Back in October, we moved into our all-new, larger office space. Since then, we have continued to grow at a rapid pace – so much so that we are already working on yet another expansion plan. Exciting news? Of course!

However, with the an increasing number of Rocketeers we quickly realized we needed a more efficient way to find, track and reserve meeting rooms throughout the office. Ideas quickly began to circulate internally about ways to do this, and the search began for a modern solution to this age-old problem. We looked at numerous options, from those nifty network appliances you see used on some large corporate campuses to leaner, more mobile-centered solutions. This search led us to a great partnership with EventBoard and LaunchPort.

With EventBoard, we are able to manage room scheduling and display upcoming events while using the attractive and tech savvy interface of the iPad. For our units, we purchased refurbished 16GB, wifi only white iPad 2’s directly from Apple. Since we are an all Mac shop, this was a perfect solution for us. But it would work in Windows offices as well (and dramatically increase the cool factor of the office). EventBoard piggybacks off the iPad’s existing CalDAV connection to our calendar server. So, with a few hours of configuration, it worked perfectly. Now we can book a room using our Mac, iPhone, iPad or the EventBoard iPad and everything syncs properly and instantly using push updates. We were also able to customize the look of the app to match Bottle Rocket’s brand and visual aesthetic.

So now that we had the app, we needed to figure out how and where the iPads will be presented on each conference room wall. That is where LaunchPort stepped in.

LaunchPort is a revolutionary a way to mount and charge your iPad, virtually anywhere or on anything. The LaunchPort solution is simple – a Sleeve for the iPad and a Station that fits on the wall. A Sleeve is a case that fits onto your iPad. A Station is the mount and charging unit that interacts with a Sleeve. Once your device is mounted to a Station, charging begins immediately- without a 30-pin cable or conductive elements. Magnets are used to mount and affix your iPad in its Sleeve to a Station.

Thank you EventBoard and LaunchPort for helping us create an easy and customizable solution. The devices are currently up and running at each one of our meeting rooms. Check out the final product…