A Recap of the CE Pro 100 Integrators Summit

There were no business-as-usual discussions at the CE Pro 100 Integrators Summit at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

The second annual event brought together elite custom electronics integrators and leading industry vendors for insight into new opportunities, including wind turbine and solar panel installations, energy management, digital media vs. downloads, and even how to be a general contractor.

During the three-day event, CE Pro 100 attendees were treated to presentations and panels by manufacturers, fellow integrators and the CE Pro staff, as well as roundtable discussions, one-on-one sessions and receptions.

Gone Golfing

The summit began with a golf outing sponsored by Concierge Direct and opening reception sponsored by Monster Cable. Mike Moore, co-founder and president of Making Customers, Inc. and creator of New Home Retailing and Finished Home Design, delivered the keynote speech at the reception, urging attendees to shift the focus of their sales efforts to making customers, not sales orders. Moore told attendees that it just might not be true to say that “the customer is always right.”

New Opportunities

Day 2 started with a breakfast sponsored by NuVo Technologies, where president and COO David Rodarte led a panel discussion on new opportunities for dealers including retrofit, digital signage and home health services. During the discussion, Michael Pope of Audio Video Interiors in Medina, Ohio, said he now acts as the general contractor on 53 percent of his residential retrofit installations.

“It’s a great role reversal,” he says about how he now is interviewing other contractors about working on his job. He no longer has to worry about fighting a contractor about timing, where to run wires, etc. He is in control. It has also brought him an entirely new base of referral partners, such as landscapers. Pope does not mark up other contractors costs, but instead charges homeowners an hourly management fee to run the job. Eventually, he says he hopes he “won’t have to work with a contractor he doesn’t like.”

Attendees spent the morning in boardroom presentations, where vendor sponsors presented their latest products and programs and solicited feedback from integrator guests. The lunch presentation, "Cashing in on Alternative Energy & Energy Management," sponsored by SpeakerCraft, with a panel discussing energy monitoring, wind turbines and solar panels.

During the presentation, David Ault of Audio Video Planners in Oakdale, Minn. described how three years ago he analyzed the market and determined that his company needed to diversify. Today, AVP offers digital signage and wind turbine installations that account for a significant chunk of revenue.

Trade Tips, Casino Night

The afternoon featured integrator roundtables, sponsored by TruAudio, where groups of attendees shared best practices and trade tips to improve their businesses. An example of a great best practice came from AES2 in San Diego, which requires potential new hires to take a pre-employment physical. The exam potentially catches ailments like bad backs. The policy has reduced the company’s worker’s comp claims by 300 percent.

The second day ended with a dinner reception and casino night, sponsored by Perfect Path by PPC. At the reception, the winners of the Best Practice Awards were announced. Each winner received a cool $500 and a trophy. They are:

• Financial Management: SoundVision, Novato, Calif.
• Human Capital Management: Audio Video Interiors, Inc., Medina, Ohio
• Legal Administration: SoundVision, Novato, Calif.
• Production Management: ETC, West Palm Beach, Fla.
• Sales & Marketing Management: Audio Video Interiors, Inc., Medina, Ohio

Digital Content, Drum Circle

The final day of the summit started with a closing breakfast, sponsored by Paradigm, featuring a discussion on digital video content led by CE Pro's Julie Jacobson. In the discussion, dealers debated the ongoing battle of physical media (Blu-ray discs) vs. downloadable media.

After boardroom presentations and one-on-one meetings between vendors and guests, the summit closed with a surprise drum circle finale, sponsored by SpeakerCraft, where attendees connected, had fun and were inspired to establish an exciting new rhythm of growth for their companies.

The 2010 CE Pro 100 Integrators Summit will be held Nov. 2 - Nov. 4, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles. For more details, visit http://www.cepro100summit.com or contact Shannon Murphy for sponsorship opportunities at 508-618-4224, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).