“There is a huge opportunity in the custom integration residential channel that is not being fully addressed,” says Tim Sinnaeve, managing director at Barco Residential frankly. He is speaking in particular about opportunities among affluent customers. “There are a lot of high-net worth people in the world that can afford the types of experiences that [the custom integration] channel can offer.”
Sinnaeve says one reason the affluent market is not being reached fully is that integrators tend to focus on products too much versus “an amazing experience.”
“But we can’t create that amazing experience by ourselves. We need amazing sound, for example. If you have a great image, but the sound is mediocre, the whole experience gets degraded. We are striving to create that whole experience, which is why we are partnering with companies like Meridian. We try to seek out companies that want to provide the same experience and play at the same level as Barco. It makes it easier for the integrator, but it is also much more compelling for the end user. Customers want to be inspired.”
To do that, Sinnaeve believes integrators need to create emotional connections with their clients during the demo process. He recommends dealers find out from clients what their favorite movie or song is, and use it in the demo versus another piece of content that the client might recognize is excellent, but won’t make that emotional connection.
Sinnaeve says if a demo stays at a cerebral level, the client will be thinking about the projector as an investment, which can hinder the sale.
“I don’t think [the industry as a whole is] doing a very good job in demos in terms of giving them an emotional experience and compelling the customer to say, ‘I really want this.’”
Digital Art
Speaking of amazing experiences, one of Barco’s newest ventures is in the area of digital art.
“High net individuals spend more money on art than they do on cars,” says Sinnaeve. ‘Digital art represents an amazing opportunity for integrators to connect on an emotional level with their clients and show the types of experiences that we can create.”
If you bring clients to an experience like this, the sale becomes “almost an automatic byproduct,” says Sinnaeve.
The company’s main focus continues to be on digital quality as characterized by its Thor projector, a $350,000 4K DLP projector offering true, direct laser projection with 15,000-lumen output.
“It is at the high end, and provides an unmatched cinema experience. The best on the planet,” says Sinnaeve. “We bring the same technologies available in Thor down to the $25,000 level with 4K, laser and really high light output of 5,000 lumens or more.”
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