An Interview with Scott Walker, president and founding principal, Waveguide
For far too long, AV projects were too episodic, meaning that instead of becoming a global solution applied around the world, consultants were working on a project-by-project basis. “Nothing really worked together,” said Scott Walker, president and founding principal at Waveguide Consulting. “What we do with our clients is work with them to get our arms around a global master plan for AV communications technologies, and part of that plan is to not only talk about technology, but also facilities and the infrastructure they rely on.”
But even with those considerations, Walker emphasized the importance of looking at the big picture, hiring an integrator that can make sure the technology is the same in every office across the globe. The goal is to avoid having multiple solutions that may not be compatible in different offices. “The future of our industry is to be much more like IT in corporations and government entities, and corporations tend to think of IT as a universal strategy. These are things that are coming to AV for the more advanced customer,” Walker added.
Up-front planning is another key component to making sure the client receives the best experience. “We’ve seen that a bit of planning up front can save money long term for the client. There’s an awful lot of duplication, and we can minimize this by blowing out our global standards. We provide master planning services, and we provide very detailed systems and commissioning,” Walker said.
“Why this is so important in 2015 is that AV has long become mission critical. If our clients aren’t global, we have to work more strategically to communicate that with our customers and clients.”
Kelleigh Welch is managing editor of SCN. Follow her on Twitter @KelleighWelch.
