AV Magazine
The headwinds of economic uncertainty notwithstanding, 2023 bodes well for the industry in Iberia. In many sectors post-pandemic recovery was faster than expected with companies “thirsty” to communicate, according to Luis Carmo of Christie distributor, Total AV which is very optimistic for the immediate future.
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Christie’s local manager Marcos Fernández says the current climate is one of “frank optimism.” This is noticeable in rental and staging which was “practically at a standstill during the pandemic, but now especially dynamic.” RGB laser technology is in demand “due to the enormous visual impact that these offer to events, especially in mapping projections.”
Spanish signage vendor Nsign.TV has several projects under development and major licence deployments in the field. Jeroen Helms, Peerless AV’s EMEA sales director heralds “new projects in the pipeline and new ideas created every day”; while Genelec’s Miguel Dominguez espies increasing possibilities in the residential market around its Smart IP series. “If the general economy doesn´t shrink too much we will continue installing AV product,” he says.
Manuel Paredes, who manages sales in the market for Ross Video, says they’re seeing the growth of a high-level pro AV market in Iberia that is looking for higher quality and more reliable solutions. “I can foresee an increase in project budgets in the coming months due to EU investment funds,” he adds.
There’s a contrary view from Lightware whose sales director Ignacio Bujalance says the rental business is recovering slowly and unlikely to receive any investment soon despite Spanish local elections in 2023. “The corporate sector is in good shape,” he says, “but both Spain and Portugal are suffering from the economic downturn since Covid. We are still behind all other EU countries financially.”
Nonetheless the region engenders excitement about users’ high level of creativity in content and the quality of AV installs. Perhaps Llúis Badosa, CEO at Dataton partner inWO Smart AV, says it best. “There’s a perpetual desire to improve and the will to create new projects. We are a humble region but with a huge appetite for work and always want to be at the forefront of AV technology.”
In retail, especially, “there are multiple projects in Spain with the wow factor that are shaping the future of AV,” reports Helms. Recent examples can be found in Lefties Future store in Barcelona or the WOW concept store in Madrid both “definitely worth the visit,” he suggests, perhaps on your journey to ISE 2023. “There’s an ever-growing demand in the Iberian market for high quality solutions with the longevity to provide an optimum return on investment,” he adds.
It’s also a market with a good track record in the digitisation of physical notes Nsign.tv MD, Albert Baranera who highlights projects targeting tourists in many locales outside of the major cities.
Like NSign.tv, Alfalite is a Spanish vendor with international reach. The firm’s executive director Luis Garrido reports that Spain and Portugal are becoming “the production hub” of southern Europe for film and TV shows (House of the Dragon location shot there) and with outfits like Ficcion Producciones primed with XR environments.
“The XR market is exploding in broadcast, advertising and even in hybrid events, implementing Virtual Production solutions with (Alfalite) LED screens which are critical for quality and reliability,” he says.
For a relatively small country, Portugal is singled out by Dominguez for how quickly end users are adopting Genelec’s latest technologies. “Other markets such as the Nordic countries can represent a bigger business for us but nevertheless it is in Portugal where we are generating distinctive AV references.”
The countries are not generally separated in the sales channel. As Carmo points out, the market is Iberian which means that international brands have established their HQs in Spain and appointed country managers for the region. “This approach means that there is only one strategy for both countries,” he adds.
Of course, with the Portuguese market being much smaller than its neighbour “high level projects there are less frequent,” says Paredes. “In Spain, projects are always linked to local integrators/advisors, usually connected to large construction companies. Both sets of customers are looking for well-known solutions, with well-trained operators, or solutions that are easy to learn, so that they don’t spend too much time training their current operators.”
Outside the obvious targets of Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon, smaller cities are starting to stand out. “Valencia is incorporating more AV technologies for different scientific and cultural complexes,” says Fernández. “There’s a lot of interest in tools that allow museums to move all kinds of content and interact with external devices, such as infrared curtains. In the education sector, there’s a very innovative project in the Basque Country to equip vocational training centres with immersive interactive classrooms to promote collaborative learning.”
In entertainment, it’s worth highlighting the presence of Puy du Fou in Toledo, a unique attraction using impressive large-format projection mapping.
“These are both markets where camaraderie and familiarity reigns in dealing with customers and partners,” says Fernández. “The relationship is very close with all of them and it is a pleasure to work in such a relaxed environment. I believe that this is a peculiarity of our countries that makes us unique in the continent.”
Portugal: a closer look
In Portugal, AV pros talk up the ability of a small market to surprise with innovative projects. One of them is the WoW cultural district in Porto which, according to Genelec’s Miguel Dominguez, set the highest standards in immersive sound landscapes for interactive museums.
“There are multiple examples of AV installations in Portugal and this makes it easier for both local and foreign customers to be inspired by how our technology can aid creativity and meet the needs of AV integrators.”
Other examples of Genelec integrations – often through its distributor, Garrett – include 8351 coaxial monitors installed in the Café da Praça, a restaurant dedicated to the most typical dish in Porto: Francesinha (essentially a kind of sandwich, says Dominguez).
“It is amazing how our most sought-after monitors designed for recording studios are adopted in less critical listening applications to provide ambient sound, such as in a popular restaurant,” he says.
This trend stems from an install at the JNcQUOI restaurant chain and has spread to hotels including the 5-star IMMERSO in Ericeira which opened last June and shops such as Fashion Clinic Woman in Lisbon.
Portugal’s recovery plan
Via its Recovery and Resilience Plan the government is funding investment for cultural spaces to update their infrastructure. This includes 46 museums, palaces and monuments, including the Jerónimos Monastery, National Museum of Archaeology and the Belém Tower. There are also plans to upgrade a trio of national theatres (S. Carlos., D. Maria II and the Camões).
Total-AV has several proposals to supply Christie kit to some of these places, and expects “months of great activity.” Meanwhile, museums such as the Cycling Museum in Torres Vedras, which opened in 2021 have invested in new digital and interactive equipment.
“Many museums in Portugal are following the same concept, with immersive projections, interactive monitors and 4K projectors,” says Carmo.
He adds: “For a long time, Portugal was a country where everything arrived later, compared to Europe and the US, so a great deal of effort was needed to set the pace. It is exciting to realise that, at this moment, there is practically no difference to other countries.
“We are not the most affluent country, so it’s not always possible to provide the most advanced technology, but this is not due to lack of knowledge or specialised human resources.”
Portugal is also an increasingly digital country. Lisbon is host to the Web Summit until 2028 and the country attracts many ‘digital nomads’ and tech ‘unicorns’. “Some say Lisbon will soon be one of the most digital cities in the world,” says Carmo.
The Algarve is in demand for hosting major events which take advantage of the high number of hotels on offer. The year-round mild climate helps stage many outdoor events.
“The large cities on the coast and in the interior are also able to attract major events,” says Carmo, citing the City Stadium of Coimbra, host to four Coldplay concerts in 2023.
“And we all know how demanding Coldplay concerts are in terms of audio visuals.”
Excitement is high for next August’s Papal visit during Lisbon’s host of World Youth Day. More than 100,000 people are expected with a consequent need for AV kit.
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