Details Matter!

Quality…Stability…Relevant Functionality…This stuff doesn’t just happen

Whether you are obsessive compulsive like me (there are more of you than you would like to admit) or not, everyone loves a clean, well-built, well-dressed equipment rack. Equipment intentionally located and organized, wire and cables cleanly routed and bundled, matching labels appropriately sized using the same font...these are the things that cause us OCD people to smile.

In today’s culture where attention spans have dropped to approximately 8 seconds, it is often believed that a quality end-result is the product of talented individuals installing a collection of equipment at any point in the process. What few consider is that delivering at the highest level over and over again begins months, if not years, before a single wire is pulled or terminated.

While a well-built equipment rack is only a small piece of AVL systems, very often you can tell the quality and attention given to the rest of the AVL systems by paying close attention to the equipment racks and how they function for the organization.

Are they constantly being re-built due to instability?

Is the staff constantly wrestling with the equipment to get the functionality they need?

OR do they rarely get touched because the staff IS getting what they need, and the functionality was setup from the beginning to change with the growing needs of the organization?

Depending on these answers, you will have a very clear picture of the effectiveness and timeliness of the design process that did or did not take place long before the racks were ever purchased.

The objective for any AVL construction or renovation project should be to ensure that the systems are created based on needs, desires, and growth path of the organization, rather than what can be pulled off within the constraints of decisions made without necessary knowledge and forethought. Surprisingly, many still believe that an AVL firm can be brought in when the building design is largely complete and at times, when the building is already under construction. If you take the time to think about it, you will agree that these two thoughts cannot coexist. If this pandemic has proven anything, it is that AVL technology systems are primary tools used to create the experience for the viewer or attendee. Holding the design and integration of these systems out of the discussion during the core of a project’s inception will always lead to surprise costs, and systems that are shoehorned into facilities, rather than strategically and efficiently woven within.

Committing to the concept that AVL & Acoustic systems are a priority, and bringing your integrator into the project early will lead to a more stable understanding of overall project budgets, more efficient building and infrastructure design processes, and systems that are designed for the present and future needs of the organization.

Design does not happen in a day. Nice renderings without deliberate strategy is hollow and leads to mistakes, missed opportunities and change orders adding surprise costs to the project. Regardless of the project, system, or venue; commit to the details and you will find the process will reward you.

Details matter.

Neal Watson | Director of Integration