“When we were renovating the Youth Center and Sportspark, we knew that significant upgrades to both facility’s multimedia systems were going to be important for their long-term viability and success.” – RIOC Acting COO Mary Cunneen.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Sportspark and Beyond
In a new report, Elite Design Systems boasted of its recently completed, wide-ranging solutions working with RIOC on an Island-wide multimedia project.
“Technology solutions provider Elite Design Systems (EDS) proudly announces the successful completion of an extensive multi-year multi-media project in collaboration with the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC),” the report reads.
“This transformative initiative encompassed a wide range of cutting-edge installations and enhancements across the two-mile, 147-acre island in New York City’s East River, between Manhattan and Queens.”
Beyond Sportspark and the Youth Center, “There were other smaller projects that the corporation needed to pursue to help future-proof island infrastructure,” Cunneen added. “So, our IT Department worked collaboratively with Elite Design Systems to undertake a multi-year upgrade project that has really made a big, positive difference.
“Particularly in Sportspark, the new multimedia system does a great job of sharing important information with members and keeping them engaged and entertained.”
While challenges prevail…
It’s no secret that these are disruptive times for RIOC with executive upheaval and critical staff departures. But the success at Sportspark shows that an effective management corps has been able to get things done.
“As the world is moving towards a digital platform, it’s important for RIOC to have up-to-date technology infrastructure and solutions to operate cohesively,” Chief Financial Officer Dhruvika Patel Amin added.
“These updates have positively impacted all our departments and locations which was essential for them to function more powerfully. The effect has been incredible, especially in the Youth Center, where staff have done a great job integrating their multimedia upgrades into programming.”
With a word of caution because there are several factual errors, you can read the full article here. The article was not reviewed by active RIOC management before publication.
Emergency Without Urgency
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While I appreciate the signal boosting of the other article, I expected more critical (not necessarily negative, but just additional) commentary about the installation beyond just being an amplifier for the other news.
For example, do we have any benchmarks/comparisons of the quality of this AV/technology work to other places? What’s the ROI for this based on the cost of the multi-year installation? Did RIOC get a good pricing for committing to this vendor across multiple sites versus have independently bid projects? While the technology sounds impressive, is it actually well-used? What’s the maintenance plan for this equipment like, and/or how long will the technology standards installed be relevant before being out-of-date?
That’s beyond the intent of this article.