Ankur Bhatt, Owner of Sound Sense, explains the ins and outs of what makes his team tick and how CEDIA has become an integral part of their journey.
Our journey with CEDIA began in 2015, when we finally took the plunge to become a member. Over the years, it has proven to be one of our best investments.
In our initial years of business, our clients predominantly had closed mindsets, fixed budgets, and pre-designed homes, creating circumstances that often stifled our creativity and working style. With our educational advancement since becoming involved
with CEDIA and other organizations such as HAA, THX, and ISF, we have changed our offerings and methodologies altogether. We have now positioned ourselves to be involved with clients in the pre-planning stages, allowing us to work hand-in-hand with
the client to customize solutions based on their requirements and budget
Our training and ability to explain technical concepts to clients (such as speaker placement, screen size/placement, viewing angles, acoustic solutions, dedicated rack designs, HVAC requirements, noise and heat isolation, advantages of video and audio
calibration, one-touch automation control through GUI programming, etc.) have aided us in gaining their understanding and trust, eventually assisting us in pushing the boundaries in their project. Additionally, through the use of VR technology, we
help the client make changes to the room design in real time and have them feel like a part of the solution, hence bringing about flexibility in the design process and the budget.
In our opinion, there are multiple facets to being successful in this industry:
- Technical understanding (blueprinting, product selection, networking, cabling, hardware integration, software programming, execution)
- Salesmanship (client requirement/expectation analysis, sales, support, servicing)
- Finance (accounting, taxes, profit and loss analysis, resource budgeting)
CEDIA membership has brought a marked advancement in point one and an increase in our confidence in all fields in point two. This cannot be more clearly depicted than through the increase in our client base since 2015, the increase in client offerings,
the increase in higher end clients who provide us with their 100% trust in the form of unlimited budgets on several projects, and the nominations for each of our submissions in the CEDIA Awards in 2016, 2017, and 2018. We have also taken advantage
of editorial opportunities to bring about awareness of CEDIA in the Asian region.
Closing in on three decades, CEDIA is a trendsetter in terms of industry standards and know-how that is truly unsurpassed. It is our great honor and privilege to be associated with the CEDIA network and attending the annual awards ceremony has become
a part of our “to-do” list each year since becoming a member in 2015.
This year at the awards ceremony, our dedication to technical innovation, excellence in learning, and adherence to industry standards was acknowledged by some of the most renowned technical experts in the fields of AV consultation/calibration as well
as home automation worldwide.
Dedication to Education
The impact of CEDIA in the Indian market has been slowly and steadily on the rise, the leading factor for which is the increase in awareness regarding the training class offerings. Each class is diligently pieced together and taught by some of the world’s
leading technical experts. The class coverage is extensive and must be revisited from time to time and implemented in real time to truly make the most of this knowledge base.
We have been attending CEDIA classes every year since 2015 and
have made it mandatory for our team to attend such classes along with us. We make the recommendations for each team member based on their ranks/technical knowledge base. We also conduct weekly training sessions internally where we revisit topics from
these classes and address issues that arise during practical implementation at client sites. This helps us better explain suggestions to our clients, as complex topics can now be broken down into comprehendible bullet points. This is only due to the
training from CEDIA and the consequent increase in confidence that we all feel each day while dealing with clients as well as installations.
Initially, we attended certain classes outside of India, as the classes were not available at the
time. However, this is rarely the case nowadays, and we are glad to be able to attend the classes locally and yet be able to avail the same expertise. Thank you to CEDIA for investing the time and effort in the Indian market to promote and push the
importance of industry standards and the need for adherence to attain exceptional results.
CEDIA membership is, in our opinion, rather exclusive, highly influential, and a doorway to an alternate universe. It offers access to the best of the best in the consumer electronics market across the world — from a network of experts and cutting-edge
technological innovations to training and learning resources and a renowned platform to celebrate accomplishments and share success stories.
CEDIA Awards
2016
- Best Media Room (under £15,000) — WINNER
- Best Showroom — FINALIST
2017
- Best Home Cinema (under £40,000) — FINALIST
- Best Home Cinema (under £40,000) — FINALIST
- Best Media Room (under £40,000) — FINALIST
- Best Media Room (under £40,000) — FINALIST
- Best Showroom — FINALIST
2018
- Best Home Cinema (under £40,000) — WINNER
- Best Showroom — WINNER
- Best Home Cinema — Global — WINNER
- Best Dressed Rack — HIGHLY COMMENDED
- Best Documentation — HIGHLY COMMENDED
- Best Home Cinema (under £40,000) — FINALIST