THE EASY ANSWER

As a consultant I have to advise clients on their options in respect of equipment purchases and they rely on me to recommend the right solution.

This, in itself, can seem easy – after all, during the initial needs assessment and request for quotations/bids, it should have become fairly clear what the client wants.

Let’s face it, between the top end products in the professional sound and lighting industry, there is not that much too choose – they all do pretty much the same and cost about the same. So where is the problem?

Before I get attacked for saying they are the same, I know that one console sounds “warmer,” the next line array sounds better on vocals and the red is not quite the same shade on all moving lights, but look at the specifications on paper… not that much difference. Nowadays the orders are signed by the finance people and they chew hard on esoteric terms like “warmer”, “brittle” and so forth – they want the facts, on paper. If you want the more expensive solution, you are going to have to justify it – the more expensive, the more difficult the justification.

Again, you ask, so what is the problem? Let the clients have what they want.

Unfortunately it is not that easy. We are talking about capital expenditure, a lot of money and the gear is expected to last a long time and deliver for years to come. 

Herein lies the rub - support, service and experience in the industry.

Our industry consists of many different parts, each with its own unique set of demands – Theatre, Live Concerts, Corporate Events, Conferences, etc. The same console is not going to work as well for Theatre as it does for Live Concerts and the supplier is not necessarily going to understand every aspect of your part of the industry, or what constitutes and emergency for you.

Increasingly I find that clients are asking details about the support and service that is going to be provided and what experience the supplier has in the industry, and which segment.

The equipment we use today is complex and getting into the nitty gritty of operating takes a lot of training and experience and when supporting it, you have to understand the questions and what the operator is trying to achieve. “That is an interesting question, I’ll get back to you tomorrow” just does not cut it when it is thirty minutes before the performance and the operator has a problem – a lot of unprintable words will be used… The right answer is “Ah, I get it, you want all the parcans to come on at the same time. Here is what you do, delay the slow one by…”

You get my drift by now, I hope, the crucial aspect has become good, experienced support. If you have no idea how far that goes towards making your product the logical choice, I suggest you find out – fast.

It is not just about price and what you like, it is also about who you are buying from and their pedigree.