Los Angeles, CA, April 21, 2016 … Creating a learning environment that inspires the best minds of the present demands a level of technology that is wholly of the future. At the UCLA Meyer & Renee Luskin Conference Center, opening on the UCLA campus in August 2016, the most advanced technology informs every aspect of the conference experience. From a powerful, ultra-high-speed bandwidth to next generation Smart Rooms, this visionary new facility combines the best of the university’s history with the scientific and technical prowess for which UCLA and its graduates are renowned.

From its inception, the Luskin Conference Center was designed with technology that inspires and enables global communication, environmental sustainability, intellectual collaboration and the safety and security of both guests and information.

“UCLA has incorporated the most sophisticated technologies available into a cohesive, centrally controlled system that will transform the conference experience,” says General Manager Les Utley. The Luskin Conference Center has set ambitious goals that demand next generation, collective technologies, according to Utley. “Our mission is to create a meeting environment that fosters excellence, engagement, inspiration and breakthroughs.  Immediate and integrated access to information is central to that mission,” he explains. The center will draw thought leaders, academics, medical innovators, scientific researchers, political leaders and social visionaries.  At UCLA, these trailblazers will find a technologically sophisticated environment where ideas flourish, and great minds meet.

Connectivity is Key 

Contiguous, rapid-speed and powerful bandwidth is critical to a successful conference operation. The Luskin Conference Center will offer the most advanced connectivity, audiovisual equipment and teleconference services available, supported by a highly trained technical staff.

“Connectivity informs every aspect of our operations and the guest experience,” Utley asserts. “High-speed Wi-Fi throughout the facility is fundamental to the meetings process, of course.  But it is also the key to security, accounting, sustainability, energy savings and food and beverage.”  The entire building is Wi-Fi enabled, providing centralized control of operations. Background music and paging system, room reservations and the building data distribution frame are all interconnected with the Center’s other rooms and systems. This high-speed service connects straight to the UCLA campus backbone Internet service.

Advanced connectivity is also vital to providing effective international video conferencing. The Luskin Conference Center recognizes that in an increasingly globalized conference industry, planners demand topnotch teleconferencing facilities that can reach sites and speakers anywhere in the world.

The dizzying number of new mobile devices used by organizers and attendees demand powerful, high-speed connectivity that can host any number of devices and any group or number of groups. Intelligent inputs will eliminate the need for “BYOD” connections. Any laptop’s signal, once connected, will be up-converted automatically to the correct signal type and resolution so that it will display correctly on the installed projection systems.

The Luskin Conference Center also provides high-speed connectivity for third-party vendors who can simply plug in directly into the conference center’s control systems. As well, vanity URLs are available for each meeting group.

Sophisticated Smart Rooms

“Smart” conference rooms take the meeting experience to new collaborative levels with sophisticated electronic systems that provide presenters with total control of the meeting environment via a centralized control panel. This enables the presenter to dim or advance LED lighting within the room, activate or deactivate built-in projectors, switch to Blu-ray players, close or open window coverings or drop each window’s blackout shades.

Simple touch-screens will provide control of audio and visual within all individual conference and meeting spaces. In addition, meeting room wireless capabilities support audience feedback applications in meetings. Active Listening Systems, which connect to the conference center audio system to transmit audio directly to guests with hearing challenges, are available in all conference rooms.

Meeting rooms and breakout spaces are equipped with motorized screens and electronic projection capabilities, sound amplification and white board wall space.

Conference tables have privacy panels to ensure security and confidentiality. All chairs are ergonomically designed.

The conference center’s spacious ballroom is wired with highly sophisticated LED ceiling lighting and ceiling lighting grids. This enables planners to bring their own lighting and install it in the grids built into the ceiling. Using the multicolored LED lights, event coordinators can create their own distinctive atmosphere for group events.

Centralized, Cost-Effective Security

The sophisticated Wi-Fi system allows staff to monitor all building systems. The guestroom and meeting room security system will use a smart card for access control and use history. When staff and guests use their cards at the connected entries and elevator banks, the cards are refreshed with upgrades to their access protocol. All internal card readers will be wireless, resulting in significant installation cost and energy savings.

Meeting Rooms That Inspire

UCLA recognizes that technical achievements, however stellar, must be infused with humanity and vision. Consequently, the buildings 25 meeting rooms are each named to reinforce the Luskin Conference Center’s mission to educate and inspire. Names such as Artistry, Catalyst and Synergy mark the rooms and quotes from leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Ansel Adams and Steve Jobs add the perspective of society’s most creative and committed social, technological and artistic leaders.

About the UCLA Meyer & Renee Luskin Conference Center

The UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center, currently under construction in the heart of UCLA’s vibrant campus, offers an inspirational learning environment in a thoughtfully designed space that fosters excellence, engagement, inspiration and breakthroughs. Scheduled to open in August 2016, the UCLA Luskin Conference Center is set amid iconic and historic campus buildings and the exhilarating backdrop of daily student life. The Luskin Conference Center is a place where the best academic minds, medical innovators, researchers, political leaders, and societal visionaries will meet to exchange ideas that will help shape the world.

Upon opening, the UCLA Luskin Conference Center will feature 254 beautifully-appointed guest rooms, many with sweeping views of the stunning campus architecture and beautifully landscaped grounds. With more than 25,000 square feet of versatile and thoughtfully-planned event space, the Luskin Conference Center will offer some of the most technologically advanced facilities available within the United States and globally. The gracious guest experience at the Luskin Conference Center will be further enhanced by a full-service restaurant and lounge, room service for breakfast, lunch and dinner, on-site professional catering services, well-equipped fitness center, concierge service, business center, valet parking and complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the property. The conference center project is self-sustaining and does not utilize state funding or revenues from student tuition. For more information, please visit https://luskinconferencecenter.ucla.edu/.

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