After finding success with webinars and virtual training sessions in 2021, Q-SYS, a leading audio, video and control platform innovator, has built a new video production studio at its Costa Mesa, California headquarters that combines Q-SYS automation and a massive custom 8 feet by 22 feet DVLED videowall from LG Business Solutions USA to offer engaging, professional-grade broadcasts with uniquely powerful storytelling capabilities.
According to Q-SYS Vice President of Marketing-Americas Patrick Heyn, the new studio is a trifecta that lowers costs, simplifies production, and expands creative possibilities beyond available commercial spaces rented for previous productions.
“Live webinars became central to our business when in-person events paused during the pandemic. Producing video content at a rented studio space was expensive and required extensive planning and staffing,” Heyn said. “Webinar engagement has exceeded our expectations and with our plans to produce much more video content, we realized if we brought the capabilities in-house we could break even in under two years and gain greater control and accessibility. Now that the studio is up and running, we’re using it even more than expected as it provides even greater value and enables us to develop new marketing content faster and at a lower overall cost.”
Contributing to the rapid success has been the use of cutting-edge technologies led by the giant DVLED screen, as well as the flexibility of the Q-SYS Platform, and recognition by employees and partners that the space can be used to serve a variety of needs. Previous webinars produced in a rented commercial studio delivered good results and helped attract a more engaged remote audience, but required up to 10 people to operate all the cameras, sound, lighting, displays and other components. To streamline in-house productions, the Q-SYS Platform was used to control and automate dozens of peripherals and functional routines, including the huge LG DVLED display. Now the entire studio can be operated with as few as three people, plus on-camera hosts.
“One of the major value props of our platform and ecosystem is its ability to seamlessly integrate with and support many types of technologies to enable experiences. Our new studio stands as a living testament to its power, value and simplicity,” Heyn said.
The perfect complement to the Q-SYS Platform and Ecosystem, Heyn added, is the 1.5mm pixel pitch LG DVLED display. It’s brightness, sharpness and high contrast ratio allows Q-SYS to deliver a crisp, vibrant HD background for every in-house production.
Q-SYS uses the studio as a tool to host professionally produced virtual events, typically attracting thousands of attendees per event. Furthermore, now that live events have returned and more people are attending trade shows, the team plans to synergize virtual and in-person outreach by holding online events before and during each physical event to maximize engagement and accessibility for dealers, industry pros and end users worldwide.
“We need our training and dealer education sessions to deliver a deeply engaging experience for viewers, and we know that a higher production value can be the key to keeping their attention,” Heyn added. “We use the incredible LG display as a cutting-edge canvas from which to tell our technology story. It lets us complement our spirited hosts with custom visualizations that serve to draw the audience in. All of these pieces working together has resulted in an incredible 96 percent attendence rate for one-hour webinars as well as a 50 percent attendance in breakout groups after the main presentation.”
The idea to incorporate a sizeable DVLED display directly on the stage came from previous video projects. Still, the Q-SYS team didn’t have direct hands-on experience choosing or installing such a display. LG stepped in to help with multiple technicians aiding product selection, on-site installation and integration. Following the inaugural uses of the studio and the videowall, several Q-SYS regional offices have already expressed interest in incorporating LG DVLED displays.
“While some technologies today seem to be built for planned obsolescence,” said Dan Baker, Business Development Manager at LG Business Solutions USA, “this studio shows that Q-SYS flipped that by creating a remarkable technology space with planned longevity. This is a great example of how content creators and event producers can use our latest DVLED products to increase engagement, information retention and excitement for live presentations and webinars.”