Classic or Aero? How to Choose a Lectern for a Hotel, Venue or Lecture Theatre

A lectern is the focal point of a room. It's where the keynote starts, where the chair calls the meeting to order and where the lecturer stands for an hour. Choose the wrong one and everyone notices: a mi­cro­phone taped to the side, a laptop balanced on the edge, a cable across the stage. Choose well and nobody thinks about it at all.

Here's how to choose a Lectrum lectern for your venue.

Start with the room, not the catalogue

Before you look at models, answer four questions:

• Who presents? One speaker, a panel, or a presenter plus a tech­ni­cian?
• What AV is in the room? Mi­cro­phones only, or a full control system with a touch panel?
• Does the lectern move? One room, or a ballroom that becomes three function rooms?
• What does the room look like? Tra­di­tion­al, con­tem­po­rary or branded for events?

Classic or Aero?

Lectrum makes two series.

The Classic series has a tra­di­tion­al straight-panel look, inspired by the original Lectrum design es­tab­lished more than 25 years ago. It measures 600 mm wide, 1160 mm high at the front (1030 mm at the rear) and 495 mm deep, and weighs about 27 kg. It suits hotels, con­fer­ence halls, ballrooms, education spaces and places of worship.

The Aero series is the con­tem­po­rary option, with aerofoil-shaped legs, a gently curved dress panel and an aluminium frame. Aero models weigh about 31 kg. They suit con­fer­ences, gov­ern­ment venues, uni­ver­si­ties and corporate au­di­to­ri­ums. The L2001 Aero is the award-winning design in the range.

Elec­tron­ics, clock or control?

No elec­tron­ics

The L20 Classic has in­te­grat­ed logo space and built-in cable man­age­ment, with no elec­tron­ics. It's ideal for board­rooms and meeting venues where the AV is handled elsewhere.

Elec­tron­ics models

The L20S Classic Elec­tron­ics and L2001 Aero add two XLR mi­cro­phone inputs, an LED gooseneck reading light and a built-in power supply. The L900 Classic is the extra-wide model (954 mm) for two pre­sen­ters, or a presenter plus a touch panel and preview monitor. Its universal 12V power supply also supports phantom power for condenser mi­cro­phones.

Clock and timer models

The L101 Classic Clock and L2001C Aero Timer add a pro­gram­ma­ble LCD clock and countdown timer, so sessions run to time without a stage manager waving at the speaker. The L101 also has lift-up document storage.

Control models

The L20S NCTL Classic Control and L2001 CTL Aero Control have a housing cut-out for a control touch panel. Lectrum CTL models are available for use with AMX and Crestron. See the L2001 CTL.

Branding and colour

Every Lectrum can carry a logo: in­te­grat­ed logo space on the Classic, dress-panel logos, full dress-panel logos, Crys­tal­ite panels or an Aero top-panel insert. Frames come in black, silver, white or gold, with a choice of fabric dress panels. For venues, that means property branding for every event, or a client's branding for one.

Mobility and storage

Lockable castors let a lectern move between rooms. Padded pro­tec­tive covers keep it pre­sentable between events. A slide-out notebook shelf, property shelf or PC shelf (Aero) keeps the top clear.

Lead times

Lead times vary by model, finish and quantity. Confirm current pro­duc­tion and delivery timing with the Lectrum team before ordering.

Fre­quent­ly asked questions

Are Lectrum lecterns made in Australia? Yes. They're designed and man­u­fac­tured at OPIE Man­u­fac­tur­ing Group's facility in Western Sydney, under an ISO 9001:2015 quality system.

Which lectern works with my AV control system? The CTL and NCTL control models have a cut-out for a touch panel and are available for AMX and Crestron. Send us the panel model and we'll confirm the cut-out.

Can I buy through my AV supplier? Yes. Lectrum has au­tho­rised dis­trib­u­tors across Australia and New Zealand.

Can ar­chi­tects get a BIM file? Yes. Configure the lectern in the OPIE con­fig­u­ra­tor and download the BIM file.

Not sure which model? Try the Product Finder on lectrum.com.au, or configure it and download the BIM file.