Stampede Challenges Integrators To Be Creative When Establishing Payment Terms for Pubs & Clubs

The true secret to an integrator’s long-term success in the entertainment hospitality market lies in each integrator’s ability to extend their creativity beyond the systems they design and install to the ways they manage their customer business relationships, according to Stampede Presentation Products, Inc. President & COO Kevin Kelly. 

“For an integrator to grow their business in this challenging market segment, they need to fully evaluate each individual project and pursue only those that operate on terms that keep their bottom line protected and ensure that money is coming in,” Kelly challenged today.

According to Kelly, it’s no secret that the entertainment and hospitality market thrives on ‘what's hot,’ but it’s important to always remember that this idea is not solely limited to the drinks and food served or the live acts that are booked. Audio/video solutions greatly enhance the “night out experience” for guests, and because every establishment wants to stay fresh and attract guests night after night, the market reacts positively, often enthusiastically, to just about every creative and cutting-edge technology solution brought to market.

“Whether or not guests interact directly or indirectly with installed A/V solutions, their overall ‘atmospheric’ experience can be greatly influenced by the A/V system that surrounds them,” Kelly emphasized.  “For example, a restaurant may elect to have audio/video control functionality at each booth, allowing each party to personalize it’s own unique atmosphere. For a large multi-level nightclub, cutting-edge CCTV surveillance systems allow the establishment to monitor and ensure guests’ safety throughout the venue. To keep business booming, entertainment hospitality providers need to integrate all traditional AV elements, such as flat panel displays, projectors and sound systems, plus take advantage of increasingly popular energy management solutions that protect their equipment and reduce their energy bills.

“When the opportunity is right,” Kelly continued, “and an integrator takes on a bar or club installation project, they may discover that the owners expect payment terms that allow them to slowly pay off their AV investment from the cash flow that comes in over the first few months of operation. But every integrator knows that the only way to guarantee you make money on a job is to be paid in full, before the new venture has time to fizzle out. Finding agreeable terms for both parties is where creativity is paramount. “

When a potential customer demands payment terms, an integrator’s suggested conditions could range from a simple solution of requiring the venue to pay a deposit, with the remaining balance to be paid in full on the first day of installation, or they could suggest a more creative payment structure, an idea that one integrator has done for projects in this unpredictable market.

“Instead of operating on a sales model, he converts the proposal to a lease with a specific payment schedule,” added Kelly. “This contract allows the integrator to remove the equipment on a Thursday or Friday afternoon unless the payments are made on schedule. Amazingly enough, this scenario can work out to the benefit of both parties.  No pub or club owner wants to go into the weekend without their AV equipment, so the integrator found that venues with this term structure pay their bills promptly – and in full!”

About Stampede

Known for its value-added distribution, Amherst, New York-based Stampede is the leading distributor of presentation equipment including LCD/DLP projectors and flat panel displays. Stampede provides a complete range of brand name presentation equipment to a variety of audio/video, computer, and home theater resellers and integrators in the United States, Canada and Latin America. These resellers rely on Stampede for value-added services in distribution, marketing and solution- based sales. Stampede annually produces the “Big Book of AV,” a 1,000-page catalog and companion website (www.BigBookofAV.com) providing hundreds of sales, installation and spec tips for Stampede’s dealers in addition to product details on more than 5,000 SKUs. For more information on Stampede, log onto www.stampedeglobal.com.

Key West's Ibis Bay Beach Resort Offers Travelers The Uptown Antidote To Downtown Duval Street

Key West is famous for Duval Street, a vibrant and eclectic mix of bars, restaurants, shops and street vendors, but for many visitors, downtown is not the ideal place to rest their heads after a long day of fun. Located just two miles from downtown, the new Ibis Bay Beach Resort is the complete opposite of contemporary Duval Street.  It’s Key West as it existed in the 1950s, a studied blend of contemporary conveniences and technology set in an environment that evokes Hemingway and Havana.

With white sand beaches, plentiful hammocks, updated rooms with local and Havana-influenced art and movie posters, plus a fabulous fresh seafood restaurant and on-site FunDesk booking service for every activity on the island, Ibis Bay is the Key West destination.

As one of the island’s only beachfront resorts with direct water access for swimming, snorkeling and watersports, Ibis Bay offers the best of both worlds for families, honeymooners and anyone who is excited by the feel of a non-chain hotel. One of the original touches is the wildlife on the property — guests are greeted by a friendly talking macaw, they can feed two tortoises that were rescued by the owners, and there are many locals birds and iguanas that frequent the beaches.

Conservation is a theme that runs through the entire renovated 1956 resort, including to the front desk that was fashioned from a shipwreck that the owners salvaged from the bay. Havana-inspired art adorns the walls of every room, which also feature stylish Balinese sarongs strung across each bed that guests can wear during their stay. The Stoned Crab restaurant serves Key West’s best stone crab dishes year-round and Ibis Bay Watersports offers on-site activities including jet skis, snorkeling, and exclusive Nightboarding illuminated paddle board and kayak tours. With all of the amenities at Ibis Bay, many guests get everything they want out of their island vacation right at the resort. It even offers in-house rentals for scooters, bicycles and electric cars for exploring the island!

“We don’t want to be the Ritz Carlton,” owner Chris Holland emphasized, “and have that hotel chain sameness because it’s so boring!  We’re looking to provide travelers with a unique experience that allows them to enjoy the Key West of the 1950s while utilizing the advantages of modern technology to ensure a pleasant and fun-packed stay.  From The Stoned Crab restaurant that had two of its own fishing boats delivering daily catches of local fish, lobster, shrimp and crab to the activities and rentals available on site, we’ve given travelers the ultimate island retreat that stands in stark contrast to Key West’s busy downtown.”

About IBIS BAY Beach Resort:

IBIS BAY Beach Resort (www.ibisbayresort.com) embodies the very best of Key West and offers guests a vacation experience like no other. With a full deck of options for active adventure-seekers, Hemingway buffs or travelers who want to fit in with the locals, there is something special for every guest. Featuring classic Key West architecture and design, 600 feet of beautiful private beach, a 20-foot poolside movie screen for outdoor movie nights and The Stoned Crab restaurant, IBIS BAY Beach Resort is more than a resort—it’s a destination.

NanoLumens'® First "Convertible" LED Display Goes Live For Brazil's TV Globo Network

To captivate their viewers during coverage of the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, leading Brazilian broadcaster TV Globo turned to NanoLumens® to design a one-of-a-kind LED display for their on-air set. The result was the world’s first “convertible” NanoLumens® NanoFlex™ DS (Design Specific) LED display, which converts from a closed 36” column to a vibrant 138” display at the push of a button! A video of the convertible display in action can be viewed here.

“With Brazil hosting the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, millions of viewers were expected to tune in to TV Globo’s live sports news programs, so the producers knew they needed to incorporate the highest possible level of technology and design into their sets,” said Almir DeCarvalho, NanoLumens Vice President of International Sales. “They wanted technologies that would ‘wow’ their live studio audience and viewers tuning in from around the country. We immediately knew we needed to create a display that had never before been seen in a broadcast setting, and that is exactly what we did with this convertible NanoFlex display.”

During the pre-game and half-time reports on the network’s two major sports shows dedicated to Confederations Cup coverage, the in-studio host pointed to the closed NanoLumens display and announced, “Let’s go live to the stadium!” At that cue, the column opened in less than ten seconds to reveal the bright, vivid 138” display to show live on-field commentator analysis and player interviews.

The 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup was the ninth FIFA Confederations Cup, held in Brazil from June 15–June 30, 2013 as a prelude to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The most recent winners of the six continental championships participated in this tournament, along with host country Brazil and UEFA Euro 2012 runner-up Italy. Host team Brazil defended their title for the fourth time in the Confederations Cup with a 3-0 victory over Spain in the final game.

NanoLumens displays are extremely slim, ultra-lightweight, energy efficient, and feature a bright, seamless, high resolution picture quality that can be viewed from any angle throughout the display horizon without color shift or image distortion. The company’s patented display technology, promises to transform the way marketers engage their customers in every type of trade show, retail, hospitality, stadium, arena, transportation and public event environment.

All NanoLumens displays accept input from nearly any device or content management system. There is no need for special software, hardware or special personnel to display content beautifully. With a profile of only a few inches, NanoSlim displays can be installed on virtually any surface without being obtrusive, adding the ‘WOW’ factor to any environment without taking up precious space. NanoLumens’ patented display technology is optimized for indoor use, operating with virtually zero heat or noise while producing bright, rich, consistent color as well as superior off-axis viewing with no color shift or image distortion throughout the display horizon.

NanoLumens’ technology has been named ‘Best Large-format LED Display’ of the year by Signage Solutions magazine in its 2012 Product of the Year awards program, as well as being recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as a 2011 future-proof tech trend and cited by The Wall Street Journal in its 2010 Technology Innovations Awards. NanoLumens’ technology also received the 2011 Breakthrough Technology of the Year Award at the American Technology Awards. Digital Signage Magazine awarded the NanoLumens NanoFlex a 2011 DIGI Award for “Best New Display Device – Non-LCD or Plasma.”

About NanoLumens:

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, NanoLumens®, Inc. is a privately held corporation engaged in the research, product development, marketing and sales of unique flexible and fixed large-format LED display solutions in any size, shape, or curvature, that address a yawning technology gap in the $14 billion digital display industry. Since introducing its initial line of NanoFlex and NanoSlim displays in 2011, NanoLumens has built a portfolio of more than 20 international families of issued and filed patents on its flexible display technology that effectively address the commercial market void between relatively small flat-panel displays and huge, limited application LED boards. NanoLumens technology is not constrained by standard sizes and shapes, or by the weight, heat, noise and cost issues traditionally associated with commercial LED products.

NTW Group Appoints Stampede To Distribute Its Wide Range Of Connectivity Solutions Throughout North America

Stampede Presentation Products Inc., the industry’s oldest and largest high value added ProAV distributor, today announced that it has been appointed by the NTW (Network the World) Group (www.ntwgroup.net), based in Dayton, New Jersey, to serve as a strategic distributor for the company’s rapidly expanding line of specialty telecommunication and audiovisual connectivity solutions throughout the United States, Canada, and Central America.

“NTW is very excited to partner with Stampede, as we further expand our efforts to bring our high-performance connectivity products to every dealer, integrator and end-user throughout the United States and Canada,” said Paul Fenster, NTW Director of New Business Development. “Our mission is to work together with our customers and Strategic Partners to develop versatile and flexible solutions for telecom/datacom/AV industries through our innovative products, unique warranty systems and unsurpassed support and service. This strategic partnership with Stampede will significantly strengthen our ability to more completely customize our solution offerings to meet individual dealer requirements.”

NTW offers advanced and unique solutions that deliver versatility, power and performance for every IT and AV network. Stampede will distribute NTW’s wide selection of connectivity products, which includes the XXL Series HDMI Cable, ClarityPro Plenum Copper/Fiber HDMI Cable, Quick Connect TwistLock 2.0 AV Cable, HD-Base T Wall Plate, the UNI-Media Series of wall plates and inserts, and much more.

“The NTW Group has been a pioneer of cutting-edge connection solutions for more than 25 years now and their pace of innovation continues to grow at a dramatic rate,” Stampede Presentation Products, Inc. President & COO Kevin Kelly said today.  “The addition of the NTW line of product and solutions to our portfolio promises to bring immediate new benefits to our dealers who are absolutely committed to offering their customers the latest developments in connectivity.  We are proud to now represent this amazing company!”

Since 1987, Networking The World (NTW) has been a premier connectivity solutions provider serving the IT/AV industry for the past two decades. NTW, its engineers and OEM/ODM group has maintained an unparalleled reputation and an industry leadership position for the design and manufacturing of new and emerging technologies. A few examples include the design and introduction of IDC style keystone audiovisual connectivity solutions, 110-Style HDMI modules/wall plates and the widely accepted locking RJ45 and LC fiber connector/cabling solutions.
NTW is supported by cutting edge manufacturing facilities, strong industry relationships, unrivaled service and support staff. NTW sets new standards through its superior design and manufacturing capabilities in building a smarter, better and more powerful communications and business infrastructural network of tomorrow.

About Stampede

Known for its value-added distribution, Amherst, New York-based Stampede is the leading distributor of presentation equipment including LCD/DLP projectors and flat panel displays. Stampede provides a complete range of brand name presentation equipment to a variety of audio/video, computer, and home theater resellers and integrators in the United States, Canada and Latin America. These resellers rely on Stampede for value-added services in distribution, marketing and solution- based sales. Stampede annually produces the “Big Book of AV,” a 1,000-page catalog and companion website (www.BigBookofAV.com) providing hundreds of sales, installation and spec tips for Stampede’s dealers in addition to product details on more than 5,000 SKUs. For more information on Stampede, log onto www.stampedeglobal.com.

Renaissance In Content Creation Spurs Greater Need For Comprehensive Insurance Protection

The evolution of online media sites like YouTube and Hulu as fully developed, mainstream entertainment platforms is spawning an infinite audience for engaging entertainment content that is resulting in a renaissance in content creation, be it a web series, feature-length or short films, tutorials or music videos, according to Scott Carroll, Executive Vice President & Program Director of Take 1 Entertainment Insurance.  

“Thanks to this demand for entertainment, the production industry is in the midst of a content creation renaissance in which anyone with a unique idea or perspective and a desire to turn their vision into content can share that vision with the world,” Carroll said today. “Due in large part to the decreasing cost of production equipment, and the increasing number of free or low-cost sharing platforms, the number of production companies creating content will continue to grow in the years to come. All of these new companies need to be aware of the necessity of working with an insurance provider who specializes in production insurance and offers up-to-date policies that meet all of their needs, including protecting their equipment and physical media where they store their content.”

According to Carroll, production companies need to look to insurance providers who recognize that production is no longer limited to big-budget projects, and that smaller-budget endeavors require the same level of insurance protection for equipment, and more importantly, content, as do blockbuster films. Less-experienced production companies cannot afford to underestimate the importance of being covered by an insurance provider that understands the unique nuances and differences between content produced for YouTube and content produced for television or films.

“That said, insurance providers must adapt their coverage programs to accommodate this evolving industry as traditional methods of developing coverage plans like studying a client’s prior insurance experience through loss runs, analyzing their industry resume or checking their IMDB biography may not be viable options in this new community of production companies,” Carroll explained.  “It’s essential that content creators look for insurance providers that are as creative as the content they themselves produce, and that their chosen provider is doing everything in their power to provide the most comprehensive, customized coverage plan possible.”

Many insurance companies provide a suite of products that many production companies and content creators need, but they don’t go the distance to make sure that they provide every product. Production companies need to be presented with a wide menu of coverage options that are specific to their content and how it’s distributed, as opposed to a one-size-fits-all approach. For instance, do all content creators need coverage for props, sets or wardrobes? If certain coverage lines aren’t an issue, perhaps they should be excluded.

Carroll stressed that insurance providers have to understand exactly what type of coverage their clients need in order to offer the best protection. “Take 1 Insurance, for instance, has offerings that accommodate current trends in technology and production, as evidenced by a recent change to its policies on software, media and data storage devices to include all reusable media that is part of or attached to photographic, video and sound recording equipment.”

The production industry continues to expand, and with this expansion comes new, young and extremely creative companies who may not have experience in considering insurance priorities. Before it is too late, they need to be aware of the necessity of protecting their company’s content, equipment and business assets with policies that best suit their unique needs. The bottom line is that new production companies must make sure that the language and line items in their insurance policies are current with the technologies in play, relevant to what needs to be covered, and supported by insurance providers who understand that nuances of the exposures faced by content creators every day. 

About U.S. Risk Insurance Group

U. S. Risk Insurance Group, Inc. is a specialty lines underwriting manager and wholesale broker headquartered in Dallas. Operating 12 domestic and international branches, it offers a broad range of products and services through its affiliate companies, which include U.S. Risk Underwriters, U.S. Risk Brokers, Lighthouse Underwriters, LLC, Professional Claims Managers, Omnisure Consulting Group, Oxford Insurance Brokers, Ltd. (London), Goss Reinsurance Brokers, LLC, and NovaPro Risk Solutions, LP.  Its entertainment division, Take1, has served as the official endorsed insurance provider for the last 15 years INFOCOMM, the leading association of A/V communications industry professionals.

Stampede Announces New Sony Mobile Connect Bundle Using SURF's Orion-MCU

Stampede today announced a new partnership between itself, Sony and Surf Communications Solutions, Inc. that gives Stampede dealers an easy solution to implement low-cost video conferencing systems that can utilize mobile devices. The announcement was made by SURF NA President & VP of Sales Ilan Bluvstein and Stampede President & COO Kevin Kelly. 

"We are pleased to have Stampede expand the exposure of our proven video conferencing solution in the growing U.S., Canadian and Latin American markets," Bluvstein said today. "SURF's Orion-MCU provides high-quality and reliable connectivity between remote offices, traveling and work-at-home employees, as well as partners, providing great value to enterprises as they reduce expenses and increase productivity."

The new Stampede bundle couples SURF’s Orion-MCU with two Sony PCS-XG80/9DS HD Visual Communications Systems to provide high definition video conferencing that is affordable for any size business. The Orion-MCU video conferencing bridge provides access from standard-SIP or H.323 based room systems as well as soft clients on desktops, smartphones, and tablets, making a BYOD strategy possible for any business that saves time and money, while making it easy to conference from around the globe!

According to Kevin Kelly, "No one has more experience in making high quality, affordably-priced video conferencing solutions available to the mass business community than Stampede. As such, we recognize the unique value proposition that the SURF Orion-MCU video conferencing solution offers our dealer network, and we’ve bundled it with the best Sony video conferencing hardware to provide a simple setup solution that allows any size business to dive into high definition video conferencing. The Orion-MCU also provides an easy way to attend VC meetings from mobile platforms, so it can greatly expand the flexibility of a company’s new or existing Sony video conferencing room system.”

SURF’s Orion-MCU video conferencing solution will be available with Sony’s best-in-class video conferencing room systems starting July 1, 2013.

About SURF Communication Solutions

SURF Communication Solutions (SURF) is an industry leader in high-capacity processing solutions for real-time multimedia communication systems and applications.  Since 1996, SURF's products have delivered the integral technology behind many leading vendors' multimedia servers and gateways and have been deployed with operators and service providers worldwide. SURF-powered multimedia applications deliver next-gen services to millions of end-users every day.  SURF offers a fully converged multimedia processing subsystem available in various form factors, DSP chips or end-to-end solutions, affording unmatched density and optimal performance.  For more info visit www.surfsolutions.com and www.orionmcu.com.

About Stampede

Known for its value-added distribution, Amherst, New York-based Stampede (www.stampedeglobal.com)  is the leading distributor of presentation equipment including LCD/DLP projectors and flat panel displays. Stampede provides a complete range of brand name presentation equipment to a variety of audio/video, computer, and home theater resellers and integrators in the United States, Canada and Latin America. These resellers rely on Stampede for value-added services in distribution, marketing and solution- based sales. Stampede annually produces the “Big Book of AV,” a 1000-page catalog and companion website (www.BigBookofAV.com) providing hundreds of sales, installation and spec tips for Stampede’s dealers in addition to product details on more than 5,000 SKUs. For more information on Stampede, log onto www.stampedeglobal.com.

Era of Touchscreen Devices Demands New Focus on Tech Hygiene

The world is a dirty place, but our electronic devices don’t have to be! That’s the idea behind “Tech Hygiene”, a new movement introduced by WHOOSH!, maker of WHOOSH! Screen Shine, the most advanced non-toxic, streak-free screen cleaning solution that keeps screens shining like new and resistant to fingerprints and smudges. It’s also the only screen cleaner that is guaranteed* to be safe for every device screen.

So how dirty are our mobile devices? In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Dr. Jeffrey Cain, President of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said, "People are just as likely to get sick from their phones as from handles of the bathroom." The article also states that even some cleaners marketed specifically for mobile devices can damage the screen coating, which isn’t an issue with WHOOSH! Screen Shine.[1]

According to Jason Greenspan, President of WHOOSH!, “We’ve all been taught to wash our hands when we leave the bathroom and before we eat, but until now no one thought much about cleaning their device screens before using them. We take them to bed, touch them right after we eat, and some people even use them in the bathroom. WHOOSH! Screen Shine leaves any device screen clean and shining like new, with the added bonus of leaving an invisible nano-thin protective layer that resists fingerprints while improving the smoothness of the screen.”

WHOOSH! Screen Shine was specifically engineered to make it easy and safe to clean the screen of any device without worrying about damaging the glass, another concern that was raised in the Wall Street Journal article. The story noted that even cleaning products marketed specifically for mobile phones can damage the screen’s coating and render it unusable. WHOOSH! Screen Shine advanced proprietary formula cleans the screen without the use of alcohol, acids, ammonia, chlorine, solvents, petroleum distillates, phosphates, or VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds). It is guaranteed to be safe for any screen, and the company backs up their claim with a “Safe for your Screen” repair or replacement guarantee*.

In addition to being safe, non-toxic and environmentally friendly, WHOOSH! Screen Shine is odorless, streak free, haze-free and anti-static. There’s no harmful residue left behind to transfer to your fingers to worry about. WHOOSH! Screen Shine is also a perfect solution for gamers who are looking to breeze their fingers across the screen faster for improved gameplay.

The WHOOSH! Screen Shine product line will be available for purchase in early July at www.whooshscreenshine.com and across fine wireless, consumer electronics and general merchandise retailers this fall.  

About WHOOSH!

WHOOSH!® is defining the next generation of clean – a Super Natural Clean. Leveraging the latest advancements in nano- and biology-based technologies, WHOOSH! is focused on creating powerful, non-toxic & safe specialty-purpose cleaning products that simply outperform other traditional and natural cleaning products.  What started as a single product in 2011 has grown into a new and exciting brand that is revolutionizing the way consumers clean, polish and protect their mobile devices, displays and consumer electronics, Use it. See it. Believe it.  For more information, please call 1-866-631-1116 or visit http://whooshscreenshine.com/. WHOOSH! Inc. is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

*”SAFE FOR YOUR SCREEN” GUARANTEE. The WHOOSH!® screen cleaner product is guaranteed to not harm any screen of an electronic device that uses a screen of a type and nature that was commercially available on or before January 1, 2013 (including and limited to Apple Retina® displays, TFT, Glass, LCD, Plasma, LCD, OLED, UltraHD, CRT, Eink, and Ultra HD screens), so long as used properly.  If you feel the WHOOSH!® screen cleaner product, when used properly and according to the instructions provided with the product or on our website www.whooshscreenshine.com, has harmed the screen of your electronic device, WHOOSH! will either repair or replace the device.  Please see the complete Safe For Your Screen Guarantee at WHOOSHSCREENSHINE.COM.

[1] http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444868204578064960544587522.html