AVI-SPL, the leading global provider of technology solutions that transform how people and technology connect, today unveiled its new Customer Experience Centre in Tallaght, Dublin. This latest investment reflects AVI-SPL’s long-term commitment to Ireland, where over €6.2 million has been invested since entering the Irish market.
AVI-SPL is a modern workplace system integration company operating in over 70 offices globally and partnering with 86% of the Fortune 100 listed companies. It offers end-to-end design, deployment, and managed services of AV, UC and collaboration technology across all sectors including finance, professional services, technology and pharmaceutical. AVI-SPL were also behind the installation of the Dublin Portal livestream project in the city centre.
The company entered the Irish market in 2022 with the acquisition of Irish-based AV integrator, Sonics AVI and has since tripled its headcount here as it continues to grow. Within Ireland alone, AVI-SPL customers range from local enterprises to global blue-chips with presence in-county, such as LinkedIn and Workhuman.
At the launch, Thomas Stone, President of South Dublin Chamber of Commerce said: “I am thrilled a global technology leader like AVI-SPL is staying and continuing to invest in Tallaght. The opening of this world-class Customer Experience Centre today is a powerful endorsement of South Dublin as a dynamic hub for innovation and enterprise. By bringing cutting-edge solutions and expertise, this investment not only elevates our local economy but also creates new opportunities for collaboration and growth across the wider business landscape.”
Mike Kellaway, Managing Director, UK & Ireland, AVI-SPL said: “Our investment in Ireland reflects the huge potential we see here. The new experience centre allows our teams to deliver best global practices right here in Ireland, offering our clients a hands-on look at the next generation of workplace technology – enabling our clients to reduce complexity and boost collaboration ROI.”
“Our growth projections reflect the rapidly increasing demand for top-tier office space and reduction in commercial premises vacancies in Ireland. Through our experience with the biggest brands globally, we can accelerate businesses to the next phase of their growth journeys.”
Colin Barrett, General Manager, AVI-SPL Ireland said: “The opening of our Customer Experience Centre is a milestone event for us in Ireland. Through the centre, we will showcase leading-edge enterprises the workplace technologies as they would be implemented in onsite corporate environments, from boardrooms to multi-purpose collaboration spaces. This is an exciting period for our business with huge growth opportunities, as organisations everywhere navigate the complex nature of hybrid work.”
To celebrate this milestone, AVI-SPL is hosting two events on 1st May 2025: a grand opening of the Customer Experience Centre in Tallaght and an industry forum event in Dublin City Centre, focused on future-ready workplace strategy with Irish rugby legend, Brian O’Driscoll, Anne Sheehan, Microsoft’s EMEA Enterprise Lead, entrepreneur and founder of Ergo, John Purdy, Robin van Meeuwen, Creston EMEA Director and John Murphy, AVI-SPL Global Chief Operations Officer.
A €16 million purpose-built innovation centre, Work IQ, situated in Tallaght’s newly developed Innovation Quarter is on track to open early next year. Enquiriesare now being taken at www.workiq.ie to register interest in becoming part of the Work IQ community through the various services on offer.
The four-storey, 2,980m2 building offers three floors of flexible office accommodation to support businesses, local entrepreneurs, start-ups or SMEs. The centre also features a range of communal facilities on the ground floor, including meeting rooms and a public café facing directly onto a stunning new urban plaza.
Work IQ will accommodate up to 60 businesses and play a major role in developing start-up enterprises in order to support the creation of over 700 jobs worth €80m to the economy. Key features of this cutting-edge facility designed as a hub for businesses that are serious about innovation, technology and scaling-up will include:
·Private and shared office space and co-working options
·A variety of meeting and conference rooms and an on-site café
·Tailored business support including training, mentoring, funding support and skills development
·Regular onsite networking events, workshops and innovation showcases
· Collaboration opportunities through partners including the Local Enterprise Office Enterprise Ireland, South Dublin Chamber, Technological University Dublin, Tallaght University Hospital and the South Dublin County’s many major multinational businesses
Work IQ will be the first Irish centre run by Oxford Innovation Space,the organisation responsible for managing the largest network of innovation centres in the UK, housing over 1,000 innovative early-stage businesses.
Speaking in advance of the opening of Work IQ, Colm Ward, Chief Executive of South Dublin County Council said:
“Our new Work IQ facility will provide start-ups and entrepreneurs with workspaces and opportunities in a place designed to support business growth and development. It will be a hub for the community, businesses and entrepreneurs to come together and collaborate, innovate and progress in a really strong supportive environment provided through our exciting partnership with Oxford Innovation Space. We are passionate about fostering innovation, encouraging talent and providing support to young companies in the emerging Innovation Quarter in Tallaght to develop a pipeline of great new businesses with lots to offer Tallaght and South Dublin County.”
Strategically located on land owned by South Dublin County Council in Tallaght Town Centre, Work IQ is a key part of a new urban district called Innovation Quarter Tallaght being developed by the Council that also includes a new cost rental apartment scheme (which, along with Work IQ, will be served by the Tallaght District Heating Scheme, Heatworks) and a new public park called Innovation Square. The €16 million project is funded by the Council, with significant support from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage through the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund.
The building was designed for South Dublin County Council by a multi-disciplinary team led by McCullough Mulvin Architects and its delivery will complement a combined investment of over €80m in infrastructure projects in the centre of Tallaght, including the aforementioned Innovation Quarter, new link roads, major public realm enhancement, a fourth stand at Tallaght Stadium (making it a 10,000-seater, UEFA Category 4 stadium capacity) and a proposed new Heritage Centre.
“We are thrilled to bring the expertise of Oxford Innovation Space to Work IQ and Ireland,” said Jo Stevens, Managing Director, Oxford Innovation Space. “Our mission is to create an environment where innovative ideas flourish, and entrepreneurs have the support they need to turn their visions into reality. We look forward to contributing to the vibrant entrepreneurial landscape and being a catalyst for economic growth in the Tallaght community.”
Work IQ is set to open in Spring 2024 and will mark a significant milestone in the Council’s mission to create spaces that inspire and empower the innovators of tomorrow.
Register your interest in renting a workspace or joining a community of innovators, thinkers, entrepreneurs and creatives at www.workiq.ie.
In recent weeks Tallaght University Hospital has introduced numerous new digital solutions to assist patient care and also enable patients and their families keep in touch during the COVID-19 pandemic. New technology combined with existing innovation has been put in place to support hospital staff communicating with colleagues in order to efficiently treat and diagnose patients as well as helping them provide support for community settings such as hospices and nursing homes.
Speaking about the impact COVID-19 is having on patients and staff, David Wall, Director of ICT at TUH said, “Last December the Hospital launched a five year strategy with a heavy emphasis on Digital Enabled Care, we did not realise that we would be introducing so many elements of that care within a few weeks. With the support of an incredible team of ICT, medical, nursing and Health and Social Care Professional staff the Hospital has been able to introduce a number of new innovations in the Hospital very quickly. The use of this technology is proving to be critical in supporting our response to patients’ needs during this challenging time. Combined with technology already in use in the Hospital, over the last number of weeks we have been enabling safe and efficient communication between colleagues as well as patients and their families. Advances in ICT at TUH have facilitated a number of ‘firsts’ for the Hospital including an online interactive lecture series using Zoom, medical teams being able to consult with colleagues using wearable cameras, remote monitoring and virtual visiting.”
Donations from companies, volunteer groups such as Covid4comfort.org and gift cards from Amazon have helped TUH enhance the technology being used in the Hospital. In ICU and Theatre, Echo Show devices enable two-way video calling so clinicians can consult with team members on video, rather than in person therefore reducing the level of foot traffic into a restricted area. The Hospital is also trialling voice activated, hands free devices that will also enabling communication between patients and their families over Skype.
Commenting on the assisted technology, Prof Paul Ridgway, Consultant Surgeon and Perioperative Director at TUH said, “The smart speaker technology enables our carers to more effectively communicate masked-face to masked-face. I have been very impressed how using Alexa has facilitated very effective staff to staff communications, reducing the need to enter areas where PPE is required saving both time and stock of PPE.”
Redzinc, an Irish based technology company have also donated five pairs of video glasses to TUH for six months. The wearable, point of view, wireless headsets are enabling medical teams to interact with each other in real time in order to diagnose and treat patients.
Dr. Peter Lavin, Consultant Nephrologist and Clinical Director of the Medical Directorate of TUH said, “The Redzinc glasses have been extremely useful and enable us to step into a clinical situation as if we were there. We are using them in theatre, the ED and ICU and they are helping us to reduce footfall into critical areas with vulnerable patients.”
IPad’s been placed on all wards to help patients keep in contact with family and friends at a time when visiting is restricted in the Hospital. The iPads are housed in c leanable, healthcare compliant cases and have been set up with Skype, Facetime and Google Hangout.
Áine Lynch, Director of Nursing at TUH said, “Maintaining a human connection with friends and family is vitally important for our patients and their loved ones. In the absence of face to face visiting, virtual connection has become so important. The nursing staff are helping patients use the technology so they can see as much of their families and friends as possible during this time.”
As one of the two main teaching hospitals of Trinity College Dublin, the hospital specialises in the training and development of staff in the community and so Age-Related Healthcare at TUH have collaborated with the All-Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care to deliver an interactive virtual lecture series for nursing home staff to update them on changing guidelines and provide clinical education in order to enhance care. Four lectures have been delivered to date with an average of between 300 and 600 participants. Participants can submit questions in real time and themes are identified and answered by panellists.
Speaking about the innovative lecture series, Dr. Dan Ryan, Consultant Geriatrician at TUH said, “We have made the series as interactive as possible and the majority of the hour is dedicated to an open Q&A to provide a platform for answering practical questions that arise from staff. Nursing homes have traditionally been geographically cut-off from centres of learning and this current COVID crisis has exposed a historical lack of education investment provided to care homes”.
Other panellists have included TUH Consultants; Dr. John Cullen, Respiratory Consultant, Dr. Anna Rose Prior, Microbiologist, Prof. Sean Kennelly, Geriatrician with frequent panellist attendance from Dr. Stephen Higgins and Dr. Cliona Lorton, Palliative Care Consultants at TUH and Our Lady’s Hospice along with Claire Noonan, Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Older Persons at TUH.
The Hospital Robot Doctor, LUCY, has continued to provide invaluable help during ward rounds to support staff and patients during the pandemic. To help support staff, a number of which are now working in locations outside of the Hospital or redeployed within the Hospital, a staff app has been developed to ensure they are kept up to date with hospital news. Pastoral Care have also launched a video service, “Chat with the Chaplain” enabling chaplains to virtually visit patients and can be access through mobile phone or email.
During this Pandemic, the Hospital is also supporting the care of over 1,000 residents in 14 local nursing homes. This sector has been particularly severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the TUH specialist team to support these services has used technology to facilitate communication and clinical review. Prof Sean Kennelly, Consultant Geriatrician at TUH said “Unfortunately nursing homes have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, with many residents becoming unwell. We have developed a telehealth outreach service for general practitioners and directors of nursing to our local residential care facilities, including video-consultations to support care in place. The multidisciplinary team has managed over 400 contacts in the last six-weeks, and this link to a specialist service has been essential in supporting these care facilities during a very challenging time.”
