can make group training simple and effective. Especially in the IT and technical fields, where widely-regarded certifications are essential for a tech firm’s employees to have, using CRE laptop rentals rounds out a cost-effective training regimen. The more people you can get trained together, of course, the lower the unit cost for the preparation. Win-win.

With large enough hardware or software purchases, vendors can also customize a total solution for your firm and easily integrate online or offline training into the plan. You don’t need to tie up your workstations (which are making your company money) or budget a large hardware purchase when you use computer rentals for training. A room of iMac rentals and/or PCs, the right software, the right learning materials and the right amount of time, and you’ve got another group of experts in Excel, Exchange. Photoshop or InDesign – or Maya, C+, Logic, Pro Tools, Avid, Javascript, Ajax, Cisco, Microsoft, Novell or whatever else you can think of.

CRE has its share of experts, too. Our Account Executives know exactly what solutions will fit your particular challenge, whether it’s a post-production bottleneck, convention, presentation or training session. Call or send an e-mail, or fill out the Quick Rental Quote form, and we’ll get you that personalized training solution you need.

Content is king

In the process of familiarizing yourself with some pretty nice audiovisual equipment and computers, never forget that the most important thing is the content. In many cases it will be a PowerPoint presentation and/or some Flash animation. One of CRE’s laptop rentals with the Microsoft Office installed will be plugged into the 3K projector, set on a cart/stand with a power strip and locking wheels. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a backup laptop running the presentation simultaneously on its own screen. If the presenting PC crashes, the other will be in sync to continue.

With all the included cables and power cords properly attached, you’re ready to roll. On a 6-ft. tripod screen (with skirt) you can showcase your product or service with a presentation including video clips, bullet points that follow your script and/or a slideshow, all controlled by a cordless presenter. If your message is as high-quality as the presentation system, you have the ingredients for a great session.

Stepping it up a notch

If you anticipate a large crowd, you may need to consider some supplemental equipment, for starters a cordless microphone and powered speakers, and other kinds of audiovisual rentals. Depending on the room, you may need some lighting equipment, too, and for archival and/or training purposes you could also bring in some video recording gear. CRE’s digital recorder rentals can be used to hold digital media for use in your presentation, record the session or capture attendee contact information.

If you’re going to have a table in the room for registration, collecting business cards, getting contact information or providing sell sheets or brochures, CRE’s office equipment rentals could be a big help.

Some of the best help you can get in a breakout session, of course, is from your audience. With one of CRE’s Audience Response System rentals, you can interact with attendees and poll them during and after the presentation – or base the presentation around an audience Q & A session in the first place. Whatever your breakout room plan, our experienced Account Executives are ready with the ways, means and expertise to bring it to fruition. Call, send an e-mail or fill out a Quick Rental Quote form and we’ll break out, bring over and set up whatever you need, whenever you need it.