The whole point of a Parade of Homes event is to showcase to potential homebuyers the myriad options available. Be it the layout or design of the house, the furnishings or the technology, Parade-goers are able to get a taste of what’s possible—no high-pressure sales pitches or strings attached.

Sure, Parade of Home visitors could be considered tire kickers, but homes systems integrator Chase Isaminger puts it, participating in an event like this helps spread the word about his company not only to buyers but to builders… and solidifies his company’s ability to provide consumers with many smart home options.

“We wanted people to walk through our homes and experience everything from entry level speakers to complete automation systems,” says Isaminger, who runs Home Protection Systems in Baton Rouge, La.

Variety may keep Parade of Homes visitors interested and engaged, but for builders, designers, and integrators incorporating a broad spectrum of products can often be tough to pull off, especially under a tight deadline.

Audio as a Centerpiece

For its part, Home Protection Systems would need to outfit eight of 30 custom homes, each with distinctly different technology setups. Audio was the mainstay in all eight of the show homes, however, for its ability to set a great mood and ambiance.

“Homes without audio felt like walking into a library,” Isaminger says.

To simplify the task tailoring each audio system to its respective home, Home Protection Systems turned to local distributor WAVE Electronics and its Elura line of speakers.

“They offer a speaker for every type of audio application we wanted to demonstrate,” Isaminger says. “We were able to use Elura speaker in every one of the eight homes, yet showcase them in different ways.”

For example, Elura Red Label six- and eight-inch in-ceiling speakers were used to distribute audio setups in some of the homes, while the Elura Blue Label by Sonance speakers were employed for two-channel applications. In homes with dedicated theaters, a combination of the Reds and Blues were installed, plus Elura subwoofers.

For this two-week Parade of Homes event Isaminger figures his team installed a total of 50 pair of in-ceiling speakers and 20 in-wall LCR speakers—all Elura brand from WAVE Electronics. Even more remarkable is the fact that the Elura-outfitted custom homes had all been presold to homebuyers, so each setup was completely customized to its owner.

“Elura appealed to every customer across the board,” says Isaminger. “The beauty of Elura is that I’m able to match a speaker to a customer’s budget and home environment. The range of options and prices are appealing to everyone.”

And that includes builders, he says. “The Elura options on display at the Parade of Home really opened doors for us with several custom builders in the area after they listened to music and experienced the surround-sound in the theater.”

A Note on Distribution

During its 34 years in business, Home Protection Systems had formed solid relationships with many custom builders in the area. Most of these stemmed from the company’s background in home security, which was its focus until about 15 years ago when Isaminger decided it was time to branch off into other areas. He attributes WAVE Electronics for helping his company expand its repertoire.

“The techs from WAVE would actually visit our jobsites as we were first getting into audio and help us spec out a system. WAVE was like our safety net. Once we got a few installations under our belt we took the ball and ran with it, but if it wasn’t for our relationship with WAVE we wouldn’t be as successful as we are in other areas besides security.”

Coaching and support from WAVE Electronics has given Home Protection Systems the confidence and know-how to successfully juggle eight projects for a Parade of Home event, and the broad scope of the Elura line has enabled the company to continue to grow its business.

“We opened a showroom last year and every speaker in it is from WAVE and Elura and we will do 250 houses this year, and in almost every one there will be some level of A/V, and most likely 400 pair of speakers, with Elura being the most prevalent,” Isaminger continues.

He credits WAVE and Elura for helping Home Protection Systems become a more well-rounded installation company, which ultimately has strengthened its foundation as a security installation firm.

“From the alarm perspective it limited our attrition rate, because we were able to offer our alarm customers other types of products and services. We’ve actually been able to grow our alarm business by offering audio, video, and automation,” says Isaminger.

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