Katia Cadena, a successful Brazilian businesswoman, tells us the essential criteria for the acquisition of LED screens.
By Adrian Morel *
On the incredible paradisiacal beach of Recife, more precisely on Boa Viagem Avenue, with a coffee in between and overlooking the sea, Katia Cadena, director of Lumen Event Technology, told us about her first steps, challenges and criteria to succeed in the business of acquiring and renting LED screens.
For a matter of simplicity and to facilitate the reader's understanding, we have categorized these concepts into different points.
1. Know the business: There is a phrase that says "It is not a good idea to measure the depth of a river with both feet at the same time." Katia began working with the rental of LED panels or modules in 2006 representing or working for third parties. The business was quite simple given that the international events landed first in São Paulo and then continued their journey through the interior of Brazil. Katia was located in the Northeast and was responsible for hosting top events and singers (such as Iron Maiden, for example). This allowed him to know the business, since he invested 3 years of his time to know even the smallest detail of them.
2. Choose a market niche: Within the events, there are events of different nature, international events, local, political events, musical groups, corporate or private parties, etc. The important thing is to know how to differentiate and define what type of event we are going to attend. Katia, specialized in the production of high quality, sophistication and aim at high technology. Thus, today all its equipment is distributed in top brands such as Barco, Lighthouse and Panasonic.
3. Study your competitors: If you want to compete with professionals who do massive, low-definition events, the best thing you can do is see what kind of equipment and technology is required for that niche market. The same applies to demanding events, live production with television networks, simultaneous satellite transmission and so on. For this niche market the technology used by your competitors will give you a guideline of the investment you will have to make to be at the same professional height.
4. Pay attention to technical specifications: Buying reputable or expensive brands does not guarantee that we will have the right technology to meet our goal. In that sense, one must be aware and at the forefront of the right technology, including the smallest details.
5. Hire external consulting: Even if you think you have everything under control, it is always convenient to seek the opinion of an expert in the area. Thus, Katia has not hesitated to hire independent consulting to corroborate or correct detail by detail.
6. Choose the best manufacturers: Once the technology has been defined and the necessary consulting studies have been done, it is time to go out and find the best supplier that meets the specified technical requirements. The choice of a manufacturer is very important, because in this business, you depend a lot on technology and you will need the support of the factory over the years.
7. Warranty and Technical Assistance: LED equipment must always be in perfect condition and downtime is not acceptable under any circumstances. That is why you must have abundant spare parts, backup equipment, a supplier that guarantees quick solutions and offers technical assistance before, during and after each event.
8. Manufacturer Training: Although everything seems that it can be solved via the Internet or via conference call, it is important that the manufacturer offers training in the customer's offices or warehouses. Buying LED equipment is not like buying a book on Amazon and having it mailed to you via UPS, DHL or Fedex, but it is something much more sophisticated, the investment is important and the customer deserves to be taken care of properly.
9. TOTAL Quality: The quality issue does not begin and end with the equipment, but total quality must be offered in each sector involved in the process. The provision of "service" during the event must be neat and impeccable. The staff must dress correctly, they must respect the safety rules, have the right tools. Logistics must be punctual, organized and professional. Important emphasis on "efficient management" both in the administrative area, customer service, pre and post service to measure satisfaction levels or correct elapsed errors, etc.
10. homework but soft on people. Working intensely is fine, being demanding is necessary, efficiency in an event takes precedence, but do not forget that the human factor is the most important thing in any business. Having satisfied and happy employees and customers is priceless. Be kind to each of them and considerate when appropriate.
Conclusions:
It is clear that in the business of LED screens there is no room for improvisation. There's a saying that goes "I'm so poor I can't afford to buy cheap," because at the end of the story, cheap ends up being expensive. This business is high investment and you have to be prepared for it.
Finally, when we asked Katia about "who will win the 2014 World Cup", she replied ".........". Well, you don't really need to write your answer because surely you already imagine what the answer of a Brazilian woman could be.
* Adrian Morel, MBA, is a consultant in Silicon Valley, California and can be contacted by email: [email protected]
