USAV Blog

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Designing A Digital Storefront That Converts

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With all the distractions demanding our attention these days, first impressions are crucial to making a lasting impact on potential leads. There are almost 2 billion websites on the internet so it’s important to make sure yours stands out from the crowd. With smart branding and design techniques you can ensure that your website is catching the attention of your potential leads.

Take a screenshot of your website above the fold as it appears on your website before any scrolling occurs. Show the screenshot to someone for three seconds, then ask the person what your website sells. If they can’t answer correctly, you have work to do.

Functionality

What is it that you want your website to do? The first step to a successful web design is ensuring that your website solves the established problem. Maybe the primary function is an ecommerce site where shoppers can review items and ultimately make a purchase. Another common functionality is to fill out a form or schedule a demo. Do research on what your competitors are offering and consider what affects not offering those will have on your company. Decide what it is you want your website to accomplish and make sure your site solves for that.

Branding & Design

With the ultimate goal in mind, move in to articulating your brand. The home page should clearly relay what your company does and who they do it for. Being able to articulate your company’s mission, vision and values is essential to making an impression on your prospect. Your web design should be uniform. Fonts, colors and photos all align to display your brand and make a lasting impression. That impression left is your brand. If your website looks and feels unorganized or even dated, that sends a message to your viewers about your brand, and you’ve potentially lost your lead. Remember that web design is about more than making your site look pretty, it’s about inspiring your viewers to take action.

Site Structure

With a cohesive design and goal in place, you’ll find that your leads are sticking around. Now that you’ve made a lasting impression, make sure that your website converts. Begin by laying out your most important landing pages and make them easy to access in your navigation. Common landing pages include a products or services page, a page for each industry served, testimonials and case studies, a blog and a contact page. Along with your navigation, people will expect to see a company logo and accessible phone number for quick conversions as well. Your contact form should be easy to locate, high up on a page and tested often.

Page Structure & Content

It may seem obvious but having an intentional page layout is key to successful conversions. In today’s digital world viewers have expectations, and every little detail matters when it comes to meeting them.

The header is the quick indicator where viewers will assess your site. They expect to see your logo and page navigation with a quick path to high traffic areas of your site. Viewers will look here to find the answers to questions such as what services do you offer, is shopping available on this site, where are you located and how can they get in touch?

The body of each page is where the main message is communicated. Keep in mind that viewers are not there to read a book, make it succinct and get your message across efficiently. Make updates to your content regularly to make sure that you are answering your viewers’ questions. Check your Google Analytics metrics to learn how long viewers are spending on your site, and what content is making the most impact.

Call-to-action. Call-to-action. Call-to-action. Think of your website as a flow. Things are unfolding and pulling the viewer in, and just as you’ve inspired them to convert… there’s nowhere for them to go. It should be obvious to your viewer what you want them to do. Choose a call-to-action (or CTA) and repeat it throughout the site. A viewer in every stage of the sales funnel should have a place to convert.

The footer is a great place for secondary CTAs. It is located at the bottom of each page, meaning they have already passed your initial CTA. This is the place for a secondary navigation, additional ways to contact you and additional conversions such as inviting the viewers to follow you on your social channels or to sign up for a newsletter.

As more and more websites continue to pop up, having a converting design is imperative. Formulating the right recipe can take time and multiple revisions but achieving conversion victories is oh so sweet.

Contact PSA Marketing Consultancy to get started today!

Hannah Schultes

Marketing Manager

USAV Weekly Highlights: January 7th, 2022

Here is your recap of what USAV did this week!

  • Marketing Masterminds Registration Opened!

  • January 2022 Newsletter

  • Corporate Sales Coach Special Offer

MARKETING MASTERMINDS PRESENTED BY PSA AND USAV

Company branding can often be an afterthought to executive leadership. Something believed left to the marketing team that can be summed as a logo, colors, website, etc. Brand is so much more than this. It’s the embodiment of an organization, how the culture is emanated externally, the entire essence of your company.

 So how do leaders ensure the brand is being conveyed correctly and consistently? In this half day of education brought to you by PSA and USAV, leaders can take a deeper dive into branding!

·    Respected industry veterans will take you through the development, execution and results of their branding homeruns over the past two years.

·    A seasoned global marketing executive will explain the facets and importance of digital marketing and branding.

USAV and PSA’s new marketing consultancy will lead a workshop on how to include branding and messaging in your organization’s strategic planning for 2022 and beyond.

SEE WHAT OUR USAV PARTNERS KICKED 2022 OFF WITH!

Check out our first 2022 Newsletter!

USAV has teamed up with Preferred Service Provider, Corporate Sales Coaches, to offer foundational AV-dedicated sales skills and customer-focused selling training now addressing selling Managed Services to increase RMR – AVaaS and selling in a virtual environment with Everything DiSC profiles! The training will combine three (3) virtual 2-hour web sessions, one reinforcement web-based workshop as well as access to FASST applicable self-paced online courseware.

Corporate Sales Coach Special Offer Q1 2022

USAV has teamed up with Preferred Service Provider, Corporate Sales Coaches, to offer foundational AV-dedicated sales skills and customer-focused selling training now addressing selling Managed Services to increase RMR – AVaaS and selling in a virtual environment with Everything DiSC profiles! The training will combine three (3) virtual 2-hour web sessions, one reinforcement web-based workshop as well as access to FASST applicable self-paced online courseware.

REGISTRATION OPENED JANUARY 5th

Class Dates

January 24th

January 26th

March 3rd

March 4th

Class sizes are limited to 15 attendees per class.

INVESTMENT

Cost: $645 per participant (Includes Everything DiSC profiles)

Offer expires Q1 2022 - Regular fees ($895) will apply starting Q2.

Featuring:

  • Introducing customer-focused selling for sales professionals

  • Core sales skills with structured customer-focused sales process

  • Understanding, recognizing and adapting to behavior styles (DiSC Profiles included)

  • Establishing credibility and trust - active listening

  • Creating Interest at the executive level -prospecting - updated to address RMR selling processes

  • AV-Industry customized role-plays, Exercises and action plans

  • Web-based reinforcement workshops

  • Access to online self-paced courseware

Customized Training Classes for:

Early to mid-stage sales reps, inside sales team, marketing reps with two years or less experience in AV sales who are responsible for selling in today’s market, and who have to influence the new normal buyers.

Results You Can Expect:

Early to mid-stage sales staff will have a solid structure and process for prospecting, securing meetings, identifying projects, systems to identify and document business needs, and essential skills for building pipelines.

Workshop Space is Limited!

Contact Bob Lobascio, Corporate Sales Coaches, to reserve your seat.

blobascio@corporatesalescoaches.com

USAV Weekly Highlights: December 30th, 2021

Here is your recap of what USAV did this week!

Welcome to the USAV/PSA Family, Dawsyn Board!

On December 14th at 4:03 p.m., we welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Dawsyn Board, who was 8lbs. 4 o.z. and 20 inches, to the USAV/PSA family. Congratulations to our Senior Channel Marketing Manager, Brittany Board, husband Alex and son Charlie on their newest addition to their family. Happy to announce everyone is healthy and doing well.

WEBINAR RAFFLE WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

Andy Boyd

Bill Graham

Julie Kolb

Congratulations to our USAV Webinar Raffle Winners! Make sure to check your emails for your prize.

Be on the look out for our next webinar raffle to be announced!

USAV Weekly Highlights: December 23rd, 2021

Here is your recap of what USAV did this week!

 

AT THE OFFICE:

USAV had a fun week at the office full of festive activities to get in the holiday spirit! USAV Spirit Committee members hosted cookie decorating, a hot chocolate bar, a workstation decoration contest, a white elephant exchange and more! Check out our contest winners and holiday fun below.

Holiday Workstation Decoration Contest

First Place: Barbara Pierce, Sales Support Specialist

Second Place: Eleanor Bustos, Sales Support Specialist

Cookie decorating station and hot chocolate bar!

Additional office festive photos!

USAV Weekly Highlights: December 10th, 2021

Here is your recap of what USAV did this week:

  • Year End Review 2021

  • USAV Bandwidth

  • USAV December Newsletter

  • Liberty AV Webinar

USAV’s Year End Review 2021

The Pro AV industry continued to experience a very interesting and dynamic year. 2021 focused on relationship building in a hybrid environment and getting back together in-person. Here is a deeper look into USAV's year.

Anatomy of a Successful MSP

When it comes to deep improvement in a company that is trying to scale exponentially, understanding the present conditions becomes essential. And to understand we first have to listen and create the correct tools that can help us evaluate the processes and results of our strategy. In this episode, we invite Tom LeBlanc, Executive Director from NSCA, and Candice Aragon from PSA, Vice President of Marketing & Events to discuss a very useful piece of information that they’ve built with keys to understand what makes a successful MSP in this new age. Join this conversation now and discover the main conclusions of this complete research here on USAV Bandwidth.

Check out what's new with your USAV Partners!

Check out Decembers submissions from Almo Corporation, Legrand | AV, Sharp NEC, HARMAN, Herman Pro AV, Draper, QSC and Navigate Management Consulting.

ATTENDEES LEARNED:

Lighting is one of the biggest growth opportunities for commercial integrators. We reviewed the key technologies behind Low Voltage Lighting and the types of products available today. We reviewed installation best practices for Commercial and House of Worship projects - helping you bridge the knowledge gap from selling lighting control to selling lighting systems.

In case you missed it or would like to go back and watch the webinar, we have it linked here!

UPCOMING

THIS WEBINAR WILL FOCUS ON:

Improving presentations and discussions with high-quality audio in order to enhance the student experience. Highlight the considerations that should be taken while designing and implementing AV systems for sound reinforcement, distance learning and lecture capture. Enhancing your audio experience while maintaining social distancing regulations.

USAV Weekly Highlights: December 3rd, 2021

Here is your recap of what USAV did this week:

  • Virtual Fall Integrators Meeting 2021 Recap

  • PSA/USA Canned Food, Coat and Sock Drive

  • Almo E4 Event

  • Why You Need to Know SEO

  • Why You Should Offer Managed Services for Client Retention

Virtual Fall Integrators Meeting 2021 Recap

On November 9th-11th, the USAV integration service group met virtually for their annual fall meeting. Normally the event is in person but with COVID spikes, it was decided that it would be better to do a fully virtual meeting. The format was 3-days with only 2 hours of meetings per day. This gave the integrators the ability to have time each day for their normal work tasks.

Canned Food, Coat and Sock Drive

A BIG delivery was made from PSA/USAV team to the Denver Rescue Mission, Tuesday, November 30th. PSA/USAV donated items from our food, coat and sock drive to the Denver Rescue Mission along with items from their Amazon Wishlist. Thank you to the PSA/USAV employees for showing up for their community and the Denver Rescue Mission for making an impact.

“I’m proud to work at PSA.” -Candice Aragon from PSA, Vice President of Marketing and Events

Almo E4 Event

Over the past week, USAV’s Chris Salazar-Mangrum and Cheryl Walton attended the Almo E4 Event in Dallas, Texas. The hybrid event was a success, there was some overlap of live, virtual and a mix of CTS accredited sessions offered online and in-person. The show floor had a solid showing around 300 attendees, including several USAV tech partners offering up the ability to discuss 2022 USAV sponsorships and programs.

Cheryl had the opportunity to visit with local dealers and made best of friends with Dawna Payne from Texadia and Susan Barnette from Visionality.

 Overall, it was a successful event and time well spent with integrators in and out of the network, tech partners and industry influencers: Tim Albright, Gary Kayye and Melody Craigmyle.

You need to know SEO. Here’s why!

You already know that your presence on the web is no longer optional. Today’s digital world is moving quickly and having a single brick and mortar business means your company is being left behind. Luckily, creating a “digital storefront” is easier than ever to do! The hard part? Making sure your business is easy to locate. That’s where search engine optimization, or SEO, comes in!

Why You Should Offer Managed Services for Client Retention

MANAGED SERVICES ARE THE SINGLE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO DRIVE CLIENT SATISFACTION AND MEET LONG-TERM RETENTION GOALS.

For most businesses, client satisfaction and retention are the driving force behind our actions. Whether it’s a quick service call or a large multi-phase project, we do everything in our power to make sure we go above and beyond for our clients. And as our industry evolves, so do our clients’ needs and expectations. As service providers, this brings about several questions.

UPCOMING

WHAT ATTENDEES WILL LEARN IN THIS WEBINAR:

Lighting is one of the biggest growth opportunities for commercial integrators. We will review the key technologies behind Low Voltage Lighting and the types of products available today. We will review installation best practices for Commercial and House of Worship projects - helping you bridge the knowledge gap from selling lighting control to selling lighting systems.

THIS WEBINAR WILL FOCUS ON:

Improving presentations and discussions with high-quality audio in order to enhance the student experience. Highlight the considerations that should be taken while designing and implementing AV systems for sound reinforcement, distance learning and lecture capture. Enhancing your audio experience while maintaining social distancing regulations.

Why You Should Offer Managed Services for Client Retention

Originally posted on Commercial Integrator on 11/23/2021
By: Brandon Sorensen, from Rahi Systems

Managed services are the single most effective way to drive client satisfaction and meet long-term retention goals.

For most businesses, client satisfaction and retention are the driving force behind our actions. Whether it’s a quick service call or a large multi-phase project, we do everything in our power to make sure we go above and beyond for our clients. And as our industry evolves, so do our clients’ needs and expectations. As service providers, this brings about several questions.

Do we continue to scale and bring on additional headcounts to meet these needs? Do we support additional technology or services to keep our clients engaged and happy?

There’s little doubt that most, if not all, IT service providers have faced or will face these challenges. As technology continues to grow, experts at Rahi find themselves supporting A/V and IT more than ever. Our clients want to work with a company that can support their entire infrastructure.

Challenges of scaling and expansion have been at the forefront of the systems integrator industry from the beginning. We’re constantly being asked to think outside of the box and come up with a solution for the most complex issues.

Historically, we have found that regardless of a company’s size, these challenges still persist. In fact, it is the small to midsize companies that present the most innovative and robust solutions to overcome these challenges.

As we transition out of this global pandemic, we find the A/V industry evolving yet again.

The hybrid work environment is changing how companies approach their space planning and technology needs. Businesses are now requiring occupancy counting solutions and services. Collaboration spaces need to be reassessed and redesigned with social distancing and occupancy limits in mind.

The demand for unique solutions during transitional periods, such as this, can define your company’s success. If you can supply a product at a time of rapid, unexpected demand, you can significantly increase your client retention. If you’re unable to adapt to your client’s business challenges and provide them with a malleable solution, your clients will find someone who can solve their problem.

Managed services is one of these solutions that can be used to adapt to these ever-changing environments. However, it’s a service that not many IT and A/V solutions provider companies offer.

Most businesses are under the impression that offering managed services is only for larger IT solutions companies. They don’t know if they have the ability and human capital to support such a robust program. This is where most companies are falling short.

Managed services are the single most effective way to drive client satisfaction and meet long-term retention goals. When you’re only engaged with your clients on a per-project basis, you lose the opportunity for growth.

You have to wait until the next project to continue business with that client. However, if you’re already engaged in a support contract with a client, you and your team become the default and first contact they reach out to when they’re facing new business challenges, troubleshooting issues, or creating new ideas.

This relationship organically gives businesses a “leg up” on the competition when new projects are initiated and provide a stable revenue source.

Years ago, smaller firms were reluctant to introduce managed services into their offerings. For most, the upfront cost in technology and headcount, paired with little-to-no contracts in place, made it a risky decision. They came across many daunting questions.

How do we handle system monitoring? How do we handle break/fix deployment out of our market? How do we hire the right embedded employee halfway across the country?

Today, adding managed services to your offerings has become easier and more cost-effective than ever. By leveraging partner networks, businesses have a broader pool of resources and technology to provide a truly custom-tailored solution for clients without redefining their own business model. As businesses gain more contacts, they can start pulling some of those services in-house and organically grow their practice without risking that heavy initial investment.

Making the move to expand and grow your business can be intimidating. However, by mitigating your risk and leveraging the resources and tools available to your business, you can grow your managed services offerings and become more valuable to your customer base.

About the Author

Brandon Sorensen

Rahi Systems is a Global Provider, Systems Integrator of full-service IT solutions and services based in California and members of USAV.

2021 USAV Virtual Fall Integrators Meeting Recap

Last week the USAV integration service group met virtually for their annual fall meeting. Normally the event is in person but with COVID spikes, it was decided that it would be better to do a fully virtual meeting. The format was 3-days with only 2 hours of meetings per day. This gave the integrators the ability to have time each day for their normal work tasks.

Day one kicked off one with presentation by Bluewater Technologies, USIS Audio Visual, Rahi Systems, and CTCI. It was an impressive group of presentations. Attendees then broke out into smaller groups to discuss various industry topics. Everything from supply chain to labor shortages and even bid spec projects were discussed.

Day two started with wins, losses, and lessons learned from USAV integrators. Up first was IMS Technology who presented their project at the US Squash Headquarters. It was an impressive installation with a beautiful end result. Then ET Group in Canada took us through their process working with an international client. Not only was their approach a little different, they also leaned heavily on the USAV International Partner Program to deploy all of the projects globally. Lastly, Lightwerks present on a few projects that went south very quickly. The key take away from their presentation was to not be a sub of a sub. It will run your people through the mud and the risk vs reward does not make it worth it.

To close out the meeting, on day three, Marina Blickley, a human resources Attorney from Odin, Feldman & Pittleman, presented on HR law and Covid-19. It was a lot of information to take in and our group was hanging on Marina’s every word. There is no hard and fast rule but you have to be careful. “Document, Document, Document” was the key phrase. After the HR and Covid-19 Q&A, the USAV/PSA Executive team present their five year plan along with some other key highlights that are being worked on behind the scenes. The day closed out with a virtual happy hour sponsored by Almo and Sharp. Participants played four rounds of Kahoots and it was a lot of fun.

It was great seeing new and familiar faces and getting everyone together to discuss what is going on in everyone’s different businesses. Watch for information regarding events to meet together in person in early 2022.

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Why You Need to Know SEO

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You need to know SEO. Here’s why!

You already know that your presence on the web is no longer optional. Today’s digital world is moving quickly and having a single brick and mortar business means your company is being left behind. Luckily, creating a “digital storefront” is easier than ever to do! The hard part? Making sure your business is easy to locate. That’s where search engine optimization, or SEO, comes in!

Imagine an end user who is looking to integrate new innovative technology into their business or looking to update their equipment. Taking their research to the web and they search “best audio-visual equipment for my business.” If your company doesn’t appear in the search results, it’s time to improve your SEO. The whole reason for creating your website was for people to find you!

What is SEO and how do I improve it?

To fully understand SEO, you need to first know how search works. There are over 1.7 billion websites on the internet. Every time a user completes a search, Google crawls those billions of webpages and ranks the best results for the searcher by using an algorithm. The searcher might see something like this:

The first listings that appear are designated by Google with an “Ad” tag. This indicates the companies that paid to be placed at the top of your search. This is a short-term solution for improving your search results. Below the ad listings, you will see the organic search results. These are the results Google designated as the top results for the searcher based on its algorithm. SEO is improving your ranking in the organic listing, the long-term solution.

We know three key factors in Google’s algorithm: relevancy, quality and authority. Your webpages need to meet all these standards before Google picks you for its top rankings.

Relevancy

To rank for relevancy, not only does the content on your website need to be relevant to the search in question, but your business also needs to be located near the searcher. An end user who searches “best audio-visual equipment for my business” in Des Moines, Iowa, won’t see the same results as a user searching in New York City, New York.

Quality

Quality is determined by having useful answers for searchers. Google is looking for content that provides the best solution to the searcher’s query. Make sure your content isn’t full of typos or misinformation and that you are providing the answers your potential leads are looking for.

Authority

Ranking for authority is a lot like citing your sources. When you write a paper with someone else’s information, you cite your source. If other web users find your content accurate, informative or useful, they will share and link to your content. Google looks at the number of sites linking to yours and counts that as part of your authority on the web.

The kicker? Google’s algorithm is constantly changing. In fact, it is estimated that the algorithm changes between 500-600 times each year.

Good SEO means being found on the internet, bringing more traffic to your site. GREAT SEO means bringing the right people to your site at the right time, giving you a higher conversion rate. High conversion rates tell Google that users going to your site find what they are looking for, giving you an even higher ranking in the ever-changing algorithm!

What does an SEO strategist do?

Now that you understand how search works, it’s time to implement strategy. Enlisting the help of an SEO strategist makes optimizing your site much easier. An SEO strategist will focus on key areas of optimization including technical SEO, off-site SEO, user experience and contextual SEO. This involves things like making sure your site is easy for Google to find and crawl, optimizing your content with relevant keywords that users are searching for, or that your competitors are already ranking for, and making sure that your website is associated with other digital assets on the web such as your social media channels, Google my Business, review pages, etc.

USAV’s Parent Company, PSA, offers SEO in their new program, Marketing Consultancy. This includes recommended optimizations to improve organic relevance based on an analysis of key metrics on your site. Contact PSA Marketing Consultancy to get started today!

Hannah McDermott

Marketing Manager

USAV Weekly Highlights: November 12th, 2021

Here is your recap of what USAV did this week:

  • USAV November Newsletter

  • Virtual Fall Integrators Meeting 2021

  • Fun at the Denver Nuggets Game

  • Chili Cook Off

USAV November Newsletter

Check out what's new with your USAV Partners this month!

Virtual Fall Integrators Meeting 2021

Thank you everyone who attended this years Virtual Fall Integrators Meeting! We kicked off Day 1 by meeting the newest members.

Day 2 featured wins, losses and lessons learned from IMS Technology Services, ET Group and Lightwerks. They showcased some pretty impressive projects and lessons learned. Attendees then went into breakout rooms to discuss the featured projects as well as their personal wins, losses and lessons learned within their small groups.

Marina Blickley led day 3 discussion on human resources and COVID. The PSA Executive team then provided a recap of the Five Year Strategic Plan for PSA/USAV followed by John Riley from Almo wrapping up day 3 with an update on the continuing supply chain issues.

Watch On-Demand

Did you miss some of the meetings? Login to USAVGroup.net to access the recordings and slides from the 2021 Virtual Fall Integrators Meeting.

Request A Login

Don't have a login for USAVgroup.net? Complete the form to request a login and sign up for USAV communications.

Denver Nuggets Game

USAV had a fun Wednesday night watching the Nuggets take the win against the Pacers! Patrick Whipkey, Cheryl Walton and Chris Salazar-Mangrum from USAV/PSA were accompanied by Ted McCausland and Travis Deathridge from Team LINX, Morgan and Cassidy Alley from Almo Corporation and Dana Nickel from Legrand | AV.

AT THE OFFICE:

With the weather getting colder in Denver, USAV/PSA decided it was the perfect time for a Chili Cook Off! Employees gathered for lunch to taste and vote on their favorite chili. Congratulations to our winners listed below.

First Place – Billy’s Silly Chili, made by Billy Hutchinson, account representative, customer service

Second Place – If it’s Good, Chris Made It, made by Chris Salazar-Mangrum, vice president, technology partners

Third Place and Most Creative – Belch by Kelly, made by Kelly Howard-Savala, accounting assistant, accounting

USAV Weekly Highlights: November 5th, 2021

Here is your recap of what USAV did this week:

  • USAV November Bandwidth

  • Guest Blog: Atlas - Leveraging Manufacturer Services for Project Support

  • The Rocky Mountain AVX 2021

  • Harman Webinar

USAV November Bandwidth

Partnering & Networking Internationally

What does it take to partner internationally? While some small and mid-sized firms don't necessarily have the resources to go and serve their clients locally in another country, there are ways to manage new markets that are driven by platforms willing to simplify their integration.

 To understand the value of networking, our guests Andy Tan from TSI APAC and Max Jaramillo from ConsorcioTec talk about the advantages of connecting with new hubs that provide solutions and quality support beyond the boundaries set by the pandemic, as well the keys to establish a complete partnering program. This kind of collaboration is meant for sharing best practices and trying new things when working with one another.

Leveraging Manufacturer Services for Project Support

Audiovisual, security, and tech rich systems are unique in their complexity and the rate at which the technology evolves. While expertly trained, integrators can sometimes be challenged by project timelines, product availability, interconnecting brands, and scope creep. More than ever, integrators should consider manufacturer services as a seamless part of their project support.

AtlasIED’s own Thomas Ahern, Design Services & Tech Support manager, explains how our integrator partners can leverage our Design Services to help ensure efficient project deployment and maintain profitability.

By: Thomas Ahern, Design Services Manager for AtlasIED

The Rocky Mountain AVX 2021

The Rocky Mountain AVX 2021 was held in USAV’s backyard in Denver, CO this week. Chris Salazar-Mangrum, VP of Technology Partners, enjoyed visiting with our USAV technology partners and sponsors and running into our local member, LINX! Here’s to closing out a great year and finishing strong!

Almo (Absen, Avocor)

Atlas IED

Jabra

Legrand

Mersive

Shure

SurgeX

Visionary Solutions

In this webinar attendees learned:

  • AV designs for flexible meeting and collaboration spaces.

  • AV designs for these spaces must be adaptable as workspace protocols are expected to remain fluid for the foreseeable future.

  • New line of affordable and versatile 4K AV switchers and accessories.

USAV Pivots to Ronald McDonald House Charities

The USAV team just returned home from InfoComm 2021. This year was certainly a different year, but it was great to get back together with our friends in the industry. USAV traditionally hosts a reception for our members on the Wednesday night of the show. This year we planned to do the same thing and selected the Pub in Orlando to host our event. Unfortunately, as we learned the show would have lower than normal attendance our expected head count for our reception was low as well.

 We knew we would not be able to meet the spend minimum that we had contracted with the restaurant, so we decided to use the skill we all learned in 2020 and 2021: PIVOTING! At USAV and PSA, we have a corporate social responsibility program and love to give back when we can. The team decided instead of hosting a party with a low turnout, we would donate our food to an organization in Orlando. When we pitched the idea to The Pub, they were happy to help!

We selected Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Florida. This organization provides a home away from home for families with children receiving treatment at local hospitals and medical facilities. Virginia Schwartz from The Pub and I delivered two catered meals to two different Ronald McDonald houses in Orlando.  The people were so happy and appreciative to have a fantastic meal.

This donation was close to my heart as I lost my nephew at only 14 months old to Leukemia and it is through organizations like the RMHC that make families lives a little easier in times that are unbearably difficult. The RMHC team was so thankful and I only wish I could have seen the small smiles on the families staying here. It was an honor for USAV to join forces with the Pub of Orlando and donate these meals. We are all hoping for brighter day ahead and a time when we will have a large reception at InfoComm again. In the meantime, though, we are thankful we could brighten the day of families who may need an act of kindness.

Cheryl Walton, CTS
Director of Business Development, USAV

 

USAV Weekly Highlights: October 29th, 2021

Here is your recap of what USAV did this week:

  • USAV Gives Back

  • Cybersecurity Week 4

  • Happy Halloween from USAV

USAV Gives Back to the Local Orlando Community

InfoComm 2021 is in the books and certainly was a different year. USAV traditionally hosts a reception for all USAV members on Wednesday night of the show. This year we originally planned our USAV reception at the Pub in Orlando. Unfortunately, attendance for InfoComm was going to be significantly low which meant the attendance for our event was also going to be impacted. We were faced with the question of how to pivot and still make use of food agreement from the Pub.  

On Wednesday, Oct 27, Cheryl Walton of USAV met with The Ronald McDonald House of Orlando’s Volunteer Coordinator, Shyanne Straub – Julio Morales, Assistant House Manager and The Pub Orlando’s Virginia Schwartz – Sales Manager at their 6551 Nemours Pkwy House.  We donated two catered meals to two different Ronald McDonald houses in Orlando. They were so happy and appreciative to have a fantastic meal and USAV was delighted to turn a negative situation into one that benefited everyone.

Thank you to The Pub for supplying and catering these meals and The Ronald McDonald House for welcoming USAV with open arms.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Week 4

Prioritizing Cybersecurity in a Hybrid Workplace

In this day and age, employees are more connected than ever. The hybrid workplace is here to stay, and for employees, this means relying on connected devices from their home office setups. According to recent data, smart home systems are set to rise to a market value of $157 billion by 2023, and the number of installed connected devices in the home is expected to rise by a staggering 70% by 2025. In this new normal where smart devices and consequently online safety are a must, here are some tips for securing those devices.

AT THE OFFICE

Happy Halloween from the PSA/USAV team! Denver employees gathered for lunch at the office, and remote employees joined the festivities virtually. PSA/USAV hosted a costume contest and a dessert contest to celebrate Halloween and enjoy the Friday afternoon! Congratulations to our winners listed blow.

Team Costumes:

  • 1st Place: Sales team, scrabble tiles

  • 2nd Place: Marketing team, cast from Mean Girls

Individual Costumes:

  • 1st Place for In-Person Attendee: President Ric McCullough, dinosaur

  • 1st Place for Remote Attendee: Vice President of USAV Patrick Whipkey, Ted Lasso

Dessert Contest:

  • 1st Place: Executive Assistant Olivia Zagorec-Marks’s pumpkin bars (left)

  • 2nd Place: Accounting Assistant Christy Martin’s four-layer delight (right)

UPCOMING

In this webinar attendees will learn how:

  • AV designs for flexible meeting and collaboration spaces.

  • AV designs for these spaces must be adaptable as workspace protocols are expected to remain fluid for the foreseeable future.

  • New line of affordable and versatile 4K AV switchers and accessories.

USAV Weekly Highlights: October 22nd, 2021

Here is your recap of what USAV did this week:

  • USAV October Showcase Released

  • Navigate Webinar

  • Cybersecurity Week 3

  • Tailgates, Football & Golf

October Partner Showcase Released

Check out what's new with your USAV Partners this month!

If you were not able to make it or need a refresher, we've got you covered! View the recording of Sustaining A Vital Company Culture at your convenience.

Thanks to presenter Brad Malone from Navigate attendees learned:

  • A company’s culture is a system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs.

    • Governs how people behave inside and outside of that organization.

  • Every organization develops and maintains a unique culture.

  • Healthy cultures are not accidental.

  • Unhealthy cultures are often the result of misalignment between words and actions.

  • Company culture is not just a management function.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Week 3

Why You Should Consider a Cyber Career

Cybersecurity is one of the hottest sectors today, with new threats and challenges emerging each day. And with that, there is a huge push being undertaken by both business and education sectors to attract individuals toward a degree and career in cyber. Interested in joining this exciting new workforce? Here are a few reasons why pursuing a degree and career in cyber might be right for you.

A WEEK FULL OF TAILGATING, FOOTBALL, & GOLF!

On Thursday the 14th, USAV and AV design Labs hosted New Era at the Philadelphia Eagles Game. We had a fun tailgate party and then headed in to watch The Eagles lose against Tom Brady.

Pictured in the 1st & 2nd photos: Travis Lisk and Curt Matyjasik of New Era. Sunil Botadra of AV Design Labs, Tim Hennen Of Digital Labor Solutions, and Cheryl Walton of USAV.

This past Sunday, USAV visited MetLife Stadium to watch the NY Giants Take on the Rams. Sharp hosted USAV in their suite with industry partners Sharp and Almo.

Pictured in the 3rd photo: Dave Lacoff from Sharp, John Riley and James Calandrillo from Almo, and Tim Hennen from Digital Labor Solutions.

Yesterday, USAV Sponsored the IMS technology Solutions Annual Golf outing. This outing is put on for IMS end-user clients to come out and have some fun. Industry reps from Shure, Almo, and Legrand were all in attendance to show off some new products.

UPCOMING

In this webinar attendees will learn how:

  • AV designs for flexible meeting and collaboration spaces.

  • AV designs for these spaces must be adaptable as workspace protocols are expected to remain fluid for the foreseeable future.

  • New line of affordable and versatile 4K AV switchers and accessories.

USAV Weekly Highlights: October 8th, 2021

Here is your recap of what USAV did this week:

  • USAV Bandwidth Released

  • October Newsletter Released

  • Draper Webinar

Raising The Tide

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During COVID the AV industry had to adapt to the new circumstances of the market to stay afloat. Today we can say that far from only surviving, the industry has begun to reinvent itself and innovation is coming back stronger. In this episode, we talk to Cheryl Walton, the new Director of Business Development at USAV Group. Cheryl shares with us a little bit about her career, the new trends of the industry, and we discuss how USAV will be rising the tide for all its integrators in the next five years. Join in and learn how this new team will be leading the AV industry into a new era of technological development.

October Partner Newsletter Released

Check out what's new with your USAV Partners this month!

In this webinar Draper discussed:

  • The Foundation mounting solution can support you as well as your dvLED video walls.

  • Key benefits of the product and partnership, with real-world examples.

  • Case studies that will include complex projects requiring tailored designs and advanced project management.

UPCOMING:

In this webinar from Navigate, attendees will learn:

  • A company’s culture is a system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs.

    • Governs how people behave inside and outside of that organization.

  • Every organization develops and maintains a unique culture.

  • Healthy cultures are not accidental.

  • Unhealthy cultures are often the result of misalignment between words and actions.

  • Company culture is not just a management function.

USAV Weekly Highlights: October 1st, 2021

Here is your recap of what USAV did this week:

  • CyberSecurity Awareness Month

  • TSI APAC Press Release

  • Anatomy of MSP Release

Week 1 - Get Familiar with the Cyber Basics

At a time when we are more connected than ever, being “cyber smart” is of the utmost importance. This year has already seen more than a fair share of attacks and breaches, including the SolarWinds and Kaseya breaches as well as high-profile attacks on the Colonial Pipeline and other critical infrastructure.

Furthermore, as has been underlined by these recent breaches, cyber attacks are becoming more sophisticated with more evolved bad actors cropping up each day. Luckily, there are several steps that we can take on a daily basis to mitigate risks and stay one step ahead of malefactors.

PSA AND USAV EXPANDED NETWORK IN ASIA PACIFIC, MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA WITH TSI APAC HUB PARTNERSHIP

WESTMINSTER, Colo. – September 28, 2021 – PSA (www.psasecurity.com), the world’s largest consortium of professional systems integrators and USAV (www.usavgroup.net) today announced a new partnership with TSI APAC Hub (TSI), for PSA and USAV. This partnership in Asia Pacific (APAC) and Middle East and Africa (MEA) will increase PSA and USAV outreach to the system integrators and technology partners in APAC and MEA who provide solutions and services in various verticals such as cinema, corporate, education, energy and utilities, government, healthcare, hospitality, retail, transportation and large venues.

NEW RESEARCH EXPLORES COMMONALITIES AMONG SUCCESSFUL SERVICE INTEGRATORS

 “Anatomy of a Successful MSP” by NSCA and PSA provides a blueprint for a profitable service business by deconstructing how some integration companies achieve elusive success.

 CEDAR RAPIDS, IA, and WESTMINSTER, CO, Sept. 30, 2021 – A new, non-traditional research study seeks to change the integration industry’s dialogue around service revenue.

The transition from product- and project-based revenue toward a recurring revenue and service-oriented model is an omnipresent topic in integration industry trade publications, webinars, and business conferences. The traditional focus is on making a case for integration companies to shift business models and pursue the more consistent cashflow and stickier customer relationships that come with a service business.

UPCOMING:

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM

in this webinar you’ll learn:

  • How Draper and the Foundation mounting solution can support you as well as your dvLED video walls.

  • Key benefits of the product and partnership, with real-world examples.

  • Case studies that will include complex projects requiring tailored designs and advanced project management.

USAV Weekly Highlights: September 24th, 2021

Here is your recap of what USAV did this week:

  • USAV September Showcase Released

  • Q2 VIR Statements Released

  • NETGEAR Webinar

  • Exclusive Weekly Highlight for ISG Members

THE SEPTEMBER 2021 USAV PARTNER SHOWCASE WAS PUBLISHED.

We had some interesting showcase submissions this month by Legrand | AV, HARMAN, Kramer, Jabra, & SynAudCon! Don’t forget to take the opportunity to use the exclusive member benefits!

Q2 VIR Statements Available

USAV Integrators can log into their member page to view their statement.

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NETGEAR WEBINAR

We want to thank Cody Kleven with NETGEAR for presenting!

During this webinar, NETGEAR showed how to easily configure switches and set up multiple VLANs to support multiple types of network traffic (video, audio, control, etc) across a large, multi-switch network.

Didn’t have a chance to attend? No worries, you can access the webinar below.

EXCLUSIVE WEEKLY HIGHLIGHT FOR ISG MEMBERS

Virtual Fall Integrators Meeting Date & Time

Tuesday, November 9th @9:00am -11:00am MT

Wednesday, November 10th @9:00am -11:00am MT

Thursday, November 11th @9:00am -11:00am MT

Virtual Happy Hour Date & Time Presented by Almo and Sharp

Following the meeting, Almo and Sharp invite you to a virtual Happy Hour on Thursday, November 11th at 4:30pm MT.

Watch your inbox for registration information!

UPCOMING:

webinar graphic for Draper USAV.png

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM

in this webinar you’ll learn:

  • How Draper and the Foundation mounting solution can support you as well as your dvLED video walls.

  • Key benefits of the product and partnership, with real-world examples.

  • Case studies that will include complex projects requiring tailored designs and advanced project management.

USAV 2021 INFOCOMM RECEPTION

We are still planning a reception at InfoComm on October 27th at the Pub. We would love to see everyone there in person. 

When: Wednesday, October 27, 2021 - 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM ET

Where: The Pub, Orlando, FL

Anatomy Of A Successful MSP

NSCA_PSA_MSPStudy_cover.png

For this study, NSCA and PSA conducted a focus group where they surveyed successful managed services providers (MSPs). The results reframe the integration industry conversation about recurring revenue – and provides a blueprint for becoming a successful MSP.

It’s time to change the conversation around recurring revenue and selling services in the integration industry. No longer should the discussion be about the impact on cash flow and the importance of migrating from project- and product-based revenue to a more locked-in and consistent service-oriented business model. Integration companies already understand that.

 

View the study below to continue reading!

USAV Weekly Highlights: September 17th, 2021

Here is your recap of what USAV did this week:

  • Cheryl Walton Joins USAV as Director of Business Development

  • USAV Bandwidth Released

  • Mersive Webinar

  • Company Picnic

Cheryl Walton Joins USAV as Director of Business Development

WESTMINSTER, Colo. – September 15, 2021 – USAV, a division of PSA, today announced the hiring of Cheryl Walton, CTS, as director of business development at USAV. Walton, who has 16 years of experience in the AV industry and most recently served as a regional account manager at Herman Pro AV, will focus on expanding communication and support provided to USAV integrators as well as driving membership growth.

USAV Bandwidth: Adapting With The Times

As the pandemic continues and companies try to get back in business, there are new circumstances arising by the second. In today’s episode, Patrick is joined as always by Chris Salazar Mangrum and two industry experts, Michael Boettcher, Chief Executive Officer of New Era Technology and John Mitton Vice President of the Audio Visual Group at Red Thread, to talk about the latest news in the business including vaccination policies for technicians, the outlook for Q4 and what will events be about with COVID-19 restrictions. This isn’t over, but business is definitely adapting with the times.

TRANSFORMATIVE WORKPLACE SOLUTIONS FOR THE HYBRID WORKFORCE

Check out the Mersive webinar that USAV Vice President Chris Salazar-Mangrum and Mersive CTO and Founder Christopher Jaynes, PhD find out how Mersive’s intelligent, flexible meeting room solutions support user choice and health in the return-to-work era.

Company Picnic

This past weekend, the USAV team gathered at the park for barbecue, yard games, inflatables and face painting! The picnic was full of kids, pets and coworkers catching up outside the office.

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UPCOMING:

USAV 2021 INFOCOMM RECEPTION

We are still planning a reception at InfoComm on October 27th at the Pub. We would love to see everyone there in person. 

When: Wednesday, October 27, 2021 - 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM ET

Where: The Pub, Orlando, FL

webinar graphic for NETGEAR 922.png

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

10:00 AM 10:30 AM

During this webinar NETGEAR will:

  • Highlight the different models & the differentiated features

  • Give a demonstration of the AV oriented UI

  • Show how to easily configure switches

  • Set up multiple VLANs to support multiple types of network traffic (video, audio, control, etc) across a large, multi-switch network

 
 

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