Mindfulness and Sustainability

Today, I was sitting at a table of AV professionals and I heard a remark about how the weather is really actually consistent year over year, so those people in Washington should go stuff it with this whole climate change business. It was interesting to watch the reactions of those sitting at the table. There […]

Mindfulness and Sustainability

Famous Last Words

Each year at this time, I am alerted to the coming of spring by that special fragrance that’s in the air, by those sounds that indicate the coming of a new season. In our business, that fragrance is the smell of shrink wrap and packing peanuts, and it harkens the coming of new technologies that […]

Famous Last Words

Are You Installing Or Are You Experimenting?

Not long ago, I received a phone call, out of the blue, from a friend who owns a distributor for Hi-Fi and automation system brands. The reason for the call was even more unexpected. My friend was calling for what I would call a retroactive reference check on a dealer that I know, both personally […]

Are You Installing Or Are You Experimenting?

Smart Building Conference Emphasizes Proactivity

By Tricia Cleppe rAVe Staffer Prominent industry leaders gathered for the Smart Building Conference at ISE 2014 to discuss current trends and the future of the smart building industry. The importance of proactivity was an underlying theme in the keynote address by Jim Sinopoli and the panel discussion with Kathy Farrington, Lee Funnell and Marc […]

Smart Building Conference Emphasizes Proactivity

When the Brand Stands Behind You

Manufacturers love to hear these words: “Whenever I see [nsert-brand-name-here] on my equipment, I feel confident about our production.” This is a powerful endorsement from an end-user that is hot marketing copy for creating brand loyalty ads. But how often do you see the opposite happen? “Whenever we see [insert-church-tech-director-here] using our gear, we feel […]

When the Brand Stands Behind You

The Skill Set

Happy New Year, readers! Last month’s column left our hero (yours truly, since I’m writing this) promising to explore the skill set required for the successful rental and staging technician. It’s quite a list, starting with a firm understanding of how things work in the physical world, and this month moving on to include interpersonal […]

The Skill Set

Making Sense of the RFP Process

By Chris Robinson Digital Strategy Director, Microgigantic Goals Why are you building the project? It may sound trite, but it is important to understand what you trying to accomplish. The first essential step is defining the business need. There are multiple facets to establishing such goals. It’s important that these are clearly articulated both from […]

Making Sense of the RFP Process

Holiday Musings on Cooperation and Collaboration in the AV industry

It’s non sectarian holiday time in the city. Last night was one of the New York AV community’s traditions: the Sapphire Marketing holiday party at the Crestron showroom in midtown Manhattan. In what may or may not become a bee annual party of the transition, George Tucker and Chris Neto broadcast an AV related chat […]

Holiday Musings on Cooperation and Collaboration in the AV industry

10 Years Ago This Week: An Improving HomeAV Market in a Weak Economy

I found this article form 10 years ago — it was my wrap-up piece form attending CEDIA. I thought the observations about what was dominating the show were interesting, but what was more interesting were my comments about the economy. Ten years ago, we also had a bad economy, but HomeAV tech was interesting enough, […]

10 Years Ago This Week: An Improving HomeAV Market in a Weak Economy

The Cornerstones of Running a Successful Business: Part Two

There are many things you have to worry about when running a business. Taxes, insurance, costs of goods, overheads, all of these things affect your profitability. While you can streamline and closely manage all of these expenses to minimize their impact, you still have to sell something to make money. Selling is the most important […]

The Cornerstones of Running a Successful Business: Part Two

Everything is Empathy

Think about your last horrible experience with a company. Perhaps the product didn’t work as expected or advertised. Did that company listen to you and try to make it right in a way that was mutually acceptable? Or did you get the loathsome “I’m sorry you feel that way,” which is a particularly insidious type […]

Everything is Empathy

Loyalty is the New Currency

A friend of mine travels the country providing environmental projection and lighting for churches. The fact that he’s now an Executive Platinum member on American Airlines is due entirely to how frequently he travels the country providing this service to countless churches, where he introduces church leaders to the possibility of endless scenic solutions for […]

Loyalty is the New Currency

Making More Money As an Integrator

I remember a few years back, before I started in social media and blogging, I was very active in some AV industry chats and forums. One of those forums used to ask questions of established industry veterans about industry practices and standards. As you may imagine, there were sometimes few responses, as it seems that […]

Making More Money As an Integrator

Audio Design, Inc. & k2 Dealer Services Announce Merger

Audio Design announced this week a merger with k2 Dealer Services. Both firms provide design services to dealers including outsourced design, best practices, standards and design processes. Audio Design, Inc., founded in 2006 by Curt Hayes, is a leader in providing outsourced design services and is now supported by a team with a combined 100+ […]

Audio Design, Inc. & k2 Dealer Services Announce Merger

Kramer Electronics and Calibre UK Partner

Kramer Electronics and Calibre UK have announced a global joint sales, supply, development and business co-operation agreement. Basically, Calibre’s proAV and broadcast products will be marketed and sold by Kramer sometime by the end of this year. That includes Calibre’s scalers, video processing products, warping, geometry correction and edge-blending with models for fixed installation and […]

Kramer Electronics and Calibre UK Partner

How is Apple Impacting Your Next Product?

By Bill MacKenzie DisplayDaily Forward-looking supply chain managers track Apple with an eye toward seeing what tech features are being introduced by the company and how they can be used by other brands for their businesses. By way of example, Apple first introduced fingerprint recognition for the iPhone last year and recently is trumpeting its […]

How is Apple Impacting Your Next Product?

What Makes a Great Company Great?

This is my last week at Kramer Electronics. To say the least, it is filled with mixed emotions. I am very excited about the next phase in my career and the great things that I get to be a part of at Atlanta Soundworks. I am happy that I get to join the ASW team […]

What Makes a Great Company Great?

On Your Marx

Over the last two issues, we’ve talked about the emerging generation of executive clients, and how the attitudes and expectations of that generation will change the way they make business decisions, and thus (if we are smart) the way we do business. Among these changes, broadly, are the tendency to distribute information more widely and […]

On Your Marx

The Art of Career Stewardship – Knowing the Importance of Balance

Before I begin the message of this blog, I will make a brief announcement: It is with both great excitement and tempered sadness that I announce my upcoming departure from Kramer Electronics (on November 15). I have accepted a position as General Manager at Atlanta Soundworks (an integration firm here in Atlanta). With Dave Bright’s […]

The Art of Career Stewardship – Knowing the Importance of Balance

The Cornerstones of Running a Successful Business: Part One

THIS IS A PROMOTED POST Running a successful business involves many things — infrastructure, product, support and great people. Developing these things is actually easier than you might think and revolves around a key point. The key to success in business is the same as success in life; live the golden rule, be humble and […]

The Cornerstones of Running a Successful Business: Part One

Apple Save Sony? Apple Can’t Even Save Apple!

Gary just wrote a very persuasive post, detailing the synergies to be had if Apple were to purchase Sony. I’m not entirely sure that I can agree. The root of my disagreement is that Gary’s argument focused on why a buyout would be good for Sony, but didn’t really address why it would be good […]

Apple Save Sony? Apple Can’t Even Save Apple!

Sony Tanks Again (But Apple Can Save Them!)

While most of you were sleeping last night, Sony execs were mostly sleepless as they’d just announced a huge loss — one of the worst in company history. I mean huge. In fact, after releasing a 40 percent reduction in their 2013 profit forecast and a nearly $200 million loss for the most recent quarter, […]

Sony Tanks Again (But Apple Can Save Them!)

How Do You View the House of Worship Market?

Answer honestly (and comment below!): How do you view the House of Worship market? Is it a key part of your business? A market you service, but don’t see as ‘vital’? Or is it the market you’ve learned to avoid? We really do want to hear your answers, because we think this discussion will lead […]

How Do You View the House of Worship Market?

rESPeCt – Find Out What That Means to Me

There are many in the audiovisual technology industry who chide those of us who beat the drum for designing and implementing technology solutions in the built environment with a heavy focus on energy efficiency and sustainability.  Their argument is one of profit versus performance, survivability versus conscience. Coming out of a major recession where many […]

rESPeCt – Find Out What That Means to Me

2 B or not 2 B (What Makes the Next Gen Client Different)

Last month, we talked about the idea that the next generation of client will have changing standards in quality, production values and even the very nature of work and communication. I proposed that these changes would create fundamental differences in the way they made purchase decisions, especially those involving the public communications aspect of what […]

2 B or not 2 B (What Makes the Next Gen Client Different)

The Sales Process: Improve It or Lose It

In my most recent blog, I discussed how the lack of empowerment can cripple a sales team and how the root cause could be higher up in the chain of command than you may actually think. I also mentioned how the fix to this type of problem and many other organizational issues can be found […]

The Sales Process: Improve It or Lose It

Empowered Sales People Sell More

POWER – It can be given without loss. It has been said that there is power in choice. I believe this holds true whether you are giving choices or exercising them. The result will always be some form of shared and transferred power. One example of such power transferred through choice is when you need […]

Empowered Sales People Sell More

Who You Shouldn’t Sell To

We do our best to help you sell into the house of worship market, but sometimes you have to know which churches you shouldn’t try to sell. Chances are, you’ve experienced this: the “cheap church.” Understanding the church buyer sentiment is one of the new columns written expressly for those in the A/V/L industry who […]

Who You Shouldn’t Sell To

The Moving Target

I have always had two ways of defining a professional. The first, and the one I use most often, is that a professional is someone who gets paid for their work. Admittedly, sometimes, in the audiovisual industry, this is a difficult thing to achieve. The second way I have had of defining a professional is […]

The Moving Target

What is Government A/V, and Why Should I Care?

My favorite wrestler — and yes, that means I like more than one — is John Cena. The man is a fabulous athlete and ferociously intelligent, but I mostly like him simply for his signature move — the You Can’t See Me. It’s hilarious — he pretends to hide behind his hand, which is waving […]

What is Government A/V, and Why Should I Care?

The Art of Saying No

A string of events on a recent project left me in a bit of a quandary.  Scope-creep, construction delays, and a little bit of old fashioned miscommunication had me stuck squarely between a rock and a hard place (frustrated client, blown budget, missed deadline, you know the drill). The situation didn’t surprise me per se. […]

The Art of Saying No

Theater Rooms and Wine Cellars?

If there’s any one theme that strings together the editorials I’ve been writing for rAVe in the past few years, it’s how important it is for AV pros to both develop effective processes, both on the jobsite and off, and to differentiate themselves from their competitors. In the last ten years, I’ve witnessed the AV […]

Theater Rooms and Wine Cellars?