Introduction: Is the Market Turning? Editorial: The Final Sayye by Gary Kayye Selling Benefits, Not Features Just Got More Important News:1. EPSON First to Break the Sub-$1000 Category
2. Gary Kayye to Debut Crestron's MediaManager at InfoComm
3. The New Mitsubishi XL5950 ColorView – A Pre-InfoComm Sneak Peak
4. ICIA/InfoComm and Koelnmesse Agree to Dissolve Europe Show
5. Sharp Announces New Portable
6. Christie Adds Options With New Dual Lamp Technology for Wall Displays
7 Eastman Kodak Wins Innovation Award at CeBIT
8. DPI Announces Home Cinema Projector
9. Toshiba, Too, Adds Home Theater Projector
10. Toshiba to Demo Input Display Device
11. Consumer Retail Sales on the Radar in TFCInfo's New Projector Growth Report
Click above for more information Introduction Is the Market Turning? The market is turning. I spent the last week talking to arguably the industry's top 30 dealers and they all, yes all, reported a slight increase in business, volume of calls and RFQ's. That's a good sign. Maybe we're finally heading into a positive second half of the year – ahead of time! Cross your fingers. This issue of Gary Kayye's rAVe brings us less than three weeks from InfoComm – a show that is our industry's top annual trade event. Held in Orlando, Florida the week of June 2nd, the InfoComm show is historically where the year's major product introductions occur. And this year will bring us some great new products and technologies (watch for our pre-InfoComm show preview in the next issue) – but, will anyone be there to see it? In speaking with many of the top dealers, I learned that virtually every one of them is taking anywhere from 30-60% fewer people this year. A few of them told me that they were taking the same number as last year, but no one reported an increase in the number of attendees from their company. It certainly makes sense as the economy forces everyone to re-evaluate every dollar a company spends – especially at trade shows. And, the trend is not lost with the dealers. Manufacturers are also telling me that they are taking far fewer people than last year. That's unfortunate as the education alone at InfoComm makes the cost well worth the trip. But, understandable. But, if you aren't going to this year's show, we will put you there with our Live from InfoComm edition of rAVe. We will be reporting and covering the major product introductions, events and parties. And, we will do it in a unique, revolutionary way. Stay tuned and make sure you read our next issue as we will help you be at InfoComm even if you can't be at InfoComm this year. Finally, I want to thank NEC for becoming a sponsor of rAVe this month, along with our regular sponsors Crestron, Da-Lite and Kramer. Welcome, NEC! Jody Thomas to Teach ICIA Seminars Kayye Consulting's CEO, Jody Thomas, will be delivering a number of free and ICIA sponsored seminars at this year's InfoComm show on topics ranging from the ins-and-outs of DVI to the hidden value of networking projectors and other AV gear. In case you're interested in attending one of Jody's seminars, here are the details: •10:15a Monday, June 2 – The Evolving Role of Pro AV: Selling Solutions Not Boxes http://www.insightmedia.info/conference.html This panel discussion features experts from various roles in leading systems integration companies and manufacturers of integration products with a specific focus on unique, value added services that are designed to provide additional revenue streams for service-based companies. In this panel discussion, we discuss the future model of the systems integrator in the professional audiovisual business, and how these companies are redefining themselves in the economy of shrinking equipment margins. •8:00a Tuesday, June 3 – S19 – Digital Interfacing in Presentation Systems http://infocomm03.expoexchange.com/_event1/expoexchange/shoppingcart/seminars.asp Discover the application of digital computer and video interfacing in modern presentation systems. Tomorrow's presentation systems are not going to be 100% analog or 100% digital; mixing traditional analog video technology and newer, digital technology requires a comprehensive understanding of differentiations between the two. Find out about the application of digital technology, its strengths and limitation as they relate to signal distribution, routing and the physical interface. Also learn from a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of DVI signal transmission and display communication as well as HDCP encryption technology. Review a comparison and contrast between DVI and the new High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), and the impact it will have on presentation systems. •1:00p Tuesday, June 3 – MT32 – Discover Da-Lite's ISC (Integrated Screen Control) Networking for Screens http://infocomm03.expoexchange.com/_event1/expoexchange/shoppingcart/seminars.asp In this course you will learn about a new revolutionary product Da-Lite has introduced to make it possible to network screens. Whether it is an installation with one or multiple screen deployments, this product can make the control of the screens easier and allows for scheduling and feed back from the screen itself. Learn how your job as a designer or installer can be made easier by this product. •3:30p Tuesday, June 3 – MT39 – Christie Digital Systems – Networking Nitty-Gritty http://infocomm03.expoexchange.com/_event1/expoexchange/shoppingcart/seminars.asp This class will bring to light basic understanding of computer network concepts and how Christie Digital Systems – Advanced Display solution products can be part of implementing an Integrated Solution. Learn how an IP addressable control system or an AV component that doubles as a network appliance can greatly enhance the functionality of your system integration solution. •8:00a Wednesday, June 4 – S33 – AV & IT Collision or Convergence http://infocomm03.expoexchange.com/_event1/expoexchange/shoppingcart/seminars.asp Presenting the in's and out's of networking and dealer strategies for the convergence of AV and IT requirements and expectations. Find out about the future functionality of these products. Learn how to address ways to handle customer expectations when considering these newly converged products. Understand the content value chain from creation to distribution to delivery and how to best integrate into the distribution segment. •1:30p Thursday, June 5 – S94 – Networking in Projection Systems http://infocomm03.expoexchange.com/_event1/expoexchange/shoppingcart/seminars.asp Learn about the concept of network integration into projection displays, and the benefits surrounding asset management and network-based content delivery within organizations. Are these solutions ready for prime time, and if so, what are target markets? You'll learn from an in-depth overview of these two very different and somewhat confusing market segments. Review the comparisons and contrasts between wired and wireless implementations, "push" versus "pull" content delivery methods, and control versus diagnostic asset management capabilities. Lastly, examine sample applications and the impact that each have had on the efficiency of an organization and the value provided to its users.
Click above for more information Editorial — The Final Sayye by Gary Kayye Selling Benefits, Not Features Just Got More Important It's finally happened. The $999 projector (see EPSON story below) will change the market forever. However, not in the way you might think. I happen to believe that a sub-$1,000 line of projectors, although destined to have virtually every manufacturer re-think their pricing and marketing strategies of their "value" line of projectors, will be good for the ProAV market in the long run.
Here's why: We are a market that has historically only appealed to the early adopter buyers – even though early majority users and even late majority users need our gear too. I happen to think it's because of the amazing amount of complex technological terms, practices and complication and frustration that the buyer goes through during the design/build process. Basically, it's smoke and mirrors to a lot of our clients. We all know that it's not that different from the home building or home contracting industry in that we use many of the same practices, planning, project management and pricing tools that they use. But we're also adding in the element of technology – something that almost anyone can get frustrated with. Sure, projectors seem to be the one "box" in the ProAV market that appeals easily to majority buyers (ok, maybe plasma too), but in reality, the majority of the buyers are still people who seek it out – they don't stumble across it.
So, I think that the $999 projector will bring our market a whole new level of awareness among all sorts of buyers that have no idea that ProAV technology can help them communicate better, faster and more profitably. They will eventually see past the technological box or system that the ProAV contractors are selling and installing and see the solution. Why do I think this? Well, I've witnessed it. I've watched sales reps at companies like 3M pitch their Digital Wall Display and seen the faces of the teachers and trainers who suddenly stop squinting their eyes when they see the product demonstrated as a solution rather than a projector/white board combination. I've watched people sit through a demo of the Smart Technologies Sympodium as they suddenly realize that it's not a lectern assistant but a teaching tool that encourages collaboration. Point is, I think all it takes is a campaign to get people to realize that we are here and what we do, as well as a slight modification in the way we pitch a product. We need to show it as a tool to improve presentations, encourage collaboration and speed up communication and retention rather than pitch it as a projector, a plasma or a white board. Oh, by the way, did anyone happen to see the full-page ad that Gateway (yes, the computer company) had in USA Today yesterday (Thursday, May 15, 2003 issue) where they were promoting their $2,999 plasma as the leading selling plasma in America? Hum… Back to top Gary Kayye's rAVe InfoComm Issue Sponsorship Interested in sponsoring Gary Kayye's rAVe, InfoComm edition? Better call quick! (919) 969-7501. Or write to advertising@kayye.com.
Click above for more information News Gary Kayye's rAVe will be reporting LIVE from infoComm. Manufacturers, be sure to send your news announcements and images the minute you have them ready to rAVe Editor-in-Chief Denise Harrison — dharrison@kayye.com 1. EPSON First to Break the Sub-$1000 Category Well, EPSON is the first to break the sub-$1,000 category to everyone, everywhere. Of course, NEC did it earlier this year in the form of a projector that's $999 to the educational market-only. But EPSON does it for anyone. In a way, this was what we've all been waiting for – good and bad. We know that this will be a major price point to really push huge potential volumes of projectors to early and late majority buyers, but we also are wary as it may kick-off a price war that no one really wants or needs right now. But, I have a slightly different view. I remember when the LCD panel entered this market in 1986 via a show called COMMTEX (now commonly referred to as InfoComm) in Atlanta, GA from Sharp and Kodak. People walked around the show saying this was the CRT market-killer and that the industry would be a PC-channel product within four years. Well, in reality, what it did was bring a whole lot of buyers and users to the ProAV market that would have never found us – or, at least, wouldn't have found us so quickly; so, it actually kick-started the presentation market. And, I think that the mental-$999 price will kick-start this market again and will, of course, bring a few more people into this market that will certainly buy the cheap sub-$1,000 projector, but will eventually upgrade and install! The news: On Monday, Epson introduced the PowerLite S1, which has a spec of 1200 ANSI lumens, 400:1 contrast ratio and is an SVGA (800 x 600) resolution LCD projector. The PowerLite S1 is priced at $999. The projector uses three new Epson 0.5-inch LCD panels. At 7 lbs, it's not the lightest portable by any stretch of the imagination, but it does have built-in keystone correction and has all the traditional features of a portable projector with a video, audio and SVGA input. With the eye toward pleasing the consumer user, or the corporate user who borrows the projector for home use on the weekends, for example, Epson included what they describe as a "high-end video input" and pre-programmed color modes to handle different sources and aspect ratios (i.e. DVD aspect ratios). Of course, it can project either 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios, but requires user intervention to make the switch between the different image sizes. The lamp price doesn't hurt, either. Epson says the lamp is rated at 2,000 hours with replacements priced at $199. Beginning in June, it will be available through retailers, dealers, mail order and PC resellers (in other words, everywhere). For more information, click here: http://www.businesswire.com/webbox/bw.051203/231325365.htm 2. Gary Kayye to Debut Crestron's MediaManager at InfoComm Gary Kayye, Chief Visionary of Kayye Consulting and founder of rAVe, has been invited by Crestron to be the featured presenter of Crestron's new MediaManager system at InfoComm. Kayye, having assisted with the development of MediaManager, was asked by Crestron's Executive Vice President, Randy Klein, to roll out MediaManager with an 8-minute training session/introduction of the MediaManager system to the ProAV market. "I have thoroughly enjoyed working on the MediaManager product line with Crestron and am excited to be presenting the MediaManager as well as being reunited with Catherine Bell [of Crestron] as a co-presenter," said Kayye. Catherine and Gary worked together at Extron Electronics for nearly 10 years. MediaManager is not just another control system. With MediaManager, Crestron has developed the world's first single-room or multi-room control system, signal distribution network and campus-wide room management family of products. That's all we can tell you now, as it's being introduced June 3rd at 10:30am with an in-booth presentation by Gary Kayye. Every person who visits the Crestron booth and sits through the MediaManager introduction will get an exclusive, limited edition MediaManager t-shirt. For more information on the MediaManager, come to InfoComm or stay tuned to rAVe as we will debut the MediaManager first, here. 3. The New Mitsubishi XL5950 ColorView – A Pre-InfoComm Sneak Peak Last week, I had the opportunity to get a sneak peak at a new systems projector from Mitsubishi dubbed the XL-5950 ColorView. While the preliminary spec sheet calls for 4700 ANSI lumens, that is likely to change a bit. But, basically, there will be two versions of this projector, one with micro-lens array (at around 4500 ANSI) and one without (at around 3500 ANSI lumens). Both include are XGA (1024 x 768) resolution LCD projectors carrying a 600:1 contrast ratio and networking, 2 computer inputs, video, s-video, etc. (all the basics all projectors need today). But, there are two things worth noting on this projector series. First, it will mark the first time Mitsubishi has had a projector with lens shift (both horizontal and vertical lens shift, that is) and second, it has a really cool feature that most people will overlook – but, really is simple and make it a powerful projector for the education market. It will ship with a cover that hides the cables that go into the projector's input panel. But, the neat thing is that it can be set such that when it is removed, an alarm (built right into the panel) goes off immediately. Now, this wont deter all theft, but it's certainly better than nothing and it's a simple thing that will yield Mitsubishi a buzz and other manufacturers will copy. I was not given an expected price for the XL-5950, but I was told that it will weigh about 19-pounds. Click here to see the preliminary spec sheet from Mitsubishi: http://www.kayye.com/newsletter/2003/5_03/vol1issue7/XL5950 Fact Sheet.pdf 4. ICIA/InfoComm and Koelnmesse Agree to Dissolve Europe Show ICIA and Koelnmesse, whose alliance ran the InfoComm Europe trade show for four years, separated their partnership this month and the scheduled November 2003 trade show is now, officially, cancelled. ICIA said they are taking back ownership and responsibility for the show and will announce a forthcoming event in Europe for 2004 later this year. No word, yet, from Koelnmesse as to the status of their participation in future ProAV shows, but I doubt they will do anything other than support ProAV manufacturers' continued participation in the Photokina show – a photographic show that has transitioned into digital imaging over the past two decades.. The different focuses of the organizations (ICIA remains committed to the ProAV channel when it comes to conferences; Koelnmesse's focus is on end-users) meant they eventually had to go their own ways to make sure those very different markets are addressed with two different trade shows. For more information, click here: http://www.infocomm.org/newsnetwork/associationnews/index.cfm?objectID=A6CEB543-E4DF-4337-B0065488DC8E8267 5. Sharp Announces New Portable Sharp Electronics has added another model to their "value" line aimed at education in the Notevision PG-A10S-SL LCD projector. It is specified at 1500 ANSI lumens, it's an SVGA resolution LCD and it sells for $1,995. This is the second model in Sharp's Value Series – the first was its PG-A10X, a 1300 ANSI lumen XGA resolution projector selling for $3,395 and announced earlier this year. With the Value Series, Sharp targets first-time buyers, sales/marketing professionals, education, small business owners and corporate trainers and what they term as "anyone looking for a low-cost solution." I also noted something interesting in Sharp's announcement of the projector. The had a line in their release that said the projector was, "…HDTV, DVD, VCR and video game-station compatible…". I find this reference very interesting. There have been some recent studies citing that display technology's eventual holy grail is the home video gaming industry. Now, we, in the industry, know that that actually means nothing as a video game has the same video output as every other consumer device, but it will certainly draw the attention of the mainstream press when writing about our market. So, kudos to Sharp's PR department for being creative and reaching out to a new potential list of buyers. For more information, click here: http://www.sharpusa.com/products/ModelLanding/0,1058,1056,00.html 6. Christie Adds Options With New Dual Lamp Technology for Wall Displays A new dual UHP lamp technology from Christie lets users choose between running one lamp or two in some of their projectors and in one case, the projection system automatically switches to the second lamp when the first burns out. And, Christie claims that with both lamps on, you get double the brightness. This is for Christie's single-chip DLP multimedia wall displays, specifically the CS70-D100U projection display cube and the RPMS-D100U rear projection module, used in control rooms for 24/7 operation. In fact, Christie claims that you can go up to 20,000 hours, or 2.2 years of continuous operation, without having to replace any lamps. For more information, click here: http://www.christiedigital.com/news/pr_details.asp?FileID=2029 7. Eastman Kodak Wins Innovation Award at CeBIT Although, at first glance, this announcement seems to have little to do with the ProAV market, it's significant. One of the major display technologies that is vying for a leadership position in the 'flat-screen of the future' campaign is OLED or Organic Light Emitting Diode technology. For years, OLED has claimed to be the technology of the future to displace Plasma displays and also kick LCD out of the large-screen direct-view market. Up until now, nothing real has emerged. However, Kodak, at CeBIT, debuted the use of OLED displays on their line of digital cameras to power the display technology for viewing the images. OLED is bright, low power and, supposedly, inexpensive to manufacture. In fact, I will bet that you will see some 15 and 17-inch OLED displays somewhere on the show floor next month at InfoComm. Eastman Kodak's OLED display technology won the Chip Award, the highest award for innovation, at this year's CeBIT trade show. Chip is a prominent German computer magazine with a circulation of 1.4 million readers. OLED uses self-luminous pixels, eliminating the need for backlights used in LCDs – you can see it outside in sunlight. That allows for thinner designs and better readability in a variety of lighting conditions. It also has fast response for streaming video and a whopping 165-degree viewing angle. Right now, the technology is targeted to digital cameras, mobile phones, PDAs and other small devices but is eventually to be used in large-format TV's and displays for the ProAV market. And, of course, what to watch is how OLED makes its way into screens larger than microdisplays. At CeBIT, Kodak demonstrated a 15-inch, 1280 x 720-pixel prototype display. For more information, click here: http://www.kodak.com/country/US/en/corp/pressReleases/pr20030319-01.shtml or here http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/display/kodakAndOEL.jhtml 8. DPI Announces Home Cinema Projector As any reader of my columns knows, I love the Home Theater market. In fact, I have been threatening to open a home theater company for years. So, this introduction piqued my interest as DPI makes some of the best, if not the best, large venue and digital cinema DLP projectors I have ever seen. And, DPI seems to be putting a lot of resources into the home market with this new low-end home projector and the mid-range one to be announced at InfoComm. Previously, DPI had only high end solutions and have long-been regarded as some of the best in the large venue category. This new projector, dubbed the iVision HD, is a single-chip DLP projector, is 1000 ANSI lumens in a 6.5-lb. package. But, what really sparked my interest is what DPI claims is a 2300:1 contrast ratio! And, using a 1280 x 720 native resolution DLP and 16:9 aspect ratio, it's primed for the home theater market. Included are a 1.75-2.25:1 zoom lens, a soft-shell carrying case and infrared remote control. Optional accessories include a 1.0:1 wide-angle lens and ceiling mount. The iVision HD lists for $11,995. For more information, click here: http://www.digitalprojection.com/news/ivisionhd.htm 9. Toshiba, Too, Adds Home Theater Projector Toshiba also has a new 16:9 projector, but the new MT-500 is based on a 1034 x 576p (progressive) TI DMD chip that's purported to have a 2000:1 contrast ratio, and includes digital keystone correction, gamma control, sharpness control, preset and user definable color temperature controls, RS232C control and memory settings by input (all the stuff every projector has these days). Inputs can be 480i/480p/720p and 1080i HD sources and includes two ColorStream component video inputs, a DVI-HDTV port, RGB, S-Video, and, of course, Composite Video. For more information, click here: http://www.toshiba.com/tacp/news/may_08_03_projectors.html 10. Toshiba to Demo Input Display Device Toshiba America Electronic Components developed a unique device – a TFT LCD panel that actually has photo image sensors embedded into the panel. The so-called "System on Glass" panel can capture images, then redisplay them. The input display is different from a camera in that it inputs an actual-size image directly from the built-in image sensors. The prototype, on display next week at the Society for Information Display International Exhibition, is a 3.5-inch diagonal panel with QVGA (320 x 240) resolution. Toshiba will show how it works by capturing and displaying business cards, something you might want to do with a cell phone or PDA. Other markets Toshiba points to include capturing data from a catalog, reading barcodes, recognizing and authenticating fingerprints for security applications, or importing a private route map into a PDA from a navigation system. The company plans to develop it for e-commerce and financial transactions as well. The consumer uses are obvious, if you consider the constant TV commercials advertising phones that capture images. Having that capability in a PDA as well is absolutely possible with this technology, since there are no peripherals – the capture technology is IN the thin panel. And, of course, could eventually find its way into a large-format display technology. For more information, click here: http://www.toshiba.com/taec/press/to-314.shtml 11. Consumer Retail Sales on the Radar in TFCInfo's New Projector Growth Report Brick and mortar consumer retailers, or storefront operations, gobbled up 18.6% of projector sales in the fourth quarter of 2002 says a new report from market reseacher TFCInfo. Retailers CompUSA, Office Depot, Staples, and Fry's Electronics led the pack last year but more retailers, lots more, will join the pack this year and next. With this jump in retail sales, and with companies such as IBM, Gateway and Dell ready to push products through a channel they're already in, could it be any more clear that AV dealers need to get out of box sales and focus on systems sales? For more information, click here: http://www.tfcinfo.com/newsdetail.cfm?newsid=36 Back to top
Click above for more information Attn: Dealers
Want to Send a Newsletter to Your Customers But Don't Have the Time? If you're a dealer in the business segment (rather than consumer) and would like to send out a customized newsletter to your customers and prospects (and want to do it spending only ten minutes a month!), ask us about it by writing to dharrison@kayye.com
Feature Article Gary Kayye rAVe
AV Hall of Fame
Fred Dixon Introduction — New Feature Although I have only been in this market for a little more than 16 years, I have had the privilege to work with some of the industry's most famous people. As everyone knows history provides the path to the future and it has been amazing to be able to sit down with many of these famous figures over the years and learn about what made this market grow and evolve. With that in mind, I am starting a series of articles that will focus on some of these famous industry pioneers and awarding what I call, for lack of a better term, an AV Hall of Fame award. Our first Hall of Fame award winner is Fred Dixon (a 50-some year veteran of AV) and here is his story: It was 1949 and Fred Dixon thought he was in trouble. "I may have been a shy farm boy but I'd been called to the principal's office a time or two." So when the superintendent of his primary school walked into the classroom and pointed to Fred, saying "I want to see you in my office," Fred thought this time, it was big trouble. It turned out, though, that the school leader singled out Dixon because he was the largest boy in the class and he needed some new equipment moved – AV (sort of) equipment. "I carried a two-piece movie projector up three flights of stairs." And thus the beginnings of a 54-year career in ProAV. Years later, Luke Rawls, former Director of Display Technologies at Sony Electronics was once asked how long he'd been in the AV business. He said since dirt was invented. "Only one problem," Rawls continued, "there's one guy who's been in it longer, Fred Dixon, who has been in it since rock was formed, which dirt was made out of." At school, Dixon learned to operate the projector to show films to the students. Then a year or so later, the school bought a new projector. Dixon comments, "The new projector broke down. My father always figured if something was broken, you might as well try to fix it since it's already broken. I fixed it on the spot." As a sophomore in high school he landed his first parts wholesale license and by the time he graduated from high school in 1955, he was doing repairs for 15 school districts in his spare time. From there, it was on to Michigan State University, where he majored in automotive engineering, minored in mathematics for business. "But I had too much fun in the AV field," he says. "I decided wasn't going to draw pistons and valves behind a drawing table. "To keep up his interest in AV, Dixon also operated the audiovisual equipment for the Michigan State and later became the chief engineer for AV. "My memory of the football season at Michigan State is we'd have to go in at 4 a.m. to warm up the mercury vaporized tubes by blowing hot air on them so we'd have a working PA system in time for the game," he remembers. But his repair business, which he was running as a side business in college, got so busy that he decided to leave the university and started his own "official" business. That business grew to five service offices all around the state of Michigan, a business so successful it was eventually acquired by a larger company in 1969. Dixon stayed with the company as director of technical services until a yearning to get into AV system design full-time lured him away to start another company and he set off on his own again in 1979. The company, Dixon Media Systems & Design, Inc., today still stands as one of Michigan's most successful ProAV companies. Not only do they work for colleges and universities and school districts all over the U.W. state college system, but they've done work for General Motors, Whirlpool, the U.S. Department of Energy and many other Fortune 500-style companies. "One reason I got a lot of work [in my design business] is my philosophy that anything is possible, time and money are what make it impractical," comments Dixon. "Also there are usually only five or 10 minutes difference between a poorly-done task and a well-done one, so put a bunch of good tasks together and you have a good project." That business mantra has served Dixon Media for well over 20 years. Another reason for his success is what he calls his L.B. Degree. "My mail is separated into two piles," he explains. "One pile is for the office, one is for the L.B., or Lazy Boy chair – that's my L.B. education. Trade journals, technical documents, anything and everything I can read about the profession goes there and I sit and read. I am self-taught in many things, including H&R Block courses so I can advise clients on purchasing and leasing, and a real estate license so I can advise clients on real estate." And anyone who knows Dixon (and that's a LOT of people) also knows that he is as dedicated to teaching as he is to learning. He received the first ICIA Educator of the Year in 1992 and not only is he the only one to win that award twice, in 1999, he also received the ICIA Educator Lifetime Achievement Award, which is now named in his honor. "I believe you learn more from your peers than from any other source. That's one reason I've taught so many years in ICIA. When I do a seminar with 20-30 people, they have one instructor but I have 30," he says. He firmly believes one must keep well-educated on a daily basis to keep up with the technology. "This is one of those industries you only get out of it what you put into it." He also believes that sharing information improves the industry as a whole. Dixon explains, "One thing unique about my experience with ICIA and anyone who has participated in ICIA education is the unusual willingness of the participants in classes to pass along information to peers, even when those peers are competitors. Over the years, a lot of people have asked me why I'm teaching a seminar with competitors in the class and why I share so many secrets with them. But I feel when I travel, as I fly over the country I'm flying over hundreds of jobs that were done improperly. There is enough work out there for everyone to do adequate work so my main purpose is to up the level of my own profession. So I don't look at it as teaching my competitors, I teach them so they'll become better thus I'll become better." His history with ICIA is almost as long as his career. He attended his first industry conference, then called National Audio Visual Association, back in the mid-50s when it was all dealers with a few manufacturers exhibiting on the side. "There were no end-users in the organization and they used to frown on the one day end-users were allowed to attend," he remembers. He's certainly seen a lot of change in the industry since then. "One of the biggest trends now is that technology has changed, the dealership profile has changed," he says. "There used to be an AV dealer that sold movie projectors, filmstrip projectors, etc. There were audio dealers who sold sound systems, and there were video dealers who sold video equip which some AV dealers took on as an accessory. But they all headed their own little market niche and didn't really compete. And, in the 1980's, you started to see computer dealers pop-up on the scene. Now, due to the need for integration everyone seems to do everything from AV to PC's and integration to networking." The big breakthrough came with video, he says, and he remembers in the late '50s buying a reel-to-reel video recorder, video camera and a monitor. The next big thing was when computer technology allowed all of it to be integrated. "And of course, technology has minimized the size and weight of everything, going from tubes to transistors," Dixon points out. The other change is in ProAV education, where one used to get through course information in a few days – information that now takes a few weeks. Fred has taught 89 different courses over the years, standing in front of students "oh, a few thousand times," he guesses. "A service management course is how I started teaching in the 50s," he says. "Now service is a big part of the business again. In the past service was looked at a non-profit arm to support sales, it was viewed as the cost of sales. Now service and installation are expected to be revenue generators." In all these years, Fred has only missed attending four or five InfoComm shows – a record not duplicated by many. But one year he was almost stopped short by a… short, literally. "I was teaching a class and the topic was grounding equipment," he says. "I leaned forward and when my cheek came in contact with the microphone, it electrocuted me and I fell to the floor. The microphone had been mis-wired. My face was numb for a couple of days after that." He'll not be attending InfoComm this year as he's decided to retire from the ProAV market, but not by his own accord – but, for health reasons. But he plans on being at InfoComm in Atlanta in June, 2004. "I keep busy with four different families – my immediate family, ICIA, my 4-H family and Kiwanis Club. I'm also a licensed and bonded auctioneer for 4-H. I might have a lot of scruples in my business and personal life but when it comes to charity auctions, I'll egg grandma on to outbid grandpa!" Along with those families, he says his hobbies will keep him busy for years to come. Those include "drowning worms" (fishing) and "making sawdust" (woodworking). And what's his latest project? "We're working on grandchild number seven!" Editor's note: Fred, you will be missed at this year's event… Well, that's it for the seventh edition of rAVe! Thank you for spending time with me as we muse the industry's happenings. To continue getting my newsletter, or to sign up a friend, click the link below. To send me feedback and news tips, don't reply to this newsletter – instead, write to me at gkayye@kayye.com. A little about me: Gary Kayye, CTS, founder of Kayye Consulting. Gary Kayye, an audiovisual veteran and columnist, began the widely-read KNews, a premier industry newsletter, in the late 1990s, and created the model for and was co-founder of AV Avenue – which later became InfoComm IQ. Kayye Consulting is a company that is committed to furthering the interests and success of dealers, manufacturers, and other companies within the professional audiovisual industry. To read more about my background, our staff, and what we do, go to http://www.kayye.com Back to top
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