Tim Dobson, sales and operations director at Vega Europe explains the company’s approach and recent enhancements to its solutions offering.
Tell us about Vega Europe.
At Vega Europe, we use our experience and expertise to help businesses utilise the latest presentation and communication technology to work together in their workplace, regardless of location.
Vega’s portfolio covers:
- Audio-visual system integration
- Video communication and collaboration solutions
- Skype for Business room solutions
- Digital media communications
- Workspace management solutions
- Acoustic treatment
As an independent vendor agnostic solutions and services provider, we advise and recommend solutions with a key emphasis on designing and incorporating the latest and innovative AV collaborative technologies. Ensuring staff communicate, collaborate, meet and present information efficiently, can ultimately save businesses money whilst maximising profits.
Our European headquarters is in the Manor Royal Business District near Gatwick Airport. We work in all verticals including corporate finance, leading pharmaceutical companies, legal firms and technology businesses throughout Europe and the UK.
We have seen great growth and in the last five years, we have tripled in size. To add to this, we have achieved recognition of being a finalist in prestigious and notable awards and winner of the Entertainment Project Award for Innovation at the Install Awards 2016.
What’s your geographic reach?
With our headquarters near Gatwick Airport, we have easy access to major rail and road links in the UK. Further afield Vega connects to the rest of the Vega regional offices across 14 countries to provide a truly global offering, with a local service focus.
Fifty per cent of Vega’s business now stretches across the whole of continental Europe, and the Vega brand is truly showing its strengths of reliability, trustworthiness and knowledge, as well as being a competitive differentiator.
How is business?
We have recently introduced acoustic treatments to our portfolio, which has enhanced our solutions offering to our clients. From acoustic pin boards, 3D tiles, bespoke designs, stretched-fabric walling and suspended baffles, acoustic treatment can take the project to enhanced levels of design and form.
Whether the space they are looking to add technology into is a school, office, commercial, retail or hospitality area, we can advise on an all-round solution to suit. This self-contained established division adds immediate resource and expertise within this specialist area, perfectly complementing Vega’s audio-visual, video conferencing and collaboration services and solutions portfolio.
What trends are you currently seeing in the market?
At the latter end of 2017, we produced a Workplace Trends Brochure, looking at Design and Technology Innovations. Interestingly, the recent trends have been very much about collaborative ways to communicate, with video conferencing everywhere, incorporating BYOD into the workplace, and touchscreen technology. To add to this, businesses realise that technology in their workplace is a pre-requisite to encourage the best of the new millennials to join their workforce.
Another workplace design trends is the use of ‘biophilic design’ where workplace designers are encouraged to incorporate elements of nature in office design. This is reported to enable employees to feel happier and be more productive by being in-tune with nature. By using the latest display technology and digital signage solutions, you can now broadcast biophilic images and videos of nature throughout an entire office space including ceilings and floors to elevators.
What’s hot in AV right now?
One of the most significant trends in AV/IT over the last few years is the convergence of voice and video platforms and the emergence of IT-based voice, video and collaboration applications, such as Skype for Business.
Most of the core AV manufacturers are now designing and supplying solutions to enable client’s to enjoy the Skype for Business experience/interface in the meeting room environment.
Any personal favourites when it comes to AV equipment?
Vega is an agnostic supplier, which enables us to keep an open mind with our system designs when looking for the best value solution for our clients. We do, however, base our core designs on the industry’s most reliable standard products, providing consistent and robust solutions. That said, we are constantly researching the market for new innovations and technologies.
What are the biggest obstacles/frustrations you’re seeing in the industry?
The market is constantly evolving, which sometimes causes challenges. However, Vega’s technical team stays ahead of the curve, which often provides Vega with a cutting edge advantage over competitors.
Has the attitude towards professional and high quality AV changed for businesses in recent years?
In the past AV/VC was often left until last and little, or no budgets aligned to this need. With the emergence of new technologies and innovations, and vastly improved quality in video and audio experiences, respect for the industry and demand for solutions has grown.
Why should end users go through an integrator rather than simply buy and install themselves?
With businesses using an integrator for installations, they receive advice on the solution that best fits their requirements. Integrators have contact directly with the manufacturers, who in turn provide technology roadmaps, proof of concept and training. This means that any business is assured of a successful deployment and after implementation support.
Vega has designed a more versatile and cost effective support model for its client’s estates, Flexi-ticket. This has helped many organisations significantly reduce their audio visual and video conferencing support costs using Flexi-tickets; a flexible maintenance package.
What are the most common mistakes from businesses when it comes to AV?
Probably the most common mistake from an integrator is not listening to the client and offering recommendations without understanding their requirements.
Vega’s philosophy…listen first, advise and recommend, based on experience and knowledge.
Finally, how important is it for a business – of any kind – to have/use good quality AV?
Installing good quality AV is paramount to ensuring meetings run smoothly. We have seen too often that meeting rooms are not used to their full potential, and employees become frustrated when the technology is unreliable, nobody can be heard or seen or it is extremely difficult to use!
Our ethos it is about ensuring that the technology and solutions implemented, fits the client requirements, provides a simple user experience, whilst being consistent and scalable across the business.
