CE Pro January 2022 - 53

PEOPLE+PLACES
Also, he showed them how
to walk outside the simulation
room to the media room,
family room, and kitchen, to
help make the new addition
feel like a natural extension
of their home, " Barry says.
" The client had a total 'aha!'
moment, which helped
us sell the entire project, and
more quickly than we ever
could have done by producing
traditional 2D or 3D
renderings. "
That benefit has boosted
Millennium's bottom line
not only by converting leads
into sales more quickly, but
by streamlining the company's
workflow significantly.
Before investing in Modus
VR, Millennium often hired
outside architects to create
3D renderings of projects -
at $3,500 apiece.
Not only was it a costly
endeavor but one that hindered
collaboration between
Millennium and its clients in
real-time, Barry explains.
" Our customers would look
over the renderings, try to
visualize the solutions in their
own homes, and usually came
back with many questions,
clarifications and modifications
that added to the time
and total project cost for either
updates or a totally new
set of revised drawings. And,
because it wasn't done in
real time in the actual space,
client's never 'saw' their room
until the actual installation.
By that time, questions and
changes are too late or even
more costly, " he says.
cepro.com
" I figured by the end of
the first year, we'd be able to
cover any costs associated
with the Modus VR technology
and software. I was
wrong. We made the money
back in two months - it's
the single best investment
I've made all year. "
He notes that Modus VR's
virtual reality, Modus Photo
or Modus 360 presentations
have resonated well
with builders, architects and
designers, generating additional
buzz and business for
Millennium.
" When we can show our
trade partners what certain
rooms look like before
they're constructed, it's a
win-win for everyone, " Barry
relates. " We had a builder
recently ask us to design a
project for a customer who
asked for our firm. Without
telling him, Austin designed
the entire space. When he
came in and saw it in Modus
VR, he dropped his mouth
wide open and said verbatim
that this was the best sales
tool he had have ever seen. "
As for Crouthamel, leveraging
the software continues
to help him push design
boundaries for Millennium
customers.
" I love getting very creative
with it and then showing a
real room or area to people
with all the products in it -
even artwork. It's exciting
work, being able to transform
concepts into actual rooms
with the tech, furniture and
other elements. "
BECKNER
CEDIA has
hired Amanda
Beckner, CTS,
as its new vice
president of
education and training.
Beckner has over two
decades of experience in
association management,
learning program development,
and the AV industry.
As vice president of learning
at AVIXA, she led the digital
transformation of the
association's curriculum,
shepherded three AVIXA
certifications and multiple
standards to ANSI/ISO
17024 accreditation, and
built an active global
network of over 250
education, certification, and
standards volunteers. As
president and COO of THE
rAVe Agency, she led
long-term strategy and
operations and oversaw
growth of the LAVNCH program
into the leading virtual
event platform for the
audiovisual industry. " We're
in the midst of developing
training and resources to
support stacked certifications;
expanding our virtual
conference programs; and
launching in-person training
led by certified volunteer
instructors across North
America. Mandy, astonishingly,
joins us with a record
of smashing success across
all these initiatives, and two
decades of AV industry
experience to boot, " says
Giles Sutton, CEDIA SVP,
Member Success and Sales.
RAJI
On the heels
of a Series
B funding
announcement
with
participation from Resideo
and continued momentum
in the consumer and
builder channels, Brilliant
has added Reza Raji as
chief business development
officer. Raji, formerly of
Xenio Systems and iControl,
will be tasked with building
out the company's business
strategy and relationships
with security and home
automation vendors.
As a part of a virtual ceremony
hosted by CEDIA in
November, the association
announced the winners of
the 2021 CEDIA Awards in
the Americas region. CEDIA
recognized member manufacturers
in hardware and
software categories, and
awarded several international
integration firms with
global honors. Among the
honorees were the 2021 CEDIA
Lifetime Achievement
Award winners, Control4
Co-founders Will West and
Eric Smith.
HAVE SOME NEWS TO SHARE?
Email Jason Knott at jason.knott@emeraldx.com
January 2022 CE Pro | 53
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