Latin America. Although the overall situation created by the pandemic is undoubtedly difficult, there are also new perspectives and opportunities that appear in this new environment. This is the reflection of Elena Novikova, President of Polymedia, owner of Visiology, on the moment that the audiovisual industry is experiencing due to Covid19.
In conversation with AVI LATINOAMÉRICA, he stressed that "of course, the blockade affected our customers and operations, many projects and events were delayed and canceled. However, on the other hand, customers are available online, the demand for video conferencing solutions has increased, we have been actively using webinars to stay connected with our partners and customers in various regions."
He added that large corporations and government entities began to actively explore and implement digital technologies. Digital transformation was already an important trend before the pandemic and customers from government spheres talked about it and worked on the integration of new technologies. Now, the pandemic forced everyone to switch to the internet, making digital transformation an inevitable reality, prompting the transition from theory to practice.
Another trend they see: with conferences and events switching to the online format, many rental and staging companies or companies working with the live events sector, began offering professional video studios for webinars based on their team base. In the case of Polimedia, they offer solutions in partnership with videoconferencing companies and hotels that provide space to organize quality events.
Among the main areas of development is the re-evaluation of office spaces and design of meeting rooms. Future meeting spaces may have more space and specific tools that facilitate the teamwork of participants located both in the room and online. IoT technologies and analytics for meeting spaces will receive further development momentum by collecting data on temperature, amount of oxygen, meeting room occupancy, distance between meeting participants, providing capabilities for equipment control. Separate solutions for employee health assessment can also be generalized.
"Another important trend that will affect the audiovisual industry is a shift towards a hybrid education model. This includes scenarios in which some activities in schools and universities will be conducted online and others on the site. Or another option, when some students are physically present in class and others attend online. This will have an impact on the design of AV systems in classrooms, while teachers will have to master modern technological tools, such as collaboration software, videoconferencing systems, to ensure high-quality sound," said Elena Novikova.
On customer service in Latin America during the pandemic, the executive indicated that with customers and partners present online, the team switched from physical showrooms to exhibiting Polywall by setting up online virtual booths that illustrate the specific requirements of the project. Most of the work moved into the online space. As before the pandemic, Visiology actively works with partners in Latin America.
"In some countries where blockades are strict, projects have been postponed, for example, in Argentina or Colombia. However, we still see activity, customers are online and considering new projects for the future. In other countries, such as Brazil or Mexico, the work continues with adjustments. Companies still support remote work by employees, many operations were moved online and projects were postponed, but the number is higher," he concluded.
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