ISSUE 21 | WINTER 2011
COMMUNICATES Yo u r i n d u s t r y, y o u r v o i c e … n e w s f r o m t h e C u s t o m E l e c t r o n i c D e s i g n & I n s t a l l a t i o n A s s o c i a t i o n
MARKET SET FOR HUGE GROWTH, SAYS NEW REPORT A new report from The Intellect Group has estimated that the connected home market could be worth £3 billion a year within the next 8 years.
• The establishment of a connected home forum with representation from Government and industries with a stake in the connected home. • The creation by the connected home forum of a reference network design standard.
The ‘Connected Home’ report was launched on 1st December 2011 by The Intellect Group, a body which speaks for the UK technology industry. The report has been developed with input and insight from key industry representatives from Intel, IBM, Sky, CEDIA, BT, BBC, Motorola and Sony amongst others.
• A standardised certification programme and training package to be created for first level support of the connected home.
To download a copy of the report www.intellectuk.org/connectedhome
CEDIA will continue to support The Intellect Group and provide representation of the residential custom installation industry within this important industry body as it helps shape the development of goods and services for the Connected Home of the future.
The document sets out a number of recommendations to make the connected home a reality. These include:
• The exploration of alternative funding for networking new and existing homes, such as, including the cost of implementing a home network in the mortgage or remortgaging of a property.
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AWARDS 2012
CONNECT WITH CEDIA
NEW BOARD REVEALED
60 SECONDS
deadline approaching
2012 dates announced
Gary Lewis as chair
with Jane Scotland
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C O M M U N I C AT E S Yo u r i n d u s t r y, y o u r v o i c e … n e w s f r o m C E D I A
ISE Europe
HAVE YOU MARKET SET FOR HUGE GROWTH, SAYS NEW REPORT continued from front cover... The Government has already committed to creating a ‘digital hub’ in every community in the country, as part of an £830 million strategy to make sure the UK has the best broadband network in Europe by 2015. Britain’s Superfast Broadband Future report published in December 2010 by Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Olympics, Culture, Media and Sport, set out an action plan to stimulate private investment and competition, and create an environment in which business can flourish by removing key barriers around hardware and cutting costs. For further details on Britain’s Superfast Broadband Strategy, visit www.culture.gov.uk.
DIGITAL TICK RDI-LB is the Government backed licensing scheme for the digital industry. Their role is to provide an independently administered ‘licence to practice’ for installers and engineers which involves the vetting of engineers to ensure that they are qualified, competent, safe and suitably insured. The licensing scheme is backed with Government certification and the support of industry, training providers, and trade associations as well as Trading Standards and Consumer Direct. To date RDI-LB has concentrated on the digital television industry. However, it has recently received Government backing to expand the remit to cover all digital applications, from terrestrial and satellite television to Internet technologies and data networking. To support the new role, RDI-LB is launching a new certification mark during 2011 which will continue the use of the well-recognised digital tick beyond digital switchover. Only licensed engineers will be permitted to use the digital tick.
Jan 31 - Feb 2 2012
SAVED THE DATE? Early bird discount of 20% for all courses booked before 4th January 2012 With Christmas just around the corner we are only a matter of months away from Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) which will be held at the RAI, Amsterdam on 31 January – 2 February 2012.
To register for the event, find As partners of the event, CEDIA will be out details of the offering 14 education courses throughout programme and book the three days, doubling the number course attendance, please of sessions given at ISE 2011. The visit www.iseurope.org education programme includes seven and enter invitation brand new courses including, “Choosing code 706374 and Using Control Systems”, “Embracing the to register for Cloud”, “The Art of Project Documentation”, FREE! “Practical Media Delivery over IP Technologies”, “Developing Profitable Business Processes”, “Delivering 3D” and “Introduction to HVAC systems”.
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AWARDS TIME The deadline is fast approaching for the CEDIA Awards 2012 and now is the time to concentrate on those very important entries. The deadline for submissions is the 23rd January 2012.
“Winning a CEDIA Award is always something that Sensory strive to achieve. We feel a great sense of pride in being awarded, for the second consecutive year, ‘Best Marine Installation’. The award is an official industry acknowledgement of our expertise and skill in this particular area and it demonstrates to everyone our professionalism and competence. We use the award logo in all our marketing collateral and it undoubtedly adds weight and credibility to our status. It also gives potential customers increased peace of mind that they are choosing the right company, as well as confirming to all existing customers that they made the right choice!” Nigel Sherlock, Business Development, Sensory International Winner of Best Marine Installation in the 2011 CEDIA Awards
Established to recognise and reward high quality system design, installation and integration, the CEDIA Awards help to set the standard for CEDIA ESP members across CEDIA Region 1. The CEDIA Awards Scheme is unrivalled in its ability to generate media interest and participation brings significant publicity and commercial spin-offs for those who are successful. CEDIA has four sponsorship packages available, offering trade suppliers powerful exposure for their brands before the event, on the night itself in front of over 300 industry guests and long afterwards through high profile editorial and advertising. And, if you book before the 15th January 2012 you receive an early bird discount of 10%. To find out more about each sponsorship package or, to make your booking please contact Matt Nimmons on +44 (0) 1480 213744 or email awards@cedia.co.uk
AWARDS CEREMONY : 20TH APRIL 2012
"For Dawsons, it's great to be recognised by an industry body that specialises in hi-end custom installation work that's not tied into advertising spend or how much equipment you buy. It is beneficial for some of the most important people in my team, the installers, that they see their hard work up in lights it makes them feel proud of all their work." Kevin Dawson, Managing Director, Dawsons Group Winner of Best Media Room Under £15,000 in the 2011 CEDIA Awards
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C O M M U N I C AT E S Yo u r i n d u s t r y, y o u r v o i c e … n e w s f r o m C E D I A
LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN 2012… We can confirm more dates for the ‘Connect with CEDIA’ events, with two new cities added to the 2012 schedule. These events are free to attend for new, prospective and existing members to discuss industry issues, meet Board and office staff and find out how CEDIA membership can add value to their business. Launched in early 2011, ‘Connect with CEDIA’ saw the Association travel to six cities, offering attendees a vibrant and popular networking platform. In 2012 CEDIA has expanded its existing route which will see the event return to Sheffield, Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle, Edinburgh and London but
extend also to Manchester and Dublin. In addition to these destinations, we are also planning Connect with CEDIA events in the following European cities Milan, Paris, Madrid and Antwerp. More information will be available on the CEDIA website soon.
CEDIA HAS ANNOUNCED ITS 2012 DATES AS FOLLOWS:
22 March | Sheffield
26 April | Birmingham
17 May | Bristol
21 June | Newcastle
19 July | Edinburgh
23 August | Manchester
20 September | London
25 October | Dublin
24th April
IM
15th February
W VED NEPRO
2012 DATES FOR CEDIA CCOI INCLUDE:
&
We can also announce 2012 dates for our one day CEDIA Certified Outreach Instructor (CCOI) workshop, which teaches the basic skills needed to deliver an effective presentation whilst providing attendees a clearer understanding about the RIBA accredited CPD course ‘Designing Integrated Future-Ready Homes’. The CPD course is a powerful way of promoting the industry to architectural practices and a way for members to promote their businesses and potentially generate sales leads.
26th June 18th September 13th November
All CCOI training courses will be held at CEDIA’s HQ, St Neots
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To book your place please visit www.cediaeducation.com/events
TRAINING DEVELOPMENTS IN 2012 We are currently finalising two new exciting training courses for 2012. The first will be a one day fibre-optic course and the second will cover computer-aided design (CAD). For a full list of all the courses available next year visit www.cediaeducation.com
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NEW CHAIRMAN AND BOARD REVEALED AT CEDIA AGM Gary Lewis of Surrey-based integration company, Future Systems will Chair the new volunteer Board of Directors which provides important strategic direction and leadership for the custom installation industry across Region 1. Gary moves from Vice Chairman to head up the new Board of Directors which now features member companies from the UK, Ireland, France, Belgium and Italy. New ESP members appointed to the Board include Laura Lazzerini from Italian company, Studio LGL, Michael Sherman from French integrator, Henri Intégrateur Domotique and Robin Shepherd from London-based member, Cornflake. Jason Aldous of distributor Aldous Systems also joins the Board as a Trade Supplier representative. Matt Dodd from thinkingbricks moves to Vice Chairman whilst Rufus Greenway from Sound Environment and Wim de Vos of Genesis Technologies have been re-elected to serve on the Board. David Graham of Grahams Hi-Fi
will continue to serve on the Board of Directors with one year remaining of his term. Meanwhile, stepping down are Immediate Past Chair, Simon Williams of Olive AV, MarcEtienne Huneau from Dark Side of the Room and Adrian Blundell of ACB Consulting. CEDIA would like to thank all those members who voted and those who put themselves forward for nomination; as well as individuals who have previously stood on the board. The CEDIA AGM took place on Tuesday 4th October at the Belton Woods Hotel in Lincolnshire. A copy of the Annual Report which CEDIA has produced to accompany the AGM is available to all members. Contact the CEDIA office on +44 (0) 1480 213744 for a copy.
The full Board of Directors is as follows: Gary Lewis (Future Systems) Chairman Matt Dodd (thinkingbricks) Vice Chair Rufus Greenway (Sound Environment) David Graham (Grahams Hi-fi) Laura Lazzerini (Studio LGL) Michael Sherman (Henri Intégrateur Domotique) Robin Shepherd (Cornflake) Wim de Vos (Genesis Technologies) Jason Aldous (Aldous Systems) Robert Hallam (InControl) Immediate Past Chairman
INCREASING CONSUMER AND TRADE AWARENESS ACROSS FRANCE CEDIA members attended the Salon Hifi & Home Cinema Fair in Paris at the beginning of October to increase awareness of CEDIA across consumer and trade audiences in France. The show was held at the Pullman Paris Rive Gauche ex-Sofitel and annually serves the needs of the hi-end audio and home cinema sector in France and is a major attraction for consumers seeking
to upgrade or invest in new custom installation goods and services. Current board members Michael Sherman (Henri Intégrateur Domotique) and previous board member Marc-Etienne Huneau (Dark Side of the Room) attended along with other French CEDIA members. Thank you to all those that attended and we hope to see some more familiar faces at 2012’s show.
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C O M M U N I C AT E S Yo u r i n d u s t r y, y o u r v o i c e … n e w s f r o m C E D I A
60 seconds with…
Jane Scotland Who are you?
Which custom installation technology do you consider the most important today and why?
Jane Scotland, Commercial Director Extra Vegetables Limited
IP. At some point every single piece of equipment will be IP enabled removing the need for IR bugs, RS232 cables and expensive matrices. That and content streaming services that are rapidly changing the way that consumers access music and movies.
What’s your company and where is it based? Extra Vegetables writes integration drivers for Control4. Popular products include drivers for iTunes, Sonos, Windows Media Center, Heatmiser and Rako. We are based in Wimbledon, South West London. How did you get into the industry?
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Well I've always loved a nice hi-fi! In early 2003 Simon and I founded an install company called Beyond the Invisible. We started writing Control4 drivers for our own projects and the Extra Vegetables software business grew out of that. What’s your favourite film? Impossible to choose between Brief Encounter and Blade Runner. What’s your favourite album? Eurthymics ' Sweet Dreams Are Made of This', favourite all time single Donna Summer 'I feel love'. What’s your favourite project and why? Producing drivers that solve problems for dealers is great. We've been installers and know how challenging it can be, being able to make a dealer's life a bit easier is nice. Our aim is to take what would normally be really complicated integrations and turn them into 10 minute jobs.
Anything that raises standards and helps establish CEDIA members as highly skilled professionals is a good thing
How long have you been a CEDIA member? Since 2004 as ESP, re-joined this year as a Trade Supplier. What do your consider your biggest achievement as a CEDIA member? I was on the Region 1 Board for 3 years, it was a great experience. One of the things I was involved in was developing this newsletter! What’s the biggest issue for custom installation businesses today and how can they deal with it? 'Good Enough'. Customers are increasingly deciding that a they are OK with a lower quality music and video experience, it is 'good enough' for their needs. This is a huge issue as customers are gravitating towards zero margin, mass market products even in large installs. It also means that they are less likely upgrade existing purchases in the future, their current projector, TV or AVR is 'good enough'. We need to show them what 'Great' looks and sounds like.
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Why is Home Cinema Design certification important? Anything that raises standards and helps establish CEDIA members as highly skilled professionals is a good thing.
If there was one thing you could change in the industry what would it be? The race to the bottom on price. At some point it won't be economic for anyone to make a flat screen, just think about all the manufacturers who have already given up. And because there is so much price competition margin has been completely eradicated in several product categories, making it really tough on dealers. The industry is fixated by price, not quality or value. If you weren’t in the custom installation sector, what would you like to be doing and why? Growing chillies. I love growing stuff and have an allotment where I go to relax.
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BUILD YOUR BUSINESS SUCCESS CEDIA continues to grow its range of resources to support members seeking to build their business on a solid platform. Currently, members can take advantage of CEDIA’s free business health check service in conjunction with business consultancy, Icon Business Solutions. The service provides CEDIA Electronic Systems Professional (ESP) member’s access to an Icon business consultant, allowing the business owner or management team to have a minimum of two hours, completely free. An Icon consultant will visit the CEDIA member and
will carry out a detailed business questionnaire. A report is then generated, identifying areas in which the business can be strengthened. An initial survey has been devised in conjunction with the Business Health Check which members must complete prior to any sessions taking place; allowing the consultant to create an overview of the business. Answers provided by members will give an insight into where strengths and weaknesses lie within your business. CEDIA has recently revisited its RIBA accredited Designing Integrated FutureReady Homes CPD to provide an insight into evolvements in home automation. An in-depth focus on current growing consumer demands for television & video advances in HD and time shift / video on demand services have also been incorporated into the CPD. Currently there are over 200 CEDIA Certified Outreach Instructors delivering this course. A new leaflet has been launched to notify
home owners and design professionals on ‘Why use a CEDIA member?’. It outlines the importance of using an accredited installer as all members agree to adhere to a strict set of principles and ethics when they join. Their commitment to service and professionalism in all elements of design and installation ensures that projects are completed to the highest standards. CEDIA also checks that its members are properly insured and have the right certification and professional accreditation. It also informs them of the complaints procedure. To request your 25 FREE copies, please email hannah@cedia.co.uk.
CEDIA MEMBER FINALIST FOR UK WORKER OF THE YEAR Jason Lawrence, Audio Visual Sales Manager of Lewis Building Technology and fullyfledged CEDIA member, has been rewarded as a highly commended finalist in the UK Worker of the Year 2011 competition at a Gala finale at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Marlow.
was a worthy and well-deserved champion, but I will definitely be entering in 2012 to try and earn the title!”
This success follows his crowning of “Worker of the Month” in the same competition in 2010. The competition, which is organised by Dickies, looks to recognise and reward excellence in the British workplace.
The prizes on offer to those people who best embody what doing a good job is all about included their choice of a Renault family hatchback, MPV or a Van, worth £18,000. Other prizes were on offer which included thousands of pounds worth of holidays for the runners up as well as a host of high quality work wear from Dickies.
“I was thrilled to be honoured as a finalist in such a worthy competition” says Jason, “There isn’t another event which recognises the great work done in industries such as the Lollipop service or electricians. The winner, a carer for adults suffering from mental health,
UK Worker of the Year searches for workers who exemplify what doing a good job is all about and work wear giant Dickies, has expanded and enhanced the competition for 2012 to help better reach and reward the UK workforce.
Award winner Jason Lawrence of Lewis Building Technology
If you would like to take part next year or, for more information about how to enter please visit www.ukworkeroftheyear.com
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C O M M U N I C AT E S Yo u r i n d u s t r y, y o u r v o i c e … n e w s f r o m C E D I A
MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS 2012 Renew before 31st January and receive a £55 CEDIA training voucher (subject to completion of CEDIA membership questionnaire). Thank you so much for your continued membership with CEDIA. Your membership dues have contributed to some of the following successes this year: ✔ 7x Webinars
✔ 4x RIBA Roadshows
✔ Updated RIBA accredited CPD course
✔ An extended education
✔ 6x Connect Roadshow events nationwide
✔ Multi lingual website and
✔ 30% year-on-year increase in PR coverage to both trade & consumers ✔ Successful Awards event held at One Mayfair
programme
membership brochures in 5 languages ✔ Hosted or supported over 20 events ✔ 82 new members
RISE IN STAFF MILEAGE RATES CEDIA would like to inform all businesses that the mileage rate for employees using their own car for business travel went up on 6th April 2011. The rate for the first 10,000 business miles is now 45p, with 25p per business mile for mileage in excess of 10,000.
CEDIA | EVENTS DIARY
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CES Las Vegas - 10 to 13 January www.cesweb.org Health & Safety Course CEDIA HQ, St. Neots - 18 January www.cediaeducation.com CEDIA Technician EST1 Bootcamp CEDIA HQ, St. Neots - 18 to 20 January www.cediaeducation.com Technical School and EST2 Exam CEDIA HQ, St. Neots - 23 to 27 January www.cediaeducation.com Smart Home Technology CPD Event Pinewood Studios, Bucks - 25 January www.cedia.co.uk Integrated Systems Europe - ISE Amsterdam - 31 January to 2 February www.iseurope.org Intro to Residential CI and Integration CEDIA HQ, St. Neots - 7 February www.cediaeducation.com EST2 Certification Exam CEDIA HQ, St. Neots - 8 February www.cediaeducation.com Designer Level 1 Certification Exam CEDIA HQ, St. Neots - 8 February www.cediaeducation.com CEDIA Certified Outreach Instructor CEDIA HQ, St. Neots - 15 February www.cedia.co.uk Sound and Vision: The Bristol Show Bristol - 24 to 26 February www.bristolshow.co.uk
INSTALL OF THE MONTH
Get your project featured in CEDIA’s monthly e-newsletter e-communicates, sent to 22,000 recipients! If you have an installation project you’d like to submit for consideration please email anna@cedia.co.uk with a case study and photos.
Welcome to CEDIA! New members joining CEDIA include: Dirac Ashway London Media Rooms Window Shading Window Shading Pharos Audiotec Group SARL Joenit Electroso Innea Adeo Group S.p.a Adeo Screen Legrand Electric Ltd HK Designs Vivateq GmbH Defitechnique
Sweden UK UK UK UK UK Lebanon Belgium Spain Germany Italy Poland UK UK Germany Switzerland
MEMBER TOTAL
433 Professional Services ESP ESP Provisional Professional Services Additional Location Manufacturer ESP Manufacturer ESP Professional Services Distributor Distributor - Additional Manufacturer Affiliate Distributor ESP
Smart Home Technology CPD Event Cobham, Surrey - 24 February www.cedia.co.uk Smart Home Technology CPD Event Pinewood Studios, Bucks - 29 February www.cedia.co.uk New Members' Lunch CEDIA HQ, St Neots - 6 March www.cedia.co.uk Health & Safety Course CEDIA HQ, St. Neots - 7 March www.cediaeducation.com CEDIA Technician EST1 Bootcamp CEDIA HQ, St. Neots - 7 to 9 March www.cediaeducation.com Technical School and EST2 Exam CEDIA HQ, St. Neots - 12 to 16 March www.cediaeducation.com Networking Theory and Practice Birmingham City University - 20 to 22 March www.cediaeducation.com
CONTACT: Anna Skoyles, Senior Marketing Officer, CEDIA Region 1, Unit 2, Phoenix Park, St Neots, Cambs, PE19 8EP, UK T: +44 (0)1480 213744 F: +44 (0)1480 213469 E: anna@cedia.co.uk W: www.cedia.co.uk