Finishing off another successful year of events, the Almo E4 AV Tour ended last week in Irvine, CA. It’s very clear that Almo has a laser-like focus on educating the company’s customers and partners; the day was jam-packed with free educational events, largely centered around the hot topics of IoT and collaboration.
Much of the education was made possible by AVIXA and offered the association’s CTS Renewal Units. During the hour-long “Digitilization and How the Internet of Things Changes Everything.” Andrew Milne, Ph.D., CEO of Tidebreak, Inc., hit on the two aforementioned hot topics—IoT and collaboration—as he discussed the impact of IoT in the workplace. “Think in terms of not just your space, your technology, but all the peripheral technology and how those play together, or could potentially play together, to create a much wider and broader experience.”
The idea of technology “playing together,” while not new, was a popular concept in both education and on the show floor. InFocus, for example, was showing off its Mondopad, an all-in-one collaborative solution. “You can collaborate, annotate, send that to the other end, and they can see that real time,” stated Jim Vanderhoof, channel development manager, InFocus. “We’re video agnostic – you can use any video platform you’d like.”
Following the trend of workplace technology, Harman showcased its huddle room solutions using a mixture of products from its various brands. The company’s Acendo Book Scheduling Panel, an easy-to-install, easy-to-use instrument has a modern look, and allows users to both locate and book meeting rooms with a simple colored-coded availability system. The panel was paired with an Acendo Vibe conferencing sound bar, which incorporates JBL, BSS, Crown, and AMX, within a single box, and complete cable management, according to Jared Lederhandler, CTS, regional sales director, Southeast, Harman.
With latest technology on the show floor and forward-thinking educational sessions, the final 2017 E4 was deemed a success by both exhibitors and Almo. "Our fall E4s in New York and Irvine were attended by more than 800 resellers, integrators and consultants, all looking to network, earn certifications, and learn new ways to move their businesses ahead," said Melody Craigmyle, vice president of marketing for Almo Professional A/V. "We've been hosting E4 events since 2009 but I am still in awe as I watch each event transpire. They take on a life of their own -- you can absolutely feel the electricity and excitement throughout the venue, especially as new ideas are generated and new connections are made.”
