The 15,700 visitors that the first version of TecnoMultimedia InfoComm Brasil had, are a sample of an industry that is growing and increasingly interested in training and new technologies.
By Richard Santa
A great expectation had been generated in the audiovisual industry about the first version of TecnoMultimedia InfoComm Brasil. The commitment of manufacturers, integrators and distributors was great and at the end of the third day of the show, the 80 exhibitors expressed their satisfaction with the results.
From the first moment the fair opened its doors, on Tuesday, May 13, the influx of visitors to each of the stands was constant. Some exhibitors said they had not been able to cope with the staff to serve the 15,700 visitors and announced that by next year they will have more people.
And this is an example that ratifies the importance of Latin America for the audiovisual industry . There is a general interest in the region to train and excel in quality and innovation of its facilities, using the latest technology. This was indicated by Marcel Briant, Kramer's representative in Brazil, who assured that there is an interest in learning and using new technologies such as HDBaseT and 4K, although he acknowledged that a massive use can take a couple of more years.
Michael Egan, CEO of exceptional 3D, also spoke in the same vein. His company was at the Philips booth presenting a 3D monitor without the use of lenses, designed for digital signage solutions, which caught the attention of visitors to the fair.
Opening the market
TecnoMultimedia InfoComm Brasil was not only the showcase for the local AV industry, who actively participated in the fair. It also served some manufacturers and distributors to open the doors to the Brazilian market and make important contacts.
Distributors from Mexico and Argentina, such as Rocketerías and Icap, respectively, are some examples. In the case of the Mexican company, Alejandro Barbosa commented that in April he opened his office in Brazil to begin distributing the products of the brands he represents and replicating the experience he has in Mexico. Their participation in the fair was supported by the Mexican government.
In the case of Icap, Martín Saul explained that his company, although it does not have its own office in Brazil, has carried out some projects in this country. But his interest in the fair was focused on generating new contacts that allow him to continue applying his business model.
"We make communications facilities for global companies. Some have asked us to design the projects so that each of the headquarters in Latin America have the same technology and programming. To develop the projects we look for allies in each country who install them according to our designs, because traveling from Argentina to do so would have a very high cost for the client, "added the CEO of Icap.
Among the manufacturers present at the fair, there were also those who are entering the Brazilian market and took advantage of the first version of TecnoMultimedia InfoComm Brasil. An example NEC. Horacio Alzate commented that the company opened an office in Brazil a little over a year ago and that although they have already been developing projects, the fair was a great stage to make themselves known.
Another example is the company DFI Tech, which has a presence in Brazil through a distributor that has been going on for several years. Among its novelties was showing the signage screens for public transport, designed for 24/7 work and resistant to strong movements that may occur, as well as weather conditions. These screens are in a pilot test on Sao Paulo's public transport system.
So there are many cases that could be listed, such as the company Lightwere of Hungary, Arthur Holm of Spain, Televic of Belgium, Taiden of China, LPG of Germany and others that surely escape me.
In terms of technologies, there were also many novelties that were presented. To mention a few are epson's high-brightness projectors, LG's transparent displays, Monoprice's sound distribution systems, Christie's high-capacity projectors, Biamp's new audio matrix, Sony's interactive projectors, Samsung's video wall monitors.
Education within everyone's reach
This year, for the first time, InfoComm's lectures during the fair were free. This situation allowed the two conference rooms, including the technical-commercial talk room, to have a large participation.
One of InfoComm's certified lecturers was Nelson Baumgratz, who since 2008 has taught courses at InfoComm University and this year made his debut as director of the Association for Brazil. On this occasion, his lectures were focused on the relationship of IT with the audiovisual and HDBaseT technology.
He assured that "For me it was an honor that InfoComm named me as its representative in Brazil. This is a market with many possibilities for growth and in which we have a lot to do."
One of the topics that was most talked about during the fair in Brazil was the World Cup, which was less than a month away at the time. The opinion of Nelson Baumgratz coincided with some exhibitors, in the sense that the problems of the organization of the event ended up affecting the use of audiovisual solutions, about which there were great expectations.
There were even cancellations of applications that had been made since last year and large contracts were made abroad, with little benefit for local companies. Now expectations are set on the Olympic Games to be held in Brazil in 2016. The industry hopes that for this event if audiovisual solutions can be used more.
The appointment in 2015
The success of TecnoMultimedia InfoComm Brasil and the satisfaction of the exhibitors was reflected in the reservations of the 2015 version. A year after the second event in Brazil, all the exhibitors of 2014 confirmed their presence, expanded their stands and it is already confirmed a growth of the expo by 30%, a figure that will surely be much higher, since many companies that were not this year expressed their interest in the fair.
In 2015, TecnoMultimedia InfoComm Brasil will be held again at the Imigrantes exhibition center in Sao Paulo, between May 12 and 14. In addition to more space, visitors will be able to find the latest technology and many more surprises.
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