Commercial Integrator March 2021 - 11

#AVDistribution
How AV Integrators
Are Helping Live
Events Organizers
Reimagine Shows
THE LIVE EVENTS INDUSTRY
has been the hardest hit vertical
since the start of the coronavirus
pandemic, with a dip from
$29 billion to $23 billion in
the AV market share in 2020,
according to AVIXA research.
The inability to have big
groups gathered at arenas
and concert halls and sports
stadiums across the U.S. and
around the world has meant
event organizers and planners
have had to be more creative
than ever to deliver the music
and entertainment experiences
people want in different ways.
Integrated Systems Events recently
hosted the latest in its RISE
Spotlight series, focusing on live
events and how they've been
reimagined, whether through
the use of augmented and virtual
reality or via streaming or avatars
plopped into online multi-player
video games.
Some companies are adding
remote cheering capabilities
that allow fans to root for their
favorite teams or cheer on their
favorite musical artists from the
comfort of their living rooms,
says Yvan Boudillet, founder of
The Lynk.
He says artists use Twitch and
even online games like Fortnite
to reach fans.
" There's not much immersive
going on now, " says Boudillet.
" It's more about potential,
which is great. "
Seedcamp's Tom Wilson
sees the future of live events as
hybrid, with fans at the venue
and millions of others around the
world able to tune in from home.
" The collaborations are very
different, " said artistic director
and show producer Emma Bull.
" You don't have to think about
the constraints of moving the
show from one venue to another.
You can design the space in
a 360-degree way.
" It's not to replace live music.
It's not something you film and
use six months down the line.
It's a completely different discipline.
You don't have to change
how you do things. You just
have more input, " she said.
Robin Collins, co-director of
Lost Horizon, says the company
uses green screens to stream
artists into all kinds of different
worlds. In a way, he says, that
" creates a gamer environment
for the audience. "
" Authenticity is the key, " he
said. " You don't want it to feel
like a flimsy impersonation.
We'll never do anything that
won't allow the audience to
connect with each other.
Driift's Rick Salmon says it's
about " taking the experience
and reimagining it. "
" This gives us a chance to
democratize live music, " he
said. " It's such an exciting part
of what we all do. "
The next step in delivering live
music and events, said Bell, is
" creating projects that go on for
longer - bridging where are now
to where we're going to get. "
Web Roberts, production
manager at The Invisible
Solution, says the reimagining
of live events is " taking away
some of the need to take an
event around the world, but
there are a lot of people who
depend on this kind of work. "
››#ISE2021, @Twitch
#NETWORKING
Gartner: IT Spending
To Grow 6.2% In 2021
NEW RESEARCH from Gartner
suggests that organizations will
continue to accelerate their digital
transformation in 2021 and
beyond, and that could require
the help of the pro AV industry
and system integrators.
According to a Gartner
Live events have possibly been the most disrupted industry
throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
commercialintegrator.com
forecast, global IT spending is
expected to grow by 6.2% this
year as organizations continue
on their digital transformation
journey that was accelerated
early last year due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
This comes after worldwide
IT spending actually declined
last year at a 3.2% clip as
CIOs prioritized spending on
mission-critical technologies
that helped their organizations
remain viable in 2020.
According to the research
organization, spending on
devices and communications
services will increase by 6%
and 4.5%, respectively, which
gives the pro AV industry and
integrators insight into how
customers are thinking about
the return to work.
Jon-David Lovelock, a
distinguished research vice
president at Gartner, said in a
statement that CIOs in 2021
must continue to save cash
while expanding IT capabilities.
" With the economy returning
to a level of certainty,
companies are investing in IT
in a manner consistent with
their expectations for growth,
not their current revenue
levels, " Lovelock said. " Digital
business, led by projects with
a short Time to Value, will get
more money and board level
attention going into 2021. "
The device segment growth
is second only to enterprise
software, which is expected to
grow at an 8.8% clip due to expanded
remote or hybrid work.
However, there are a combination
of factors that push
devices higher, Lovelock said.
" As countries continue
remote education through this
year, there will be a demand
for tablets and laptops for
students, " Lovelock said.
" Likewise, enterprises are
industrializing remote work for
employees as quarantine measures
keep employees at home
and budget stabilization allows
CIOs to reinvest in assets that
were sweated in 2020. "
›› @Gartner_IT, #Budget
MARCH 2021 Commercial Integrator
11
http://www.commercialintegrator.com
Commercial Integrator March 2021

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