Customer Communication
Apr 1, 2007 12:00 PM,
By Michael Goldman
Just home from Orlando, Fla. — another NSCA in the history books, and what’s the primary lesson I took from this year’s show? It’s the extent to which AV industry manufacturers carefully weigh the needs and preferences of their users as they develop products. This theme came up several times during my wanderings across the show floor. Company representatives routinely emphasized how a particular capability was built into a product because their customers asked for it.
For instance, during my discussion with Stèphane Ecalle, L’Acoustics’ Paris-based marketing director, he detailed how the concept for that company’s new Kiva ultra-compact line-array system evolved directly out of customer requests. He was confident the company had achieved its goal of producing a compact product with big acoustic chops for medium to large venues, but his point was that the technology evolved out of a series of conversations company officials had with dealers, installers, and users.
The Crestron DVPHD-PRO HD digital video processor and Panasonic PT-FW100NT LCD projectors are just two more examples of many products that seem to have similar development histories, judging from what I heard on the show floor. Indeed, according to Panasonic, its projectors were engineered specifically for long life as a direct reaction to customer input. See Jeff Sauer’s Picture This column on p. 14 for more information on the Panasonic projectors and other video highlights from NSCA.
We have lots more show coverage in this issue, and online at www.svconline.com. And while I’m on the subject of our online offerings, don’t forget to check out The Briefing Room at blog.svconline.com/briefingroom. This new tool makes product announcements and other breaking news easier to disseminate. Essentially an ongoing virtual press conference, The Briefing Room allows manufacturers and other industry newsmakers to upload and manage their own news through our online network. Check it out and email me ([email protected]) or my colleagues Laura Dixon (laura.dixon.com) or Craig Erpelding ([email protected]) for instructions on how to participate.
And while we’re at it, please take note of our new email addresses.
