From classrooms to boardrooms to living rooms, business is booming for the audio-visual sector.
In today’s technological age, visual and audio stimulation are imperative to communicate effectively with the target audience — be it an individual or a large gathering.
In the new millennium, the audio-visual industry has become an integral part of information technology (IT) and the new internet era. These include new media; high definition TVs, digital signage and remote video; video-, audio-, data- and web-conferencing; and interactive display, systems integration and security systems.
Now, the scope of the industry also includes lighting and staging for corporate events, entertainment, sports and concerts. Audio-visual technology has become an integral component of the home, business, education, hospitality and healthcare sectors.
Membership in InfoComm International (formerly ICIA), the international trade association of the professional audio-visual and information communications industries, rose significantly in the first half of 2005, mirroring the growth of audio-visual applications in business, government and higher education. “Our membership growth is a reflection of what we’re seeing in the professional audio-visual industry. Companies, colleges and the government, at all levels, are placing greater reliance on AV technologies to communicate and teach,” says Randal A. Lemke, Executive Director for press communication, InfoComm International. “There is clearly a rush to keep current on AV technologies as IT and AV converge.”
In February, InfoComm International’s market forecast found that growth in the industry is derived primarily from the business and government markets, followed by the higher education sector. These three markets account for more than half of the AV business generated, and the importance of these markets is predicted to remain high over the next three years. “Audio-visual communication includes everything from videoconferencing and streaming media to plasma displays, digital signage and interactive whiteboards. It extends from the classroom to the boardroom to the living room. There’s a high demand for AV professionals to help select, integrate, install and service AV products for optimum performance,” says Lemke.
A billion-dollar industry
A significant growth in sectors such as construction, hospitality and education has also meant that the AV industry in the MENA region, specifically in the UAE, has also witnessed a tremendous surge in business in the last five to six years. “It is a billion dollar industry now,” says Ravi Kumar, Manager, ICIA AV Specialist, Audio Visual Solutions, Alpha Data. Whether it is at the workplace or within home, AV system providers in the region today offer integrated solutions.
According to Kumar, the market is looking increasingly at ELVs (Electronic Low Voltage Systems) which offer a complete package that includes telecommunication, cabling and networking, as well as audio-visual systems and support structures which could include security elements such as CCTVs.
According to IIR, organisers of Install (a part of PALME, the Middle East’s premier professional sound, light, music, audio-visual and systems integration exhibition), extensive research has shown that the entertainment segment of the industry was only scratching the surface in terms of the potential business the Middle East market had to offer the AV industry. As technology and services for the construction sector are in huge demand, there is more high-end development in process in the Middle East than in any other part of the world.
The rapid development of technology within the installation and integration sector has made the automated home a reality, with ‘smart’ technology rapidly becoming a part of everyday living for more and more people throughout the MENA region. The result is that the business potential for both regional and international companies operating in the installation and integration sector is substantial, as the region’s real estate sector expands at a rate that far exceeds global norms.
High quality, billion-dollar residential and commercial projects continue to be announced frequently throughout the MENA region. According to IIR, the region is, without doubt, the world’s most active market in the sector, with great demand for the very latest innovations, state-of-the-art products and services.
The UAE real estate sector alone is set to grow to $50 billion (about Dh183.62 billion) by 2010, and the projects currently under development and in the planning stages are set to further stimulate the sector and the associated industries. Bahrain and Qatar are two of the other Middle East countries that are in the process of developing major tourism, residential and commercial projects.
“Techno-savvy audiences and their relative affluence means a whole new generation of home-owners are looking for innovative integration of the PC into their home, leading to increasing installation of LANs in homes. At Omnix, we have the diverse range of skills needed to put together systems and the capability to handle singular projects or whole developments,” says Jasper Whitaker, Head of Sales and Marketing, Omnix.
“Uniquely, our services embrace every aspect of a project from conception, design, installation and implementation to commissioning and training. Our professional audio-visual solutions encompass audio, specialist lighting, video and projection technology, stage machinery and rigging and conferencing equipment. This breadth of specialist services has seen us involved in the region’s most important projects with clients including Jumeirah International Hotel Group, Dubai International Convention Centre, the UAE University, Microsoft, Emaar and Nakheel, to name just a few,” he adds. According to Manoj Pillai, General Manager, Audiviz, the audio-visual industry largely serves the corporate, residential and education sectors in the region.
More options
“The growth of the industry has meant more players and greater options for the consumer. Also, the various modules being offered are scalable depending on the size of the project and can be tailored to suit preferences. The entry barriers within the business have come down, and while products from the US and Europe still hold sway, Chinese products have also entered the market,” he adds.
“Due to low import duties and the ability to obtain supplies directly from manufacturers, prices have been kept substantially lower in the region than in other markets. Also, there is a wealth of audio-visual systems now available in the market,” says Samar Singh Bhal, Sales Manager, Al Bishara International (a specialist supplier of the latest in AV systems).
Besides its obvious use within the general businesses and the industry, AV technology has also found acceptance within the government sectors, as major entities such as Dubai Police, Etisalat and Higher Colleges of Technology have begun integrating high-end systems within their operations. The banking and educational sectors are the other big clients.
The growth of the AV industry has also created a need for providers who are trained and certified to provide integrated solutions. Alpha Data has become the first company in the Middle East to obtain the CAVSP (Certified Audio Visual Solution Provider) designation from ICIA.
“With this silver-level certification, our audio-visual division can offer customers superior design, consultancy and implementation of audio-visual projects which meet the ICIA standards,” says Prasad K.S.N, General Manager, Alpha Data, Dubai.
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