Industry Veteran Tom Stimson Leads Two Sessions; Epson Brings EIC Training; ATEN Joins Tour; New Products Include U.S. Debut of Barco ClickShare Inside

Philadelphia, PA — Almo Professional A/V, in partnership with InfoComm International, today announced new additions to its first 2014 E4 AV Tour, scheduled to take place in Dallas on March 11. Themed “Navigate to New Horizons,” E4 Dallas attendees can expect a career-changing day filled with hands-on training sessions worth InfoComm Renewal Units, U.S. debuts of new products, one-on-one time with 36 manufacturing partners, live demos of Pro AV systems, and infinite networking opportunities with the most respected names in the industry.

According to Melody Craigmyle, vice president of marketing for Almo Professional A/V, “We’ve made some incredible late additions to E4 Dallas, which include connectivity and management solutions manufacturer ATEN as our newest exhibitor. Epson’s traveling integrator certification training is also coming to E4 and will be available to attendees throughout the day.” She continued, “We can’t wait to have Barco debut the new ClickShare Inside collaboration projection system, which was launched earlier this month at ISE. And new to the tour this year is Tom Stimson, who will discuss how to develop business processes to get the most out of existing resources.”

“The New Horizon theme is so timely,” said Tom Stimson, president of Stimson Group LLC and past president of InfoComm International. “In this post-recession new economy, Pro AV companies can now pursue emerging revenue streams and profit centers up and down the value chain and thereby address customers’ actual needs instead of pursuing an outdated selling model. At the same time, forward-thinking customers will choose whom they do business with based on a much broader definition of value, which is what I think the New Horizon is all about.”

Stimson will address the New Horizon theme in his two sessions, which focus on dealing with RFPs and how to compete against old-school AV Dealers. E4 Dallas will also include courses on topics such as audio gain structure, digital signage, assessing network readiness, edge blending, technologies that will impact AV and more.

The Epson Integrator Certifications (EIC) offer solutions to make meeting rooms more effective, provide insight on the Color Brightness standard and provide high-level information required to answer technical questions about Epson projectors. In addition, EIC trainings incorporate third-party tools to enhance the overall projection experience, allowing AV resellers to make the best recommendations for customers. The training includes three sessions. In the first, attendees learn about Color Light Output standards and how to overcome challenging projection environments. The second session focuses on Chief’s Integrated Interactive System for the Epson BrightLink Pro 1410Wi and Da-Lite’s step-by-step selection process for the right screen fabric. And in the third, attendees will hear about five AV technologies that will define the next five years.

ATEN, designer and manufacturer of advanced connectivity and management solutions, has joined the E4 tour and will showcase an array of KVM switches and extenders, over IP solutions, and video products at the E4 Dallas event. Other new products that will be featured in Dallas include:

Barco ClickShare Inside: ClickShare Inside will make its U.S. debut at E4 Dallas. This option integrates Barco’s ClickShare wireless presentation system into a Present projector for the best in projection and collaboration in one. As a result, users can wirelessly share their content on-screen for true collaboration in corporate AV applications.

Planar Clarity Matrix with G2 Architecture: G2 Architecture sets a new benchmark with a tiled bezel width as small as 3.7mm with stunning 4K input capability and 10-bit color processing for better color depth and uniformity. Planar’s built-in Big Picture Plus Processing allows sources to be scaled across the entire video wall or section of the video wall.

Sharp AQUOS Q+ with Quattron™ and Revelation™ Technologies: Delivers 10 million more subpixels than Full 1080p HD TVs. Revelation technology also includes a built-in upscaler, which makes everything sharper and more vivid. These TVs are future-ready and able to play 4K content but at half the cost.

BrightSign 4K Resolution Media Player: The first digital signage media player company to launch a 4K resolution media player for digital signage applications. Using fan-less solid state storage, the yet un-named player will make one of its first appearances in the U.S. at E4 Dallas.

Samsung 55-Inch OLED TV: Includes a timeless curved design and a frame inspired by a modern art gallery. The One Connect box merges all cable connections into a single cable for a clean back finish. Samsung OLED TVs boast minimalistic elegance that’s stunning whether they are turned on or off.

Chief CONNEXSYS Video Wall System: Solves the common video wall challenges of speed, alignment, serviceability and rigidity. It provides the ability to level each row once by using a strut channel to connect multiple mounts together with a simple-to-use install system that can handle the largest requirements.

C2G Miracast Wireless Adapter: Enjoy expanded use of a tablet, smartphone or other mobile device by streaming videos, movies, images and other content to the TV in crisp 1080p resolution. Create a new sharing experience with this easy-to-set-up wireless adapter for in-room content streaming.

Elo Touch Ultra-Thin 55-Inch Touchscreen: The 5501L Interactive Digital Signage display combines an optical multi-touchscreen with a professional-grade, large-format display in a slim, integrated package. The large, wide-screen format offers a high quality, interactive canvas for attracting and engaging customers.

E4 Dallas Details E4 Dallas is on March 11, 2014, at the Hyatt Regency Dallas and runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It is an entirely free event, including parking, for Almo Pro A/V’s reseller, integrator and consultant partners. To register, go to www.e4avtour.com. The E4 AV program can be accessed on demand during and after each event for instructor videos, copies of the course presentations and live Twitter updates.

About the E4 AV Tour Launched in December 2009, The E4 AV tour is a free, full-day program with an intense educational focus that allows partners to earn valuable InfoComm International CTS RUs while networking with the industry’s top manufacturers. Thousands of professionals have attended the E4 events across the nation, resulting in hundreds of well-earned InfoComm RUs, countless business connections and thousands of products shown and sold through this event. For more information, go to www.e4avtour.com.

###

About InfoComm International InfoComm International® is the international trade association representing the professional audiovisual and information communications industries. Established in 1939, InfoComm has more than 5,000 members, including manufacturers, systems integrators, dealers and distributors, independent consultants, programmers, rental and staging companies, end-users and multimedia professionals from more than 80 countries. InfoComm International is the leading resource for AV standards, market research and news. Its training, certification and education programs set a standard of excellence for AV professionals. InfoComm International is the founder of InfoComm, the largest annual conference and exhibition for AV buyers and sellers worldwide. InfoComm also produces trade shows in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and China. Additional information is available at www.infocomm.org.

About Almo Professional A/V Almo Professional A/V provides the industry’s most advanced product distribution, training and education, and technical support options available for the Pro AV community. With a highly skilled sales team, reseller education programs, seven distribution centers across the U.S. and product lines for the Pro A/V channel, Almo Professional A/V provides customers with the full distribution experience on a local and a personal level. Almo Professional A/V is a division of Almo Corp., the nation’s leading independent distributor of consumer electronics and major appliances. For more information about Almo Professional A/V, please call 888-420-2566 or go to www.almoproav.com. Almo Professional A/V can also be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com/almoproav and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/almoproav.

*All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.