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A Free-Standing Interactive Kiosk Installed with Content in 30 Minutes? Yep!

by | Aug 28, 2018 | Digital Signage, Events, Pro Displays

Would you be interested in installing a free-standing, 55” portrait kiosk with touch and Wi-Fi connectivity?  This kiosk would support a simple interactive directory board, which an end-user can easily update and manage using a cloud-based CMS.  All this for around $5,500 retail with an estimated $120/yr. cloud-based CMS fee?  And better yet, install it in 30 minutes?

I think I just heard a collective YES!!!!!!!!!!

The opportunity has arrived and is available to dealers regardless of digital signage content experience or having an extensive company.

Introducing the Peerless-AV KIPICT555 “All-in-One” portrait, free-standing kiosk.  This kiosk solution is literally ready  to go out of the box with a low suggested retail list price of $3,375.  It ships complete and assembled with a 55”, 24/7 display that has six simultaneous points of interactive touch, a BrightSign media player and Wi-Fi/RJ45 connectivity.  An integrator just unpacks the kiosk, moves it into position and plugs it in.  Once powered, simply follow a few on-screen menu instructions and the kiosk is ready for a digital signage application.

Here’s a video of Earl Naegele, Managing Director at Peerless-AV explaining this Kiosk at a 2018 E4 AV Tour Stop.

And, Almo’s content creation services stands ready to provide dealers with content solutions for their customers.  Almo provides dealers with standardized and custom solutions utilizing HTML5 cloud-based content and an easy-to-use CMS for end-users.  This includes end-user training to fully complete the project.

BTW, did you know that Almo recently acquired Insteo, a specialized digital signage content and creative company?  Check it out!

Dealers now have the abililty to offer the ENTIRE digital signage solution and control the entire transaction.  In turn, Almo has the Peerless-AV KIPICT555 in stock and our content creation team ready to provide solutions to meet your customers’ visions.

Almo’s E4 AV Tour will be making stops this fall in Boston, MA on September 21 and Nashville, TN on October 26.  Don’t miss your chance to see the Kiosk and other exciting technology from your favorite manufacturer partners and register to attend now!

How to deliver the ultimate cure for your customers

by | Feb 27, 2018 | Events, Projectors

OK y’all, this is my first time as an Almo Blogger.  Or is it Bloggist?  Filipino by birth, East Tennessean by the grace of God, this Filbilly sometimes doesn’t rightly know what term to use.

However, I do know the difference between these two terms: Pro AV Pharmacist vs. Pro AV Physician.

I was at Walgreens one evening to stock up on a few vitamins, and I overheard a man ask the pharmacist if he could give him something for hiccups. The pharmacist promptly reached out and slapped the man’s face!

The man exclaimed, “What’d you do that for?”

“Well, you don’t have the hiccups anymore, do you?” said the pharmacist.

The man said, “No, but my wife out in the car still does!”

Questions are the answers.

To me, a pharmacist is someone who fills a prescription … someone who dispenses a medication or a fix. A Pro AV pharmacist would be a reseller whom, for example, when asked by his/her end user for a quote on a 5000 lumen WUXGA projector, simply provides the prices of a few projectors fitting that description.

A physician is someone who asks diagnostic questions to uncover every symptom/point of pain/challenge and provides the necessary treatment to remove the issue, address other situations which may affect the patient, and avoid future reoccurrences. Compare that to a Pro AV physician, a reseller whom, when asked by his/her end user for a quote on that 5000 lumen WUXGA projector, would ask questions such as:

  • What’s the application? How many hours per day will the projector be in use?
  • What type of lighting is in the room?
  • What kind of content is being presented?
  • Is there a projector screen already installed? What’s the gain on that screen?
  • What size is the screen? What’s the aspect ratio?
  • At what distance will the projector be installed?
  • What are you connecting?
  • How far away is your source?
  • What’s the budget?
  • How are you mounting the unit?
  • Who’s doing the installation?

When you ask the questions necessary to present a solution, you might find that the product your customer originally asked for doesn’t fit the project requirements.

Here’s a situation to keep in mind when your end user tells you that he/she wants a quote on a solution he/she saw online. One day, a reseller asked me for a quote on a TV by specific part number. I started by asking him, “What’s the application?”

He quickly dismissed my questioning by saying that the end user has a small budget and that’s what he asked for. I asked him again, “What’s the TV being used for?” He said it’s being used for surveillance. I said, “Surveillance, as in 24 hours a day?” He quickly realized that the TV he asked for wasn’t designed for 24/7 operation and thanked me for saving his petooty.  Remember, don’t just fill the prescription!

You can also be a hero when a customer asks for a quote on a consumer TV to be installed in a commercial setting.

After asking questions about the project requirements and—if you determine that the consumer TV will fit the commercial application in terms of brightness, hours of operation, and budget—educate him/her by saying, “The 1-year manufacturer’s warranty reduces to 90 days when the TV is for commercial use. Do you want to upgrade your service coverage to a 2-, 3-, 4- or 5-year extended warranty?” Asking the right questions and educating your customer on consumer warranties could avoid a costly situation if the displays were to go funky after 90 days.

Almo Services: your partner to deliver the full package.

It’s absolutely critical to ask a lot of questions so you can provide a total solution. Always add the mounts and extended warranties (when it applies) onto the quote.  Ask what other essentials are needed—cables, signal flow, control systems, audio. Ask who’s installing the job. (If you’re not able to provide that service, let Almo Install be an arm to your team!) Ask who’s creating the content on the digital signage project. (Not your area of expertise? Almo Content will do it for you!)  Ask who’s programming the control systems. (You don’t have a programmer to do it? Almo Control is your resource!) Ask about their current phone, internet and TV service. (You can earn a monthly revenue stream as a provider through Almo Connect!) If you’re not familiar with these accompanying products and services to complete the project, your Almo account manager can help you!

Learn the latest for FREE!

Whether you’re already calling yourself Doctor AV, or if you’re still developing your expertise in the Pro AV space and want to become a better Pro AV physician, attend one of our FREE 2018 E4 Pro AV Tour stops to learn about the hottest technology and trends:

  • Washington, DC – March 6
  • Dallas – April 24
  • Boston – September 21
  • Nashville – October 26

Stethoscope and lab coat not required.

Samsung Transforms the Modern Meeting with New Interactive Digital Flip Chart

by | 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.

5 Reasons to Invest in Training

by | Aug 8, 2017 | Education, Events

Whether you are the owner of a small AV integration firm or a manager at a large national integrator chances are you are faced with the same struggle of finding the time to attend training for yourself or send your employees for training.   Often this can be costly and time consuming however the benefits of a highly trained workforce will almost always outweigh the short term costs.  Here are five reasons you should consider training for yourself or for your staff:

1.

Staying on Top of the Latest Technology Trends

I think we can all agree that like many industries the world of commercial AV technology is constantly changing and evolving, not only with the technology itself, but with the needs of our customers.   A recent example of this has been the explosive growth in “huddle spaces” within corporations, and the technology advancements developed to meet these needs.   If you are not aware of the latest trends and equipped to handle them you will likely find yourself losing business to competitors.

2.

Enhance Customer Service

Think about a time when you were interested in making a purchase, any type of purchase, it doesn’t have to be technology, and you felt your sales person was not educated about the product. How did that make you feel about that company? Your customers will always get better service from a well-trained employee, whether it is your sales person, project manager or installation technician.

3.

Keep Your Certifications Current

While there are many certifications in our industry, the most common and well recognized is infoComm’s CTS. The CTS, CTS-I, and CTS-D are important designations and require a significant amount of time and effort to achieve. Any CTS holder understands the importance of continuing education and obtaining CTS RU’s in order to maintain their certification. RU’s can be obtained in a variety of different methods including live classroom training, various trade events like Almo’s E4 AV Tour, and webinars.

4.

Less Supervision

As an owner or manager you are faced with the difficult challenge of running your business and managing employees often while being involved in work that could be handled by properly trained employees freeing you up for other tasks. Well trained employees will be able to work more independently without the need for constant guidance, and will help your staff be more confident and satisfied in their job.

5.

Reduce Employee Turnover

Hiring new employees can be time consuming, expensive, and involve risk if the right hire is not made. Providing training opportunities for your employees shows them your interest in advancing their professional skills and will enhance company loyalty and increased employee contributions to your business. Often, employees thrive on knowing they are a key contributor to their company as much as they enjoy monetary compensation.

E4 AV Tour

Almo’s E4 AV Tour has stops in New York on September 19th and in California on October 3rd , and in addition to an exhibit of the newest technology from over 35 top manufacturers, attendees will have the ability to earn InfoComm CTS RU’s throughout the day via classroom training.

Springing Forward on the 2017 Spring E4 AV Tour

by | Apr 11, 2017 | Education, Events

A Behind-the-Scenes Interview with Gary Bailer, Director of Product Management, Sharp

Ahh, spring is definitely in the air! The snow is melting, the birds are singing, we’ve changed the clocks and have more afternoon daylight…oh, and the Almo E4 AV Tour is on the road!

Each year, the tour visits two cities in the spring and two cities in the fall. In March, we stopped to spend the day with a record number – MORE than 500! — of attendees in Chicago.

The tour moves on to San Jose April 19.

HAVE YOU BEEN TO AN ALMO E4?

Post your experience in the comments section of this post and earn a $5 Starbucks Gift Card!

Months and months and MONTHS of planning goes into preparing for an E4! And it’s not just Almo working around the clock to make it happen. Our manufacturing partners take an ENORMOUS amount of time planning which products they will showcase in their booths and what they’d like to discuss with attendees on the exhibit floor. For the spring E4s in particular, our exhibitors oftentimes show products that were previewed at ISE and DSE or “sneak peek” those that are launching at InfoComm in June!

Did you know that SHARP has been on EVERY stop of the E4 AV Tour since it began in 2009! So this will be the 30th time that Sharp has gone through this process with Almo Pro A/V!

Recently, I put on my “investigative reporting” hat and had a chat with Gary Bailer, Director of Product Management for Sharp:

Darren:

Gary:

What do you like best about Almo’s E4 AV Tour?

Hands down, E4 is the BEST networking event for the commercial AV community. It has all the benefits of a full-fledged tradeshow but in an environment that lends itself to more in-depth discussions and relationship-building. Almo puts on a first-class event — each one has been better than the one before!

Darren:

Gary:

Is Sharp showing any new products?

Yes! We are showing the brand NEW PN-C705B AQUOS BOARD interactive display with Direct Bonding technology. This product is currently available and shipping! It is a 70- or 80-inch value-priced display that is made for schools and businesses. E4 attendees absolutely have to come by to take a look at it. We introduced this product in January.

Darren:

Gary:

Any new initiatives from Sharp that we should know about?

Our NEW PN-L401C Capacitive Touch Huddle Display with Mini OPS Expandability (cards that allow the panel to be more versatile) will be shown in San Jose. This product is 100 percent AQUOS BOARD in that it’s an interactive display — it can be used in either landscape, portrait or face-up orientation — and allows for wireless collaboration, annotation, screen sharing (wirelessly) and whiteboarding.

Darren:

Gary:

Will you have any booth contests or prizes?

Yes!  We’ve invited a local artist to use the Sharp PN-C705B AQUOS BOARD® Interactive Display to draw caricatures of visitors to the booth.

POST YOUR CARICATURE IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THIS BLOG AND YOU’LL BE ENTERED TO WIN A GIFT FROM SHARP!

Darren:

Gary:

What’s your advice for those attending an E4 event?

Absolutely make time for this one-day event! The contacts you will make, the technology you will have exposure to, and the courses and workshops you will take are going to be invaluable to your business.

We are taking a lot of photos and videos from the Sharp booth during the spring E4 tour.  My next post will reveal some of these moments. We look forward to seeing you in San Jose!

Register for the E4 AV Tour in San Jose April 19th

Almo Kicks-off New Hospitality Division with Full Day Hospitality Conference at E4 in Chicago Co-Located with Almo E4 Expo (March 21 & 22)

by | Mar 8, 2017 | Education, Events, Hospitality, Uncategorized

Almo Hospitality will unveil the latest technology trends and teach valuable skills to help resellers grow their business in 2017.  Hospitality Conference at E4 (March 21st) includes a full-day of hospitality-dedicated agenda with opening presentation by Samsung’s dynamic Vice President of Hospitality TV, Jonas Tanenbaum with Hospitality Industry Update & Trends Driving Integration.

THE FOLLOWING SESSIONS ROUND OUT THE AGENDA:

  • · Driving Revenues & Customer Loyalty with Hospitality Installations (Steven’s Digital)
  • · Catering to Hotel Guests & Drive Revenues with Samsung REACH
  • · ALMO Connect: The Ultimate Shopping Service for Free-to-Guest TV, Bandwidth & Voice (Comcast Business Solutions)
  • · RoomCast: How Today’s Guests Watch TV (TeleAdapt)
  • · The Significance of Brand Standards in the Hotel Industry (Peerless-AV)
  • · Charged Up! Drive Revenues & Guest Satisfaction Ratings with the Latest in Hospitality Charging Trends (Kube Systems)
  • · BrightSign Digital Signage Experience LIVE Workshop
  • · Navigating the World of FF&E with Hospitality Furniture & Furnishings (Ramler International)

The Hospitality Conference at E4 wraps with an energetic and interactive discussion led by the authentic Kiwi, Almo’s own Stephen McKay, Senior Vice President- Special Markets.

This action-packed day concludes with a fun yet relaxed customer appreciation and networking dinner at a local Oak Brook area gem hosted by Almo Hospitality along with Samsung and other manufacturer partners where customers will have the opportunity to mix and mingle with our hospitality team and get to know our family of customers and vendors over a memorable dining experience!

Hospitality Conference at E4 attendees will automatically be registered for a full-access pass to the Almo E4 Tour & Expo the following day (March 22nd) where they will see the very latest technology and tech-trends from 35+ leading vendors in the Pro AV space including: Pro AV, Digital Signage, Audio, Electronics & Charging Solutions, Appliances & Furniture and Furnishings- PLUS a special Almo Hospitality Exhibit featuring some of our most in-demand product offerings for hotel properties, including solutions from: Samsung, Peerless-AV, Harman/AMX, Kube Systems, TeleAdapt, Danby, Hanover & Ramler International; even our hospitality-dedicated installation partner, Steven’s Digital and free-to-guest provider, Comcast will be there to talk shop!

Space for the Hospitality Conference at E4 is limited so register today to confirm your spot! 

RESELLER/DEALER REGISTRATION

Resellers are welcome to invite their customers to join them for the E4 Expo (March 22) as a resource to help end users see the latest technology and talk with on-site experts so resellers can help them with full implementation; E4 Expo Registration.  Both events are free to attendees and resellers; free breakfast and lunch is also provided (as well as dinner for registered conference attendees).  We look forward to learning your “lightbulb moment!”.

Please contact Apryl G. Lamberti, Director Business Development Hospitality with Almo Professional A/V with any questions or for more information.

 

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