Mexico. Just a year ago, during the 2016 edition of TecnoMultimedia InfoComm, Panasonic announced the launch of its professional equipment rental service focused on audiovisual services companies, event producers and congress organizers that require the most advanced technology for the realization of their projects. To date, the rental scheme has been a commercial success with results well above forecasts.
According to Salvador Cuevas, Manager of Imaging and Display Sales at Panasonic de México, sales of rental services in the first year exceeded the original business plan by 26%. "In this first year we reached an average of 22 rental services per month, a figure that exceeded our first calculations. The requests for equipment rental services we receive are such that we expect growth of up to 200% at the end of this fiscal year (March 2018)," says Salvador Cuervas.
The Panasonic equipment rental service includes equipment that, due to its high technical specifications or price, is difficult to find in the local market of rental companies. Projectors of great luminosity, from 20 thousand to 30 thousand lumens, for massive events in large venues in video-mapping or blending applications, are key equipment in this new business model.
In addition to the availability of high-end projectors, event producers and rental companies value the manufacturer's local support. "Our customers are satisfied and calm when renting equipment with Panasonic, as they receive technical support, training for its correct use and advice to find the best solution in large-scale projects. We understand the needs of the rental business, we adjust to the requirements of local companies and we seek to help them to satisfy their end customers," adds the Panasonic executive.
Being a global company, Panasonic provides unique advantages in the market, such as the support and logistics necessary for Mexican companies to rent equipment to hold their events throughout Latin America without worrying about temporary import procedures. To this is added the availability of premium models such as the new PT-RQ32KU (4K UHD and 27 thousand lumens), with four units and the PT-DZ21K2U (Full HD and 20 thousand lumens) with 16 units.
"Factors such as the performance of our projectors, their weight and size are also important for users, because they know that these points positively impact the budget of their events, with savings in areas such as transportation or extra personnel," Salvador Cuevas concluded.
Among the future plans are the opening of business units of the rental scheme in cities such as Guadalajara or Cancun, in addition to the collaboration with other Panasonic Corporation companies interested in this new model.
