Mandeville Beer Garden Focuses On The Details With The ELAN Control System

Launching a restaurant is often a sink-or-swim moment. It’s stressful, exciting and demanding, so any help keeping things organized and flowing smoothly is essential. Just ask Rebekah Gelvin, the proud owner and operator of the new Mandeville Beer Garden in Sarasota, Florida. With 30 draught beers, 150 bottles and a classic beer garden-style food menu, the last thing the staff wants is to have to remember tricky procedures for operating TVs, stereos and other utilities on site.

As the city’s first-ever beer garden, Gelvin knew it might be popular, but was pleasantly surprised at the community’s overwhelming response. Luckily, she thought ahead and outfitted the establishment with advanced technologies designed to lighten the load for her and the staff, centered around an ELAN control system that automates the audio, video, lighting, surveillance cameras and HVAC.

“It’s nice not to worry about turning things on and off,” Gelvin said. “It might seem like a little detail, but there are hundreds of little details that we need to nail every day, so anything that checks a couple items off the list is a big help. As far as grand openings go, ours has been wildly successful, but that does mean that the staff can sometimes be racing around to keep every customer happy. In that environment, giving the bartenders the ability to change TV channels or turn up the music from their personal smartphones is a big help. It saves time and frustration, and even attracts the customers’ attention when they ask how we did that.”

Automating the utilities of the beer garden was a core consideration during construction, according to Mark van den Broek, owner of the Sarasota-based electronics integration firm Smarthouse Integration.

“Technology is basically a given for a modern bar or restaurant, and Rebekah knew that going in,” van den Broek said. “But where legacy owners might see TVs and speakers as the end-all be-all, she recognized that more could be done to simplify operations and free up staff to attend to customers quicker and more effectively. In addition, the energy savings can be considerable. For instance, the beer garden’s lights, TVs, and speakers all automatically turn on 30 minutes before opening and off 30 minutes and after closing. This eliminates the need for a worker to be responsible for these duties, and ensures that it always happens. Even if someone did turn on a light after closing, Rebekah can see that and turn it off using the ELAN g! mobile app on her smartphone or tablet.”

In addition to the automated on/off settings, van den Broek worked closely with Gelvin to create a smart lighting timeline that self-adjusts the lighting levels throughout the day to match ambient light. Combine that with an intelligent HVAC schedule, an integrated security system, 10 IP surveillance cameras and three separate zones of audio and video, and it’s clear the ELAN control system plays an essential role in the beer garden’s operations. It even gives the staff instant control over the beer garden’s functions through their mobile phones.

“Another thing we knew going in is that every customer wants WiFi. They want to take pictures, upload them, search for our beers on apps and be as connected as they are at home,” Gelvin added.

To satisfy this insatiable desire to be connected at all times, van den Broek installed Luxul networking equipment to provide a private network for the staff and a public network for customers. To keep customers informed of specials and restaurant info, two commercial LG display panels show special info and menus as well as TV programming through digital signage software.

The installation includes a variety of indoor and outdoor speakers from JBL and SpeakerCraft with Niles and Crown amplification, all distributed through the ELAN system. Each audio and video zone can be controlled independently from the ELAN mobile app or a 7-inch ELAN touchscreen mounted behind the bar. To keep all the equipment running smoothly and reliably, van den Broek utilized the Panamax MB4315-Pro Power Manager to deliver clean, consistent and protected power.

Furman to Host Manufacturer Power Management Training Program at InfoComm 2015

Today’s information technology systems are connected more than ever before, but they still face common issues like surges and AC line noise that can wreak havoc in a variety of ways. To help prepare integrators, Furman, the nation’s leading provider of power management systems, announced an all new manufacturer’s training course that will be offered at InfoComm 2015.

“With this training program, we are providing integrators the necessary knowledge and tools they need keep systems running smoothly,” John Benz, Core Brands Director of Product Management for Power explained. “When a system goes down it can cost both the client and the integrator money. “Be the Hero” is designed to address common issues and provide solutions to protect gear and optimize networks.”

Networked devices can create complex systems that have multiple points of failure and require specific boot sequences. This course will address power management features and benefits, best practices to employ power management solutions, and how the integrators can use the latest technologies to provide the highest level of service to their clients.

“Power management solutions from Furman can eliminate up to 80 percent of service calls, monitoring networks and giving integrators remote access to control devices from anywhere in the world,” Rob Harris, Furman Product specialist stated. “Furman is dedicated to providing attendees with the facts they need to greatly reduce or eliminate costly power management issues.”

Harris will lead the training program, showing manufacturers why typical surge strips are not enough to protect your equipment and maintain a healthy network of devices.  Join him as he walks integrators and technology users through common AC problems and their solutions while covering the science behind AC surge protection and noise filtering. Real-world examples will be used to show how Furman solutions protect gear, optimize networks and create reoccurring revenue opportunities for integrators.

Everyone who attends will be eligible to win one of Furman’s award-winning AC-215A power conditioners. Featuring the highest level of surge and spike protection available, linear filtration to ensure clean power, and auto-resetting extreme voltage shutdown, the compact, non-sacrificial AC-215A is one of the most versatile power management devices on the market today.

To register, visit: https://inf151.experientevent.com/showinf151/Default.aspx?UITEMS=_MT86

Furman Protects the Past and the Future at Sanford Stadium

Named for Dr. S. V. Sanford, former president of the University and Chancellor of the University system, Georgia's Sanford Stadium celebrated its 85th anniversary in 2014. When the season opened this year a capacity crowd filled its 92,746 seats, a far cry from its original capacity of 30,000 when it was built in 1929.

While much has changed at Sanford Stadium over the decades, what hasn’t is the need for the school to be vigilant when it comes to managing the costs of a behemoth venue like this. As part of the stadium’s most recent round of AV systems upgrades — which included a new Danley Jericho point-source sound system in the stadium bowl and a new LED video wall in its practice facility — new Furman power management products were included in the systems design, to protect these and other new and costly AV platforms and help take Sanford Stadium closer to its 100th anniversary.

In the stadium’s 50 Sky Suites, where audio, video and radio inputs are available through a complex digital audio networking system, audio is protected by a pair of Furman PL-PRO Classic Series Power Conditioners. The Classic Series brings together superior protection and outstanding performance in a sturdy, rack-mountable design, and features Furman’s revolutionary Series Multi-Stage Protection (SMP), Linear Filtering Technology (LiFT), and Extreme Voltage Shutdown (EVS). Together, these technologies comprise what is without question one of the world's most advanced and comprehensive transient-voltage surge suppressors. In addition, the installation employs a Furman 20 Amp Series II Power Conditioner, offering features including a 20-amp rating with ultra-high inrush capable magnetic circuit breaker, front-panel master power switch protected by hinged panel to prevent accidental power off , and zero ground contamination circuitry assures delivery of pure AC, as well as the benefits of SMP, LiFT ad EVS. 

“We deployed the Furman power protection and management products in the Sky Suites and at the FOH mix position, all critical locations,” explains Pete Dugas, President of TSAV, the Athens, GA-based AV systems integrator that designed and installed the new systems at Sanford Stadium. “They deliver clean power that protects the equipment and the school’s investment in it.” TSAV has relied on Furman for power conditioning and protection in many of the leading collegiate sports facilities it has done AV systems designs and work for, including the Auburn Arena at Auburn University and the Hawkins Arena at Mercer University. “The Furman technology is solid and reliable, which is why we use it consistently, across all of our market sectors. It’s not enough to put in excellent AV systems – you have to protect them, too, and that’s where Furman comes in.”

Camera Drones To Provide The Pro AV Industry With The Next Great Sales Opportunity

Dealers looking to capitalize on a $12-billion commercial sales opportunity that also promises to pull through additional sales of traditional AV and IT components should include camera drones into their 2015 product mix, according to Stampede Presentation Products, Inc. President & COO Kevin Kelly, who last week introduced the category to attendees of the 2014 Stampede Vendor Summit in Buffalo, New York.

“While drones are already a major success in markets around the world, the North American market presents the largest commercial sales opportunity in this new category. We believe that North American sales of camera drones are set to take off in 2015 as more and more vertical market end users come to realize the enormous benefits bring to their businesses,” Kelly said. “Over the next two years, as legislation is enacted to provide clarity to the marketplace, more companies in virtually every vertical market will utilize the exciting and convenient tools that camera drones have to offer.  Make no mistake about it.  Camera drones are no pie in the sky.  They represent a huge new opportunity for both our dealers and our manufacturer partners.  Camera drones can be sold to existing end user commercial customers and they will most definitely bring in new customers to the ProAV industry and that will benefit everyone.”

According to Kelly, camera drones are a strategic and cost-effective way to capture aerial photography in the form of digital video. The agricultural industry, for example, is an early adopter of drones to assist in their daily life. Camera drones offer farmers valuable data to determine irrigation needs and help plan harvesting. Covering expansive distances, camera drones enable the private use of technology on their own land. Collecting data via remote control saves the farmer time, as it essentially replaces the action of getting into a pick-up truck and traversing the land.

“The use of camera drones also proves to be more cost-effective overall, as farmers can more accurately determine the required levels and fertilizer use, eliminating waste,” Kelly added.

Beyond agricultural use, Kelly emphasized, first responders are also adopting drones as a means to monitor dangerous situations in real time. Law enforcement, local police, and firefighters will likely use aerial photography and cinematography to monitor potentially life-threatening situations like fires, floods, or traffic accidents. In case of a natural disaster, law enforcers may deploy multiple drones at once to assist in search-and-rescue initiatives. “This is a more effective way to search for missing people, or to warn others to stay away from dangerous areas,” Kelly said. “Drones promote immediate and ongoing awareness, so that first responders can safely and effectively monitor a situation.”

Educators are also adopting drones to enhance security efforts, Kelly asserts. For example, higher education facilities such as universities are purchasing multiple drones to act as an extension of their campus security systems. “Drones provide more accurate and widespread coverage, and will help security offers to keep University students safe,” Kelly said. “K-12 environments are bound to follow, maximizing the security in schools across the country.”

According to Kelly, once an end-user decides to purchase a camera drone, dealers have an opportunity to work with them on developing their content transmission and storage, along with the various monitors, drone pilot controls required to pilot the drone.

“It all adds up to selling a small, or large, command and control solution with every drone as well as video content editing and storage equipment,” Kelly emphasized. “With numerous camera, content transmission, and command and control options, dealers will have the opportunity to specify unique solutions that provide meaningful solutions to end-users and profits to the dealership.”

St. Paul's Lutheran Church Finds Power in Prayer and Power Protection From Furman

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, in Hanover, PA has a new sound system. A JBL VRX system was installed in a center cluster earlier this year, vastly improving the church’s overall sound and especially the intelligibility of the spoken word in the 400-seat sanctuary. With that, St. Paul’s joins the trend of houses of worship that are improving and enhancing their audio, part of an effort to more effectively spread their message. However, St. Paul’s also has something that more churches should consider: comprehensive protection for their new sound system from power surges in their electrical system and from circuit overloads as systems are powered on. At St. Paul’s, that was accomplished by the integration of a Furman CN-1800S SmartSequencer™ 15-amp bidirectional power sequencer, installed by Lancaster, PA-based systems designer and integrator B&B Communications. They also installed Furman CN15MP MiniPort for amplifiers that power audio to overflow areas, such as the Fellowship Hall, extending the benefits of SmartSequencing to electronics outside of the main equipment rack.

“We spent the better part of three years working on this project, and we stressed to the church how important it is to include surge protection and sequential power-on capability,” explains Jeff Tate, Sales Engineer at B&B Communications. “The new sound system addresses all of the issues that the previous one couldn’t, such as speech intelligibility and even coverage of the seating areas. But as good as the new sound system is, a single power surge could damage or even destroy it. That’s not a chance worth taking.” 

One of the reasons that the project stretched over three years was that, like most churches, St. Paul’s has to manage its budget carefully. B&B Communications helped them with that, for instance by utilizing existing speakers in the distributed sound system that extends out to the overflow areas and adding new mixer-amplifiers to power and control them, all of which use the Furman PL-8C power conditioner. “In addition to the dangers of power surges and circuit overloads, leaving surge suppression and sequential power-on capability out of the system can also shorten the life of critical components such as speakers, when components like amplifiers all come on at once,” Tate cautions. “It can damage the drivers, for instance. But with products like the CN-1800S SmartSequencer and the CN15MP MiniPorts are used together, we can build a smarter network for power, one that conditions, sequences and protects. That’s why Furman is our go-to for anything that has to do with power. They’re simply the best.”