Inavate + Sennheiser: Engaged and accessible

• Features

• 23/07/2024

When you see a piece of technology deployed at an office or in a classroom, you know that multiple parties were involved in ensuring that it operates as intended. From the manufacturers that create products, to the consultants that design systems and the integrators that deploy and manage them, it takes a team to make sure technology creates value for users.

Sennheiser is cognisant of this fact, and it comes as no surprise that the manufacturer has an extensive engagement strategy to make sure that they are in touch with the AV community. After all, building a team requires effort.

Sennheiser is determined to connect and bring meaningful, value-adding solutions to the AV community. Therefore, tradeshows and exhibitions form the core of Sennheiser’s engagement strategy. For proof, we just need to look at its track record. Sennheiser was at ISE 2024 in Barcelona and InfoComm China 2024. It intends to be at InfoComm 2024 in Las Vegas and will also be participating in InfoComm Asia 2024 to be held in Bangkok, Integrate 2024 in Sydney, and InfoComm India 2024 in Mumbai. If it is an international or regional AV exhibition of note, you can expect Sennheiser to be present.

Sennheiser’s participation in InfoComm Asia 2024 deserves further exploration. The manufacturer is investing in its presence and has committed to having a larger booth at the show. The whole regional sales and marketing team from Southeast Asia is also expected to be in Bangkok along with the top leadership. This engagement strategy allows for the AV community and industry professionals to have easy access to Sennheiser personnel and connect with their team.

But why exactly are trade shows such an integral part of Sennheiser’s engagement strategy? Petteri Murto, vice president of sales, business communications at Sennheiser APAC, answers: “Demo is king. This is a fact that is acknowledged not only by us but also by the industry at large. And what better way to organise demo sessions that will be easy for the AV community to attend than at trade shows. Audio is not something you can see, so you really must experience it in order to understand the difference and to appreciate the products that we create. This is something that we want to achieve for every partner and ever member of the industry when they come to the Sennheiser booth in Bangkok.”

Murto sheds light on what can be expected in the form of demos at InfoComm Asia 2024: “We’ll have the full range of Sennheiser products on show. We will be showcasing our award-winning TC Bar at InfoComm Asia 2024. Our booth in Bangkok will have a special TC Bar lounge where the AV community can come, sit down, and experience the TC Bar in action and learn about its features and engage with our team and technicians to have any questions they might have answered.”

The TC Bar is a feature-rich product. It is an all-in-one conferencing device that has auto-framing, person tiling, a built-in DSP, and much more in one package and to fully understand it an ‘experience’ is necessary. It makes sense that Sennheiser is looking to maximise the potential of engaging with the AV community in Bangkok by providing demo sessions for the product.

Furthermore, the award-winning TeamConnect Ceiling Medium will also have specific demo sessions scheduled at InfoComm Asia 2024. Most interestingly, the TCC M will be presented in tandem with a range of solutions from other manufacturers to showcase how it performs in broader technology systems together with third-party products.

Murto talks about why this is important: “We must showcase how our products work with third-party products because we understand that our solutions do not operate in a vacuum. Solutions from our alliance partners and others are required to complete the technology ecosystem. And it is in our interest to highlight how the trusted Sennheiser audio quality can be delivered in all circumstances. The demos that we have will make sure visitors understand that they will never have to compromise on performance.”

Another externality of these demo sessions is the fact that the AV community can speak to Sennheiser technology experts to get specific understanding regarding the solutions.

Sennheiser understands that the demands of every customer and every partner are different, and there are many combinations and permutations in which technology can be integrated together. This is why the Sennheiser technology experts are always present on Sennheiser booths at trade shows, so that partners can obtain the information they need and even delve deeper into the unique problems that they are facing. On the wider scale, Sennheiser’s engagement strategy incorporates a drive to create partnerships and alliances. Murto says: “We want to offer customers the freedom to seamlessly experience our sound together with technology components from other leading brands in the industry. And this is not something that we pay lip service to. At the show, Sennheiser will be presenting its products together with Q-SYS, Crestron, Lumens, Barco, and others. At our own booth we will have LG and Netgear supporting our solutions as well.”

To add, Sennheiser also has certifications for multiple UC platforms which include Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Tencent, and many more.

Similarly, Sennheiser has partnered with both GPA and PSNI Global Alliance to create even deeper bonds with the integration community. Last but not least, Sennheiser actively looks to recognise and support achievements across the AV community in Asia Pacific. Sennheiser is sponsoring the Corporate Project category at the Inavate APAC Awards 2024 to shine a light on the exceptional work that is delivered in this sector by AV professionals in Asia Pacific.

Sennheiser’s engagement strategy ties in with its ultimate aims and objectives. Murto concludes: “We want to be the preferred audio solution for the market. When people want good quality audio, Sennheiser should be the first thing that comes into the minds. And to get our message across we will be engaging with the AV community with multiple touchpoints. We reach out to the end users, the leading consultants in the market to help with ideation and the development process of new ideas, we work with integrators to solve issues that might crop up in the field. We are always present, at trade shows and at industry events. It is our aim to be accessible. We want to deliver the best audio solutions by innovating and we want our technology to be meaningful by solving real problems.”