Consumers are starting to realise that using a certified CEDIA Asia Pacific custom installer offers many benefits and the demand for professional custom installers of home automation and high-end audio visual equipment is growing throughout the Asia Pacific region, particularly in New Zealand.
Benefits of using CEDIA custom installers include:
- Synergy: ensuring that complex and sometimes expensive electronic components work in harmony.
- Follow-up: CEDIA custom installers are in the industry for the long haul, unlike many salespeople at the larger retailers. Using a custom installer guarantees one point of contact for all future enquiries.
- Best of the best: CEDIA custom installers are highly trained as electronics and integration experts to ensure the best results are achieved, whether it be a small home theatre, outdoor entertainment or complex home automation system.
Over the past 20 years NZ CEDIA members have been making their way to CEDIA US (and for over 14 years to CEDIA Asia Pacific in Australia) under their own steam so that they can obtain additional training and inspiration from the experts.
On Friday 23 October, CEDIA members met in Auckland to discuss the direction and plan for CEDIA in New Zealand. This meeting was certainly the first time so many competing companies had sat around a table together with a common purpose in mind.
CEDIA Steering Committee Member Brendon Reid says CEDIA is the perfect organisation for this national pool of raw enthusiasm, taking the rough talent and honing it to a professional level where a thriving business can be sustained.
Compared to other countries membership is currently small but Brendon is confident that member numbers will increase dramatically now that the NZ committee has met officially. He added that the north and south islands were strongly represented and that all parties were keen to proceed with more regular meetings and information sharing.
Overseas boost
NZ’s members were visited by international experts who imparted some hard-to-get information and wisdom. Well-known industry identity and ISF Asia-Pacific’s trainer and calibrator, Aaron Rigg from Avical in Melbourne, drew large course enrolment with the CEDIA AV Theory, Set-up and Calibration course.
Rich Green – Insights to the future of the Custom Industry
Schneider Electric were kind enough to arrange a free lecture by Rich Green to all CEDIA members following their own dealer events. Rich is renowned within the CI industry for his grasp of the changing technologies we deal with and the ramifications of the increasing convergence with IT products that is rapidly shifting the direction of our businesses.
Level 1 Review and Certification exam
As part of the ongoing CEDIA Education program that keeps members ahead of the game, CEDIA ran the Level 1 Review and Certification exam.
A major goal of the NZ committee is to arrange a greater number of training events in order to "raise the bar" within the industry and to create a benchmark standard of excellence that is recognised by other professionals such as building, interior designers and architects.
This is good news for NZ consumers who will benefit greatly from the establishment of a recognised international certification program for the local custom installation industry.