It’s trade-show season, in full swing. With one of the biggies behind (NAB), and other biggies coming soon, are you open to hearing from your users and incorporating their feedback into your new products BEFORE you launch them?

Every vertical market has overlap in how they use your products, but there’s enough differentiation in vertical applications to warrant some level of customization of how they use your products to invite their feedback into your R&D design process. If you’re listening to them BEFORE you launch, you’ll be less likely to hear “If only your device did this…” — which is the focus of my latest article on trends in the house of worship market.

Innovation and design leadership are mantles that should be worn by manufacturers and systems integrators alike, so the huge implications of LED technology are sure to be on the radar of many in the A/V/L industry. The technology continues to advance at an astounding rate, but the cost-benefit ratios and analysis are still sorely lacking as part of the sales & marketing efforts aimed at various verticals – including house of worship. There’s a lot of budget dollars on the line, and LED should have a seat at the table for lighting and video (in particular). That’s the focus of my second article looking at the future of the church market.

Where is your firm in all of this? Are you leading so far ahead that the people behind can’t even see where you’re going? Or are you assuming that they understand the technology as well as you do? Both are dangerous places to be and attention must be paid to each vertical market in order to speak directly to their needs, not at them as generic market. Don’t miss your firms’ opportunity to be a voice of leadership, training, and understanding for the house of worship market!

What do you think? Is Anthony on to something here?