As you may know about BCC Live, we help put on many events. In 2023 alone, we will be working at more than 90 different events to include triathlons, marathons, short distance runs, galas, conferences, remote yoga guidance, virtual medical conferences and so many more. We really get around in the event industry and we are always looking for companies that make the right equipment for each job. We rent, we own, and we make sure each event has exactly what it needs to be the most successful it can be. The MicroCue3 is by far one of the BEST purchases we’ve made this year!
New Equipment at Events
When you are around as many events as we are, you really notice the small details. Things that most of the public might not think about or even be aware of. You try new equipment, you get burned, you have equipment failures or malfunctions, and you work as hard and fast as you can to troubleshoot any issues that arise to have them resolved before anyone has a chance to notice. There are some cases though, where if you have something go wrong, people will notice immediately.
One of the most important things at a conference is making sure everything is as smooth as possible for the presenters. I’m sure we have all experienced someone speaking on stage only for their slideshow not to work – either a video fails to play, or the slide fails to progress, or they get out of order. These things can and do happen, so we try as hard as we can to plan ahead to avoid issues for our speakers. We run through every slideshow multiple times on the hardware it will be used with, we have backup plans in place, and we coach our speakers on best practices, but what if there is an equipment malfunction?
Ensuring Success
When someone is presenting onstage at a conference, they will sometimes be hundreds of feet away from the computer that holds their slideshow. Because of this, a normal slideshow clicker you can pick up at Best Buy or Target is often not strong enough to reach. These devices tend to utilize Bluetooth to operate, the same technology used for wireless earbuds, which only has an effective range of around 30 feet.
Even if the signal is strong enough, when the room fills with people and cell phones, the signal can run into interference causing it to stop without warning. When this happens, it leaves the speaker in the awkward position of having to call out to the crew each time they need a slide changed. This doesn’t ruin a presentation, but it can cause the speaker to lose their flow or be thrown off their game. So, what are our options?
The “Super Clicker” – MicroCue3
This is an issue we at BCC Live have dealt with for years. In the past, we have always relied on renting what we refer to as a “Super Clicker”. This is essentially the same type of small remote you can pick up at the store, but it has dedicated antennas and does not rely on Bluetooth for its connection. These devices also have a visual readout on the device that sits with the computer running the presentation, so that if it fails to trigger the slideshow to advance automatically, it can still alert the crew to make the change without the speaker even noticing the problem.
This year, for the 2023 Running USA Industry Conference (read all about that here) we chose to supply all the equipment for the main stage. Where we have always rented the Super Clicker in the past, this year we decided to get one of our own.
Analyzing the Options
Now, you already read the title of this blog post and can probably guess which Super Clicker we decided to go with, but I want to tell you why we made this choice before I give you our review. In the past, the standard for a Super Clicker has pretty much been the DSAN PerfectCue System. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the PerfectCue, we have used it many times over the years and it has always worked great.
When we began looking around for the one we would purchase, we considered the PerfectCue and even looked to purchase it. The problem was it seemed to be out of stock everywhere we looked. As a matter of fact, every version of it is even out of stock on DSAN’s website (as of time of writing). We don’t know if they are having trouble getting the parts or if the line is discontinued entirely, so we kept looking.
Interspace Industries
What we found was a small company called Interspace Industries. They had a product very similar to the PerfectCue, called the MicroCue3, and it was available for immediate order. Without much information online we reached out to the company to make sure they seemed legit. Not only did we get a quick response from the company, it was from the man who makes the MicroCue. Interspace Industries is based in the UK and they know their stuff!
We discussed our needs and were guided to the MicroCue3 as the best product for what we were wanting. There were still no outside sources with reviews for us to look into, but the team at Interspace Industries seemed top notch and that was reason enough for us to give this product a try!
The MicroCue3 Review
One of the most important things we consider at BCC Live with new products is what we call the “Manual Test”. Essentially, do you need a manual to get the product working the first time or is it simple/intuitive enough you can go without? The MicroCue3 gets a big “No Manual” stamp of approval for us.
I will add that to connect the handset initially, you may need to use the manual, but if you click around like we did it is self-explanatory. The hard part of this review is that it’s so short. It just works. You plug the base station into your computer and launch your presentation software, then you click the button on the remote. It is that simple and that effective. We never had to troubleshoot, never had any issues with connectivity, and the readout on the screen always worked.
I was able to advance the slideshow from literally anywhere in the large banquet hall without issue or delay. I absolutely love this device! It gets a full 5 out of 5 and we will be using the Interspace Industries MicroCue3 forever. It also comes with a laser cut hard case for travel.
Other MicroCue3 Features
Let me talk you through a few other options available with the MicroCue. The range from one device is claimed to be 100m. We tested the handset through the entire ballroom for our event and didn’t have any delay or missed clicks from what I would estimate to be a max of 200ft from the receiver. A cool additional feature of the MicroCue3 is the ability to link multiple base stations together over a standard XLR to vastly extend your range. This is not something we have tested, but it is a unique feature that Interspace Industries claims can extend your range (under certain circumstances) to 1500m.
There are also many bundle options to fit what you need for your event. We got the MC3-L2 which comes with the MicroCue3 Base Station (and cables) and a 2-button handset that includes a laser pointer, but you can get a bundle with multiple base stations and an additional button on the handset to black out the screen.
So once again, I will say that I love this device! If you need a professional Super Clicker, I can’t recommend this one enough. Not only is it a great product, it is also made by a great company!