The Tech Simple Podcast

Tired of boardrooms and classrooms packed with AV tech no one uses? Independent AV consultants David Allara and Jonathan Cuthbertson break down the three root causes of low user uptake—and the tactics that get people pressing “Start” with confidence.   Key take-aways • Simplicity beats features—prune “Starship Enterprise” panels to one touch (or none) • Tech must serve a goal—align AV design with...

In this episode of The Tech Simple Podcast, we sit down with Pujan Doshi-Dowsett, the Product Owner for meeting spaces and video conferencing (VC) technology at IAG, one of the largest insurance groups. Pujan shares invaluable insights from a client-side perspective on gathering the correct end-user needs and requirements for AV solutions in a business setting. He dives deep into the critical ques...

In this episode of the Tech Simple podcast, David and Jonathan are joined by Andrew Squillacioti of Concept AV. They discuss the importance of setting up IT networks correctly before implementing audiovisual systems in workplaces, meeting rooms, and collaboration spaces. They highlight the significance of network compatibility, bandwidth requirements, quality of service, and firewall and security...

Join us for Part 2 of the engaging podcast discussion with Greg Jeffreys as we delve into the fascinating world of modern meeting room technology and design. Greg sheds light on the evolution of video display sizes in meeting rooms, driven by Microsoft Front Row, and provides insights on the pitfalls of dual-screen setups. Discover why Microsoft's focus on smaller rooms is a game-changer and...

Greg Jeffreys is an expert on room design standards, displays, lighting, meeting and teaching spaces, and Microsoft Teams Rooms. He joins David and Jonathan on this episode of The Tech Simple podcast, which is so rich in nuggets of gold that we had to split the recording across two parts!  In Part 1 we learn about Greg's approach to design, which very much starts with the end users and the ex...

As we kick off a new year it is the perfect time to review what happened in AV technology in the workplace in 2023 and discuss the trends that are most likely to occur in 2024. In this first episode of Season 2 of The Tech Simple podcast, hosts David and Jonathan are joined by expert guests from industry association AVIXA who are in the perfect position to share the data from the market. Sean Warg...

“We recently worked on a workspace project where we were able to save the client over $15 million. You are not just buying my time; you are buying my 25+ years of experience as a professional project manager". These are the words of Kevin Tompkins of CTPG who shares the microphone with David and Jonathan on this final episode of the Tech Simple podcast in Season 1.  In this chat Kevin likens...

AVIXA is the Audiovisual & Integrated Experience Association and is effectively the trade association representing the professional audiovisual and information communications industries worldwide. AVIXA is a hub for professional collaboration, information, and community, and is the leading resource for AV standards, certification, training, market intelligence, and thought leadership.  In toda...

In an earlier Tech Simple podcast (Episode 6) David and Jonathan discussed the top 3 reasons organisations should consider standardising the AV across their environment. This latest episode takes the discussion one step further with special guest James Cork of JLL. James oversees the AV and other technologies that are implemented into the various offices across the APAC region and has a particular...

“The office is no longer a grid of tables with light levels meeting a required compliance or standard. Agile work is here to stay. Spaces need to be attractive for people to want to return to. They also need to be able to make people feel more connected. Creative lighting design can help to deliver this". Founder of Lighting Studio MG Michel Goupy and his associate Linsey Walker are expert li...

There are many elements to consider when designing or refreshing a workplace. Workflows, employee experience, customer experience, interior design, tech tools and connectivity, building services, lighting, air quality. The list is long. In this episode of the Tech Simple podcast, we are talking about acoustics, which is so important to consider when planning and creating your workplace. As always...

It's amazing how quickly AV technology in the workplace is evolving and improving right now. In this episode of the Tech Simple podcast David and Jonathan are joined by Paul Falzon, the Regional Director of Neat in Australia and New Zealand. Paul brings a wealth of experience in video, collaboration, unified communication, cloud, desktop and more. This experience spanning decades really helpe...

There are many reasons an organisation should consider conducting a trial or proof of concept of a technology solution before rolling it out into a wider environment. In this episode of the Tech Simple podcast David and Jonathan are joined by Mark Samuel who is the Head of Workplace IT at TPG Telecom in Australia. Mark has a wealth of experience when it comes to technology for the workplace in lar...

AV technology is our friend when it comes to creating positive and equitable experiences for people with a disability. Often this is overlooked or misunderstood due to a lack of information and/or effective messaging about the options and possibilities. In this episode of the Tech Simple podcast David and Jonathan aim to close that information gap. They are joined by industry expert Christopher Li...

AVaaS is a relatively new concept for the AV industry and in this episode of the Tech Simple podcast David and Jonathan are joined by Peter Tylor of PwC Australia to discuss AVaaS in detail. Peter leads the workplace technology team at PwC Australia and effectively is the owner of employee technology experience, which is something the firm takes very seriously.  In this episode we firstly learn fr...

In this edition of the Tech Simple podcast David and Jonathan have the privilege of speaking with Domino Risch, a highly regarded and experienced workplace designer. Domino is a Principal at Hassell, and the firm’s global sector leader for commercial and workplace. In this conversation Domino shares insights into a range of observations around workplace design over the past 18 months. Of particula...

John Preece is a highly experienced expert in commercial property and workspace who is helping to build the fast-growing co-working business Hub Australia nationally as Chief Property Officer. He is passionate about Future of work and on this episode of the Tech Simple podcast we are fortunate to cover this topic extensively with John and gain some insight into what he is seeing.  John introduces...

Mark Mitchell is Oceania Premises & Workplace Director at Ernst & Young. An outcome focused leader guiding the firm to optimise staff and client experiences in this new age and drawing on expertise built up from senior positions with other large corporates including JLL, KPMG, and Baker McKenzie.  In this Tech Simple podcast Mark provides insights into some of the changes he is seeing in t...

As the technology in modern sound systems continues to improve, it can be tempting to believe that it is now possible to pay less attention to the base line acoustic properties of a space, and still achieve great sound system performance.  In this edition of the Tech Simple podcast David and Jonathan dive into this topic in more detail. There are some situations where the sound system technology c...

Are the AV systems in your organisation easy to use and consistent across the board? Are they the right tools to help the organisation and people achieve valuable outcomes? Are their operational costs trending upwards or downwards?  This show is all about why you should consider standardising your AV to achieve positive answers to the above questions. AV technology is no longer a nice to have in m...

In Part 1 of this two-part series on networked AV devices, Jonathan and David covered the different applications and shared some best practices when implementing a networked AV system. This Part 2 episode focuses on the benefits of connecting AV devices to a central network in the context of saving operational costs for a business as well as improving user experience and utilization.  Remote monit...

Most AV devices these days can be connected to a network of some kind – whether wired or wireless. Does that mean you should connect AV devices to your network? That depends. The clear trend is to have the devices connected, but there are different applications to be considered.  This Tech Simple podcast is the first of a two-part series. In this episode Jonathan and David explain the different ap...

Some massive leaps forward in video conferencing technology have taken place in recent years. The global pandemic definitely accelerated the growth.  The #1 complaint or challenge we hear time and time again from customers is "remote participants feel they are excluded from the conversations and activity happening inside a meeting room or classroom. What can be done to make those people feel...