CEDIA Communicates Issue 21 - Winter 2011

COMMUNICATESYo 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

ISSUE 21 | WINTER 2011

WHAT’S INSIDEp6 >>>>

60SECONDS

with

Jane Scotland

p4 >>>>

CONNECT WITH CEDIA

2012 dates

announced

p3 >>>>

AWARDS 2012

deadline

approaching

• The establishment of a connected home forum with representation from Government andindustries with a stake in the connected home.

• The creation by the connected home forum of areference network design standard.

• A standardised certification programme and trainingpackage to be created for first level support of theconnected home.

• The exploration of alternative funding for networkingnew and existing homes, such as, including the cost ofimplementing a home network in the mortgage or re-mortgaging of a property.

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.

continued on page 2 >>>

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.

To download a copy of the report

www.intellectuk.org/connectedhome

The document sets out a number of

recommendations to make the connected

home a reality. These include:

MARKET SETFOR HUGEGROWTH,SAYS NEWREPORT

p5 >>>>

NEW BOARDREVEALED

Gary Lewis

as chair

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.

MARKET SETFOR HUGEGROWTH,SAYS NEWREPORT

HAVE YOUSAVED 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.

As partners of the event, CEDIA will be

offering 14 education courses throughout

the three days, doubling the number

of sessions given at ISE 2011. The

education programme includes seven

brand new courses including, “Choosingand Using Control Systems”, “Embracing theCloud”, “The Art of Project Documentation”,“Practical Media Delivery over IP Technologies”,“Developing Profitable Business Processes”,“Delivering 3D” and “Introduction to HVAC systems”.

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 TICKRDI-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.

To register for the event, find out details of the

programme and book course attendance, please

visit www.iseurope.organd enter invitation

code 706374to register for

FREE!

2 COMMUNICATES Your industr y, your voice…news from CEDIA

ISE EuropeJan 31 - Feb 2

2012

The deadline is fast approaching for the CEDIA Awards 2012 and now is the time to concentrate on those very importantentries. The deadline for submissions is the 23rd January 2012.

AWARDS TIME

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 protected]

AWARDS CEREMONY : 20TH APRIL 2012

"For Dawsons, it's great to be recognised by anindustry body that specialises in hi-end custominstallation work that's not tied into advertising spendor how much equipment you buy. It is beneficial forsome of the most important people in my team, theinstallers, that they see their hard work up in lights itmakes 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

“Winning a CEDIA Award is always something that Sensory strive toachieve. We feel a great sense of pride in being awarded, for thesecond consecutive year, ‘Best Marine Installation’. The award is anofficial industry acknowledgement of our expertise and skill in thisparticular area and it demonstrates to everyone our professionalismand competence. We use the award logo in all our marketing collateraland it undoubtedly adds weight and credibility to our status. It alsogives potential customers increased peace of mind that they arechoosing the right company, as well as confirming to all existingcustomers that they made the right choice!”

Nigel Sherlock, Business Development, Sensory International

Winner of Best Marine Installation in the 2011 CEDIA Awards

www.cedia.co.uk/awards 3

2012 DATES FOR CEDIA CCOI INCLUDE:

15th February

24th April

26th June

18th September

13th November

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.

All CCOI training courses will be held at CEDIA’s HQ, St Neots

✓ To book your place please visit www.cediaeducation.com/events


We can confirm more dates for the ‘Connect with CEDIA’ events, with two new cities addedto the 2012 schedule. These events are free to attend for new, prospective and existingmembers to discuss industry issues, meet Board and office staff and find out how CEDIAmembership can add value to their business.

CEDIA HAS ANNOUNCED ITS 2012 DATES AS FOLLOWS:

LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN 2012…

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

22 March | Sheffield 26 April | Birmingham 17 May | Bristol 21 June | Newcastle

19 July | Edinburgh 23 August | Manchester 20 September | London 25 October | Dublin

NEW& IMPROVED

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.

www.cedia.co.uk 5

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, Marc-

Etienne 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) 1480213744 for a copy.

Gary Lewis of Surrey-based integration company,Future Systems will Chair the new volunteer Boardof Directors which provides important strategicdirection and leadership for the custominstallation industry across Region 1.

NEW CHAIRMAN AND BOARDREVEALED AT CEDIA AGM

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 IntégrateurDomotique)

Robin Shepherd (Cornflake)

Wim de Vos (Genesis Technologies)

Jason Aldous (Aldous Systems)

Robert Hallam (InControl) Immediate Past Chairman

INCREASING CONSUMER AND TRADEAWARENESS ACROSS FRANCECEDIA members attended theSalon Hifi & Home Cinema Fair inParis at the beginning of Octoberto increase awareness of CEDIAacross consumer and tradeaudiences 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.

Who are you?

Jane Scotland, Commercial Director Extra

Vegetables Limited

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?

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.

Which custom installation technology do youconsider the most important today and why?

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.

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 biggestachievement 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 custominstallation businesses today and how canthey 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.

Why is Home Cinema Design certificationimportant?

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 theindustry 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 installationsector, what would you like to be doing andwhy?

Growing chillies. I love growing stuff and have

an allotment where I go to relax.

60 seconds with…Jane Scotland


“”

Anything that raises standardsand helps establish CEDIAmembers as highly skilled

professionals is a good thing

If you would like to take part next year or, for more information about how to enter please visit www.ukworkeroftheyear.com

CEDIA MEMBERFINALIST FOR UKWORKER OF THE YEAR

www.cedia.co.uk 7

Jason Lawrence, Audio Visual Sales Manager

of Lewis Building Technology and fully-

fledged 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.

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.

“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,

was a worthy and well-deserved champion,

but I will definitely be entering in 2012 to try

and earn the title!”

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.

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 BuildingTechnology

CEDIA continues to grow itsrange of resources to supportmembers seeking to build theirbusiness 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 Future-

Ready 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 [email protected].

BUILD YOUR BUSINESS SUCCESS


CESLas Vegas - 10 to 13 January

www.cesweb.org

Health & Safety CourseCEDIA HQ, St. Neots - 18 January


CEDIA Technician EST1 BootcampCEDIA HQ, St. Neots - 18 to 20 January


Technical School and EST2 ExamCEDIA HQ, St. Neots - 23 to 27 January


Smart Home Technology CPD Event Pinewood Studios, Bucks - 25 January

www.cedia.co.uk

Integrated Systems Europe - ISEAmsterdam - 31 January to 2 February

www.iseurope.org

Intro to Residential CI and IntegrationCEDIA HQ, St. Neots - 7 February


EST2 Certification Exam CEDIA HQ, St. Neots - 8 February


Designer Level 1 Certification ExamCEDIA HQ, St. Neots - 8 February


CEDIA Certified Outreach InstructorCEDIA HQ, St. Neots - 15 February

www.cedia.co.uk

Sound and Vision: The Bristol ShowBristol - 24 to 26 February

www.bristolshow.co.uk

Smart Home Technology CPD Event Cobham, Surrey - 24 February

www.cedia.co.uk

Smart Home Technology CPD EventPinewood Studios, Bucks - 29 February

www.cedia.co.uk

New Members' LunchCEDIA HQ, St Neots - 6 March

www.cedia.co.uk

Health & Safety CourseCEDIA HQ, St. Neots - 7 March


CEDIA Technician EST1 BootcampCEDIA HQ, St. Neots - 7 to 9 March


Technical School and EST2 ExamCEDIA HQ, St. Neots - 12 to 16 March


Networking Theory and PracticeBirmingham City University - 20 to 22 March


CED

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CONTACT:Anna Skoyles, Senior Marketing Officer, CEDIA Region 1, Unit 2, Phoenix Park, St Neots, Cambs, PE19 8EP, UKT: +44 (0)1480 213744 F: +44 (0)1480 213469E: [email protected] W: www.cedia.co.uk

Dirac Sweden Professional ServicesAshway UK ESPLondon Media Rooms UK ESP ProvisionalWindow Shading UK Professional ServicesWindow Shading UK Additional LocationPharos UK ManufacturerAudiotec Group SARL Lebanon ESPJoenit Belgium ManufacturerElectroso Spain ESPInnea Germany Professional ServicesAdeo Group S.p.a Italy DistributorAdeo Screen Poland Distributor - AdditionalLegrand Electric Ltd UK ManufacturerHK Designs UK AffiliateVivateq GmbH Germany DistributorDefitechnique Switzerland ESP

Welcome to CEDIA!

New members joining CEDIA include:

RISE IN STAFF MILEAGE RATESCEDIA 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.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS 2012Renew before 31st January and receive a £55 CEDIA trainingvoucher (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

✔ Updated RIBA accreditedCPD course

✔ 6x Connect Roadshowevents nationwide

✔ 30% year-on-yearincrease in PR coverageto both trade &consumers

✔ Successful Awards eventheld at One Mayfair

✔ 4x RIBA Roadshows

✔ An extended education

programme

✔ Multi lingual website and

membership brochures

in 5 languages

✔ Hosted or supported over

20 events

✔ 82 new members

INSTALLOF THEMONTH

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

[email protected] with a case study and photos.

MEMBER TOTAL

433

Documents

CEDIA Communicates Issue 21 - Winter 2011