The SCHOMS 2010 conference is being held at the historical venue of University of Greenwich on the 12th to 14th of May this year. TeamMate are no stranger to the SCHOMS conference and look forward to another exciting show piece event, networking and catching up with friends and colleagues in the Higher Education media sector. SCHOMS (Standing Conferencing for Heads of Media Services) is the professional body for heads of services working within UK Higher Education, where members lead and manage a diverse set of educational, media and institutional support services.

TeamMate have been following the success of the explosive rise in interactive whiteboard sales in the UK market with some interest. With continued promise of growth as identified by industry spectators Futuresource Consulting, in wider markets other than education, has now prompted TeamMate to re-assess the market opportunity. TeamMate are to understand that around 95% of all Whiteboard installations tend to be fixed requirements. However this is set to change as other markets start to now appreciate the benefits of interactivity outside the traditional classroom.

University market continues to buck the trend in current financial climate. Anyone who would have doubt that the audio visual sector can survive the current economical crisis, let alone sustain continued growth, need look no further than the recent success stories in the higher education sector. TeamMate and its channel partners have enjoyed another busy year with UK University new build and refurbishment fit outs.Now becoming one of the fastest growing brands in this sector, TeamMate boasts successful installations in just over 50% of all UK Universities. These Installations range from small scale pilot projects to strategic campus wide implementations.

When choosing a TeamMate it is not just about acquiring another piece of AV furniture or teaching station, but an entire experience, from outline concept to a fully specified working system. That is all and well for the larger strategic implementations with well planned project time lines requiring specialisation and often with client specific requirements or customisation. Designed with the smaller classroom or teaching space in mind, the TeamMate Educator range offers an entry level solution whilst maintaining the familiar looks and benefits of the TeamMate ethos. Furthermore, as the range caters for an evolvement in teaching technology requirements, it is being offered as a standard configuration and readily available in an easy ship format as required.

TeamMate, now a regular exhibitor at the European audio visual and communications spectacle, will be returning to ISE 2010 in Amsterdam to unveil some exciting new products and developments. Other announcements will be made at the show underlining the ambitions of the company and importance of the range across some wider market sectors. If you have not already registered to visit the event, then download the PDF and use the invitation code for your free admittance to the show.

TeamMate has entered the TouchTable market in collaboration with U-Touch, a specialist provider of large format touch screen solutions. A distinct increase in interactive applications especially in financial services and learning sectors has lead to group collaboration and digital interactive devices. A TouchTable is a very natural and real way for People to interact with programmed content in a comfortable and effective manner.

Based around the new contemporary conference range, TeamMate have developed a clever mounting arrangement to support the latest large format display such as the 103” display from Panasonic. Available as either a two bay or triple bay based Credenza unit, provides a fuss-free way of installing your large format display in any environment.

A TeamMate Trainer Pro represents the 1000th unit to roll off the production line at the TeamMate Oxfordshire facility - destined to the Institute of Education. This is a fitting home for the 1000th unit, as TeamMate media solutions are well suited to higher education environments.

Telepresence has arrived... It will change the way we hold meetings, communicate, conduct business and operate globally. Telepresence creates a live face-to-face meeting experience with remote life size participants with fluid motion, accurate flesh tones and perfect audio. As effective as a normal meeting, Telepresence meetings capture every interaction, comment and movement as if everyone is in the same room interacting and communicating.

The popular TeamMate Tutor and TeamMate Podium now get full VariHite motorised lift and lower technology. Designed with the familiar TeamMate ideals, the VariHite element is based on the current TeamMate VariHite Lectern already in production, available either as an additional add on solution for the TeamMate Tutor, or as a fully integrated centre module as part of the TeamMate Podium.

Renowned for their innovative approach to the design of high quality technical furniture, and mobile audio visual rack units, TeamMate has surpassed themselves yet again, with the new VariHite Presenter. Designed with the familiar TeamMate ideals, the VariHite Presenter is a fully mobile, self contained system, with built in modularity and the added benefit of a motorised vertical lift system to accommodate the ideal display position or camera angle for alternative styles of video conferencing and presentation sessions. Combining practicality with cutting edge form, the VariHite Presenter transforms any space into a presentation area where vision and function are paramount.

During the summer of 2002, the University of Westminster awarded Aventis AV with a £1.1M contract for a complete AV refurbishment works at their Marylebone Road campus. Selected from over 25 candidates, Aventis AV where able to physically demonstrate a real solution and present a valid business case to the university, showing how such a single upfront investment would pay dividends over time, emphasising reliability, ease and familiarity of use for all those concerned. Five years on and still growing strong. Never has a TeamMate failed to deliver when expected, with every room running trouble free apart from the occasional PC error or need to replace DVD/VHS units, and each TeamMate unit has stood up to the rigours of a crowded timetable and teaching schedule.

The equipment installed by Reflex and TeamMate includes 20 TeamMate Trainers, 63 Tutors for medium and large rooms and two Podium’s for the lecture theatres. More than 1,000 lecturers use the systems, which are linked to the university centralised IT and a-v facilities by Crestron RoomView.

Anyone who doubts whether the education market can generate substantial revenues for the right audiovisual solution provider need look no further than a recent project undertaken by TeamMate and GV Multi-media at the University of Birmingham in the UK. Installed between July and October last year, the project was valued at £1.1 million (€1.6 million) and saw 120 Aventis TeamMate integrated lecturer support systems – supported by a broad range of projectors, screens, displays, sound systems, touch panels and matrix switches – provided to sites throughout the university.