Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission
The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission was created to safely, equitably, and effectively implement and administer the laws enabling access to medical and adult use marijuana in the Commonwealth. In other words: every part of the agency must be transparent and encourage collaboration. To fulfill this commitment, the board assembles monthly public meetings in a space large enough to host members of the public. But to maximize its use, this space was constructed to be a divisible conference room, allowing it to be reconfigured for smaller meetings. The agency didn’t want technology, compromised audio, or room reconfiguration to hamper the public’s ability to provide input. Ease of use, consistent coverage, and superior audio quality were vital to achieving the objectives of this project.
Solution
Rather than dedicating a large room strictly for public meetings, the agency determined a divisible conference room would be a better use of the space, allowing users to reconfigure it into one large room, midsize room, or three smaller rooms as needed. The Commonwealth selected Pro AV Systems to assist with the installation, who decided the system should also integrate with Microsoft Teams Rooms.
Pro AV Systems was already familiar with Biamp’s pendant and tabletop microphones; but for this installation, they needed a ceiling microphone capable of picking up audio that didn’t require setup before each meeting. Biamp’s Parlé Beamtracking ceiling microphones, designed to actively track and intelligently mix conversations, fit these specifications exactly.
For the divisible conference rooms, one ceiling microphone in each of the three spaces ensures audio pickup that automatically calibrates to the location of each participant. Not only did the Beamtracking technology eliminate lobe aiming or tuning during installation, it allowed the integrator to simplify menu options while still ensuring everyone is heard. Two Biamp C-IC6 ceiling loudspeakers were installed in each meetings room to complement the ceiling mics. Pro AV Systems used standard category cable when installing the C-IC6 units, further simplifying the install.
Critical to ensuring Microsoft Teams Rooms interoperability, Biamp’s TesiraFORTÉ AVB CI digital signal processor (utilizing Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC) technology to eliminate echo during conference calls) was important; but it was the Tesira EX-UBT’s bidirectional mute synchronization that proved critical for a smooth Teams integration. Equipped with mute sync, the system can share mute or unmute commands between rooms and ceiling microphones, providing visual confirmation that the microphone is active (green) or muted (red). Users may also mute the microphone from the Microsoft Teams Rooms user interface, passing the command to the rest of the system thanks to Tesira EX-UBT.
Biamp bridges ease of use and exceptional audio, which has been vital for ensuring the agency and the public can come together successfully.
ADRIENNE BLASIOLI
Director of Bid Desk
and Communications
Pro AV Systems, Inc.
Conclusion
The agency’s conferencing room not only achieved the goal of being more user-friendly, but meeting participants also raved about the pristine audio. Bringing this new conferencing room online with Microsoft Teams Rooms the same platform created a flexible room that can be used for the Cannabis Control Commission and other Massachusetts government agencies. With the complete Biamp conferencing package, the state can now drive impactful meetings that build greater relationships with the public.