From Huddle Rooms To Video Walls: Benchmark Electronics Migrates to a New City and A New Office

Benchmark Electronics picked up its Headquarters in Angleton, Texas and made the big move to Tempe, Arizona in a brand new space designed specifically for its needs of productivity.

The Decision: HQ Migration

With this new office came the need for a full-service AV integrator, with honored SLA’s and quality standards of integration. That is why Benchmark Electronics and JLL Construction hired Level 3 Audio Visual to complete their brand new headquarter’s AV technology integration.

Benchmark Electronics and JLL (the project manager) discovered Level 3 Audio Visual via Google search. They were seeking out their options with regards to the most suitable AV full-service integration company for their relocation of the Benchmark Headquarters.

With the extensive skill set and quality management that Level 3 Audio Visual provides, Benchmark proceeded to select Level 3 Audio Visual to complete the AV design, engineering, and integration for this new headquarters in Tempe, Arizona.

The project managers and design engineers at Level 3 Audio Visual furthered simplicity and cost savings in each space by shifting all room systems over to a Polycom/Skype for Business partnership.

This allowed the rooms to natively integrate into Skype for Business allowing meetings to be done without the requirement of a laptop to drive the call. Additionally, the company reduced and or eliminated the hardware requirements and custom programming.

The Solution

JLL provided an RFP outline AV spec, with dedicated manufacturers. Level 3 provided the custom design build solution.

The multi-purpose room has two movable walls, and the last movable wall spills out into the break room, as well as spillover space for all-hands meetings. The AV system works for the third last room, but also works for the front of the room.

The conferencing system is via MXA Shure Ceiling Mic Arrays, paired with a QSC Q-SYS DSP.

Level 3 was able to commission that with no dead zones at the patrician wall (movable walls). Users can speak normally and can hear clearly with 75 people in the room. 85-inch Samsung Displays.

Screen innovations bezel free screens with NEC laser projector are featured. At the front of the room, highly flexible NPR.

Audio conferencing having 50+ engineers on a design conference call is a unique benefit. There is no podium or gooseneck mic, it is a clutter free space.

Planar interactive 2×4 65-inch displays. There was a bunch of coordination with RSP, the architect, and engineers at JLL to design the interactive video wall capabilities.

It’s a 12-foot by 8-foot steel frame that pivots on an access and it turns 180-degrees to display products on one side and the interactive video wall on the other.

The theory is to utilize it to bring customers into the innovation center to look at the physical products on the shelf. Then employees can physically turn the video wall and utilize it for product mock ups, marketing presentations, or customer engagement.

The Impact to HQ Migration

Benchmark Electronics moved to Tempe for the economic development effort the city has shown. It paid off, as the innovation center was extremely crowded for the grand opening, allowing Benchmark to show off many products physically and via the video wall.

Benchmark executives were so impressed that they have requested more video walls of these types in offices nationwide.