As the premier resource not only for governors, but also for their cabinet members, state policy experts, and businesses, as well as members of congress and staff, the National Governors Association (NGA) offers an array of services to help states collaboratively tell their stories. Thanks to decades of broad expertise, NGA teams are able to work side-by-side with state leaders to identify challenges, help governors stay ahead of the curve and offer solutions before challenges become problems.
The NGA’s Washington, D.C. headquarters recently underwent large-scale renovations, which included a complete overhaul of their networking, data, and audiovisual systems. Lead integration firm CTSI’s AV design expert Andy Bukowski explained the necessity of the venture: “After 12 years without upgrades, the existing conference room technologies had fallen so far behind that they were only used rarely, if at all.”
Brought Back to Life
With the ability to display custom interactive content, as well as computer feeds or cable television, an 86-inch LG touchscreen display in the lobby welcomes governors with style and sophistication, while offering a preview of the upgrades that await them inside. When they need to get work done, visitors can use the Visiting Governors’ Office, which features a 49-inch LG 4K display with simple laptop and tablet connections.
With 90 employees, the NGA also has plenty of its own daily work to complete, which is now aided by two conference rooms with 75-inch LG 4K displays and two more with LG 55-inch 4K displays. In the largest, most popular space, the Capitol View Conference Room overlooking the U.S. Capitol, the city’s grandeur is complemented by a huge 98-inch LG 4K display. All of the displays feature LG’s advanced IPS panels, which are also used in the office’s new LG 34-inch UltraWide desktop monitors.
“The NGA has scores of employees, and most of them expressed a desire for dual-monitor workstations to accommodate complex workflows and multitasking,” Bukowski explained. “By using LG’s UltraWide 32:9 aspect ratio monitors instead of dual-monitor setups, we were able to deliver the larger digital canvas they needed while simplifying system design and connections, resulting in a cleaner appearance and smoother operation.”
From the lobby to the cafe to conference rooms, the new digital signage network from LG Business Solutions enhances the NGA’s flexibility and provides simple, bring-your-own-device meeting spaces that deliver a variety of benefits for workers. The redesigned conference rooms enable simple plug-and-play setup for conference calls or presentations on LG 4K Ultra HD displays ranging from 55 to 98 inches diagonal, with most offering bring-your-own-device simplicity that includes HDMI connections and AirMedia wireless casting.
According to CTSI, the new digital displays and systems at the organization’s headquarters provide the communications and collaboration tools needed to succeed in the variable work environment of the post-COVID world.
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A Future-Proof Solution
Before the renovation our capabilities were limited, and now we have governors remarking how easy our technology is to use and how great everything looks.
Shantia Puckett
Perhaps the most unique aspect of the NGA’s new technology infrastructure is that the audiovisual systems can be easily upgraded, thanks to CTSI’s Subscription Service that allows the NGA to request replacement technologies as new displays or features are introduced in the coming years. By replacing a large upfront cost with a monthly subscription fee, the NGA gains enormous flexibility and helps ensure that its offices won’t become obsolete as technology progresses.
“Like any organization, the NGA wants to maximize the value of its investment and ensure long-term capabilities, so LG display technology coupled with CTSI’s subscription hardware and software service represented the ideal solution,” said Shantia Puckett, the NGA’s associate director of information technology. “Our clientele includes some of the most powerful people in the country, so it’s paramount that the technologies and spaces we offer them work flawlessly and deliver fast, simple means to get their work done.”
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Simple and Dynamic
Now the NGA headquarters is a beacon of modernity that allows visiting governors and their staffs to continue the hard work of governing their states while visiting the nation’s capital.
Andy Bukowski
In addition to the lobby, conference room, and desktop displays, CTSI installed 49-inch 4K displays in the cafe to welcome guests, provide updates, and show news broadcasts. Another 55-inch LG 4K model mounted on a rolling cart enables any space to host presentations or videoconferences.
“During the presidential inauguration in January there were a number of governors using our offices and conference rooms, and when they needed to launch a Zoom meeting, we were ready,” Puckett said. “Before the renovation our capabilities were limited, and now we have governors remarking how easy our technology is to use and how great everything looks. It’s a completely different experience, thanks to LG
and CTSI.”
Bukowski said, “Now the NGA headquarters is a beacon of modernity that allows visiting governors and their staffs to continue the hard work of governing their states while visiting the nation’s capital. As the organization returns to the office following the pandemic, the new desktop and digital signage displays will be crucial to meet the expectations of NGA staff and external colleagues alike.”
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