Barco HDX at SAS PBLS 2011

HDX-W14 baffles the world's top business executives at SAS flagship event

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

What does it take to set up a ‘premier’ corporate event? Just ask SAS, the global leader in business analytics software and services. Every year, SAS invites the world’s senior executives to its exclusive Premier Business Leadership Series (PBLS). The ingredients: premier speakers, a premier audience, premier leadership and … premier technology.

Barco rental partner SFL helps SAS create a memorable event, by providing a great video and light show as a backdrop to the presentations. This year, the 500 attendees to the PBLS event were really wowed. SFL’s secret weapon was Barco’s HDX-W14 - the world's first event projector to combine active three-chip DLP® 3D and both wired/wireless control options in a single unit.

Since its establishment in 1976, SAS has helped organizations anticipate and optimize business opportunities. By providing advanced analytics that turn data about customers, performance, financials, etc. into meaningful information, SAS allows its customers to take fact-based decisions, thus improving bottom-line results and transforming the way they do business. Three times a year, the group invites the world’s top business executives to discover and discuss leadership strategies at the Premier Business Leadership Series (PBLS). On 14 and 16 June 2011, over 500 executives gathered at the Hilton hotel in Antwerp, Belgium, for this year’s European event.

SFL group, a UK-based provider of quality sound, lighting and video solutions for corporate and public events, has had a long-standing business relationship with SAS Inc. and SAS UK. “SFL delivers solutions that bring together all multimedia aspects including video walls, large screen projection, live camera production and intelligent moving light,” Craig Lawrence, AV Manager at SFL, explained. “We have been relying on Barco products for many years now, though mainly compact projectors, like the CLM-series. However, when Barco proposed its new HDX-W14 event projector, we really wanted to be the first rental company in the UK market to have it.”

SAS’ upcoming PBLS conference was a unique opportunity for SFL to unveil what its brand-new HDX-W14 is capable of. They responded to the euro-wide call for tenders and won. “SAS always raises the bar, both for its solutions and for its corporate events,” Lawrence said. “The PBLS is an executive level conference so everything, not in the least the setting, has to shout out quality. We worked up a proposal for a captivating show that would exploit all the possibilities of our new HDX-W14 projector.

All partners involved in the project met on site and had several conference call meetings between March and mid-June to define the project requirements, design the concept and work out an efficient installation process. While SAS created the video content, SFL coordinated the technical design and installation. A combined SAS/SFL production team led by the SFL engineering team then produced the event. Lawrence: “They are all fond of the new HDX-W14! It all starts with the practical benefits for our installation crew: the projector is compact, lightweight and features just five building blocks that can be removed and replaced quickly. Moreover, it comes in a square box that is easy to handle.”

Equally handy is that the HDX platform combines wired/wireless control options in one single unit – a first! -: users remain connected to the HDX at all times, whether from one central location or with a iPhone/smartphone or iPad or tablet computer. In addition, the built-in LCD screen enables image preview. It realigns itself according to the projector’s position, and provides information on its current status, alerts and maintenance needs.

“The ease-of-use and smart support features foster great image performance which, of course, remains the key to a top-range projector,” Lawrence said. During the SAS event, the projector helped display live video footage, movies and video clips, put demos and PowerPoint slides on the screen. Controlled by an iPad, the projector created baffling images. “Thanks to the WUXGA resolution and 14,000 lumens light output, the images are so neat, sharp and full of color that everyone was really blown away. Besides, the projector is quiet, which is quite important for events like a conference.”

“We’ve helped SAS organize many events in the past but, this time, the CEO was really impressed. I’ve never had such amazing feedback in my entire career,” Lawrence concluded. “The HDX-W14 rightly claims to be the ‘smartest projector on the road’.”

Related Links
Barco HDX Case Study