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The British Museum relies on Trail in AV equipment management

The British Museum in London is perhaps the most famous museum in the world. Its permanent collection is one of the largest, and it was the first public national museum in history.

It is also one of the largest museums in the world, covering over 92,000 m² of area, including 21,600 m² of on-site storage space and 9,400 m² of off-site storage space.

Since 1753, the British Museum has educated and fascinated countless people worldwide. In recent years, presentation technology and AV equipment have become increasingly important in creating unforgettable exhibitions. Managing the AV technology in such an enormous facility requires strict processes and a reliable equipment management system.

The British Museum implemented Trail in 2021 to manage its AV and presentation technology. We interviewed the museum’s A/V Team Lead, Clark Henry-Brown, who was kind enough to share his experiences.

Mr. Henry-Brown, could you tell us what you do at the British Museum?

"The AV team manages multiple exhibitions, conferences and building systems across the British Museum. I manage the team and resources to ensure we consistently meet the highest standards for AV excellence throughout the museum."

What were your main equipment management challenges before you implemented Trail?

"The AV department at the museum is responsible for a vast inventory of AV resources, ranging from projectors and screens to portable sound systems across various store rooms in the museum.

With the AV team managing multiple exhibitions, conferences, and building systems simultaneously, keeping track of these resources museum-wide was a challenging task on a day-to-day basis. Often losing track of where AV equipment was, and not having a notable inventory or what equipment was available for future events and exhibitions was a common occurrence.

Moreover, having AV in multiple galleries across the museum, there was no way in noting maintenance schedules or logging technical faults - meaning that any reported issues were easily forgotten."

What is the main use of Trail at the British Museum?

"Trail works fantastically as a multi-faceted asset management system for the AV team at the museum. From a management perspective, it allows us to budget appropriately when a piece of kit is approach it’s expected lifetime - with such a vast inventory it was previously very hard to keep track of everything. Within the team, AV techs can use the system to reserve equipment for upcoming events and exhibitions they may be working on."

What made you choose Trail as your equipment management solution?

"Having previously used various asset management systems, Trail had stood out as an intuitive and easy to use interface. Most importantly, the Trail team were very helpful and eager to customise our Trail site to suit our fairly diverse needs specifically."

What are the most important benefits Trail brings you?

"As a project management tool, Trail makes my job much easier. The exhibitions calendar is planned years in advance, with earmarking of equipment for multiple exhibitions starting as early as a year before. Keeping track of what equipment is available, becomes hugely laborious within a spreadsheet and the hours of work it has saved using Trail to do this is priceless."

What best practices of equipment management in your field you would like to share?

"Being web-based means you can run Trail from virtually any device. We plan to use Raspberry Pi as an inexpensive way to have scanning stations across our multiple stock rooms."

Anything else you would like to add?

"The team at Trail are one of the happiest support teams I’ve had the pleasure of working with!"

Achieved benefits:

• Improved visibility in equipment and its locations

• Budget equipment purchases better than before by utilizing the life-cycle data in Trail

• Plan equipment usage better in the upcoming exhibitions and events with Trail’s equipment reservations

• An intuitive and user-friendly user interface makes day-to-day work easier

TV2 operations supported by Trail

Trail was introduced at TV2 to manage the production technology and camera equipment. The goal was to efficiently oversee the entire life cycle of assets, from acquisition to disposal.

“We were in need of a tool to support us in managing production technology assets more efficiently,” says Jon Eirik Olsen, production manager, TV2 Oslo.

Efficient equipment management

One of the reasons for implementing Trail at TV2 was to increase efficiency in equipment management. Trail was seen as means to reduce manual administration and improve control over the condition and usage of assets. An additional expected outcome was the reduction in the risk of asset misuse.

“Even though lost or stolen items was not a significant problem, Trail was introduced also to reduce that risk going forward,” comments Olsen.

Documentation and planning support

TV2 recognized the importance of storing equipment documentation and manuals in Trail for future reference. Trail also offered a flexible planning tool for systematic maintenance and repairs. Equipment usage reports were seen as essential for evaluating TV2’s future investment needs.

Self-service storage capability

One of the more important features Trail provided to TV2 was its self-service storage capability. This feature was designed to allow photographers to take responsibility for booking, collecting, and returning camera equipment themselves. For this self-service functionality to succeed, a simple user interface was required for both mobile and browser users.

“We wanted our staff to operate the equipment independently, and Trail provided us with the right tools. Our photojournalists are in and out of the office all day, so we introduced the Trail mobile app as their primary tool for self-service operations. They can now organise their camera equipment needs for their next assignment from anywhere, and they have an easy workflow for reporting damages or maintenance needs using the Trail QR code,” says Olsen.

Implementation

Trail and TV2 collaborated on a six-month implementation project to ensure TV2 could develop and roll out internal processes for better asset management alongside the system's deployment. During this time, the Trail team further refined the Trail Asset Management system to meet TV2’s specific needs.

“The implementation was a joint effort and included several training sessions, resulting in a lot of learning—not just about the system, but also about our processes,” states Olsen.

Achieved benefits:

• Improved transparency to all equipment information

• Self-service enabled for equipment bookings

• Improved control over equipment usage

• Ability to collect and return equipment through the mobile interface

• Reduced number of lost items

• Time saved in managing equipment more efficiently

• More control over equipment maintenance

• Improved visibility to equipment in personal use

Effective solution for tracking equipment reservations

Pop & Jazz Conservatory is one of the most revered music schools specialising in rhythm music in Europe.

In many conservatories and music schools, students and staff frequently use the institution's equipment. The Pop & Jazz Conservatoire in Finland is no exception. They offer music education to people of all ages, and students frequently borrow a significant amount of equipment.

For Ossi Pelttari at the Pop & Jazz Conservatoire, managing equipment reservations had become a burden. “It was difficult to keep track of who was using what and whether everything had been returned,” Pelttari explains. Paper lists and Excel sheets did not provide adequate control, and equipment loss was a significant problem.

“We knew that our partner school, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, was using the Trail equipment management system for their equipment and reservations, and they were very satisfied with it. So, we decided to explore Trail as well,” Pelttari continues. “We have labeled our equipment with Trail asset tags and now have an effective system for managing it.”

“Trail allows us to easily make reservations and scan equipment out on those reservations, giving us better control over our assets,” states Pelttari. “Now that we use Trail, we have a clearer understanding of which equipment people currently have. Equipment loss has decreased, and we spend less time searching for equipment and reservation information. Of course, the system’s benefits depend on how actively people use it,” Pelttari continues. “Trail also provides the Pop & Jazz Conservatoire with better control over equipment maintenance. People now have an easy way to report defects,” Pelttari adds. “And we finally have a clear view of what we actually have and where everything is.”

Achieved benefits:

• An improved process for equipment reservations

• Decreased equipment loss

• An intuitive system and efficiency with having all information available in Trail

• A comprehensive view of all equipment and its lifecycle

• An easy method for reporting defects allows faster repair times

Equipment management system successfully implemented

"The introduction of Trail has clarified our own processes and operating models." Pia Jänkälä, IT Support, Lappia

Lappia Vocational College operates across five locations in Northern Finland, providing education to approximately 4,500 students, supported by a staff of 340. Its operations span 30% of Finland's geographical area.

In addition to offering basic and professional degrees, Lappia provides a wide range of training and services for young people, adults, and businesses.

The school's IT department manages thousands of critical pieces of IT equipment. To maintain a clear overview and simplify equipment loans, Lappia adopted Trail Asset Management.

What changed after the introduction of Trail?

Before the implementation of Trail, item data was very scattered. "There were several different tables, purchase orders, and systems in use. Gathering the overall view of all IT equipment from various sources was a huge challenge" states Pia Jänkälä from Lappia’s IT support.

With Trail, all IT equipment was consolidated into a single register. Now, asset information is easily accessible and can be kept up to date.

"The introduction of Trail Asset Management has streamlined our processes and clarified our operating models. Today, Trail also helps us manage equipment loans, create budgets for future purchases, and maintain inventories," Jänkälä continues.

An intuitive system and proper preparation streamlined the implementation

Lappia's IT team thoroughly prepared for the implementation of Trail, carefully considering the users, items, and categories to be added to the system.

"We limited the item categories in Trail to keep the content more manageable. Additionally, we decided that access rights would be granted only to IT personnel and those managing loans, ensuring that the information in the system remains well-controlled."

Jänkälä emphasized that easy data input was crucial for a smooth implementation. Inventory data can be imported into Trail in Excel format, avoiding time-consuming manual entry.

Trail's user-friendly design further supported the implementation. "As a product, Trail is clear and easy to adopt. We also found the mobile app to be relatively intuitive."

Achieved benefits:

• All IT equipment information is centralised in one system

• Tracking equipment reservations and loans is simple

• Easy way to get a comprehensive view of equipment and its lifecycle

Detailed overall picture of the equipment usage

“Trail is very easy and simple to use. We have been very satisfied with it" states Juha Hirvonen, Sound production unit, Riveria

Riveria is one of the largest vocational education and training providers in Finland. Each year, 17,000 students study at Riveria, which offers over 130 different degrees.

In the media and communications department, students use AV equipment owned by the institution daily for various projects. Managing equipment usage and reservations was very time-consuming and challenging without an adequate system.

The sound production unit was the first to adopt Trail at Riveria. Previously, the unit used paper forms to track equipment reservations, which were unreliable and frequently outdated. Much time was spent searching for equipment and reservation information.

AssetOps improves monitoring and saves time

With the AssetOps culture enabled by Trail, the sound production unit has significantly improved its equipment management. Thanks to Trail's reservation feature, students can book devices anytime and from anywhere via a web-based interface. As a result, the overall view of equipment reservations is continuously updated, making it easy to monitor equipment usage.

Trail also helps Riveria ensure that equipment is returned to its proper place after a student’s reservation ends. With booking history readily available, locating equipment has become faster. Since introducing Trail, no equipment has been lost, and the time spent searching for equipment has been significantly reduced.

Building on the positive experiences of the sound production unit, Trail's use at Riveria has expanded. Today, the Radio and TV, Photography, and Graphic Design units also manage their equipment with Trail.

Achieved benefits:

• Reduction of time spent searching for equipment

• Reduced equipment loss

• Easily available devices

• Improved tracking of equipment reservations and returns