For this show, we’re talking home technology integrators and electrical contractors. Where are the overlaps and what are the points of difference? Where and why are there conflicts? And, how can the two professions both succeed in the connected home space and benefit each other? We're joined by Gabi Hughes, a home technology integrator and CEDIA member who started out as a qualified electrician, and Andrew Royall from CEDIA member company, Eclectic Home Technology. The Integrated Home Podcast is...
Sep 30, 2020•37 min•Season 3Ep. 13
In this episode, presented first as an Integrated Home podcast webinar back in June 2020, we invite four integrators, Andy Bell of Trusted Technology, Naim Cohen of NGC Systems, Adam Raymond of PRZM and Inspire AV’s, Ben Davies to share their thoughts and ideas on how home technology professionals can broaden their appeal to consumers in a post-COVID-19 world. How do integrators engage customers, what technologies appeal to them and why does it pay to think long-term? This episode can also be vi...
Aug 31, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 12
In this episode, we’re joined by Katie Sparrevohn, Managing Director of London and Surrey AV Solutions, and Durgesh Sinh, top man at Nucleus, to talk about clients. How do you deal with them and the voices that have influence over them? What are the challenges integrators face? And, how can professional home technology firms manage budgets, projects and clients to get the best results? We're supported by Meridian Audio, AWE Europe and Sony. The Integrated Home Podcast is a Wildwood production....
Jul 31, 2020•47 min•Season 3Ep. 11
We take an in-depth look at Mulberry House, a luxury six-bedroom, new-build home in Buckinghamshire and winner of a Best Residential Property Award in the 2019 International Property Awards. Co-presenters, Shereen Russell and Jeff Hayward are joined by Peter Warren, Director of EAB Homes, the developer behind this amazing project, and Rob Garrett from integration firm, ARP Smart Homes, to help us understand and explore the design, installation and marketing challenges they both faced. We also fi...
Jun 16, 2020•51 min•Season 3Ep. 10
For this episode, we're talking collaboration. How should home integrators work with developers, clients and other trades? What are the challenges of working collaboratively? What happens when it goes well, and what's wrong when it doesn’t? In the company of Joe Carri, Commercial Director at Prestige Audio and Chris Thorne, Director of residential control and integration specialists, Imperium Building Systems, we explore how collaboration can work for the benefit of everybody, especially the cli...
May 27, 2020•37 min•Season 3Ep. 9
In this episode, we're joined by Stuart Tickle, MD of AWE Europe and Barry Sheldrick, Sales Director of Meridian Audio. We find out the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on suppliers, look at how they're supporting customers during the current crisis and ask how they see the post-pandemic world for home technology integration. What will be the learnings, the challenges and the opportunities? This episode was recorded on 29th April 2020.
May 15, 2020•35 min•Season 3Ep. 8
In this emergency episode, we look at the financial choices for integrators who are dealing with projects on pause, a vanishing pipeline and bills to pay. Luke Desmond, CEO of Crisp Accountancy, is our special guest to talk us through the grants and loans available and the practical steps businesses should take to access to them. Crisp Accountancy specialise in the provision of advice to SMEs in the smart home integration sector. The Integrated Home is a Wildwood production.
Apr 24, 2020•22 min•Season 3Ep. 7
We're joined by Simon Gregory of integration firm, Cinema Rooms, and Rik Henderson, all-round gaming fanatic and Senior Editor at technology website, Pocket-Lint, to talk about how gaming might change the home technology business in a post-COVID-19 world. The UK is the 6th largest video game market in terms of consumer revenues, after China, USA, Japan and Germany. Approximately 37.3m people in the UK play games. Consumer spend on games was valued at a record £5.7bn in 2018 with consoles sales u...
Apr 15, 2020•27 min•Season 3Ep. 6
In the second of our COVID-19 special episodes, we talk to Inspire AV's Ben Davies, also the man behind the Smarthomee Group on Facebook, to find out about the impact of the lockdown on integrators and their business. What should be the integrator's mindset? What steps can be taken to help you survive the current situation? And how can you spend your time productively to make sure you're in the best place for the upturn when it does arrive? Ben shares his thoughts with honesty and characteristic...
Apr 09, 2020•24 min•Season 3Ep. 5
The Coronavirus pandemic makes this an extraordinary time for all of us. We believe that we have a responsibility to share information and experiences to help you and your business through it. So, that’s what we're going to try and do. In this episode, the first in a series of COVID-19 special shows, Matt Nimmons, Managing Director of CEDIA EMEA talks to us about the funding and support that home integration businesses can access to help them survive the current lockdown. The Integrated Home is ...
Mar 27, 2020•16 min•Season 3Ep. 4
We’re bringing a definitively European flavour to proceedings for the very first time with an episode recorded at Integrated Systems Europe 2020 in Amsterdam. In the RAI, we're joined by two CEDIA award-winning companies as Michael Sherman from leading French company, Henri, and Sergio Rojas from Madrid's Smart Business share their views with us on the home integration business in Europe. We also learn about the stand-out technologies for integrators at ISE and look forward to 2021 when the show...
Mar 04, 2020•36 min•Season 3Ep. 3
In this episode we’re taking an in-depth look at one particular project in Notting Hill, London with the help of Alan Waxman from prime developer, Landmass, and Luke Crutcher from integrator, Living Home Tech. How does technology fit within a new-build scheme? What part does it play in the overall design and how can it add value from a developer’s perspective? How does the integrator approach such a brief? What are the factors they consider in the delivery of a successful project? And what are t...
Feb 05, 2020•52 min•Season 3Ep. 2
We're in Kent to talk with two businesses who have taken quite different paths in the industry. Potters Home Digital are an established company who began life as a retailer and have added installation successfully to their business. Micarta are a new and focused integration firm, born from the ashes of Challenge Control. In conversation with directors from each company, Alex Jones and Gavin Baker, we find out what’s working for them and how they’re growing and sustaining a business in home integ...
Jan 13, 2020•44 min•Season 3Ep. 1
In this episode, we explore the changing nature of the home integration industry in the company of Sohan Perera from Link Media Systems and Henry Shephard from Cornflake. Where has the industry come from, where is it now and where is it going? How does this evolution affect how integrators do business? And, what are the implications for the value that the industry places on the services it provides? We’ll also be looking at the challenges of dealing with customers from different nationalities an...
Dec 05, 2019•40 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Educating the design build community is one of the core components of CEDIA’s three-year strategy. In this episode, we're joined by Alex Josling from Seven Integration and Tas Kyriacou of IDS to find out how they connect with these audiences. What’s the attraction of working with design build professionals? What are the challenges and what resources are out there to help you get in front of them and be successful? Both Alex and Tas tell us about their visit to the Smart Home Summit in London. Wh...
Nov 12, 2019•47 min•Season 2Ep. 10
This show explores the roles of integrators, consultants and project managers on a connected home project. We have a representative from each profession to help us take a closer look with Dan Eades from integrator, Environ, Davy Currie from consultants, Infracore, and project manager, Ricky West from Regency Grove. How do these relationships work? What benefits do the disciplines bring to a project? And, is the dynamic more about collaboration or confrontation? We’re in the thick of Awards seaso...
Oct 01, 2019•48 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Smart home integration is an attractive sector for many business owners and entrepreneurs who may already be active in a related sector, such as, electrical, security or IT contracting. In this episode, we explore how you can make a successful transition into the professional home integration industry. We look at what research and training is right for you, which events to attend, the skills you’ll need and what support is available if you decide that this is the sector for you. We’re joined by ...
Sep 03, 2019•45 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Home cinema is the focus of this episode, recorded in front of a live audience at the Sony screening room in Basingstoke. We take a look at the fundamentals of home cinema and media room design in the company of two champions of the experieince, Ian Bolt from Custom Sight & Sound and CEDIA award-winning integrator and judge, Guy Singleton of Imagine This. How is business changing for integrators and what's important for customers today? We're also joined by Chris Mullins from Sony for news o...
Aug 02, 2019•46 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Welcome to our very first episode recorded in front of a live audience! In this specially extended edition, we've assembled an expert panel, drawn from the worlds of prime development and integration, to address how developers can improve prime property yields with thoughtful investment in home automation. * Alex Isaac, Director of Design, EcoWorld * Harri Williams-Jones, Associate Director, Super-Prime Residential Development Consultancy, Savills * Jon Cooper, Managing Director at The Next Leve...
Jun 11, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 6
We’re looking at control in this episode with industry guests, Robin Courtenay of SMC and Jeremy Aston of Channel Smart Buildings. Why have a control system? What are the benefits that a control system brings and do consumers appreciate them? What are the integration challenges, especially when you move beyond AV into lighting, blind, security and HVAC control? We’re also asking who is accountable when things go wrong on a system. Does the buck always stop with the integrator, and how do you han...
May 17, 2019•40 min•Season 2Ep. 5
With the help of Custom Electronic Design's Nick Moore and Nicolai Landschultz of integration firm, IndigoZest, we explore the home network. How important is the network to the experiences we create for customers? Where are the business opportunities and what training is out there that can help you deliver robust networks for your customers? And, how should you deal with that frequently asked question: isn’t everything wireless these days? We also hear from Nicolai, a Copenhagen native, on what ...
Apr 19, 2019•38 min•Season 2Ep. 4
We take a look at digital marketing, social media and branding for integration businesses in the company of self-confessed social media junkie, Ben Davies from Inspire AV, and Nicola Fulstow of CEDIA-award winning integrator, SONA. How should integrators present themselves to customers? What social media channels work best? Is it all digital these days? Or, is there a place for old school marketing tactics? We also take a look at the related topic of how integrators use social media when they're...
Mar 22, 2019•40 min•Season 2Ep. 3
We turn the spotlight on all things audio with the help of Pip Evans, the main man at London-based NV Integration and Barry Sheldrick, Sales Director at Meridian Audio. What are customers looking for when they listen to music in the home? Is it all about convenience or is quality making a comeback? What role does content have to play in the discussion? And, how can we persuade customers about the benefits of great sound in a media room and home cinema set up? We also look at two demo options for...
Mar 01, 2019•41 min•Season 2Ep. 2
We examine the big issue of lighting in the company of Homeplay’s Managing Director, James Ratcliffe, alongside Nic Black, Principal of The Pyramid Group. We ask how integrators can bring lighting design and lighting control into their business. What's involved and how will embracing lighting change your business offering for the better? As the CEDIA Awards open for entry, we also talk to James and Nic about taking part in Award schemes. What does it take to win an Award and is it worth all the ...
Jan 14, 2019•38 min•Season 2Ep. 1
In the company of two experienced industry practitioners, David Graham of Grahams Hi-Fi and Steve Moore of SMC, we cover two important issues facing integrators - how do you run a smart home project in another country and what can you do to generate recurring monthly revenue from service and after-care? We’ll be asking what steps you should take to deliver on projects overseas and finding out how you can make a success of this kind of work for you and your customer. Then, once we've figured out ...
Dec 11, 2018•41 min•Season 1Ep. 7
In the warm and comfortable surroundings of the cinema showroom that belongs to Bespoke Home Cinemas in the fine city of Leeds, we're joined by Mel and Giff Malcolm, the husband and wife team behind Bespoke Home Cinemas, and from across the Pennines, we have Oliver Hall from CEDIA award winning firm, Ultamation. Together, we explore the question of image rights and passing off. What happens if you find that a photo of one of your installations has popped up on the website of another integrator, ...
Nov 16, 2018•36 min•Season 1Ep. 6
What’s happening in home cinema? Is the big screen business going to get even bigger, and more immersive, now that we have IMAX Enhanced? What will this mean for dealers? And, what’s going on with content? At the recent CEDIA Expo in San Diego, keynote presenter, John Penney from Twentieth Century Fox painted a picture of IT companies taking over the entertainment industry and fighting amongst each other to deliver content directly to consumers. Meantime, Netflix and SkyQ have announced that con...
Oct 12, 2018•29 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Whatever Earth Wind & Fire might say, we all know that September is a busy, back to work month. The holidays are a dim and distant memory, the kids are heading off to school and it’s time to gear up for show season - a time that's full of innovations, new ideas and education opportunities. From the 15th until the 23rd September, London is taken over by the London Design Festival, so there's no better time to talk about interior design and home technology. We welcome two special guests to loo...
Sep 12, 2018•39 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In this month's show, we're joined by Rob Sutherland, Principal at London-based integrator, Inspired Dwellings, to look at how his business has evolved to meet technology changes, customer expectations and market opportunities. Then, as BBC Radio's "The Archers" namechecks multi-room audio as a technology 'must-have', we talk about smart homes in the media with two experienced, consumer-facing journalists - freelance writer extraordinaire, Chris Haslam and Jonathan Margolis from the FT How To Sp...
Aug 27, 2018•40 min•Season 1Ep. 3
On the road in Bristol, we're joined by Matt Zachrisson-Smith, Managing Director of Total Solutions and Owen Maddock, Principal of Connected Works and co-founder of the HomeTechGallery hashtag. As £1 million plus properties surge in Bristol and elsewhere around the country, we examine what the integrator's life is like outside of London. We also take a look at the recent media obsession with smart home security and ask if this is a problem for professional home technology integrators. Then, we t...
Jul 23, 2018•37 min•Season 1Ep. 2
