How to adapt a hotel for business and conferences

Large companies and corporate event management agencies represent the fastest-growing target market in tourism. It must be borne in in mind, however, that these are specially demanding customers; unlike holiday travellers, these customers are making large investments for which they expect a return.

Hotels must address one of the biggest demands from this customer profile by adapting their common areas, and offering technologically equipped meeting rooms and auditoriums that favour dynamic events, fostering audience participation. The use of light in these public areas can be a key factor in attracting these events to a specific hotel. To meet this need, hotels require lighting control systems that allow infinite possibilities but are easy to use.

Attention-grabbing dynamic events

The human brain is thought to be able to focus its attention for a maximum of 40 minutes, but customers are looking for maximum returns when organising a conventions or training session that last several hours or days. Hotels must, therefore, offer effective tools that allow the customer to capture and maintain that attention. Light can help to create dynamic scenes that serve to underscore the message of a presentation, and the Simon Scena control systems make this possible in an accessible and intuitive way.

Scena can be configured to different types of lighting (or ‘scenes’), which can then change throughout a presentation. During a single session, light can focus on the speaker and then shift the focus to a particular product. Throughout the same session, a presenter can also introduce diffused lighting and changes in colour.

These effects can help to engage an audience, depending on whether the presentation appeals to their emotional side (by using warm hues) or their more rational side (through the use of cold tones). Audience attention is thus maintained and, as a result, salient selling points and training messages can be reinforced. These types of tools, which ensure that customers achieve their objectives, can make a hotel stand out in this growing market.

Light, a source of well-being for the public

These systems also help prevent tiredness, ensuring that attendees get the most from conferences or meetings. This is possible through a biodynamic luminaire: Simon Scena calculates the sun’s position by comparing local time with geolocating technology to reproduce light in a closed room that reflects what is happening outside. This helps the audience to regulate their circadian rhythms – the physiological functions associated with the biological clock – to avoid fatigue and boost brain activity.

Simple and intuitive communication

Among the advantages of Scena, besides its infinite capacities to transform light, is that it is simple and intuitive to use. It enables you to record various configurations, creating scenes that can be reproduced at the touch of a button. Its Touch Light Manager Console can be configured without a computer, allowing users to program different scenes and functions. Every element of the system can be controlled at once and specialised Simon personnel are available for support.

To give greater control and autonomy, the system features a keypad, Sense, which activates up to six different adjustable actions from the main console. The user also receives immediate feedback for the action they have carried out, since the button vibrates, emits a sound or lights up softly. This discreet communication enables totally intuitive control of the space. The lighting of a room can be changed instantly with the keypad, or by using a smartphone application.