Dubai hosts first combined Apart and Community seminar
Published: MEA
UAE: Audioprof Group International took the opportunity of the InfoComm MEA show to host a packed afternoon of seminars and demos for the Apart and Community product lines. This was the first time a joint seminar for the two brands had taken place since Community joined Audioprof.
The afternoon kicked off at the Holiday Inn Al Barsha with an introduction to the group by sales and marketing director Kris Vermuyten. A Community overview followed courtesy of international sales manager EMEA, Jamie Ward, whilst Apart’s international advisor, Ian Hodgkinson, rounded proceedings off.
The 40 attendees were then divided into two breakout groups in order that they could listen to dedicated presentations from both manufacturers. In addition to discussing the Apart amplifier and control ranges, Mr Hodgkinson also walked the audience through Mask, SDQ5P and the Ovo selection of speakers with suggested applications. Regular questions and interjections from the attendees ensured an interactive atmosphere for the afternoon. The presentation finished with a comparison demo using Mask and Ovo speakers against a selection of similar products.
Over in the adjacent seminar room, Community's director of technical services, David Howden, had flown in from Pennsylvania to explain the benefits of the R, D and E series with an emphasis on voice intelligibility. A variety of application examples were shown for both indoor and outdoor use including tennis courts, convention centres and also minarets. Challenging reverberant environments such as transit centres with glass roofs were also highlighted in case study examples for which products such as the Entasys series of architectural column speakers could be used.
A satisfied Mr Vermuyten summed up the event: ‘We are extremely happy with the turnout, the synergy between Apart and Community has really worked here, we can now offer a complete range from very small to large applications in loudspeakers and the market clearly appreciates that.
‘In terms of the attendees we were looking for a mix of customers; those who already use apart products and we can introduce them to Community or the other way round,’ he continued. ‘Equally we were interested to meet potential new companies which we’ve seen and there have also been a number of consultants here.’
The afternoon culminated with food and drinks on the terrace and provided a final opportunity for any final questions and informal discussion.