Frequently asked questions

General FAQs

What is silent conference?

It allows you to host several speakers or presentations in the same space without creating audio distractions for delegates. Using existing AV equipment or equipment provided by us, you can instantly transform a single space into multiple breakouts or presentation areas.

Why use silent conference?

Silent conference is a solution with endless benefits for everyone involved. It allows users to seamlessly switch between speakers for a more relevant and immersive experience. It allows speakers to focus on their presentation without distraction. It allows you to save money on venue hire by reducing the rooms needed for multiple simultaneous sessions. Moreover, it’s a flexible solution that can be used in every situation.

When do I use silent conference?

Use silent conference for any conference, summit, seminar, presentation or lectures, whenever you plan to have multiple speakers presenting or speaking in parallel or whenever you plan to have multiple displays in the same room, the applications are limited only by your imagination. You can also use it to avoid noise restrictions.

How does silent conferencing work?

Our equipment will take an audio source and input it into one of the channels of our transmitter. The transmitters then output a signal to infrared emitters which then emit a signal to receivers connected to premium quality Bosch headphones. The number of emitters depends on the size of the room as well as the number of channels required.

What is the difference between silent disco and silent conference?

While the essence of the two are very similar, there are major differences in quality and professionalism:

Comfort of the headphones – Ours are soft sponges – Ideal for extended periods of conference use. (NOT vinyl, just back from a sweaty silent disco)
Audio Quality of receivers – Ours are HD Digital audio quality (Not FM and Not susceptible to drop outs)
Audio Quality of headphones – Our Bosch headphones reproduce the full audio range of the human ear: 20Hz – 20,000 hz (Not Limited by FM technology)
Professional look and feel – Our Bosch product is designed with the business environment in mind. (Not designed for a silent disco environment with flashing lights)
Scalability – Our Bosch system can manage 32 channels in the same space (Other solutions are limited to 4 or sometimes 8).
Price – Remember the old adage you get what you pay for. The experience that your delegates will have is long remembered after the price is forgotten.

How much do silent conferences cost?

The cost of silent conferences will vary depending on your requirements. For example, the cost can be affected by:

The size of the space in which the event will take place.
The number of channels you wish to use.
The number of delegates you are planning to host.

What are the benefits?

What problem does silent conference solve?

Traditional conferences send audio using speakers to fill the event space with sound. The problem with this, is that there is always overspill of this sound. With silent conference each delegate has headphones, so they now receive a customised audio channel directly to their ears. Thereby eliminating the sound overspill and giving the delegate a fully immersive audio experience where outside distractions are eliminated.

How can silent conference save money?

Room hire is one of the most expensive aspects when running a meeting. If there is a plenary and 3 breakouts, then traditionally you would need to hire 4 rooms. One large for all delegates and 2 or 3 smaller ones to hold the breakout sessions. With silent conference you can eliminate the costs of the additional rooms, by using the one large room and then running 3 separate silent conference sessions in that room. As well as saving costs, this approach also increases the networking opportunities since everyone remains in the same space for both the sessions and coffee breaks.

What services does Silent-Conference Australia offer?

We offer three levels of service:

You can come in to pick up and set up the silent conference equipment yourself (simple/smaller setups only).
We can deliver and set up the equipment and follow-up with testing and checking of the equipment.
On top of all of the above, we can also manage the receivers and headphones onsite throughout the event.

Technical FAQs

How does silent conferencing integrate with my existing AV?

You can either put us in touch with your AV supplier and we will outline to them how our system integrates or we can take all of your existing audio that normally goes through a PA and run it through our infrared system for the receivers and headphones.

Do I need additional AV equipment?

We suggest you work with your preferred AV provider to supply “standard” AV equipment (microphones and mixers) however, if you need a complete solution including microphones and mixers, we are more than happy to help.

What is the cost of a lost receiver?

The cost to replace a lost receiver is $480 plus GST. for each damaged or missing receiver.

How do I stop losses of receivers?

We can work closely with you to find the best solution for managing the receivers at your event to minimise the risk of lost equipment. These solutions include • Managing receivers as part of your registration procedure • Managing receivers by taking deposits • Tying receivers to chairs or tables

What if delegates wish to ask questions to the presenters?

There are several solutions to manage this depending on your event. However, for most circumstances, the common solution is to provide handheld Q&A microphones.

Can I run videos and or have multiple speakers speaking into the same channel?

Yes, there is no limit to the number of audio sources.

Can delegates bring their own device?

Yes, we have solutions that can do this. We will also provide you a list of the advantages and disadvantages of each solution we offer.