EVENTS Infocon
Visualising new
growth, how
enterprise is key
for the AV market
Once a rank outsider, video conferencing has become
a mainstay in the AudioVisual
world, encompassing
traditional display solutions as well as embracing new
technologies to make businesses run more efficiently.
All of these solutions were on show at InfoComm19 in
Orlando so CommsBusiness’ Elliot Mulley-Goodbarne
took the trip across the pond to catch up with the
latest trends in video conferencing and collaboration
When you think of the
Audio-Visual market,
you’d be forgiven for
jumping straight to the
virtual billboards of Leicester
Square.
Certainly, the name lends
itself to huge LED panels,
cinematic projectors and sound
quality that transports you to
the music studio. But whilst
these “traditional” use cases
are continuing to be innovated
on and sold, it is the enterprise
applications that are keeping the
industry churning.
Speaking at InfoComm
2019, Avixa senior director of
communications Brad Grimes
said that growth in the audiovisual
industry has come as a
result of a change in attitudes
of C-level executives, bringing
them into the scope of their IT
departments.
“AV has traditionally not
been a part of IT but that’s
changed in the last few years.
More and more AV is
being rolled into IT networks
and has become an enterprise
technology. Especially in terms
of UC, video conferencing, that
is an enterprise application now,
it is an audio-visual application.
Some of these applications
are very enterprise focussed and
C-suite executives have put it on
their radar which is really what
has juiced the rate of growth
in the industry. It has become
something that organisations
no longer see as a nice to have
anymore; you got to have it
now.”
Obviously, the main use case
for AV solutions in the enterprise
in for video conferencing. e
popularity of meeting room
solutions from Zoom, BlueJeans
and Webex (other solutions
are available) is testament to
that and I’d bet that this week,
depending on where you work
and who you are doing business
with, you’ll have some invites
with dial-in information and
meeting numbers to recite.
Zach Bosin Senior Director,
Product Marketing at BlueJeans
Network points out that these
solutions are also being used
to connect more workers and
allow them to contribute to a
meeting no matter the situation
or location.
“We’ve seen some use cases in
the retail sector where those folks
don’t have a lot of infrastructure
but at the same time, they
want to share pictures of their
merchandising and share best
practice with other stores.
erefore, having iOS
screensharing allows them to do
that just as they would if they
had a traditional oce set up.”
Bosin went on to say that
the mobile integration as well
features such as ‘raise your
hand’ in its Events proposition
encourage engagement from all
employees; a sentiment echoed
by the likes of Oblong.
“What you’re really trying
to do if you’re an executive is
not just trying to give a lecture,
you’re trying to engage your
audience trying to have them
ask questions, trying to build a
culture.
So, we’re trying to invest in
all these dierent features like
translate to make them feel
like they are part of the whole
company.”
David Kung VP Product
Strategy at Oblong agreed with
Bosin’s comments adding that
“Unfortunately a lot of the time
44 | Comms Business Magazine | August 2019 www.commsbusiness.co.uk
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