Germany - Bosch Communications Systems once again invited international distribution partners to its annual in-house trade fair (Hausmesse) in Straubing, which ran from 16-18 January. This year, Robert Hesse, vice president sales communication EMEA and managing director of EVI Audio GmbH, and his team welcomed some 150 business partners from Europe, Middle East and Africa. The programme included a business update, best in class presentations, breakouts, product demos and guided tours of the factory and service facility.
Aaron Chisena (product manager Electro-Voice Mobile Audio) and Markus Schmittinger (product marketing manager) previewed a major new loudspeaker line from Electro-Voice -- shortly to be unveiled to the general public -- and the agenda also included, under the theme Growth3, a recap of the products successfully introduced in 2012 and an exegesis of residual growth potential.
The product presentations continued with the A-Line loudspeaker family, the Vertical Array System, the PowerMate 600-3 powered mixer and the CMS 600-3 mixer, all from Dynacord. The successful Electro-Voice ZXA1-Sub and its passive counterpart introduced in October, the ZX1-Sub, were also highlighted.
"The Growth3 theme focuses on the wide range of solutions and strong partnership we can offer with our brands Electro-Voice and Dynacord across our three market segments - mobile audio, Fixed installation and rental," explains Robert Hesse.
The programme also included practical workshops dealing with subjects such as sound reinforcement design for fixed installations, the optimization of distribution channels, and the new media networking architecture OMNEO.
"This year, the personal exchanges we enjoyed with our partners were particularly valuable," comments Robert Hesse, "after all, day-to-day business for the most part provides far too little occasion for personal contact. The 2013 Hausmesse was an excellent kick-off to a new business year for which we have the highest expectations."
As part of the the fringe programme, Robert Hesse and his team welcomed guests in the stadium of the Straubing Tigers, who play in German ice hockey's highest division; following a reception with refreshments in the VIP lounge, participants were invited to test their prowess on the ice in a variety of competitions. The following evening saw the presentation of the Distributor of the Year awards in Straubing's Mannschaftscasino, which was the business highlight of the week; this year the coveted awards went to eight enterprises in all: from Europe, Supersonic Svenska AB (Sweden), H.S.A. AUDIO SRL (Rumania), Ruton S (Russia) and Omikron Electronics Ltd. (Greece); from Africa, ADB (Tunisia) and Sistec (Angola); and from the Middle East, Prosonic (United Arab Emirates) and Amac (Lebanon).
"Actually, all our distribution partners deserved an award - such is the strength, loyalty and steadfastness of the commitment evinced by our friends in the industry," says Hesse. "Even more important than any award, however, is the team spirit, the friendly camaraderie that prevails within the Bosch Communications Systems family. That motivates us and gives us added momentum entering a new business year that couldn't have got off to a better start."
