High expectations of technology in performance and design
characterise the vibrant Nordics market
As one might imagine, AV in the Nordics is cutting edge and
tech savvy, heavily design centric and driven by the latest and greatest
innovations coming out of the US and Europe. That’s not to say they’re not cost-conscious. Overall, the
region’s economy has managed to avoid many of the issues faced by other
European countries recently, allowing technology and design to flourish and
form a key factor in many installations.
“The results speak for themselves,” says Richard Smith,
sales manager, Calibre UK. “It has to look good and we are not talking about
the product, but the end result. Quality leads the way in many installs, with
the customer not needing to know how you get there, so long as it looks good
and performs well.”
Tomas Erikson, Maverick’s business development manager for
Sweden, says: “The Nordic region is extremely tech orientated and leads in
adapting to new technology. On a general level you need to work to the fact
that end users have high expectations of tech and the younger generation will enter
the workplace expecting their employers to have technology to enable nimble
work practices.”
Serge Philippo, Creston’s regional director says its
partners and end users are early adopters of high-end technologies: “They often
want things that still don’t exist”.
GLP Nordics’ sales manager, Daniel Rüdén also characterises
Scandinavians as very technology savvy. “They are constantly looking for new
developments and craving to get their hands on cutting edge technology. This
reflects the behaviour from end clients and users alike in this region, as they
are used to very high standards in advanced AV.”
Channel differences
The business climate in the region is broadly similar but there are notably differences in approach and channel which are worth considering.
The business climate in the region is broadly similar but there are notably differences in approach and channel which are worth considering.
“In Denmark and Finland communication is more straight
forward: you ask straight questions and you get straight answers,” says Rüdén.
“Business in Sweden and Norway is based more on networking, relationships and
word of mouth.”
“Norwegian clients are very brand loyal and appreciate the
kudos of particular ‘marques’,” reports Dennis Lundell, CEO, Aloud (a CEDIA
member). “They are very willing to invest in particular items that are high end
and stand out from their contemporaries.”
By contrast, he says, Swedish clients tend to opt for the
complete package “and are more willing to draw on our years of expertise and
knowledge.” The demand for tailored services and solutions is higher in the
Swedish market. “Swedes value and wish to invest in hidden and more integrated
systems, quite possibly a direct reflection of the how Swedes appreciate
understated presentation.”
Perhaps Denmark sticks out, simply because the small
geographic area with short transportation distances makes the market very
compact.
“Any reseller can compete all over Denmark,” observes Lars
Persen, pedagogical leader for Scandec Systemer, Norwegian distributor for
Promethean. “This also creates a less distinct line between distributors and
resellers.”
Other Scandinavian countries have clearer distribution
channels. “There is need for both warehouse and specialist AV capacity
nationally and installation resources and services locally, sometimes very far
from the national capitals and warehouses,” says Persen. “In this, the
Norwegian AV market is distinguished by its more demanding geography.”
Dataton sales director Trond Solvold, adds, “It’s important
for Danish customers to have direct contact with the manufacturer while Swedish
and Norwegian dealers are used to working with distributors,” while Melinda Von
Horvath, vp sales & marketing for Peerless-AV suggests, “Norway is a
geographically segmented market with a lot of dealers. Sweden is similarly a
dealer market, Whereas, Finland is more of a distribution market. All need to
be treated differently.”
One example of the differences between Denmark and the other
Scandinavian countries are the public framework agreements. “While
municipalities and counties for all their purchases have local framework
agreements based on smaller tender descriptions, Denmark is totally centralized
through a nationwide tenders,” explains Persen. “The Danish public market is
perhaps easier to dominate – or to be excluded from.
“In short, we can describe the Swedish and Danish market as
business driven, while Norway is more conservative. This might have to do with
the fact that Sweden and Denmark are EU-members and Norway not.”
The seemingly unwavering growth in the Swedish economy is
reflected in the flourishing residential AV and custom installation market.
Oil money
Lundell reports a high level of interest in “truly bespoke integrated solutions and an increase in the uptake of traditional handcrafted products” such as the Parisien metal work light switches of Meljac, paired with the latest functionality of Aloud’s control system.
Lundell reports a high level of interest in “truly bespoke integrated solutions and an increase in the uptake of traditional handcrafted products” such as the Parisien metal work light switches of Meljac, paired with the latest functionality of Aloud’s control system.
If Sweden is the Nordic’s biggest AV market, Norway is
economically stronger. While the recent slump in oil prices has impacted
project investment the nation is awash with North Sea profits, smartly pooling
over U$880 billion (€753bn) into a sovereign wealth fund.
Evidence of this can be found in Stavenger, Norway’s oil
capital “back on the chart as a marketplace for innovations and communications”
since oil prices more than doubled this spring from a low in early 2017. “The
oil industry was always very international and because of high demand for
efficient meetings across continents, Stavanger is a major force in locating
good pro AV solutions, particularly for video conferencing and collaboration,
also for offshore communications,” Lundell says.
Crestron is currently supplying kit for a client there.
“Their goal is to make the world’s smartest building,” says Philippo, “where
the building itself learns to know how its users are working and are adapting
to their needs.”
Elsewhere in Norway, Bergen is becoming a major hub for
media companies, start-ups, conferences and broadcasting clustered around the
Media City which officially opened last November. A new airport terminal in
Bergen features large format projectors to create an extended user space through
24/7 projection of tourist-friendly (natural landscapes) visual information.
It’s set with a lower brightness to blend in with the wooden and marble
interior of the airport.
Twin convention centres
Stockholm and Copenhagen are centres of conventions, conferences and concerts. The rapid expansion in the Fintech market is particularly noticeable in Sweden. Companies such as King, Klarna and Spotify all require AV-smart office space for meeting rooms, entertaining areas and multimedia facilities.
Stockholm and Copenhagen are centres of conventions, conferences and concerts. The rapid expansion in the Fintech market is particularly noticeable in Sweden. Companies such as King, Klarna and Spotify all require AV-smart office space for meeting rooms, entertaining areas and multimedia facilities.
“The demand for AV in Stockholm is huge as the city is
rapidly and constantly growing, so there is constant demand from new
entertainment and MICE venues,” says Rüdén.
“Event companies have gained in stature and clout across the
region,” says Solvold. “They work directly with corporate marketing departments
so they exert a lot of influence over what is done and what technology is used.
It’s perhaps a result of the “do-it-myself” attitude where many companies
initially try to delegate AV requirements to the IT department or developers.
When the AV bar is raised, event companies can step in with their expertise.”
Scandinavia hosts a wide variety of events increasing year
on year, ranging from music festivals to conferencing.
For example, touring
exhibition Monitor Road Show will tour Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland over
the summer; next year Sweden hosts the FIS Alpine Skiing World Championships,
which will provide a variety of opportunities for AV. This autumn’s general
election in Sweden might also have an impact on AV demand at political rallies.
In the digital signage sector Peerless-AV spies many
opportunities for its Xtreme High Bright Outdoor Displays beyond the kit’s
weatherproof capabilities. Von Horvath attributes this in part to the rise of
electric charging stations that use outdoor displays in custom kiosk solutions.
Iceland small but strong
Let’s not forget Iceland in our tour of the Nordics. With barely 350,000 inhabitants, the market is very small yet modern and surprisingly strong in AV. “Icelandic AV companies such as Origo (previously Nýherji) exhibit strong technical knowledge of new technology and an understanding of digital signage products in particular,” notes Von Horvath.
Let’s not forget Iceland in our tour of the Nordics. With barely 350,000 inhabitants, the market is very small yet modern and surprisingly strong in AV. “Icelandic AV companies such as Origo (previously Nýherji) exhibit strong technical knowledge of new technology and an understanding of digital signage products in particular,” notes Von Horvath.
“Iceland has a very broad entertainment culture, which in
turn creates a demand for new technology,” says Rüdén. One example is the Harpa
concert hall in Reykjavik, described by Rüdén as a “very forward-thinking
venue, both from an architectural and AV equipment perspective.”
Persen reports increasing investments in pro AV in higher
education in Norway in particular. The Norwegian University of Science and
Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim is spending €70 million on new buildings with
construction due to start this autumn. “Demand for video streaming and more
interactive communication methods are changing how the Scandinavian
universities think, something that will be mirrored in big new campus
investments,” he adds.
“A distinct shift is that that there now is little or no
separation between AV equipment, such as panels, cameras and sound systems, and
IT systems, including student computers, programming robots and software
solutions,” says Persen. “There is simply a demand that everything installed in
a classroom is able to work together, more and more seamlessly.”
In Oslo there are major investments in public buildings like
the new Deichman library, opening in 2019, and a brand new national museum. The
latter will, when open in 2020, become the largest museum in the Nordic region.
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