The above is just another confirmation of something that we have been saying in this magazine for some time, in the sense that Digital Signage -in the field of applications- and the educational sector -as a business niche- are the great trends of the moment in the audiovisual industry.
Recently, at InfoComm, I consulted some Latino integrators and almost all agreed that on this side of the world there is still not much awareness about the opportunities that are opening up in the vertical segments, in many cases – and with good reason – because the volume of demand is not very high, but it also happens that the proper market research is not done and this allows perhaps important business to be lost.
In almost all the interviews we have conducted throughout the year we have encountered the same reality. Already the big fairs, such as InfoComm, bring together many exhibitors who openly show the solutions they have developed for this segment; interactivity is the news of the moment, so we will have to listen more in this field to explore new possibilities.
Universities, thanks to the contributions made by governments (when they are public), are becoming the most powerful buyers of technology; and to respond to their demands, some sectors are already creating media - portals and magazines - with content exclusively aimed at universities. Undoubtedly, the education sector is earning the respect of all.
I believe, very humbly, that this is a propitious moment to change the configuration of the audiovisual business in Latin America, and launch to develop vertical channels. Market research is never enough; the educational days for this type of client, the field visits and so on, will give the precise tools to understand how this type of client negotiates and what it is explicitly what it is looking for.
Julian Arcila Restrepo
Editor