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

by | 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 10th 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 6th 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!

LG Brings the “WOW” Factor at IC19

by | Jul 11, 2019 | Digital Signage, Uncategorized

Just about halfway through another year and one more InfoComm is in the books.  Since my start in the industry in 2003, I’ve approached the InfoComm show with various emotions – excitement, trepidation, anticipation, and some years even some dread.  Each year, I’ve come out the other side finding something at the show that I’ve enjoyed, and have even been impressed at the creativity of various manufacturers.   However, it has been quite a while since I’ve walked away from a manufacturer’s booth saying “Wow, that was truly awesome.”  No matter how big a display gets, it’s still just a display – and no matter how much you want it in your front room, it’s not going to keep you engaged on a trade show floor.

The LG booth at InfoComm 2019 was a refreshing change. Sure, they still had the obligatory large display, but even that threw me a curve.  Not only did they have an 88” OLED display with 8K resolution, but the panel was being used as the actual speaker.  Not a rear firing speaker like we’ve all come to expect, but the glass on the display vibrated with sound.   Not something I’d want to test the audio limits on.

The 8K display was almost lost in the other innovative and engaging attractions.  The biggest of which was the incredible curved video wall that created a cove like effect.  The content that LG used, consisting of various outdoor scenes, made you feel engulfed in the experience.  I wasn’t fortunate enough to go to the ISE show in Amsterdam, but I understand that the LG curved wall at the show was even more impressive there than at InfoComm.  I would have a difficult time believing it, if it weren’t for the video proof.

After I pulled myself away from the curved video wall, I could see other locations they’ve used the curved OLED displays in real world applications, such as inset curved corners on walls, providing the end user and integrator with some great inspiration for future projects.

The second attraction that caught my attention was the portrait, 2×2 video wall made from transparent OLED displays.  The content would appear and flow, allowing you glimpses of the retail product behind the displays, keeping you transfixed on seeing more, and providing an excellent way to engage the retail customer.

Overall, LGs continued innovation of new and exciting products has made their InfoComm booth as much of an attraction as it is a business destination.

Todd Heberlein
888-420-2566 x6205  |  [email protected]

“No Risks CAN Equal Big Rewards: How Almo’s Business Communications Program Sets Partners Up For the Future”

by | Jul 9, 2019 | Uncategorized

Over the past 2+ years of my employment as Business Development Manager with Almo Professional A/V, I have heard countless “reasons” on why someone cannot sell Business Communications: “my current team doesn’t have a telecom background”, “we are maxed out with jobs right now” or my personal favorite “I’m a pro a/v integrator and that’s not what we do.”  Now I’m not saying these are bad “reasons”, however, for all of those out there who recognize declining margins on hardware and the increased need to show double the value on each and every job, you should definitely keep your ears open when an industry leader such as Almo Professional A/V jumps into a new category.

During a recent stop of the E4 Experience, respected A/V evangelist Gary Kayye presented on the buzz surrounding AV-Over-IP and at one point states “everything requires bandwidth.”  That one sentence could be your entire sales pitch to a customer on why they should look at their services.  Customers get excited over technology and the more they add the more bandwidth that technology eats up.  Think about it… if you have a simple 100×10 cable internet circuit in your home but you have a family of 4 with 3 smart TVs, 3 iPhones, 2 tablets, 2 laptops, a security system, and 2 nest thermostats all of that is connected to your network – those devices eat up your bandwidth and drastically slows down technology performance.

It’s one of the main reasons why NOBODY seems happy with their internet provider these days.  In the Pro A/V industry it works no different.  Digital Signage, security cameras, control systems, audio, and more all require that same bandwidth.  Thus, the birth of Almo Business Communications.  We have strategic suppliers throughout the country, 170 of them to be exact that all specialize in essential services such as Internet bandwidth, voice services, Live TV, commercial security, mobility services, and even essential business needs like cyber security and multi-location management (SD-WAN).  We have also had the privilege of working with a “who’s who” of suppliers such as Comcast, Spectrum, DIRECTV, Verizon, New Horizon Communication Group, Nextiva, Nitel, Entelegant, and Viasat to name a few.

To be perfectly transparent with you, the concept of selling these services and partnering with a master agent is certainly not new, but what is new is the way Almo has approached the concept by formulating a service offering that literally has NO RISK. Through our program, 98% of the carriers above pay a LIFETIME RECURRING COMMISSION on every sale so there are no commission chargebacks, no sales quotas, no costs to you or your customer, no lengthy application process, and no need for you to hire trained employees to manage the new business.  Thus, NO RISK.  To continue with my transparency, I tell every new partner that I speak with that 1 sale will seldom make you rich.  However by doing a minimum of $1,000 in new billing each month you will see an additional $57k a year onto your bottom line!  When you think back to those shrinking hardware margins, $57k is a pretty nice chunk of change to add back into the business in a given year and will certainly set the tone for the future of your company.  For most, that is an extra employee salary or a new company work truck.  We have current partners doing double-triple that amount in a month so once the momentum builds, so will those residual checks!

In the world of recurring revenue, even by closing 1 sale per month, you will never start each month at ZERO again.  You will always have “something” coming in, so why not maximize that “something” by checking off the following boxes TODAY:

-Work with a distributor who is a multiple “Favorite A/V Distributor” winner

-Earn lifetime recurring commissions on every sale

-Have a dedicated sales team do 95% of the work for me- that’s right!  We will do the work for you!

-Provide more value to my clients which will lead to more work and help win more jobs over competitors.

-Make up for the lost margin on hardware and add $$$ to my earnings.

I hope that I have helped open your eyes and minds a little regarding Business Communication Services and how there is a very large need in the industry for these services.  As technology continues to advance, so must our services that make that technology what it is!

I will challenge each of you to take a look at your OWN services today and can promise you that there are annual savings to be realized!  Please contact me to examine further and even earn lifetime commissions on your own sale which will help set you up for the months and years to come.

Getting “Schooled” on Outdoor Digital Signage with LG

by | Jun 21, 2019 | Digital Signage, Uncategorized

We all want our kids to “survive and thrive.” And like most parents, we all want to be involved in our children’s lives.  When is the last time you got “schooled” on LG Outdoor Displays?

LG Outdoor displays provide outstanding visibility with high a great brightness of 2,500 cd.m2.  The LG XS Series clearly delivers content and attracts public attention.  Isn’t that the ultimate reason for outdoor display visibility?

How many times has this happened to you?   You are sitting in your living room and your child exclaims” “Hey guys, I have a band concert tomorrow night” or “Are you coming to my football game Saturday morning”  Or my personal favorite “ I need a dress for the school dance in three days.”

More and more schools are turning to outdoor displays to communicate school news and activities.  No longer do notifications show up via snail mail.  Outdoor signage is not only a more viable solution for them, but for you as well.

The exchange of information is available in high bright technology every time you drive past the school.  Now the tables can turn…. “Hey, I saw on the school digital signage you have a football game Friday night.”

What a great selling point to pitch to your resellers.  The education season is upon us so what better time to get “schooled” on outdoor signage by LG.

Wherever digital signage is used the goal is the same – to attract attention, engage the audience and get them to take action. Here are a half of dozen guidelines that should have you well on your way to a successful digital signage deployment:

1) Make it Accessible – Place your digital signage at eye level and viewable from different angles so people can get close enough to scan QR codes and read the message comfortably.

2) Enhance Your Appearance – Your signage content is your brand’s face to the world. Make it visually appealing with a simple message, and use moving images and graphics to make it interesting.

3) Keep it Legible – Use an easy-to-read typeface. Bold-face sans-serif fonts such as Arial, Helvetica or Verdana will read easily at a glance if the font is large enough. Test your font size at the distance your signage is most likely to be read. A general rule is one inch of text height for every 10 feet.

4) Cut the Copy – Keep your message as concise as possible. The 3×5 Rule can be effective: limit the amount of text on your display to three lines, each with five words or less, or five lines of three words or less.

5) Keep it Fresh – No matter how eye-catching your content looks, it will eventually go unnoticed out of familiarity. Consider the demographics and the time of day and change content accordingly.

6) Call Viewers to Action – If you want your viewers to do something, make sure your call to action is short and specific. Leave the CTA on the screen the whole time, or show it several times as the content rotates.

One of LG’s most popular series in the XS2E Series – available in various sizes through ALMO.

55XS2D 55” FHD Outdoor Signage

Key Features include:

  • High Brightness
  • Visible with Polarized Sunglasses
  • Fan-less Design
  • High Performance with WEBOS
  • Smart Brightness Control

We are your destination for professional display solutions.

Corinne O’Rawe
888-420-2566 x6220  |  [email protected]

What An Experience!

by | May 3, 2019 | Pro Audio, Uncategorized

Get a behind-the-scenes tour of Harman’s Experience Center

In my last blog I chose to discuss how you can improve your knowledge of audio solutions simply by knowing the different support channels and asking the right questions.  One facet I did not discuss was the need to have a desire to learn.  Simply put- you will make every opportunity that much harder if you refuse to grow independently.  I am no exception to this rule.  As I admitted previously, I came into my new role “not knowing audio” but thanks to the plethora of support channels and various opportunities that exist, gaining this new knowledge is quite easy, all thanks to the team at Harman Professional Solutions.

While attending the most recent stop on the Almo E4 Experience tour in sunny California, I was afforded the opportunity to visit the team at Harman and their new Harman Experience Center which is located at 8500 Balboa Blvd. in Los Angeles.  Pardon the pun, but WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!  The moment you walk in the front door you are greeted by a light show through the winding hallway which works in step with the images on the large video wall further down the hall. Thanks to my unofficial “tour guides”

Mark Wilson and David Tewksbury, I was able to really entrench myself in all of the technology that surrounded me!  A few steps further we were greeted by a row of actual Grammy Awards presented to Harman for their JBL and Lexicon lines amongst others.  Truly innovators in the professional technology space!  Coming from a retail background, I really focused in on their Connected Retail Experience display.  As a business owner, imagine being able to KNOW who your customers truly are and then cater to those specific customers.  From displaying male/female centric marketing to displaying specific content when a customer picks up a certain item, it’s all tied to improving the overall experience at a given store.   It was very intriguing to see where we are headed in terms of custom shopping experiences.

The next steps on our tour was really the “heart of the Experience Center where I was able to learn about  the Connected Huddle Space featuring the AMX Acendo Vibe speaker (which happens to be an Almo Best Seller!), an actual recording booth where we could test out all different models of AKG microphones (if you are lucky, David might sing for you!), and several Martin Lighting displays which were absolutely breathtaking!  Martin Lighting has been used in Las Vegas, London, and so many more of the world’s biggest attractions so to EXPERIENCE that up close was amazing. One of the final stops of our tour was a large room where Harman has hosted several gatherings such as corporate events and parties.  The room is set up to resemble part club, part concert hall, part Broadway stage.  Directly in the middle of the room was a Soundcraft Vi3000 Digital Live Sound Console and boy was that impressive. It is the only console in its class that can be used by two engineers at the same time and despite all of the added features and functionality it also retains all of the features that have made its series the preferred choice for sound engineers.  I had commented to Dave how many times I had seen similar models at concerts and various shows and how it only further demonstrated the theme of the day which was “EXPERIENCE”.  This room allows you to demonstrate how Harman products function in certain environments.  Listening to Phantom of the Opera on Broadway vs a lecture in a college auditorium vs smoke machines and disco lighting in a dance club….awe-inspiring!  Out of this entire room, one of the final yet coolest experiences was the live concert demo complete with drum kit, lighting, smoke, and some of the loudest yet clearest speakers I’ve ever heard!  The JBL VTX A12W is a dual 12” line array loudspeaker.  The kind you would see at the largest world tours from some of the most popular music acts. Various Harman resellers have said “this might be the single best speaker that JBL has ever made” and after seeing/hearing it live I would have to agree!  Starting with the simple installation to the crisp/clear vocals you hear it’s clearly a step above most.  At one point, David told me to stand in a specific area and I found myself directly under this massive speaker.  David walked over to join me and we had a typical conversation.  He then looks over and says “pretty cool huh”….we were standing directly under this line array loudspeaker and I could hear him clear as day.  When was the last time anyone went to a concert and didn’t have to shout all night to friends just to be heard?  That is what clear/powerful sound will do for you!

It is always a pleasure in my line of work to spend time with our vendor partners.  It provides an opportunity to learn more about the people and products that make the machine run smoothly.  However, getting to spend time with Mark and Dave at the Harman Experience Center was unlike any previous meeting I’ve ever had.  It was all part of the learning EXPERIENCE that I talked about previously. While you can certainly learn from online materials, various books, etc, there is something to be said about good old fashioned hands on learning and experiencing for yourself!  I challenge each of you to experience all that Harman has to offer by visiting them in Los Angeles at 8500 Balboa Blvd.  I know they would be more than happy to host you and your teams much like they did for me!  Remember, this is all part of the desired end goal — to learn more about audio and better position your respective companies in the eyes of your customers.  Thanks to Harman’s support system, educational opportunities, and unparalleled approach to technology and innovation, they should be the first stop along the way!

If you’d like information on Harman products, please feel free to contact me.

Rob Voorhees
888-420-2566 x6547  |  [email protected]

 

E4 Experience Recap. It was more than just an event.

by | Apr 19, 2019 | Uncategorized

So that’s a wrap on the 2019 Spring E4 Experience.  And this year, it was more than an event… it was an Experience.  Read on, I’ll explain.

In this, its tenth year Almo shed the name of the award winning E4 AV Tour, and rebranded the event the E4 Experience.  Said Melody Craigmyle, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Almo Corporation, “We’re seeing the industry really focus on the customer experience, be it live events, business meetings or house of worship experiences.  We are giving them an invaluable, full-day encounter that enables resellers, integrators and end-users to connect, learn and grow.  Especially if they’ve not got the opportunity to travel to other industry trade shows.”

Outside of InfoComm, (happening June 8-14 in Orlando, FL), the only other show you can attend and receive multiple CTS Renewal Units in a single day is the E4 Experience, featuring new exhibitors, new instructors, and exciting new networking opportunities.

Almo created new partnerships in 2019 with the SDVoE Alliance to offer an AV-over-IP Design Certification as well as the Digital Signage Federation to give attendees the opportunity to earn certification in the fast-paced Foundations of Digital Signage course.  Back by popular demand this spring was the highly attended Guided Exhibit Hall Tour, led by industry veteran and rAVe [Publications] founder Gary Kayye.

“We recruited super-star educations – influential and highly respected business professionals – to help our attendees stretch their knowledge, spark new ideas and embrace the future of Pro AV and IT”, said Craigmyle.

Among those all-star instructors who joined us in Chicago and Southern California this March and April was Justin Kennington, president of SDVoE, who said the organization was happy to participate in the E4 Experience because of the opportunity to make the jobs easier for system designers and installers, ultimately making their customers happier.  He noted “the Certified Design Partner program teaches attendees the difference between designing with matrix switches and designing with SDVoE – those who are certified become recognized experts in how to successfully design AV systems on this platform and how to communication the benefits to customers.”

Brian Gorg, executive director of the Digital Signage Federation was also pleased to be able to bring unbiased and relevant information to those looking to further their digital signage practice.  “The Digital Signage Federation is proud to participate in the E4 Experience where we may education integrators, resellers and end users about the business and technical aspects of digital signage.

In total, there were 11 CTS Renewal Units to be had whether you attended Chicago or Southern California.  It’s impossible to attend two classes at once, but the sheer availability to earn a total of five in a single day is virtually unheard of.  Thanks to the incredible partnerships Almo has with our manufacturer partners and sponsors, the opportunity to maintain this very important certification was provided to all attendees free of charge and included parking validation, breakfast and lunch, and hundreds of products on exhibit featuring the latest technology available by vendors like LG, Sharp, and new vendors like Vivitek, D-Link systems, VDO360 and Barco.

If certification RUs and hot new technology wasn’t your thing, we had that covered, too.  Sharp presented a hugely popular autograph and photo opportunity with sports legends at both stops.  Chicago guests were thrilled to meet and chat with former Chicago Bears quarterback and two-time Super Bowl Champion, Jim McMahon and in Southern California fans took autographs and selfies with former Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year, MVP and six-time All-Star Jose Canseco.

It’s a whirlwind, having two shows in two very different parts of the country within less than one month of each other!  It takes a great deal of effort and planning to set up this one day show.  Weeks to do site visits and choose an ideal location, more time to scrutinize schedules and choose a date that has no conflicts with holidays or other industry shows.  Then months of coordinating with vendor partners to organize booth space, secure their latest technology to showcase and get it shipped to the location.

When it’s show time, it takes a village, but we set up an E4 Experience in a single day!  It’s all hands on deck to set up every vendor booth, registration desk, classrooms and the main stage.  It’s fun to see it all come together.  And the morning of the event really brings it home why we at Almo put so much effort into these events.

If you joined us in Chicago or Southern California let us know!  Drop a comment and tell us what you thought, learned and or earned.  And if you missed it, you’ll have another shot.  Registration opens late summer for our fall show.  We’ll be bringing our all-star instructors, advanced education, new technology, new vendor surprises and special celebrity autograph session to Teaneck, NJ on September 25 and Alpharetta, GA on October 15.  We can’t wait to see you there!

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