Wearable Technology. A Game Changer

A month after CES 2015 in Las Vegas and one topic keeps popping up everywhere: Wearable Technology.  The wearable technology market is set be a game changer especially the fitness wearable.  As the various newsletters and emails are delivered to in boxes every morning the topic of “fitness wearables” can be found.  I cannot get away from hearing about all the different types of products out there that can help one lose weight, track runs and get healthier.  The various wearable fitness products are set to change the workout world much like the waffle running show did for runners in the early 80s.

After years of portions getting bigger, there are now various products that will track calories consumed and calories burned to help society get smaller.   No longer tied to the gym.  Customers now can have fitness socks to track runs to calculate elements that can be improved.  Smartwatches are equipped with the necessary programs to track steps, calories, sit-ups – an entire gallery of items to burn that extra drink or dessert from the night before.  In short – No. More. Excuses.  That’s right!  Technology is taking away the excuses we tell ourselves for not getting in shape.  No longer can we say “I do not have time to figure out what I am doing wrong.”  Or ‘Who has time to track my work out?”  Technology can now do all tracking to help one be successful in becoming healthier. 

The one question that still remains – will we, as a society, get healthier with all support from wearables?  Will the old “I will get healthier for the New Year” resolution be kept more in 2015 than previous years because of this new technology?  If the fitness wearable is as revolutionary as the waffle running shoe, then the answer will be a resounding YES!

Top Ten Things Learned at ISE 2015

In a few hours our staff is flying back from Amsterdam after exhibiting at the Integrated System Europe Show.  Unfortunately I did not attend this show but I was in hourly communication with the staff to say informed and engaged on social media.  Trying to cover a show while not being at the show was a challenge and sometimes humorous.

Here is a list of the top ten things I learned from ISE 2015 while not attending:

1. Brent, when tired uses Ethereal Home Theater, the former name of Metra Home Theater Group in a rAVe Pubs video.
2. Demonstration videos create booth traffic
3. Make note of time difference when texting staff in Amsterdam, sorry guys.
4. ISE attendance has exploded
5. ISE is the fastest growing and best attended AV show in the industry
6. The show next year will be 4 days instead of 3.
7. ISE2015 was a parade of innovative projectors, displays, video walls and 4K everything.
8. If we want an eye catching booth for ISE 2015, we need holograms and videos.
9. 99% of the crowd know exactly what they do and what they need
10. The Marketing Director should attend next year!

Our Staff - The Best Reason to Follow this Blog

To be relevant today in the electronic industry one must be online. By online, I mean online on all of the relevant platforms.  How do you determine which platforms are relevant?  Well, as the new (and first) Marketing Director at Metra Home Theater Group I started using the platforms I used personally.  With that being said, it’s easy to get overwhelmed if you don’t start with a strategy.  I have pared down this list and decided to start with a blog for Metra Home Theater Group with the goal of giving our customers more information that they can use in their businesses.

Now, blogs have to be interesting and current to obtain followers.  Luckily for me, I have a writer’s gold mine at my disposal because I get to work with all of the colorful characters here at Metra Home Theater Group.  I mean this in the nicest possible way.  The staff of our home theater division is the hardest working, most intelligent and eclectic group of people. Thanks to their amazing knowledge base, I never know what subject will be the topic for the day, and thanks to their sense of humor the topics are also not guaranteed to be politically correct.  While our friendly conversations are not the domain of human resources, they are often very helpful to learn from each other and help translate what Metra does to our customers.  It was during one of these conversations that the idea occurred to me that I needed to do a blog for Metra Home Theater Group.  I’m very happy that I have the opportunity to sprinkle in the characters of MHTG with the business information.  We are a highly entertaining group and I think our customers whole heartedly agree. 

The Metra Home Theater Staff at CEDIA 2014

I plan for the blog to be informative and entertaining for my followers.  In addition to the latest in product development, this blog will star the hard working staff of Metra Home Theater Group.  Have my blog posts emailed directly to your in-box so you can read all about the fun group in Holly Hill, Florida!  Because where else will you find the technical director of 4k HDMI and the CFO discussing the death museum in California?

ISE 2015

Our staff leaves this weekend for the ISE show in Amsterdam, NL.  Put our booth # 7-R165 on your schedule.

Customer Service - Metra's Key to Success

Metra Home Theater Group is a leading source of electronics accessories for over 65 years, and this longevity is greatly due to the manufacturer’s investment in taking the time to understand the needs of residential integrators. We believe that customer service and technical support includes professional troubleshooting and brainstorming installation questions right alongside the customers. Product manager Brent McCall—who picks up the customer service line from 8 am to 10 pm seven days a week—understands that integrators need to both comprehend the installation inside and out as well as look great in front of their client. McCall, who has been in the industry since 1978, is comfortable taking application specific questions, working out contingencies, or even flow charting the system to take an overhead view and find the best solution. Metra Home Theater Group excels at customer service because their team appreciates the opportunity to discuss the many facets of technology. 

We are a Residential Systems Stellar Service Award winner due to this dedication to customer service.  Congratulations to all the staff on receiving this award.  The entire staff’s dedication to customer service is what makes Metra Home Theater Group stand out from the competition.

CES 2015 Wrap Up

Whew!  CES 2015 was a whirlwind of excitement and it set the tone for 2015.  The booth was the best one yet.  Professional booth builders were shocked to learn we build our own booth. Some booths built by professional booth builders did not look as great.  Our booth got some attention at CES which lead to a great way to kick off 2015. 

In addition to a fantastic looking booth, our product 4K Ready HDMI Cables won an award from TWICE.  It is always exciting to win an award during a show.  We would like to give a big thank you to the judges for the TWICE Picks Award for bestowing this honor on our new cables.  

CES is held in Las Vegas every year and every year the staff suffers because of the environment change. Going from gorgeous Daytona Beach, Florida to dessert-dry Nevada is a blow to the sinuses.  If the staff does not get sick at the show, we get sick upon return.  This year most of the staff stayed healthy while in Las Vegas and got to do some of the wacky, tourist attractions in their down time.  Here is a picture of staffers at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum.

Currently, everyone is back in the office after an annual post-show visit to the physician for medicine.  This is a step in the right direction!  Next year’s goal is to stay healthy during and after CES.

It is now back to work!

Metra Home Theater is Exhibiting at CES 2015

Today is the first day of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and Metra Home Theater Group is ready for the crowd to visit booth #12434.  Some of the staff flew out here on December 27th to begin putting together the booth.  Here is picture of the booth in progress with one of our hard working staff.

 

 

We kick off our year at this tradeshow and it is always a great show.  We have a feeling that it is going to be the best show to date. Why you might ask?  Well, for starters the booth was up WAY ahead of schedule something that has not happen in a long time.  Everyone is calm, relaxed and rested for the show to kick off January 6th at 10 am.  Also, we are exhibiting our new kits.  Our customers wanted kits and we delivered Spyclops and 4K Accessory Kits.  In addition, as the industry leader for 4K accessories,  we are showing our Ultra HD cable line at CES.  These HDMI high speed cables are designed for HD connections utilizing displays with 4K/60 capability for superior high definition picture and sound. 

 

 

As a large show there are lots of new products from all the industry leaders which produces a certain magic to a show this size.  The convention center is huge, really huge.  The booths are just as mammoth.   The day before the show most booths look like it would take another week to pull them together.  Yet, like magic, the first day of the show each and every booth is ready.  It's like CES fairies help out the night before the show to help get them in shape for opening day. 

 

If you are attending CES 2015, stop by our booth (behind Samsung's booth) # 12434.  Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more pictures of the magic of CES.