Hybrid working at Dutch National Opera & Ballet

Challenge

In 2020, with the outbreak of the corona pandemic, NO&B felt the need to facilitate hybrid meetings. Shortly before, the organisation had started switching to Microsoft Teams and SharePoint: these programmes were being used extensively, but there appeared to be a lack of suitable meeting rooms. There was a need for the ability to meet remotely with internal and external contacts, and to present digitally in the meeting rooms. In response to this question, NO&B launched a tender to compare different solutions for this purpose.

Requirements for equipping hybrid meeting rooms

Lizz van Huizen, Information Manager at NO&B, was involved in this project and says: “The requirement for the systems we were looking for, for different meeting rooms at two locations, was that they could work well with each other and with Microsoft Teams. At the time we started the project, the management also worked a lot with Zoom, for updates and contact with external parties. So the new equipment had to be easy to use with that too. We also wanted the systems to be easy to use, so that every employee could handle them without any problems.

Lizz van Huizen, Information Manager at Dutch National Opera & Ballet

Testing in advance

Through a tender, we were able to test various brands for a week, after which we made a comparison based on our requirements. From this comparison, Yealink came out on top. This system fitted in very well with NO&B’s workplace concept and worked seamlessly with Microsoft Teams & Zoom,” says Lizz.

Solution

At Dutch National Opera & Ballet, five permanent meeting rooms and one mobile solution have been set up for hybrid meeting and presentation. In the decor studio, which is at another location in Amsterdam, a meeting room has also been set up with the same kind of solution. This solution comes in two forms: an all-in-one video bar (Yealink A30), and a separate audio and camera bar with ceiling microphone (Yealink VCM38). Both feature a Touch Panel with Teams. To complement this, with easy content sharing in mind, a VCH51 sharing kit was also added in each room – which can be used to share a screen or document in the meeting room without having a videomeeting. Thanks to these systems, NO&B now has an easy-to-use all-in-one solution for meetings and presentations in every meeting room.

Lizz: “The offer AVEX gave us was specifically tailored to our organisation’s needs, and the company continued to think with us throughout the journey to find the most appropriate solution for our various rooms and locations.”

Result

By the beginning of this year, all new systems had been installed by AVEX and were quickly and easily implemented. This allowed NO&B employees to continue doing their work optimally – even remotely. The departments working hybrid now have the right facilities. From home and in the office. Even in meetings where employees are spread out over several meeting rooms, everyone is clearly visible. Without delay and with good picture and sound.

Lizz: “Our colleagues quickly started to use the systems, without much explanation being required. You create an appointment in Outlook and add the room. When the appointment starts, you tap the Touch Panel in the meeting room to start the meeting, and done! Many employees immediately understood how this worked, but to be safe, we placed an explanation near the device in each meeting room. We got a lot of positive feedback on the new systems.”

Artistic teams & the artist foyer

Lizz: “The production and artistic teams in particular have a lot of contact with professional colleagues from all over the world. Some of this contact can now also take place from the new meeting facility, saving travel time and costs. Of course, the threshold for scheduling a meeting is also much lower this way.

And, the systems work so satisfactorily that another room will now be fitted out with Yealink: at the moment, the artists’ foyer is being refurbished and a meeting room with the same facilities will now be added to this!”