Audience Response Systems

Conventions.net is providing this category definition for Audience Response Systems so that you can fully understand what kind of companies would be listed within this category on our site. This definition for Audience Response Systems is concise, and goes into detail with regards to the main themes for this category such as; Audience Response Software, ARS systems, and Audience Response Systems for trade shows and conventions. An Audience Response System (ARS), or Personal Response System (PRS), allows large groups of people to vote on a topic or answer a question. Each person has a remote control with which selections can be made. Each remote communicates with a computer via receivers located around the room.

After a set time - or when all participants have answered - the system shuts off and tabulates the results. Typically, the results are instantly made available to the participants via a bar graph displayed on projector. In situations where tracking is required, the serial number of each remote control is entered beforehand in the control computer's database or the students identity number. In this way the answer of each individual can later be identified. In addition to the presenter's computer and projector, the typical audience response system is comprised of the following components: base station (receiver) wireless keypads (one for each participant) audience response system software Today, audience response technology has evolved, taking advantage of Moore's Law, "The number of transistors and resistors on a chip doubling every 18 months" and Microsoft's dominance in presentation software to produce a product that was traditionally limited to polling specialists (typically required to implement a successful ad hoc polling event).

Today's office professional (or professor) with average skills in Power Point can integrate audience response with response pads using any of a number of Power Point plug-ins designed for audience polling. Some companies are starting to take an all software approach to Audience Response Systems by utilizing cellular text messaging networks and plug-ins for applications, like PowerPoint®. These solutions don't require specialized voting hardware and are typically favored by traveling speaking professionals and large conference halls that don't want to distribute, rent, and purchase proprietary ARS hardware. The majority of audience response systems use wireless hardware.

Two primary technologies exist to transmit data from the keypads to the base stations: radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR). A few companies also offer browser-based software that routes the data via an IP address. Radio Frequency (RF): Ideal for large group environments, RF systems do not require line of sight to operate and can accommodate hundreds of voters on a single base station. Using some systems, multiple base stations can be linked together in order to handle audiences that number in the thousands. Other systems allow over a thousand on just one base. Because the data travels via radio frequency, the participant merely needs to be within range of the base station (300 - 500 feet).

Some advanced models can accommodate additional features, such as , multi-digit answers, short word answers, user log-in capabilities and even multi-site polling. Infrared (IR): IR audience response systems are better suited for smaller groups. IR uses the same technology as a TV remote requiring line-of-site between the keypad and base station.

This works well for a single keypad but fails due to interference when signals from multiple keypads arrive simultaneously at the receiver. IR systems are typically more affordable than RF systems, but do not provide information back to the keypad. Browser-Based: Browser-based audience response systems are still in the early stages of development. They are software-only system, intended to work with the participants' existing wireless devices, such as notebook computers or PDAs. The software resides on the facilitator's computer, who creates a polling session with an assigned IP address. Participants log-in to that IP address through their own Internet-enabled device. The participant data is transmitted through the IP address to the presenter's computer, where the data is stored. The data can then be displayed through the projector and also on each participant's wireless device. Because the transfer of data goes through an IP address, proximity to a base station or line-of-site is not an issue.