Level Up!
RU-WORTHY LEARNING RETURNS IN PERSON
Level Up!
November 7, 2022, Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, SOAS University London
Hosted by AVIXA®, this day of 1‑hour live presentations and learning sessions from subject matter experts on video, audio, and AV/IT‑connectivity are provided for free and in person.
This in person event will allow you to learn, to collect
RUs and to chat with the presenters from AMX, JABRA, JBL, SENNHEISER, and YAMAHA after their presentations. And there will be also plenty of time for networking.
Level Up! is designed for all industry professionals interested in continuing education, especially those who currently hold a CTS®, CTS-D, or CTS-I designation and are looking to earn renewal credit toward certification.
- Continued Education – Level Up! serves as a vehicle for AV and IT professionals to continue to develop their expertise as a technician, manager, consultant, integrator, and leader.
- Earn CTS Renewal Credit – By attending the Level Up! Conference, current CTS holders will earn renewal credit for each RU-approved session attended.
- Informative Classroom Sessions and Seminars – The Conference will feature sessions presented by CTS RU Providers and focus on emerging technologies, AV/IT, best practices, and more, with a variety of speakers from all verticals and company sizes.
- Network with Top AV and IT Professionals – Level Up! provides a great opportunity to meet new people and chat with other industry professionals about new technology and the latest business innovations.
- Come Back to Your Business With a Better Idea – Staying up-to-date on the latest trends and solutions will promote growth and value for your organisation.
09:00–9:45
Welcome Coffee & Tea / Registration Check-In
09:45–10:00
Introduction 
Ben Barnard, Regional Manager, UK & Ireland - AVIXA
10:00–11:00
Session 1: Wireless Microphones in the Working Environment, Sennheiser 
Inesh Patel, Business Development Manager - Business Communication - Sennheiser
11:00–12:00
Session 2: Networking, from an AV perspective, Yamaha R&D Centre, UK 
Mark Collins, Senior Specialist - Yamaha R&D Centre, UK
12:00–13:00
Lunch
13:00–14:00
Session 3: Video on the Network – The 7 Deadly Sins, AMX 
Steffan Lewis , Application Engineer & Transportation - AMX
14:00–15:00
Session 4: The importance of Speech Intelligibility and measuring STI, JBL Professional 
Ben Todd , Senior Application Engineer - JBL Professional
15:00–15:30
Break
15:30–16:30
Session 5: Simplifying AVoIP Deployments, Netgear 
Brett Dorman, ProAV & IT Systems Engineer - Netgear
16:30–17:30
Session 6: Rebuilding Ourselves for the Hybrid Era, Jabra 
Richard Trestain , Product marketing manager, Northern Europe - Jabra
17:30–19:00
Networking Reception
Wireless Microphones in the Working Environment
10:00–11:00
Inesh Patel, Business Development Manager - Business Communication - Sennheiser
Joe Mahoney, Customer Development & Application Engineer - Sennheiser
What are the differences between the wireless technologies and when should you use one over another? Join the Sennheiser team to understand the differences between wireless devices such as traditional UHF vs DECT microphone systems. What is the best practice approach and how to avoid potential interference and other possible pitfalls..
Networking, from an AV perspective
11:00–12:00
Mark Collins, Senior Specialist - Yamaha R&D Centre, UK
Join Yamaha for a journey into the world of Networking, from an AV perspective. We aim to give an easy introduction – giving you the confidence to describe the difference between technologies such as Subnets vs VLANs – Multicast vs
Unicast, and a number of other terms and technologies that are often misunderstood.
This short course can help level up your IT skills, ready for your next commissioning job or system design..
Session highlights:
- Identify the difference between a Subnet and a VLAN
- Understand Unicast and Multicast – and to know where to use them
- Understand the benefits of AV over IP technologies, and when to use them
Video on the Network – The 7 Deadly Sins
13:00–14:00
Adam Findlay, Applications Engineering Manager – Video & Control, EMEA Region - AMX
Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong… right? Join AMX to discuss the 7 deadly sins of networked video. For any project to succeed, it’s essential to understand what is required by all parties. This has never been more important
than now, when the ‘world’ of Audio-Visual systems is seemingly colliding with an increasingly complex IT ‘universe’.
AV and IT may not be fully integrated, but this doesn’t need to be a collision. By following
some key guidelines, and gaining a better understanding of each other’s requirements, there’s no reason we can’t succeed.
Session highlights:
- How to avoid the pitfalls that can derail an AVoIP project
- Learn the best practices to create a stable, secure network for video distribution
- Understand where problems can occur and the best methods for resolution
The importance of Speech Intelligibility and measuring STI
14:00–15:00
Ben Todd , Senior Application Engineer - JBL Professional
Steffan Lewis , Application Engineer & Transportation - JBL Professional
Noise can take on many forms. There is noise like you would expect from building HVAC systems, traffic in the street, sirens or percussive sounds like jack hammers and natural sounds like wind, rain, or ocean waves. This noise, no matter what
form it takes, is especially troublesome to intelligibility when it falls in the same frequency range as the consonants of speech, making it difficult for a listener to distinguish words.
Join Ben and Steffan as we delve into the importance
of speech intelligibility in sound systems, what affects it, how we can predict it and how it can be measured..
Session highlights:
- The importance of speech intelligibility
- Factors affecting speech intelligibility
- Predicting and measuring STI
Simplifying AVoIP Deployments
15:30–16:30
Brett Dorman, ProAV & IT Systems Engineer - Netgear
In this session Brett will talk through the IP protocols and requirements that make AVoIP deployments work and demonstrate how you can take your deployments to a whole new level of power and simplicity.p>
Session highlights:
- Understanding the IP requirements of AVoIP, including Multicast, IGMP, Querier and more.
Rebuilding Ourselves for the Hybrid Era
16:30–17:30
Richard Trestain , Product marketing manager, Northern Europe - Jabra
A look at how companies are changing working strategies and internal setups to allow employee flexibility whilst increasing productivity..
Session highlights:
- What are companies seeing today in terms of their workforce
- What does the future look like and how might a fixed office location be set up to help this change
- What technologies are available to aid this transition
Mark joined Yamaha in mid-2021, having worked previously for a large AV manufacturer, and elsewhere in both the AV and IT arenas during his career.
His main focus is within R&D, including product training/education, and educating the
public about some of the fantastic innovations that are being created at Yamaha! His goal is to help Yamaha create products that are relevant to the market, and that help customers achieve their daily goals with the very best audio experience.
Outside of work, he enjoys playing/listening to music, playing computer games, and otherwise getting lost in the wilderness hiking and camping!.
Session:
Networking, from an AV perspective
11:00–12:00
Mark Collins
Senior Specialist - Yamaha R&D Centre, UK
Mark joined Yamaha in mid-2021, having worked previously for a large AV manufacturer, and elsewhere in both the AV and IT arenas during his career.
His main focus is within R&D, including product training/education, and educating the
public about some of the fantastic innovations that are being created at Yamaha! His goal is to help Yamaha create products that are relevant to the market, and that help customers achieve their daily goals with the very best audio experience.
Outside of work, he enjoys playing/listening to music, playing computer games, and otherwise getting lost in the wilderness hiking and camping!
Session:
Networking, from an AV perspective
11:00–12:00
Brett Dorman comes from a 10 year background in networking and technology – with experience in Campus, SMB and service provider network spaces. As the ProAV & IT Systems Engineer at Netgear he bridges the gap between AV and IP with training as well as pre and post sales support.
Session:
Simplifying AVoIP Deployments
15:30–16:30
Brett Dorman
ProAV & IT Systems Engineer - Netgear
Brett Dorman comes from a 10 year background in networking and technology – with experience in Campus, SMB and service provider network spaces. As the ProAV & IT Systems Engineer at Netgear he bridges the gap between AV and IP with training as well as pre and post sales support.
Session:
Simplifying AVoIP Deployments
15:30–16:30
Adam Findlay is the Applications Engineering Manager for Video & Control products in the EMEA region at HARMAN. Adam has over 30 years of experience in the AV industry with roles including Electrical Design, Service & Repair, Technical Support and Technical Training, but the past 15 years have been spent with HARMAN and AMX in several Technical Sales roles. As one of HARMAN’s keen musicians he can often be found after hours, testing out the latest HARMAN audio equipment at the UK Experience Centre..
Session:
Video on the Network – The 7 Deadly Sins
13:00–14:00
Adam Findlay
Applications Engineering Manager – Video & Control, EMEA Region - AMX
Adam Findlay is the Applications Engineering Manager for Video & Control products in the EMEA region at HARMAN. Adam has over 30 years of experience in the AV industry with roles including Electrical Design, Service & Repair, Technical Support and Technical Training, but the past 15 years have been spent with HARMAN and AMX in several Technical Sales roles. As one of HARMAN’s keen musicians he can often be found after hours, testing out the latest HARMAN audio equipment at the UK Experience Centre.
Session:
Video on the Network – The 7 Deadly Sins
13:00–14:00
Steffan works as part of the HARMAN EMEA Application Engineering Team, supporting loudspeaker design and largescale venues and transportation projects, covering performance and life safety applications. < /BR> Steffan is highly knowledgeable in various electro-acoustic modelling software and has over 20 years’ experience with JBL Intellivox and DDA software. .
Session:
The importance of Speech Intelligibility and measuring STI
14:00–15:00
Steffan Lewis
Application Engineer & Transportation - JBL Professional
Steffan works as part of the HARMAN EMEA Application Engineering Team, supporting loudspeaker design and largescale venues and transportation projects, covering performance and life safety applications. < /BR> Steffan is highly knowledgeable in various electro-acoustic modelling software and has over 20 years’ experience with JBL Intellivox and DDA software.
Session:
The importance of Speech Intelligibility and measuring STI
14:00–15:00
With over 20 years of experience within the Audio Visual industry, Inesh Patel has held various technical sales roles covering both corporate and higher education sectors, as well as customers within house of worship, visitor attractions and hire
and events.
Inesh joined Sennheiser UK in 2017 as Channel Sales Manager, and currently works as a Business Development Manager for UK and Ireland focusing on providing his technical knowledge to end-users in the Corporate and Higher Education
sectors.
Over the years, his knowledge of the trends in different market sectors and technical ‘know how’ has provided invaluable support to AV dealers, AV consultants and end users in having confidence in using Sennheiser
solutions for projects of various complexity.
Session:
Wireless Microphones in the Working Environment
10:00–11:00
Inesh Patel
Business Development Manager - Business Communication - Sennheiser
With over 20 years of experience within the Audio Visual industry, Inesh Patel has held various technical sales roles covering both corporate and higher education sectors, as well as customers within house of worship, visitor attractions and hire
and events.
Inesh joined Sennheiser UK in 2017 as Channel Sales Manager, and currently works as a Business Development Manager for UK and Ireland focusing on providing his technical knowledge to end-users in the Corporate and Higher Education
sectors.
Over the years, his knowledge of the trends in different market sectors and technical ‘know how’ has provided invaluable support to AV dealers, AV consultants and end users in having confidence in using Sennheiser
solutions for projects of various complexity.
Session:
Wireless Microphones in the Working Environment
10:00–11:00
Ben’s role in the Harman Pro EMEA Application Engineering Team includes large format installed sound system design and prediction using industry standard software such as EASE. He also draws on many years of experience designing life safety
compliant performance audio systems for Arenas. His other area of specialism is within the burgeoning Postproduction studio market for immersive audio. A large part of his time is spent supporting and training Harman’s distribution partners,
consultants, integrators and end users on system design and deployment.
He is quite tall, uncoordinated and can usually be found gesticulating erratically about something..
Session:
The importance of Speech Intelligibility and measuring STI
14:00–15:00
Ben Todd
Senior Application Engineer - JBL Professional
Ben’s role in the Harman Pro EMEA Application Engineering Team includes large format installed sound system design and prediction using industry standard software such as EASE. He also draws on many years of experience designing life safety
compliant performance audio systems for Arenas. His other area of specialism is within the burgeoning Postproduction studio market for immersive audio. A large part of his time is spent supporting and training Harman’s distribution partners,
consultants, integrators and end users on system design and deployment.
He is quite tall, uncoordinated and can usually be found gesticulating erratically about something.
Session:
The importance of Speech Intelligibility and measuring STI
14:00–15:00
Richard Trestain is the Product Marketing Manager for Jabra UK and the Nordics. He joined Jabra in 2019, with over 14 years experience in product marketing - just as Jabra was entering the video market with the revolutionary PanaCast series. Richard has been a keynote speaker at multiple events and has a particular interest in the fast-changing world of hybrid working and it’s successful implementation..
Session:
Rebuilding Ourselves for the Hybrid Era
16:30–17:30
Richard Trestain
Product marketing manager, Northern Europe - Jabra
Richard Trestain is the Product Marketing Manager for Jabra UK and the Nordics. He joined Jabra in 2019, with over 14 years experience in product marketing - just as Jabra was entering the video market with the revolutionary PanaCast series. Richard has been a keynote speaker at multiple events and has a particular interest in the fast-changing world of hybrid working and it’s successful implementation.
Session:
Rebuilding Ourselves for the Hybrid Era
16:30–17:30
Videos
To get a good idea on what to expect, watch the introduction videos from Level UP!s RU providers:
Special Thanks to the RU-Providers
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Contact us
AVIXA Headquarters – UK
Ground Floor, Suite F
Breakspear Park, Breakspear Way
Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP2 4TZ, UK
01442 345 100
[email protected]