Matrox Video country manager Cecilia Wills says that over the past 24 months, Iberia has been more active than other European markets, with “professional AV equipment and services in a variety of sectors, from corporate and events to education. “Demand is increasing.”
Jeroen Helms, Sales Director, EMEA, Peerless-AV said: “Spain and Portugal will still be present post-COVID-19 as many smaller projects that were postponed and remained in the backlog are being fulfilled.” This has now been resolved and this fulfillment is now possible as newer, larger projects are not as widely available in these regions and the pro AV market is dominated by price-oriented brands in both countries. , very cost-conscious.”
Julián Oltra, MD of Clear-Com Partners at Audio Video Zentralmedia, also notes the large number of projects accumulated during the hiatus and that this means business for almost all AV companies.
Both countries are making use of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, funded by European funds. “This means digital transformation of the public and private sectors and the promotion of economies aimed at building digital, secure and sustainable infrastructure,” said Carmen, Southern Europe regional sales manager at Datapath. says Herres. This investment is worth €20 billion over his three years, he says, and represents a “huge amount of resources aimed at digitalization with a scope and scale that will have a truly transformative impact, and has already seen the AV opportunity.” This is reflected in the growth of
Located in the cultural district of Porto, World of Wine is one of the largest Genelec projects in the world, with over 400 loudspeakers of different types installed across four buildings. The project is part of a global trend towards immersive visitor experiences, with increasing creativity and complexity being employed to engage visitors and enhance both the audio and visual experience. It has been.
Although the outlook for 2024 is for positive growth and lower inflation, global macroeconomic conditions are also weighing on the business environment.
Pedro Ballesteros, regional sales director at Kramer, believes the instability caused by the conflict in Ukraine and Palestine is having an impact on business and inflation.
“The combination of these factors resulted in negative growth in the pro AV market, resulting in lower investment in pro AV solutions over the year.”
Jerez counters that despite the uncertainty created by the dispute, “it’s important to note that these are two growing markets in the AV industry, particularly in the control room environment.”
The key to navigating these uncertainties is “an open mind and a willingness to adapt and learn,” Helms added.
“The climate is very positive,” asserts Antonio Ortega, Creston’s country manager. He is particularly keen to see what happens to the industry now that supply chain issues are under control.
Lightware Madrid’s Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC) transformed its campus into a hybrid learning environment by deploying multiple Lightware devices.
Portuguese AV market
The Portuguese AV market in particular is experiencing “significant and sustained growth,” reports Miguel Dominguez, head of Genelec there.
From an AV perspective, there are no major differences between the two countries. Helms says Spain is a much larger and more developed market, with a more established and developed channel for AV distribution partners. “Portuguese tend to be more protective of the small, independent AV market with a take-it-yourself attitude,” he says.
Ortega said both countries have been quick to adopt many new trends. “Customers in this region are technology savvy. They know what they want and push us to maximize the potential of our products. Traditional products are in low demand. For example, AV-over-IP has become the most commonly used solution, leaving traditional solutions behind.”
Manuel Rivera, Sales and Marketing Manager, Pro Audio Division, Yamaha Music, said: “Both countries uniquely combine historical and modern elements in the audiovisual field, making them one of Europe’s leading centers where cultural heritage and technological progress meet. They are differentiated by scene.” That is evident from last year’s tally of visitors from the region to his ISE in Barcelona.
Spanish exhibition chain Odeon Multicines has installed Christie’s CINITY Cinema System across six screens. This kit was provided and installed by Ingevideo with Equipo de Cine. This kit is for complexes in Girona, Alicante, Zambir (Madrid), Bahia Plaza (Cádiz) and Narón (Ferrol).
There is another notable attraction that both countries have in common. “Many multinational companies have established availability zones for their data centers in the Iberian Islands, making it one of the emerging markets and also catering to the AV industry, mainly through control rooms,” says Jerez.
Currently, 60 data centers are under construction in Spain alone. Amazon, Google and Microsoft are investing millions of euros to build capacity there. In Synthes in southern Portugal, Datapass is involved in building a control room for his one of Europe’s largest and greenest data centers.
“A combination of the availability of cheap local green energy and geographical proximity to three other continents with high-speed connectivity using a new high-speed submarine cable across the Atlantic Ocean to Brazil It has become an ideal location,” explains Jerez. “This will move Portugal into the international data traffic and data center stage.”
Compared to other European markets, Spain and Portugal can be more price-sensitive, including for businesses and educational projects, Wills said. “However, in mission-critical deployments such as rail or aviation infrastructure projects, price is less important and brand reputation is more important.”
Investment in national infrastructure has also led to an increase in public tenders for transportation. Wills believes this is driving demand for video walls, AV-over-IP solutions, and IP KVM. Some of these programs are long-term and won’t be rolled out for several more years, while others are scheduled to end in 2024.
“Spain and Portugal are also turning to smart cities to improve traffic management, public safety and energy efficiency,” she says. “Pro AV has a big role to play here and will be an exciting area of growth in the region.”
The lobby of Diagonal 123 office building #Go123 in Barcelona features a new immersive space designed by real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield, in collaboration with technology partners LED DREAM Group, digital content from Channel4you and project management from INELT. I am.
Return to top of tourism industry
Tourism is a major source of income, especially in Spain and southern Portugal. “With the reopening of tourism post-COVID-19, the importance of customer experience has increased dramatically,” said Donald De Witte, Regional Director, Lightware Visual Engineering. “The list of top music festivals is growing every year, impacting the live events industry. Rentals and productions are returning to pre-corona levels, and all concerts are increasing the use of video and imagery. During the summer, celebrations are held in almost every town. To attract foreign tourists, they are looking for more impactful events.”
Similarly, retail and hospitality markets are also thriving with more interactive experiences. De Witte said the number of flagship stores in major cities has doubled and the use of digital signage has also increased. “Interactive kiosks are becoming more and more common.”
The amount of AV technology being implemented in high street stores is incredible, exclaims Helms. “And if you need a larger display, this means the opportunity to install mounts. In the retail industry, Spain is a testing ground and we will soon be expanding to other European countries.”
Distribution and AV integrator Garrett Audiovisuais designed and installed a sophisticated zonal audio and control system based on Genelec 4000 series installation loudspeakers at Mercantina Bistro 37 in Lisbon.
Crestron is focused on the proliferation of major luxury hospitality, retail and leisure projects, including guest experiences in conference rooms and VIP rooms. “It’s clear that there is an increased focus on user experience,” Ortega says. “Since lockdown, guest expectations for in-room entertainment have increased and end-users are responding to these demands.”
Genelec has experienced great success since partnering with our distribution partner Garrett. Its first major project was his JNcQUOI, which combined a fine restaurant with a high-end fashion store and delicatessen bar, distributed over his three floors in Lisbon’s most exclusive area. In addition to restaurants, retail stores, universities, museums, and even training centers, such as L’Oréal’s facility in Lisbon, followed suit.
Although long-term, the 2030 FIFA World Cup involves Spain, Portugal and Morocco, so it’s worth considering the business opportunity. “The demand for all sports facilities and broadcast equipment is going to be very high,” Ortola said. “Each time, we not only see an amazing stadium as an architectural example, but also think about diversifying its uses with first-class connectivity and communications.”
Genelec’s first major project in Portugal was the restaurant JNcQUOI. Garrett Audiovisuais, a Portuguese distribution and AV integration specialist, uses Genelec’s GLM software to calibrate 8351 SAM monitors in the restaurant area, creating sound, lighting and We designed and installed control systems on all three of his floors. The visible speakers were delivered in white color and were mostly fixed to a white background for careful judgment.
Prosegur’s iSOC in Madrid
Operators of Prosegur Security’s new Intelligent Security Operations Center (iSOC) in Madrid rely on video walls powered by Matrox D-series graphics cards for surveillance and threat management.
The video wall obtains information from over 300,000 sources monitored by iSOC. This includes CCTV, biometric ID applications. Emergency buttons and alarms, as well as a mobile communication system for all security personnel.
iSOC can remotely control more than 120,000 cameras in more than 25,000 facilities in everything from retail shopping centers to banking networks. Security-specific AI (developed or adapted by Prosegur into cameras and sensors) generates alerts when it predicts risks or suspicious patterns.
The technology manages 1.2 million alarms each month and can distinguish between false alarms, so humans only need to manage 1% of them. More than 1,200 specially trained operators communicate in real time from this control center with her 26,500 security personnel and technicians across Spain.
Madrid-based Prosegur Security’s video wall is powered by Matrox D-series graphics cards.
Growth in the education sector
For Kramer, the education sector, particularly the undergraduate and graduate school environments, is experiencing significant growth. Here, collaboration solutions for students, such as VIA, or tools for teachers with QuickLaunch for Education “offer a very simple interface, making daily work easier with a smooth transition to these new solutions.” says Ballesteros.
“The post-pandemic corporate market has seen a significant decline in office occupancy, which is one of the reasons why the industry’s level of investment in professional AV technology has decreased, but collaboration, hybrid communication, and employee We need to be more efficient” from the office and from home. ”
Multiple AV respondents acknowledged the need to make personal connections as a key to success. “It’s important to be in the market regularly and meet face-to-face with partners and customers,” says Wills.
Jerez identifies “differences in the value of support and individual attention that are highly valued in both cultures,” and Ortola speaks of a market that forces continuous learning. “This is very exciting for all of us who are lucky enough to work in this field.”
“In Spain and Portugal, face-to-face interaction is even more important than usual,” Helms agrees. “As a sign of duty and loyalty, we are expected to intensify business discussions over lunch and wine.”
Salud/saúde for that.