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Resimercial Week: Revving Up Resimercial With Video Conferencing

Restaurants, bars, and small businesses want video conferencing and live streaming capabilities — and residential installers can lean on manufacturing partners to take on this business with confidence.

Resimercial Week 2024 presented by Legrand AV

One of the most-discussed topics in residential AV is…commercial AV. Light commercial, or resimercial as it’s been called more recently, is presenting new revenue opportunities for installers who have camped strictly within the residential AV market for years. But change is afoot as businesses from bars and restaurants to corporations, houses of worship, and higher education institutions knock on the doors of residential installers for a very specific reason: They want video conferencing. These installers might be asking, “Do I know enough to take this on?” The answer is a resounding yes! With their abundance of skills, the right solutions, and support from manufacturers, residential installers can confidently sign on for light commercial video conferencing projects.

On the Grow

Video conferencing isn’t just here to stay; it’s ubiquitous. The demand for video conferencing is skyrocketing, driven by a post-pandemic shift toward hybrid work models. With growth that started in 2020, video penetration and meeting spaces will triple in growth through 2027. According to Frost & Sullivan’s 2022 report, nearly 50% of organizations are planning to add more meeting spaces in the next two years. In the age of hybrid, this makes sense because almost every meeting will need space that is installed with video-conferencing capabilities. Finally, by 2027, it’s expected that 15% of meeting spaces will have more than one camera. In addition to the one primary camera centered at the front of the room, there might be one at the back or along the sides of the room to ensure everyone is captured clearly.

Resimercial Week: Conference room with Legrand products

Another trend is that almost all events are now live-streamed — weddings, church gatherings, meetings, classes, school performances, dance recitals, graduations, and the list goes on. When people can’t make it, they don’t want to miss it. In response to FOMO, they’re adding video conferencing.

Resimercial Week: 5 Tips for Residential Techs Doing Commercial Work

Well-Equipped for Light Commercial

Even if a residential installer’s business is 90% residential, it’s not uncommon to get a commercial project. Residential installers are uniquely positioned to meet the demands of light commercial projects. Following the strong growth of the residential AV market during the pandemic, it makes sense that these clients would tap their home integrator for pro AV projects. Those clients have seen all the amazing things an installer can do to customize their home AV experience exactly the way they want it, so they’re confident their trusted custom integrator can install a meeting room.

Instead of turning it down or subcontracting it out, residential installers should have the confidence to take it on. They also need to find the right solutions using the same vendors they’ve always relied on.

Confidence Boost

Manufacturers are addressing the resimercial trend. First, they’re creating easy-to-install solutions. The elements for video conferencing are mostly well known: PTZ camera, perhaps a USB extender, display or projector, display mount or projector screen, speakers and microphones, and any connectivity requirements. Integration is key. For example, compatibility issues between different cameras and USB extenders can lead to problems like intermittent signals, choppy video, or even complete loss of signal. Knowing where those landmines lie is important for delivering the best user experience. And whether it’s a commercial or residential install, it’s really all about the user.

Resimercial Week: Conference room with Vaddio video conference solutions

Once that camera is plugged in, installers need to ensure there’s nothing else that needs to happen for the meeting to get started. This is important because users may not be in the office every day. When they come to the office, they need to be able to operate that meeting room just as seamlessly as they would at home. They don’t want a lot of steps that can make things complicated and frustrating.

To succeed in these projects, where doing the job is both profitable but also works as expected, installers should take advantage of manufacturer support and training, as well as design services. Companies such as Legrand | AV provide top-to-bottom design services for free, building out from the network to the display or screen. Vaddio, a brand of Legrand | AV and one of the leading PTZ camera manufacturers, boasts cameras made in the U.S. as well as an engineering and tech support team across the country. In addition to Vaddio, Legrand | AV brands also include C2G, which conducts regular interoperability testing between Vaddio cameras and USB products like its new Superbooster USB camera extenders to ensure seamless compatibility. The results are published so installers can easily find solutions that just work.

In the Amazon age, installers can differentiate and add value by installing brands that are reputable and protect dealer margins. Companies like Legrand | AV feature a comprehensive offering of cameras, microphones, connectivity, display mounting, and projector screens, as well as power products so installers can go to one company to finish a project with one design and one PO. In fact, one of the company’s more popular products is the ConferenceSHOT AV modular conferencing system. Ideal for mid-size conferencing rooms, the ConferenceSHOT AV HD camera combines a PTZ camera and audio-conferencing mixer into a single USB 3.0 device, so integrators can connect up to two TableMIC or CeilingMIC microphones and ConferenceSHOT AV speaker directly to the camera. It also can integrate with external speakers in larger rooms, so in-room participants don’t miss a word. It boasts plug-and-play functionality with all major UCC soft clients, including Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom.

Another way installers can simplify the project is by utilizing all-in-one video bars, such as Vaddio’s new Venture VideoBAR and TableMIC. This all-in-one 4K video conferencing solution has an optional expansion microphone for flexible installation in small to large rooms and is certified for use with Microsoft Teams Rooms.

Resimercial Week: Open conference area with Vaddio products

Often video conferencing projects are just a matter of knowing where to start when there are so many solutions to choose from. Design services can help guide the process, connecting needs to solutions and landing with a design that the installer will feel as comfortable building as they do whole-home AV systems.

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By leveraging their expertise and partnering with manufacturers, installers can confidently take on these resimercial projects, knowing they have the support and resources needed to succeed. With innovative solutions, comprehensive design services, and price-protected products, installers can navigate the resimercial trend with ease.

So, rev up your engines and embrace the future of AV with confidence, knowing that the journey ahead is filled with potential and opportunity.

Lauren Brodeur serves as Territory Sales Manager – Northeast for Legrand | AV. She can be reached at lauren.brodeur@legrand.com.

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