Volume 20, Issue 31 — August 17, 2022

rAVe ProAV Edition — Volume 20, Issue 31

August 17, 2022 | Volume: 20 | Issue: 31

Wow, what a month! One the past two years, our summers have been SLOW, I mean, really, really slow. But, all of a sudden, the summer of 2022 is known as the summer we never really had. On our side, we went from ISE in May to InfoComm in June, to CEDIA Expo and LAVNCH WEEK 6 planning in July and August. And, because of it, we’ve posted a record number of news stories over the past four months and nearly 3,000 videos — yes, 3,000 videos. In fact, go check out our YouTube page; we now have over 40,000 videos with, collectively, nearly 25,000,000 (yes, million) video views in just the past eight years — and two of those years were COVID years.

But, having just spent a few days with one of the world’s top five integrators, I know you’ve been busy too. This summer will, likely, be remembered as the summer of product shortages, supply chain issues and unavailability. The amount of product substitutions inside already designed systems is stunning. And, the burden of fixing all these issues has fallen tot he AV dealer/integrator to solve. I empathize.

Speaking of which, I polled my own 30,000+ LinkedIn followers (nearly all #AVtweeps) to ask them what they thought of a bold advertising campaign from a competitor of Crestron’s for calling the company out, by name, for not having stock while touting their own product availability. The results will likely surprise you; and, certainly, the comments will entertain you. It’s the second COLUMN below in this week’s issue or, you can go see the post on my LinkedIn feed here.

So, if you’re willing to check it out, will you tell me what you think? Comment!

Finally, this issue is packed with new products and, as always, an amazing piece from our own Mark Coxon. Mark says, “In business, where we often look to consultants or industry peers to follow their lead, that can be hard… With that, I invited an industry friend, who also happens to be an amazing running coach, Amelia Vrabel, to share some lessons from sports that may be of use in our businesses.” It’s a phenomenal read.

Enjoy!

— Gary Kayye

COLUMNS

+ Adaptability in Business: Lessons From Sports [Mark Coxon]

We should be focusing on our ability to adapt to whatever the world sends our way. In business, where we often look to consultants or industry peers to follow their lead, that can be hard, so I decided it might be fun to shift our mindsets and look for lessons from other areas. With that, I invited an industry friend, who also happens to be an amazing running coach, Amelia Vrabel, to share some lessons from sports that may be of use in our businesses.

+ Social Media Recap: Aurora Calls Out Crestron in Recent Marketing Email [Steph Beckett]

According to a marketing email from Aurora Multimedia, Aurora’s VPX 1GBPS AV-over-IP solutions claim to be the “solution for Crestron NVX lead time issues.” The email also says Aurora’s solution can perform everything Crestron’s NVX does and more at a lower cost. What do you think? Is this a fair marketing tactic?

+ Professional Amplifiers Market Still in Disarray, Though Lucrative Future Ahead [James Kirby]

As live events return in force, the professional amplifiers market continues to see strong levels of recovery. There remain some significant challenges for the industry, however revenues are on track to reach new heights over the coming years.