VIDEO PRODUCTION VIDEO NETWORKS COMMUNICATIONS

CONVENTION CENTERS STADIA THEATERS CRUISE SHIPS

Jonathan Reece, head of global sales strategy at KV2, reminds us that the outlook inevitably varies between territories, but that where investment is being made it’s often driven by venues’ desire to assert their presence. “It’s a situation that obviously differs from country to country, but in general we are aware that there are many bars and clubs under pressure, some of which have been forced to close,” he says.

“For those financially strong enough to survive, a proportion have taken the decision to re-invest in order to try and increase their market share. In some cases they have done this with refurbs and upgrades while closed during the pandemic. The Fleece in Bristol is a good example: they took the decision to completely refurbish during lockdown, fitting our flagship VHD [high performance touring and installation] system as part of the overall works.”

Seeking Solutions

One recurring thread that emerged from the conversations with audio companies is that clubs, in particular, are more actively seeking solutions that support the ambience of their venue and the wishes of their clientele. Similarly, it’s apparent that audio systems need to be easily integrated – often into venue-wide network infrastructures – and subject to a straightforward upgrade path as and when needs change.

For KV2, Reece notes the popularity of its systems’ “clarity, detail and definition”, adding: “It’s a measurable fact for venue owners that the low distortion of our designs encourages people to stay longer in venues and wake up the next day without ringing ears, even at high SPL levels; a fact that has been reported back to us by venue owners and operators on many occasions. Similarly, a reduction in violent or anti-social incidents has been noted, suggesting that an aggressive, harsh-sounding distorted system can lead to an increase in aggressive behaviour and contribute to peoples' general unease in a venue.”

Kinzel highlights d&b’s introduction of a certified pre-owned programme (CPO) in 2021 – which has seen J-series touring line arrays, among other products, be refurbished for possible use in install venues such as clubs – and its ability to customise solutions for colour, construction and challenging climate conditions. Then there is a move “beyond the software and hardware” in the form of the onemonthly-payment d&b Subscription Series.

“Secure and flexible subscriptions make up an increasing portion of our everyday lives,” explains Kinzel. “With the d&b Subscription Series, users receive the system they need now and the comfort of knowing they can adapt to changes later. Subscription Series includes an array of benefits, [such as] design and commissioning of an audio solution, 24/7 monitoring, full maintenance schedule, a simplified upgrade path when it’s time for something better, and decommissioning when it’s time for a change.”

Visually Unobtrusive

Some requirements never change, of course, and that includes the call for loudspeaker systems that are visually unobtrusive and complement a venue’s aesthetic. If anything, this awareness has sharpened post-pandemic as operators work to deliver new and seamless concepts.

Anro Schroeder, sales manager for K-array distributor ProCom, points to a recent project on behalf of 88 Terrace, which is a bar on Bluewaters Island off the coast of Dubai. Hosting live music, performances and installations, 88 Terrace offers a “futuristic industrial design style combined with art, [providing] a unique ambience,” he says. For the audio system, a design of 40 K-array Python KP52 passive speakers “not only offers exceptional sound quality, but also seamlessly integrates into the architectural layouts of the terrace, maintaining a visually discreet appearance. The tops have a narrow vertical dispersion which allows them to keep the sound inside the venue and reduce noise pollution.”

Meanwhile, bars are also proving to be a fruitful market for assistive listening solutions, especially in venues where sports is being shown on multiple displays but with the audio turned off. This is something to which Listen Technologies can attest; its Listen Everywhere audio-over-WiFi solution having been installed in venues such as NINE’s, a sports bar in Warsaw, Poland, where the owners wanted guests to be able to hear sporting events on multiple screens from anywhere in the restaurant and bar.

“Listen Everywhere works on a venue’s existing wireless network and allows guests to use their smartphones and smart devices as receivers for the assistive listening system," says Kasey Kaumans, regional sales manager at Listen Technologies. At NINE’s, guests download the free Listen Everywhere app, select their preferred audio channel and stream sound to their devices.

Bars are shaping up to be an important growth market for the company, according to Kaumans: “It’s a fairly new market segment for us, but it’s becoming more and more successful. We definitely notice that there are more venues thinking about how to deliver high-quality audio and how that [augments their] use of displays.”

Providing a comprehensive view of technology trends in bars and clubs is AV solutions designer and manufacturer Peerless-AV. Senior business development manager EMEA Tom Fenton believes hospitality as a whole registered a boom between 2021 and ’22 as people began travelling again “Operators and chains had to keep up with the demand," he says. "Now they are thinking more strategically and creatively to remain competitive. [For example] bars and clubs are prioritising digital signage to provide guests with the ultimate entertainment viewing experience that shifts from a passive to more active participation and engagement.”

This is happening in venues of all sizes. In the US, Fenton points to a large site such as the Mohegan Sun FanDuel Sportsbook lounge venue in Connecticut, which is “pushing boundaries by installing dVLED video walls of colossal size and scale”, integrated with the Seamless Bespoke Mounting System from Peerless-AV. He adds that smaller chains are also installing new systems – both LED and traditional LCD – while outdoor weatherproofed displays are being deployed widely by chains such as Fuller’s, for which Peerless-AV and Comcen provided multiple systems in the UK ahead of last year’s World Cup.

In the longer-term, energy consumption and temperature range are becoming key customer priorities. “There are many fundamental considerations when choosing an outdoor display, but a major one relates to energy consumption,” says Fenton. “This obviously varies according to display size. Although there is variance per product, energy use can be controlled by changing backlight brightness or by incorporating scheduling to control brightness according to time of day. Temperature range is [also] a critical issue, especially with climate change affecting long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns.”

Experiential Expectations

So no shortage of requirements for vendors and integrators to bear in mind when approaching this sector. And with nights out likely to become more infrequent due to pressures on disposable income –but at the very same time as experiential expectations are growing – it’s surely wise to perceive it as a ‘moving target’ for AV.

“A night out now is much more of an event,” concludes Cornish. “People still want to go out, but when they do they are aware that they are going to spend more and so want an experience [to match]. So I think that, more and more, you will see AV being seen as [a core element] of delivering that finished, highend experience.”

AVAILABLE ONLINE: If you’d rather read this article online & off-page, click here, or use the following link: https://bit.ly/3Oj8phJ are now“moredigitally focused".

Image: Sony Bravia

During the past five years, it’s not been hard to find regular articles predicting the slow decline – or worse – of high-street retail and other offline outlets. With high business rates and energy costs encouraging many retailers to reduce their physical estates, it sometimes appeared that online retail was set to dominate. Then, of course, we had a pandemic and many stores were shuttered completely for long periods anyway.

But if this narrative seems fairly clear, then the reality is actually more complicated. In the UK, the latest ONS figures (for March 2023) do point to a new drop in retail sales volumes, but of a fairly modest amount (0.9%) and that following a modest increase (1.1%) in the previous month. And contrary to what some might have expected, non-store retailing (predominantly online sales retailers) have also declined by 0.8% in the latest period.

Meanwhile, the British Retail Consortium has been hinting at a possible resurgence in the second half of 2023 on the expectation that “inflation slows and consumer confidence improves, with growth of 3.6% to 4.7% compared with 1% to 2.3% in the first half”. These are not the figures of triumphant economic periods, but then we aren’t remotely living through one of those. But it does indicate that there is plenty to play for, not least in physical retail, where it appears that absence may have made the consumer’s heart grow fonder.

Encouraging Signs

“I do think the pandemic has shown that people like to leave the house more than not,” says Logan Helps, brand development manager Europe at AudioTechnica. “I certainly appreciate retail more because I couldn’t go there for a year or so. I also think that awareness of the experience of retail is encouraging more retailers [to invest in AV].”

For Cris Tanghe, vice president product Europe at display solutions provider Leyard Europe, it’s linked to a heightened awareness of offline’s role as a counterpoint to online, where much of the actual purchasing may take place. “So now stores aren’t always your prime countertop selling locations, but are becoming [environments] where you can experience the brand and its goods,” he says. “Hence the rise of flagship experience stores, where digital elements have a prominent position; they create an atmosphere, allow interaction, and show branding or other commercial content.”

Notable Trends

It should come as little surprise to discover that one of the most notable trends post-pandemic is a continued shift away from LCD displays towards LED elements, with a wave of new product launches aiming to ease this migration.

“There has been a dramatic move towards more digital elements in retail stores,” says Tanghe. “When looking more closely at those digital elements, there is also a change of technology, with LCD displays being replaced with more future-proof, feature-rich and creative LED elements.” He adds that Leyard Europe has recently expanded its Made in Europe LED portfolio with the Leyard NEV Series LED display for indoor fixed installation.

Adam Dover, trade & segment marketing manager at Sony Professional Display Solutions, agrees that retailers are now “more digitally focused", and are spending time looking at how to create enhanced in-store experiences. "And I think they are aware that an element of tech is required to do that,” he adds.

Awareness of picture quality is at an all-time high, and to this end Sony’s pre-eminent product for retail at present is the Bravia BZ30J LED-backlit LCD display with 4K HDR. “It’s an IPS panel, which means it has ultra-wide viewing angles,” remarks Dover, who indicates that the product also resonates with retail’s increased emphasis on sustainability.

Ian Beeley is head of digital display at audiovisual and digital signage supplier and installer Skratch AV (part of the LB Foster Group). He indicates that many brands’ awareness of their public profile evolved during the pandemic, when footfall was not in "specific open spaces, such as train stations and bus shelters”. Ultimately, he thinks that there is now an enhanced focus on "main retail spaces", including supermarkets, for display-based advertising. "This is something where Asda has really led the way in the use of digital signage to grow brands’ presence,” he says.

Skratch has recently partnered with the supermarket for the Asda In Run digital project, which sees in-bay digital advertisement screens being added to stores. Utilising a bespoke Skratch CMS that allows content to be uploaded and scheduled, the result is a series of “bright, dynamic and eye-catching displays", which add a new level to "traditional" static advertising.

One of the major retail trends of recent years couldn’t help but be called into question by the

Above and top: Audio-Technica Audio Pro Business installed avarietyofaudiokitat fashion store, END, in Manchester, UK pandemic: the use of touch screens by consumers. It would be fair to say that the outlook for touch has become less clear as a result, although you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise if you have walked into a major fast-food chain in recent months.

Albert Baranera, managing director of digital signage software company nsign.tv, outlines the pandemic’s effect on interactivity: “It impacted the digital signage technologies for retail as many of them incorporated solutions to combat viruses in physical spaces, ensuring a safer environment for customers and employees, such as entrance, exit and capacity controls, digital gel dispensers, contact-less shift managers, or sending additional information to the consumer's mobile phone via QR codes (scan & read).”

To this end, nsign.tv offers an extensive range of interactivity choices. “We have integrated into our digital signage platform different IOT/RFID solutions, NFC, QR, capacitive sensors (KAS), touch kiosk, Lift&Learn, dynamic pricing and voice recognition systems such as Alexa, generating different types of interactions with retail audiences,” says Baranera. “[In addition] we have developed a facial recognition module integrated into our digital signage platform which allows the content of the displays in the retail stores to be adapted in a segmented or personalised way to the audience present in an establishment at all

Above & below:

Retailersarecreating enhanced in-store experiences,says

Sony'sAdamDover.

Images: Sony times. Thanks to facial recognition, our digital signage platform can automatically activate certain content based on gender and/or the age group of whoever is looking at that display at all times.”

Dover also indicates that there will continue to be multiple requirements in terms of interactivity: “There’s likely to be a mixture of approaches. [In each case it] may depend on retailers’ strategies and how they want to engage with their audiences.”

Increased Engagement

Meanwhile, the increasing engagement of retailers with environmental issues is highlighted by Bob Kronman, who is MD of LED displays consultancy Kronman Associates and a partner in project management, installation and displays maintenance company Ledtek Solutions. “ISE was a great demonstration of that because a number of [LED display] manufacturers were focusing on power efficiency and the level of recycling of components,” he says. People in retail and elsewhere are "very concerned", he adds, and won’t buy something that "isn’t energy efficient and doesn’t have a path to recycling somewhere down the road".

But while the actual solutions being chosen are critical, Kronman also senses “a recognition that the energy consumption footprint across retail has to be managed better, be it shutting the doors when the air-conditioning is on or turning displays off at night.”

Audio has traditionally come after visual in many retailers’ priority list, and to a large degree that probably remains the case. But that doesn’t mean that its importance (and related spending) hasn’t grown over time, especially at the higher-end of the market where a refinement of ideas about what constitutes good in-store audio is evident.

“It used to be the case that a lot of retailers, especially in fashion, were looking for an audio environment that was more like a club with a strong bass sound and a high SPL,” says Helps. “Postpandemic, I think that has changed in favour of retailers wanting a more hi-fi-type sound, [with less demand for] loudness."

Audio-Technica distributes two commercial audio brands with a growing profile in retail, and Helps alludes to buoyant sales. In general, he says, retailers are now more aware of “having high quality audio throughout a store; they know that spending £20 or so on a ceiling speaker isn’t going to cut it.”

Upbeat Prospects

Despite the obvious challenges to the physical retail sector, most are cheeringly upbeat about the sector’s prospects, underpinned by signs of an increasing focus on quality AV. Moreover, it seems there is plenty of reason for excitement about emerging technologies, too; for example, the scope for AR.

“Simplifying it to the maximum, [AR would enable the user] to navigate through a physical store as if it was an online platform,” says Baranera. “Pointing a smartphone at an aisle of an establishment and displaying navigation guides to a product of interest, displaying AV information when viewing product labels, or showing multimedia elements superimposed on a real image are just a few examples of the applications that AR tech will offer retailers to provide a better – and unique –customer experience.”

AVAILABLE ONLINE: If you’d rather read this article off-page, please click here or use the following link: https://bit.ly/41Put70