SEMINARS, SESSIONS & KEYNOTES

The MIAC 2012 seminar series is designed to give attendees a chance to learn about current issues and emergent trends. Topics often centre on technology, finance, sales, marketing, management and more. These educational seminars are developed to bolster retailer profitability.

MIAC 2012 Seminars

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

MIAC Retail Seminar
Rethinking Your Retail Strategy - Presenter: Jennifer Spear
11:00 am - 12:00 pm - Orion B Ballroom

Is it time to rethink your retail strategy? This presentation builds an indisputable case for the urgent need for businesses to rethink and redesign their processes for handling Jennifer Spear problems, improve customer satisfaction and increase profits. Come prepared and be challenged and leave with solutions!

MIAC Retail Seminar
Bricks & Clicks – Achieving Customer Loyalty In-Store & On-Line - Presenter: Donna Geary
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm - Orion B Ballroom

There are really only two types of customers out there - the ones you have and the ones you don't! The trick is to keep your existing customer's delighted with your offerings and your in-store experience, encouraging them to visit more often and spread the word while at the same time inviting new customers to experience your brand through the web and Social Media. A retailer must marry their Clicks strategy with the Bricks experience.

This session will focus on the customer touchpoints that impact consumers today – First Impressions, Store Layout, Merchandising and Interactivity. Discover what works to keep customers engaged, what sends them fleeing and what happens to brands that ignore the power of Bricks and Clicks.

MONDAY, MAY 14, 2012

MIAC Retail Seminar:
Bricks & Clicks – Achieving Customer Loyalty In-Store & On-Line - Presenter: Donna Geary
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm - Orion B Ballroom

(repeated from Sunday)
There are really only two types of customers out there - the ones you have and the ones you don't! The trick is to keep your existing customer's delighted with your offerings and your in-store experience, encouraging them to visit more often and spread the word while at the same time inviting new customers to experience your brand through the web and Social Media. A retailer must marry their Clicks strategy with the Bricks experience.

The PAL Show Seminars

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

PAL Seminar:
Emerging Technologies Digital AV: A Practical Approach to Digital System Design - Presenter: Karl Rosenberg, Extron
11:00 am - 12:00 pm - Pegasus A Ballroom

The rapid growth of digital technology in the AV industry requires a strong knowledge of digital signal types and design fundamentals of DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, and other digital video technologies. You will gain a detailed understanding of EDID, HDCP, and the different ways key exchange is implemented by manufacturers in support of Digital Rights Management (DRM). This session will also cover the impact of digital video on today's AV system design and discuss strategies you will need to successfully navigate through digital transitions.

Objective 1: Understand how Digital Rights Management works.
Objective 2: Understand the fundamentals of various digital video signals.

Eligible for 1 CTS renewal Unit.

PAL Seminar:
The New Days of Digital Consoles - Presenter: Tony Crea, Massey Hall
1:15 pm – 2:15 pm - Pegasus B Ballroom

This session will briefly address the history of mixing consoles, past to the present and will also focus on the digital mixing environments from DAW's to full mixing stations. In addition, current trends and the future of digital audio and mixing will be addressed

PAL Seminar:
Hearing Loss Prevention - Presenter: Keith Gordon
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm - Pegasus A Ballroom

No matter what types of music you enjoy listening to or the type of device you use listen on, there are things you can do to protect yourself and continue to safely enjoy listening to music for a life time. Whether it's an iPod, in the car, at home, in a concert or at a club, you will learn how we actually hear and take away techniques you can use to protect your hearing. So whether you are a beginner or industry veteran this session will dispel some common myths that are often disseminated in the media.

PAL Seminar:
Basic DSP in the Audio Environment – Presenter: Doug Stimpson
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm - Pegasus B Ballroom

Digital Signal Processing is no longer optional in audio system design. Today, there are many products, formats, and options. Understanding the terms features, specifications, and functions will help in choosing the right products and features and succeeding in today's audio environment. This session will help simplify your choices in audio DSP.

PAL Seminar:
Emerging Technologies – Avoiding Networking "Gotchas" in Streaming Applications - Presenter: Karl Rosenberg, CTS
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm - Pegasus A Ballroom

AV streaming applications are reliant on networks to deliver audio and video. Solution development requires knowledge of network device functions to avoid problems and ensure success. This seminar will examine network equipment functions are relevant to streaming, as well as reviewing the relationship between compression and encoding methods.

Objective 1 Gain knowledge of network product functions that can challenge successful integration of streaming products.
Objective 2:Identify different classes of steaming products.

Eligible for 1 CTS renewal unit.

MONDAY, MAY 14, 2012

PAL Seminar:
Emerging Technologies – Avoiding Networking "Gotchas" in Streaming Applications - Presenter: Karl Rosenberg, CTS
10:30 pm – 11:30 pm - Pegasus A Ballroom

Objective 1 Gain knowledge of network product functions that can challenge successful integration of streaming products.
Objective 2:Identify different classes of steaming products.

Eligible for 1 CTS renewal uit.

PAL Seminar:
Developments in the Media and Control Networking Landscape - Presenter: Jeff Berryman
10:30 pm – 11:30 pm - Pegasus B Ballroom

The world of audio networking continues to be a focal point for transformation in our industry, from piecemeal AV systems to a piece of the IT landscape. We watch these developments attentively because they foretell fundamental changes in how future AV systems will be built. Also, as Jeff Berryman, senior scientist at Bosch points out, ''we seem to have a built-in desire for the next cool thing.'' This Seminar will review AVB, RAVENNA and other developments in audio/video media and control network protocols.

PAL Seminar:
Product Support in 21st Century: Report from the Front Lines - Presenter: Allan R. Robb
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm - Pegasus A Ballroom

Customer support call centres have a high cost and limited reach. Beyond email, other means of providing product support and after sales tech support are emerging. Learn how Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms are growing in importance to your customers. Engage your user base and solve their problems quickly by going where your customers are, into the Social Media landscape of the 21st Century. This seminar will provide you with some useful guidance to get your social media support strategy quickly into place at low cost.

PAL Seminar:
Meeting Room AV Systems for A New Generation - Presenter: Brock McGinnis
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm - Pegasus B Ballroom

The audiovisual industry spends a lot of time talking about solutions for managing multiple analogue and digital signal formats, EDID handshakes and HDCP compliance. Unfortunately, what we often forget to talk about is what the user actually wants and needs from their audiovisual equipment. This session will discuss what today's corporate users want and need to accomplish in their meeting spaces. We will also touch on the user's rapidly changing technical requirements and the huge role the consumer electronics industry now plays in shaping their expectations.

PAL Seminar:
A/V Workshop – Working with Digital Video signals in the Pro A/V World (Part 1 of 2) - Presenter: Richard Ridge
2:15 pm – 3:00 pm - Pegasus A

This course is designed to help the A/V professional to better understand the transition from analog video to digital video in the Pro A/V market, and to give them a solid foundation in the technologies involved in digital video. In the first section, we will cover the timeline for this transition, and gain a better understanding of how issues like EDID, HDCP, and bandwidth affect our ability to create a proper image. In section two, we discuss how Deep Colour and 3D affect the topics discussed in section one, and also look at emerging display interface technologies like DisplayPort and HDBaseT. The last section deals with the issues involved in transmitting digital video signals like HDMI over longer distances using standard cables and twisted pair cabling.

*Eligible for 4 CTS renewal credits. (Both Parts 1 and 2 must be attended, partial credits cannot be issued.)

PAL Seminar:
Loudness Measurement & Control for Broadcast, Music & Post Production – Presenter: Steve Strassberg, VP HD Sales TC Group Americas
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm - Pegasus B Ballroom

The seminar will cover how loudness based guidelines for television and cross platform distribution of content are being adopted around the world and how this affects all types of audio from production through distribution and transmission. There exists a revised set of rules that may be used to meet tight delivery specifications while offering strategies for efficient cross-platform workflow encompassing linear audio, AC3 and mobile platforms

A section of the seminar will focus on the CALM act now passed by the Senate and by the Congress in the US, and the deadline for compliance.

Transparent and predictable normalization of interstitial program material has become even more essential to production companies, commercial editing facilities as well as broadcasters. Steve will demonstrate the latest TC tools available that make loudness compliance easier to monitor, log as well as minimize processing necessary for correction. Content creation without sacrificing dynamic range of the product is the end goal in common to all producers, engineers and broadcasters.

PAL Seminar:
A/V Workshop – Working with Digital Video signals in the Pro A/V World (Part 2 of 2) – Presenter: Richard Ridge
3:30 pm – 4:15 pm - Pegasus A Ballroom

Continuation of Part 1:
This course is designed to help the A/V professional to better understand the transition from analog video to digital video in the Pro A/V market, and to give them a solid foundation in the technologies involved in digital video. In the first section, we will cover the timeline for this transition, and gain a better understanding of how issues like EDID, HDCP, and bandwidth affect our ability to create a proper image. In section two, we discuss how Deep Color and 3D affect the topics discussed in section one, and also look at emerging display interface technologies like DisplayPort and HDBaseT. The last section deals with the issues involved in transmitting digital video signals like HDMI over longer distances using standard cables and twisted pair cabling.

Learning Objectives
After completing this course, attendees will:
• Understand the importance of proper EDID management
• Be aware of unique design considerations when dealing with HDCP content, and higher bandwidth signals
• Understand how Deep Colour and 3D increase bandwidth requirements
• Gain better insight into newer display interface technologies like DisplayPOrt and HDBaseT
• Understand distance limitations when using HDMI signals

This course is 3 hours in length, and to supplement the Powerpoint slides, it includes an audience response system where attendees use handheld response units to answer questions in each section of the course to test comprehension of each topic, as well as live demo's and video demo's to reinforce the information in the Powerpoint slides.

*This course is eligible for 4 hours of CTS renewal credits. However, both Parts 1 and 2 must be attended, partial credits cannot be issued.