In October 2020, Integrated Systems Europe commissioned research, targeting AV professionals to evaluate visitor appetites for conferences and events following COVID-19. The research, completed before news of a COVID-19 vaccine, gauged interest in face-to-face, digital and hybrid event formats. The results show that 98% of the audience missed attending in-person AV industry events. ISE was […]
Over the past several months, authors on rAVe [PUBS], such as David Danto, have written about the future of the office. This has also been the speculation of newspapers and magazines as of late. In fact, the most recent edition of the Harvard Business Review has a cover story on the Work from Anywhere Future. […]
One thing that’s become clear to me over the past several months is how critically important it is that each and every one of us stay engaged and involved through this tough time. Despite the promising vaccine news that’s been trickling out recently, we still have a long road to recovery. And how quickly we […]
THIS IS A PROMOTED POST This year has forced innovation globally. Throughout 2020, much of the creativity has appeared in problem-solving and in the interest of human interactions returning to “normal.” For example, a handful of companies are rapidly developing one of the world’s first totally synthetic vaccines to fight COVID-19. But, the innovation didn’t […]
Let’s face it, in March and April of this year, the best we could expect to deliver was very reactive. Unless you were already streaming services each weekend, it’s unlikely you had time to respond proactively to COVID. And, this summer, as states and countries started partially reopening, adding streaming via consumer platforms like Facebook, […]
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it’s been a tough year for lots of companies, and indeed entire sectors. When business is slow, we’ve all got an imperative to look for new opportunities. But you have to be smart about it. In the past, I’ve seen manufacturers or their distributors see declining […]
By Matthew Ledgerwood Futuresource Consulting Interactive Displays Market Insights, Analysis and Commentary Interactive display sales soared in Q3, with strong performances across the globe, according to the latest quarterly tracking report from Futuresource Consulting. “The market has well and truly bounced back,” said Colin Messenger, senior market analyst, Futuresource Consulting. “Particularly when we consider the […]
In the beginning of April and again in May, I wrote updates about the state of higher education for integrators, who may be wondering what their business model would look like for the rest of the year. Paradoxically, it seems like a lot has changed since then, and nothing has changed at all. We are […]
As we continue to struggle worldwide with the pandemic, I try to keep my eyes open for what is changing in the industry and how we can react to it. I think both about temporary opportunities that we should be working on to keep our businesses afloat and permanent change(s) that will outlive our experiences […]
It’s probably poor form to lead into an editorial with sarcasm, but if you hadn’t noticed things have changed this year. And they’ve changed a lot. And we’ve all had to adapt, rather quickly, to those changes. Observing my dealers adapt to change, adjusting their operational procedures to accommodate new safety requirements has been inspiring. […]
By Jon Sidwick Collabtech Group Back in March, the world started to close down. Traditional working environments changed overnight with knowledge workers shifting from the office to their homes, retail outlets closing or putting in strict protocols and the events industry all but disappearing. This has brought about an incredible shift in power. Suddenly, the […]
By: Steph Beckett & Leah McCann Wednesday marked the start of the seventh-annual Audio Collaborative conference put on by UK-based Futuresource Consulting. Over two days, the 2020 conference, a virtual version of the show this year, tapped a lineup of industry experts to inspire a listening audience. Who was that audience? AV, technology and IT […]
THIS IS A PROMOTED POST FROM PTZOPTICS By Paul Richards PTZOptics This year has been like none other for the ProAV industry. Live events, hospitality venues and retail establishments have been affected dramatically because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sadly, we’ve seen many of our colleagues and friends lose jobs or be forced to make career […]
In the Shakespeare play, “Twelfth Night,” he wrote, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” This year, thanks in no small part to the economic and social impact of COVID-19 we’ve all had, probably not greatness, but trouble thrust upon us. On the bright side, there often is […]
For years, many of us in higher ed have used the various laws associated with the Americans with Disabilities Act to determine what was required for accessibility in classroom and campus spaces. We thought about things like closed captioning for movies, support for hearing aids and the ability to view a screen properly. However, this […]
The live events and the in-person meetings markets were, well, decimated in mid-March due to the COVID pandemic. And no one seemed to know what to do — well, almost no one. Don Guzauckas, of HB Live, joined Tom Kehr today at the Almo ProAV E4v virtual show, during his “The Future of Meetings and Events” session and explained […]
Earlier this year, Almo Professional A/V pioneered something amazing on behalf of the AV and IT distributor markets: a top-rate, digital version of its award-winning regional experience, E4. Yes, as was the case with pretty much all shows this year — with the exception of the last great live event of 2020, ISE Show — […]
I love an industry trade show as much as the next person. But COVID-19 had other plans for us this year. “No trade shows for you!” it said. “No fun for you!” it said. No way, the AV, UCC and digital signage industries responded. Instead, we got creative in a collective effort to meet virtually […]
In talking with my dealers — across all those conversations — common threads emerge. Big on everyone’s minds right now is “what’s going to happen next?” concerning COVID-19, not to mention other potential disruptions. A concern that’s been ongoing for some time, regardless of other issues, is maintaining or even growing margins. We all know […]
After 20 years in the audiovisual and control industry, I got to thinking: How did I get here? I’m sure we’ve all wondered that at some point or another in our careers. Let me be clear: I don’t mean in some existential way. More so, I mean who helped along the way, who kept the […]
Hello everyone — I am your host for today’s recap of the DPAA Video Everywhere Summit. If you joined us last time, you’ll see that the event, was, in fact, virtual this year. And it was hosted on rAVe’s own LAVNCH platform! Exciting! If you’re not familiar, DPAA is the global trade marketing association that […]
Unfortunately, we’ve hit the second wave of COVID-19. Here’s wishing you, your families and your colleagues are safe and healthy. I like the clarity that comes with hindsight. Now’s a great time to look back at some of the business strategies we either initiated (or considered initiating) way back at the beginning of the pandemic. […]
The market for professional loudspeakers posted global revenues of nearly $3 billion in 2019, an increase of almost 7%, according to the latest professional loudspeaker industry report from Futuresource Consulting. One of the report’s key themes this year was the impact of COVID-19 and its significant effects on forecasts moving forward. The segment most affected […]
AmpliVox Sound Systems has introduced acrylic safety shields for lecterns, podiums, tables and other work surfaces. The new shields are designed to help protect single individuals or many individuals standing or sitting from airborne virus transmission potentially spread by talking, coughing or sneezing. They are perfect for all conference and meeting rooms, hospitality settings, schools, […]
I’m at the point where I’m genuinely tired of dealing with the impact of COVID-19 on business, and I’m definitely tired of talking about it. But, as they say, we play the hand of cards we have dealt. There are a lot of complications that we have to face today as a result of COVID. […]
By Chris Bull Futuresource Consulting Throughout 2020, esports has been one of the most notable champions amid stay-at-home orders and social distancing policies. The industry has thrived, but it has certainly changed course from its pre-COVID trajectory, and even more so for its application in K-12 and higher education. When we talk about esports and […]
The worldwide interactive displays market is firmly on track for recovery, according to THE rAVe Agency’s LAVNCH partner, Futuresource Consulting, who reporting a 49% quarter-on-quarter increase in Q2. According to the tracking service, almost all countries performed better and bounced back faster than expected. “The mass pessimism felt across the industry in March and April, […]
Update: We reached out to Rich Ventura of Sony (formerly of NEC) to talk to us a little more about what the loss of DSE will mean to the rest of the DS side of the AV industry. Ventura is the chairman emeritus of the Digital Signage Federation and serves on its board of directors. […]
Update from rAVe Editor Sara Abrons: We reached out to AVIXA to see how the rescheduling of ISE would affect InfoComm and if there were any plans to delay, with ISE moving to June, the same month InfoComm is scheduled to take place. Rochelle Richardson, senior vice president of expositions and events for AVIXA, said […]
As human beings we have a positive association with memory. We view those with good memories as intelligent and reinforce the idea that remembering mistakes of the past assures we won’t repeat them in the future. I don’t discount the value of memory on the whole. However — is there an advantage to being forgetful? […]
Way, way before COVID-19, UCC saw explosive growth. Because of it, “collaboration” was not only the buzzword of InfoComm 2019 but also completely dominated ISE 2020 — the last great AV event of 2020. But, UCC doesn’t mean meeting room or huddle room, by the way. If you read the spec sheets of the plethora […]
So, you’re probably here because you want to know about audio in the UC market, right? You’re in the right place. As your stand-in host once again — I can tell you all about this particular session of LAVNCH EMEA. Once again, this session was hosted by James Kirby, pro audio analyst for Futuresource Consulting. […]