Guest Blogger, Author at Exertis Almo Installments Blog

Three Observations From My First InfoComm as an Almo Pro A/V Business Development Manager

by Guest Blogger | Jul 16, 2019 | Uncategorized

By John Borns

In June 2019 the AV world descended upon Orlando, FL for AVIXA’s annual InfoComm Show. This year, Almo Pro A/V celebrated its 10^th birthday as an AV distributor. I was there for the celebration as the newest member of Almo’s Business Development Team, experiencing my first InfoComm in Almo Blue. This was my 6^th time attending Infocomm, but the previous five had been on the manufacturing side. Here are some of my observations from this year’s show:

1. What’s a Display Anymore?

The first thing I noticed was that my understanding of a “display” needs to be readjusted. Video walls and panoramic projector surfaces aren’t brand new ideas, but I had never seen so many creative ways to turn a wall into a stunning visual experience. As bezels disappear and pixels become more and more impossible to discern, pretty much any surface can be re-imagined as a way of delivering content, in ways that I wouldn’t have thought possible only five years ago.

2. It’s Hard Not to Be Impressed with Almo Pro AV’s History

While on the manufacturing side, I had taken Almo for granted as a constant staple of the industry. I’d always known Almo as one of my biggest customers and a vital part of the AV channel. At the 10-year anniversary cake-cutting event, I listened to Sam Taylor tell the story of Almo’s humble beginnings in the industry. To hear him fondly recall walking around the show trying to convince some of the biggest players in AV to let them carry their products as an upstart was very moving. Almo was just awarded the title of “2019 rAVe Reader’s Choice Best AV Distributor” again this year – for the eighth year in a row! To think that Almo Pro A/V went from nothing to a $500M global distribution business in just a decade is hard to believe. I’m proud to be a part of this team!

3. The Biggest Booth at the Show Was… Legrand?

Legrand, a relatively new player in the AV world, has been slowly and quietly building an impressive portfolio of leading brands in the AV infrastructure world. It was pretty much the first booth you saw when you walked in the door and its size and scope were impossible to ignore. It’s difficult not to look at their presence at this year’s show as a bit of a statement of their arrival as a new player in the market, and; some sort of evolution from their background as a collection of individual independent brands.

So, that’s my take on this year’s InfoComm Show. What did you think? Post a comment below and have an Almo Pro A/V 10-year anniversary gift sent to you!

WIRELESS. IT’S ABOUT TO BE UBIQUITIOUS

by Guest Blogger | Jun 26, 2019 | Hospitality

Though wireless electrical charging has been around since the days of Nikola Tesla, it hasn’t been widely adopted until recent years. Now that mobile phones are ubiquitous, both Samsung and Apple (the two leading phone manufacturers) are putting their considerable muscle behind this technology.

And last year, when the wireless charging standard Powermat joined the Wireless Power Consortium, well, it appeared as if the technology business finally has an industry wide standard supercharging adoption of this exciting new customer friendly technology. Now the Qi standard (pronounced chee) is quickly becoming ubiquitous.

For the hotel industry, this means the end of days worrying about significant cash outlays to buy a new charging technology that’s quickly outdated. For example, when traveling around the country we sometimes still see alarm clocks with 30pin connectors. Does anyone still have gear for those? This subtlety warns guests the hotel they’re staying in potentially cuts corners when servicing customers. That’s not the message any hotelier wants to send customers.

Plus, rooms with only Apple lightning connectors tell nearly 40% of room guests, the hotel is not looking after their device charging needs.

Fortunately, wireless charging is the last stop on a technological journey unifying all mobile cellphone users behind a single charging technology. According to TechNative, more than 500 million wireless charging enabled devices shipped in 2017 (most recent numbers available), representing a 40 percent surge.

The technology now works on all new Samsung Galaxy and latest iPhones, for example, as well as devices such as wireless headphones, Apple Watch, and many more.

That means after investing in wireless charging, hoteliers can be confident another technology won’t be supplanting this any time soon. That saves hoteliers money over the long term, while also improving the customer experience since guests no longer must hunt for appropriate connectors or dig through their bag hoping to find the right cables. Instead, guests simply set their mobile device down and charging automatically begins. Plus, in public spaces, wireless charging eliminates ‘low battery anxiety,’ which could cause customers to leave, rather than spend money at your property.

Public areas that include wireless charging stations such as the Hotel Charging Station with Qi Wireless Charging And Dual USB Outlets from Nonstop can actually increase food and beverage sales as the above mentioned survey notes 22 percent of those running low on power will order something simply for the right to charge up. Anecdotally, this improves customer service scores while simultaneously appealing to all generations, especially millennials and Generation Z.

Plus, we’re at the point where wattage delivered to charge devices makes it so wireless or the old-fashioned way takes about the same amount of time to fuel up.

There’s no longer any reason not to install brand new alarm clocks with wireless charging in your hotels. Your guests will think about how thoughtful you are when they wake up with a fully charged device right next to them.

Almo Corporation Gives Back to Community and Professional Industry Through Summer Fundraising and Outreach

by Guest Blogger | Aug 23, 2018 | Uncategorized

Splash for Cash, P.A.L. and Integrate Baltimore Non-Profit Organizations
Bring Employees Together and Provide Community Service

Philadelphia, PA — August 17, 2018 — This summer, Almo Corporation, the nation’s leading independent distributor of appliances, consumer electronics, Pro A/V equipment and housewares, went above and beyond to participate in local-area fundraisers and volunteer outreach and service projects designed to give back to non-profit organizations in the community and professional industry.

“It is both an honor and a privilege to be able to give back to our local communities, favorite charities and industry-related organizations,” explained Warren Chaiken, president and CEO of Almo Corporation. “Our secret sauce has always been and always will be our people. Our culture is not only comprised of talented, hardworking professionals, but those with big hearts who want to make a difference in the community and for various causes by being actively involved and working together to change people’s lives for the better.”

P.A.L Bike Build

On June 20, as part of the Almo Dealer Channel National Business Conference, Almo’s team-building time was dedicated to the Philadelphia Chapter of the Police Athletic League (PAL). The PAL organization provides safe havens for thousands of kids, some in the toughest neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia. From homework clubs, computer classes and citywide educational tournaments, to more than a dozen organized sport activities, the PAL helps children stay safe, productive and engaged in worthwhile activities.

Splash for Cash

On July 12, employees from the Almo Corporation headquarters paid to take turns knocking Almo executives and other colleagues into a dunk tank during the second annual Splash for Cash event to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The event included lunch provided by event sponsors Sharp, Danby and Honeywell, with many employees from these companies also participating in the event. More than $7,000 was raised over the course of the day and A Go-Fund-Me page was set up for additional contributions, 100 percent of which were provided to the American Cancer Society.

Integrate Baltimore

On August 1, Almo Pro A/V took advantage of the time together with employees and partners at its National Sales Meeting by giving back to Integrate Baltimore, a grassroots organization focused mainly on taking the abundance of used surplus technology and providing access to this technology in underserved areas. This organization also raises awareness about viable career paths in the AV industry. Almo’s vendor partners made product donations worth more than $25,000. In addition, Almo made a monetary donation of more than $4,000 through a corporate contribution and raffle money raised at the event.

Other charitable contributions made by Almo Corporation this summer include:

The Almo National Sales and Service Division visited the AstraZeneca Hope Lodge-American Cancer Society to prepare “breakfast for dinner” for the patients and care givers at Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Almo Corporation interns volunteered in the community at Habitat for Humanity.

Almo Corporation interns also volunteered at Holy Reedemer Food Pantry right around the corner from the Philadelphia office. They learned all about Holy Reedemer’s mission and helped out by bagging, sorting, and cleaning around the food bank.

Samsung Transforms the Modern Meeting with New Interactive Digital Flip Chart

by Guest Blogger | Jan 29, 2018 | Events

At CES 2018, Samsung Flip shows how ideas can be instantaneously shared across devices and how multiple people can contribute, widen and build on ideas in real-time.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. will offer CES 2018 attendees a first look into its vision for a “Workplace of the Future” with the unveiling of its new Samsung Flip digital flip chart display. Introduced at the company’s First Look event, the Samsung Flip WM55H promotes more collaborative digital engagement by alleviating the most prominent challenges businesses face when organizing, facilitating and recapping meetings.

An upgrade on both standard paper flip charts and analog boards, the Samsung Flip display expands opportunities to generate game-changing ideas while maintaining the familiar feel of traditional writing. However, unlike its predecessors, Samsung Flip allows easy sharing, annotation, movement and even searching, as well as the ability for multiple users to create content at once. Additionally, the Flip’s portable, wheel-based stand transforms any location into a huddle room, meaning added flexibility to businesses with limited conference space. Finally, the Flip display’s intuitive interface was specifically designed to be user-friendly and allow for timely, uninterrupted conversation.

“The often-flawed logistics of the modern meeting make it easy for participants to feel disengaged and for vital ideas and discoveries to become lost,” said Seog-gi Kim, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “Today’s workers require more powerful and flexible technologies, and we truly believe that our new Samsung Flip display offers endless possibilities for driving impactful collaboration. We are excited to debut the Samsung Flip at CES 2018, and we look forward to building upon this technology to help businesses work better, smarter and faster.”

Productive and Interactive Collaboration

Through simultaneous multi-user engagement, the Samsung Flip ensures that all voices and ideas are heard during a given meeting. Up to four different participants can introduce content or annotate directly on screen at the same time using either their fingers or a dual-sided pen. In doing so, each user can customize his or her own writing style, size and color, with each notation made clear and visible by viewer-friendly UHD resolution.

For added interactivity, the Samsung Flip display also offers extensive device compatibility through both wireless connectivity and USB, PC and mobile ports. An integrated screen-sharing functionality makes Flip content available on connected PCs, smartphones and tablets without interruption or reduced visual quality. Likewise, users also can import personally-stored content onto the Flip display’s screen and introduce fresh ideas to the discussion.

Convenient and Secure Conclusion

As meetings wrap up, the Samsung Flip display securely stores all content within a central database, eliminating the need for cumbersome recaps or handwritten transcription. An airtight, password-based protection system safeguards meeting details and ensures that only approved users can access the information. Once logged in, meeting facilitators and participants can download and share featured content through email or traditional printing. Users additionally can save meeting notes to a USB drive or other external sources.

Following its CES 2018 launch and ensuing availability in the U.S. and Europe, Samsung plans to introduce the Flip display to global professional users later this month. The Samsung Flip display also will be available for purchase through online and brick-and-mortar furniture retailers, as well as traditional professional B2B display channels.

For a closer look at the Samsung Flip, visit Samsung’s CES booth #15006, on Level 1 of the Central Hall in the Las Vegas Convention Center from January 9-12, 2018. To learn more about the Samsung Flip display and access related Samsung Newsroom articles, photos and videos, visit news.samsung.com/us.

Big Things Come in Thin Packages

by Guest Blogger | Dec 8, 2017 | Pro Displays, Video Walls

by LG Commercial Display

It’s only fitting that the world’s largest shopping mall should have the world’s largest LG OLED video wall.

The mall is the Dubai Mall, the city’s shining landmark. Home to 1200 shops, the multi-million-dollar mall contains the area of 50 football fields filled with rows upon rows of opulent spaces and stores.

The Dubai Mall also hosts the world’s largest acrylic panel aquarium, the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo, which is 107.8 ft. wide x 27.2 ft. high x 29.5 in. thick, and weighs 245 tons.

Sitting atop the aquarium is the world’s largest LG OLED video wall, and it has officially received three Guinness World Record titles. Thanks to the partnership with LG, the screen has set the record for being the world’s largest high definition video wall, the world’s largest OLED screen, and the world’s highest resolution video wall.

The LG OLED video wall has 820 ultra-thin 55-inch panels and 1.7 billion pixels that emit their own light; no backlighting required. Taking advantage of LG OLED’s flexibility, the mammoth video wall is also beautifully curved, mimicking the curve of the aquarium below it.

Now imagine LG OLED at a mall near you.

Have a look at the triple record maker in action.