Grimani Encourages South American Dealers to Step Outside the "Box"

In July, Anthony traveled to Brazil and Argentina, conducting workshops for CEDIA on all aspects of designing and engineering high-end home theaters. The South American audiences were interested and inspired by the information presented because it helped them see beyond the scope of just selling "boxes."

It's an all too familiar story we hear, where installers are so focused on selling the gear, they don't see how much more value they could be offering if they were to position themselves as being able to deliver the complete experience. Homeowners today are looking for lifestyle value, not just a stack of electronic equipment. They want some style to the room they're turning into a home cinema or media space; they want it to look great and deliver the entertainment experience they've dreamed about, and they want the ease of push-button programming and use. This was exciting for attendees to hear about, and they seemed eager to start thinking outside the box (yes, pun intended).

Residential Systems magazine has published two articles by Anthony on this topic - one is "Let's Talk Money" (July 2010 issue) and the other is "Spec It First" (August 2010 issue). The take-away here is that when working with high-end environments, the media space should be in step with the quality and value of the rest of the home. As Anthony says "once you get away from talking myopically about how much each piece of equipment costs, and instead start relating the room budget to match the balance of the home's lifestyle price tag, your client will see the expense in a whole new light."

Think about it, $300k for a big screen with speakers would seem crazy expensive to pretty much anyone - on the other hand, $750k for the entire experience space would seem fully acceptable in luxury residential environments. It's definitely a shift in approach, and one that yields a win-win for installer and client.

Luxury Spaces

In this regular monthly feature, we will profile unique rooms, applications, and solutions.

Working with California homeowners who were looking to upgrade their basic AV system, PMI offered various solutions to maximize the space and performance output, while retaining the its primary purpose as a living room. PMI delivered a realistic cinema experience in a cozy, practical living room, with a system that was easy for the whole family to use and enjoy. The flexibility of the build and the discreet installation of all the equipment, combined with the superb finish and sound, created a space this California family still enjoys five years later.