The Canadian Society of Association Executives' (CSAE) purpose is to bring together the most progressive associations with organizations that supply the sector with essential products and services. The 2007 conference was held October 18 to 20 in Hamilton, Ontario. With up-to-the-minute AV and staging, AVW-TELAV helped CSAE achieve its goal of uniting the associations industry.

The event consisted of a trade show, general sessions, a gala event, several breakout sessions and a main plenary. AVW-TELAV provided the AV equipment for all the programs.

The gala event was a awesome sight; two brand new 18K Christie projectors were used to help create a natural decor in the room. AVW-TELAV is currently one of the only companies in Canada to own these spectacular machines.

The Hamilton Convention Centre hosted the Gala event this year. They were interested in creating a "Greenspace" in their main ballroom to coincide with the environmental theme of the conference. To achieve this, they requested the assistance of the Hamilton Public Works Department to create a forest inside the Chedoke ballroom. AVW-TELAVs role in the project was to create an HD widescreen video of a local waterfall and then project it onto one of the end walls in the room during the event.

First, the image of the falls was captured using a Sony HD widescreen camera. The film shoot was done at Webster's Falls, one of many waterfalls located on the Niagara escarpment in Hamilton. John Smith from AVW-TELAV's Special Services department was responsible for converting the raw footage that was captured on optical disk into WMV-HD files. In the new format, he was able to soften the edges of the video images. This effect helped to blend the natural foliage supplied by Public Works with the HD-widescreen image supplied by AVW-TELAV.

Once the room was set, our video image was projected onto a 20' X 50' surface. The entire perimeter of the image was masked with various trees, bushes and shrubs which created a surreal adaptation of Hamilton's breathtaking scenery. It was a spectacular effect which ultimately resulted in an extremely satisfied client.

CSAE Sessions

AVW-TELAV also shared its industry expertise with CSAE attendees in two exclusive learning sessions.

'Deal or no Deal' was the one of the sessions moderated by Janet Jakobsen, MBA, CMP, Director of Business Development, AVW-TELAV Toronto Branch, and it featured a panel of senior association executives. This session utilized AR Plus+ key pad technology which allowed the supplier community to generate a great deal of exchange concerning methods to get their messages heard amidst the competition. Using their AR Plus+ keypads, attendees in the sold-out standing-only room were able to ask questions using the microphone feature, input data and receive instantaneous feedback in a controlled environment.

'Podcast, Webcast or Outcast' was another sold-out standing-only room session presented by Jakobsen and Jeff Cryderman, Project Manager, CTS, Integrated Solutions. The session showcased various forms of technology to deliver content with the goal of meeting the needs of a diverse and ever changing audience. Association executive attendees also learned how to extend the reach of their education offerings and generate sponsorship. The Podcast Webcast or Outcast session can be easily adapted for customer education presentations.