CEDIA Expo 2009 Atlanta – Capitol
Sales, the CE and custom-install distributor, will use CEDIA Expo, here, next week
to launch a new brand identity, debut new and expanded lines from top suppliers,
and demonstrate solutions for the custom-installation marketplace.
Jeff Kussard,
strategic development director, told TWICE that Capitol is debuting a new logo
“to launch a new brand image” at CEDIA because “we did some research based on
our brand … while we have strong brand awareness, our logo and message needed
to be updated.”
As part of that
effort, at CEDIA Expo the Capitol Sales booth (No. 1665) will not just display
products, but will “focus on business concepts and technologies” to present
sales ideas “in a simple fashion,” Kussard said.
There will be four
kiosks that will highlight the following areas: the “No New Wires” approach to
home automation and custom installation; green products and energy-saving green
technology, “such as lighting control and energy management” among other areas,
Kussard said; HDMI technology, with an emphasis not only on products but on
training dealers and contactors on installation and merchandising; and showing
residential installers the opportunities in the “light commercial area, such as
hotels, local sports bars” and the like, Kussard explained.
Of course, to do
all this, you need products to install, and Kussard said that Capitol Sales has
expanded some lines and added others.
For example, Capitol
announced last week it has been selected to distribute the complete line of more
than 500 Niles Audio products in all 50 states. Based on the success Capitol
had with a limited offering, “We anticipate tremendous success with the entire
line,” Kussard said when the deal was announced.
Capitol will also
be carrying Sharp Electronics DLP-based PG line of projectors for home and
office applications, as well as XR-series multimedia projectors.
Pantel’s full line
of outdoor weatherproof LCD HDTVs and display monitors will also be part of
Capitol’s catalog of offerings (in 20-inch, 32-inch, 42-inch, 52-inch and
65-inch sizes).
And Salamander
Design’s line of home-theater seating and furniture products will also be
carried by Capitol and displayed at its CEDIA booth.
There may be
additional lines to be added that were not yet set at press time.
For these reasons,
and the fact that Capitol’s sales reps have been meeting in recent weeks with
dealers and installers who are “guardedly optimistic” about the fourth quarter,
Kussard said the distributor is optimistic. A category like distributor audio,
which he noted “was the first one that suffered” when the recession hit, has
begun to rebound.
“We’ve added new
lines, some exclusive to us. We are in a growth mode,” Kussard said. “The
guarded optimism of dealers is encouraging.”
