Vancouver, British Columbia is the Next Stop on the 2015 Stampede Big Book of AV Tour & Conference Series

ProAV dealers and end-user customers in the great Pacific northwest will have the opportunity to learn how to profitably integrate drones, video conferencing, and video walls into their long-term business development plans when the 2015 Stampede Big Book of AV (BBOAV) Tour and Conference series makes its next stop at The Westin Wall Centre at the Vancouver Airport (3099 Corvette Way, Richmond, BC) on May 14, 2015. Registration information can be found at www.bigbookofavtour.com. 

The ProAV industry’s biggest annual traveling roadshow is going to provide Vancouver-area dealers and their customers with a jam-packed agenda of manufacturer exhibits, information-rich presentations, and CTS-certified training classes that emphasize both mainstream ProAV product categories and new revenue-generating platforms like drones.

“The Stampede Big Book of AV Tour & Conference series is the industry event that it is precisely because it consistently shows dealers how to continue to maximize their sales of traditional ProAV solutions while learning how to add new product categories into their mix,” Stampede President & COO Kevin Kelly said today. “The Vancouver stop will be a great example of this.  We’re going to provide dealers with terrific information about profiting from the continued adoption of low cost video conferencing and video walls in more and more vertical market applications and, at the same event, we are going to introduce them to the next generation of drones from many of today’s leading drone manufacturers.

Specifically, the Vancouver stop will feature drone-centric training sessions on UAV Fundamentals: Overview of the Technology and Use in the ProAV Industry and UAV Applications for the ProAV Industry.

“Drones are poised to become a major revenue stream for ProAV dealers because many businesses, in a variety of fields, are beginning to understand just how much value they add to their operations,” Kelly explained. “Only Stampede, with its strategic alliance with Unmanned Vehicle University, has the capability to provide dealers with a wide range of drone options and the training courses required to certify operators.  This is a combination that no other company can offer ProAV dealers.”

This stop will also feature a session about Video Conferencing Fundamentals for the ProAV Industry and a presentation fromNEC Account Manager, Channel Sales Mark Weniger, briefing attendees on NEC 10 Steps to a Successful Video Wall. Attendees in this class will come away with a better understanding of what goes into a video wall solution including tips for mounting, ventilation, color calibration, power management and content creation.

Furthermore, Stampede will offer event incentives such as a $500 Stampede credit to qualified attendees and a $50 Amex gift card to all in attendance the day of the Tour and Conference. Every attendee will also be entered into a drawing to win a 60” LG LED HDTV.

Manufacturers participating in the 2015 Stampede Big Book of AV Tour & Conference include Optoma, Sharp, Chief, Mustang, Ken-a-vision, Lumens, Sony, Christie, Hitatchi, Hitachi Starboard, Samsung, Ladibug, Atlona, Balt, Iogear, Epson, LG, Vision, NEC, Benq, Da-Lite, Casio, AVteq, Canon, Peerless AV, Hall Research, DynoScan, Vidyo, Circle Technology, WHOOSH! Screen Shine, Gefin, MediaPointe, AmpliVox, Audio Solutions, Vaddio, Luidia, and BrightSign.

Stampede Partners with InfoComm Roundtable Events for the Big Book of AV Tour and Conference Stop in Houston, Texas

The 2015 Stampede Big Book of AV (BBOAV) Tour and Conference, the ProAV industry’s biggest annual traveling roadshow, will make its next stop at the Houston Marriott South Hobby Airport Hotel on March 26th, where it will team up with InfoComm to provide dealers with a jam packed agenda of hands-on product demonstrations, information-rich presentations, CTS-certified training classes, and an InfoComm roundtable discussion on industry issues.

“Fueled by a huge dealer interest in all things related to drones, 2015 is turning out to be our biggest tour yet,” Stampede President & COO Kevin Kelly said today. “Our partnership with InfoComm’s Roundtable Events provides attendees with additional access to leading industry executives and subject matter experts.  And, of course, the participation of leading manufacturers from every product category make the 2015 Big Book of AV Tour & Conference a must-attend networking and business developing event for any forward-looking ProAV dealer.”

After stopping first in Tampa, Las Vegas, and, most recently, Chicago, the 2015 Stampede BBOAV Tour and Conference is set to provide Houston-area dealers and AV professionals with the opportunity to meet with leading AV industry manufacturers, attend CTS-certified trainings, and participate in industry-focused roundtable discussions.

Specifically, the Houston stop will feature a morning keynote by InfoComm SVP Duffy Wilbert, CTS, CAE, and three industry training sessions entitled “Samsung, Sorting Out Media Players for Digital Signage,” by Jonathan Brawn of Brawn Consulting, “Sony Unified Communications & Video Conferencing Fundamentals,” and “Overview of the Drone/ UAS Industry and Business Potential” both by Paul Dragos, Stampede Unified Communications Group's Director of Engineering and Unmanned Vehicle University’s Dean of School of Flight Training. 

“Dealers are finally getting the message that drones represent a major new revenue opportunity that they can immediately begin to incorporate into their portfolio of solutions,” Kelly explained.  “And Stampede offers them a very clear way to profit from drones by offering the industry’s broadest range of drones for every possible application, along with the training courses that dealers can resell to their customers. Our strategic alliance with Unmanned Vehicle University provides Stampede with a compelling end-to-end solution that includes product, training, and service support.” 

Furthermore, Stampede will be offering event incentives such as a $500 Stampede credit to qualified attendees and a $50 Amex gift card to all in attendance the day of the Tour and Conference. Every attendee will also be entered into a drawing to win a 42” HD television.

Manufacturers participating in the 2015 Stampede Big Book of AV Tour & Conference include Optoma, Sharp, Chief, Mustang, Ken-a-vision, Lumens, Sony, Christie, Hitatchi, Hitachi Starboard, Samsung, Ladibug, Atlona, Balt, Iogear, Epson, LG, Vision, NEC, Benq, Da-Lite, Casio, AVteq, Canon, Peerless AV, Hall Research, DynoScan, Vidyo, Circle Technology, WHOOSH! Screen Shine, Gefin, MediaPointe, AmpliVox, Audio Solutions, Vaddio, Luidia, and BrightSign.

For more information about the event and to register to attend, dealers and AV professionals should go to www.bigbookofavtour.com.

Stampede Joins Forces with InfoComm to Bring Pro AV Dealers the All New 2015 Stampede Big Book of AV North American Dealer Show & Conference Tour

The most ambitious, information- and product-packed series of local market exhibitions and conferences ever undertaken in the ProAV industry will kick off tomorrow, January 15, 2015, in Tampa, Florida as Stampede Presentation Products, Inc., together with InfoComm, begins the all-new, expanded and renamed 2015 Stampede Big Book of AV North American Dealer Show & Conference tour.  The inaugural stop on the 2015 tour will take place at the Renaissance Tampa International Plaza Hotel.  Registration is open at www.bigboogofavtour.com.

“When you pack as many seminars, CTS RU-approved training sessions, and network opportunities together with an exhibition of this scale and scope, you simply have to rename the tour to better reflect its content,” said Stampede President & COO Kevin Kelly.  “There simply is no better way for ProAV dealers and their customers to see, hear, and connect with the technologies, products, services, and training programs that will help them to significantly grow their business than this all-new Big Book of AV North American Dealer Show & Conference series.” 

Underscoring the scale of the 2015 tour, Kelly today announced that InfoComm Executive Director and CEO David Labuskes will deliver a keynote presentation at the Tampa stop entitled ‘The Exceptional Experience: A Fantastic Journey.’  “Today’s AV professionals are not in the equipment business,” Kelly emphasized.  “They are in the business of providing their customers with an exceptional experience that involves seeing, hearing, and connecting more clearly and more meaningfully, through the technology that we make available to them.  This is what David will address in his presentation and it promises to set the tone for the way all of us approach our businesses going forward.” 

In addition to the keynote presentation by Labuskes, the day will include no less than six training sessions and seminars delivered by industry-leading subject matter experts who will present on the technologies, products, and services that are combining to completely transform today’s ProAV industry.  Transforming it from an equipment-centric industry into an eco-system of products and services that are making every part of our personal and professional lives an experiential encounter through technology. 

By co-locating with InfoComm Roundtable Events, dealers and AV professionals have an opportunity to spend the day meeting with leading AV industry manufacturers, attending CTS-certified trainings, and participating in industry-focused roundtable discussions. InfoComm’s Regional Roundtable Events are a networking and business education opportunity that’s FREE to Stampede dealers and InfoComm members.

In addition, the Stampede Big Book of AV North American Dealer Show & Conference tour is geared to help owners, senior executives, engineers, and installers focus on the business opportunities inherent in the top nine vertical markets served by Stampede — Corporate, Hospitality, Higher Education, K-12 Education, Houses of Worship, Hospitality/Bars, Digital Signage, Retail, and Healthcare. 

Each day-long conference provides industry insights, technology updates and training forums for your total business needs and features the latest technologies for audio, video, display, projection, lighting and staging, digital signage, conferencing, digital content creation, networking, signal distribution, and much more.

Participating manufacturers in the 2015 tour include Sony, Christie, Hitachi, Hitachi StarBoard, LG, Epson, Vision, Optima, Sharp, Chief, Samsung, NEC, Hall Research, BenQ, DaLite, Gefen, MediaPointe, AmpliVox, Mustang, Ken-A-Vision, Lumens, Atlona, ioGear, Canon, Mustang, PeerlessAV, Casio, AVTEQ, DynaScan, Audio Solutions, Vaddio, Luidia, Vidyo, Balt Audio Visual, Circle Technology, WHOOSH!, and BrightSign, among many others.

During the First Quarter of 2015, the Stampede Big Book of AV Dealer Show & Conference tour will stop in the following cities: 

• January 15th  — Tampa, Florida  (in partnership with InfoComm)
• February 19th — Las Vegas, Nevada (in partnership with ITRA)
• March 5th — Chicago, Illinois (in partnership with InfoComm)
• March 16th — Houston, Texas 

Complete information can be found at www.bigbookofavtour.com. 

Stampede Fall 2014 Big Book of AV Tour Kicks Off In Minneapolis On September 23

Drones take center stage as Stampede introduces the ProAV industry to a $12-billion commercial sales opportunity.

The official start to the fall sales season gets underway tomorrow when  Stampede Presentation Products, Inc. kicks off its Fall 2014 Big Book of AV Tour in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Ramada Bloomington Minnesota Airport Mall on September 23rd.  And, in keeping with Stampede’s commitment to bring revolutionary new sales opportunities to its dealers, the company is introducing drones to tour attendees and reinforcing the introduction with intensive presentation and training sessions designed to put dealers in command of an amazing new business opportunity.

“Drones, or ‘cameras in the sky’ as we like to refer to them, represent nothing less than a $12-billion commercial sales opportunity,” Stampede President & COO Kevin Kelly said today, “and we have designed our entire fall tour to show dealers how they can profit from both the sales of drones and using them as a way to generate incremental sales of traditional AV and IT components.”

According to Kelly, drones are definitely not a ‘pie in the sky.’  “From security to education to real estate to agriculture, drones represent the most complete and cost effective way for enterprises of all type to capture and deploy critically important content that then needs to be viewed, edited, distributed, and stored — and this reality is what is going to generate a huge increase in business for our dealers in 2015 and beyond.”

In addition to learning how to profit from drones, BBOAV tour attendees will get to receive hands-on product demonstrations from more than 40 manufacturers and participate in an InfoComm Regional Roundtable.  Attendees will also have the chance to participate in training sessions hosted by Atlona, NEC, BrightSign, Christie, Circle Technology, Samsung, Sony Unified Communications, and Optima.

All attendees will also receive a $500 Stampede credit on orders of $5,000 or more, a $50 American Express Gift Card, a $100 Restaurant.com Gift Card for each training session they complete, and they will be automatically entered into a drawing to win a 42” HDTV.  The day-long event runs from 9:00AM until 7:00PM and includes a special InfoComm networking reception from 4:30PM until 7:00PM.

After Minneapolis, the Fall 2014 Big Book of AV Tour heads to Dallas, Texas on October 16; Raleigh, North Carolina on October 23; metropolitan New York/New Jersey on November 6; and Toronto, Canada on November 13.  Complete details and registration information can be found at www.bigbookofavtour.com. 

Stampede Rides Ahead of the Herd at InfoComm 2014

Industry-leading distributor of ProAV solutions to showcase innovative high value added systems for digital signage, unified communications, AV/IT, and presentations that take dealers out of the trap of commodity pricing. 

Challenging dealers to see that ‘the profits are always to be found in the details,’ Stampede Presentation Products, Inc. today said it will use its InfoComm 2014 exhibit to showcase a number of specific system solutions for digital signage, unified communications, AV/IT, and presentations that add value and profit for dealers looking to beat the trap of commodity pricing. 

“Stampede always rides ahead of the herd when it comes to pointing the way to the future for our dealers,” Stampede President & COO Kevin Kelly said today.  “Our corporate vision is to be the best at creating value for our partners and just one more way we are providing our customers with integrated system solutions that add value to their end-users and profits to their business.  We believe this is the new model for our industry — an industry that is being reinvented by the commercial reality of the Internet of Things.  And this couldn’t come at a better time for an industry looking for a path forward out of the woods of commodity pricing.”

According to Kelly, Stampede’s InfoComm 2014 exhibit program will reinforce this commitment by showcasing real world solutions in channels like corporate, healthcare, education, house of worship, and digital signage.  “In each instance we will show customers how to stay ahead of the herd in their local markets by adding profitable connectivity tools, software, accessories, and new devices that didn’t exist five years ago.  These are the areas that add profit to the system configuration and sale.”

The message is taking hold throughout Stampede’s organization, Kelly stressed, and it’s bringing a number of new manufacturers into the Stampede portfolio.  In fact, the company has added 30 new lines since last year’s InfoComm Show including Afficom, ASK Proxima, BlueBOLT, Cenique, Christie (Brio line), CompuLock, DISE, DJI, Huawel, Korus, Marshall Electronics (Unified Communications), MasterVision, Neurona, Niles, Oklahoma Sound, OSD Sound, Parametric Sound, Peerless (Outdoor Display line), Revolve Robotics, Richo, Samsung (Tablets line), Sapphire, ScreenScape Networks, SecureAVCarts-AVRhodem, StreamTV Networks, SunBrightTV, Surf Communications Solutions, TSItouch, WePresent, and WyreStorm Technologies. 

“If there is one message we want our manufacturers and dealers to take away from InfoComm 2014 it is that Stampede is always ahead of the herd when it comes to providing intelligently designed, profitable solutions that work for our manufacturers, our dealers, and, most importantly of all, the end user customers we all ultimately are in business to serve.”