On the Pulse March 2018

On the PULSE Brought to you by

INSIDE

SUPPORTING THE UK’S FINEST HOME CINEMA INSTALLERS

MEDIA ROOM

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

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FRESH TV TIMES

LOVING THE LOEWE

KALEIDESCAPE ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?

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On the Pulse

Pulse keeps the pressure on!

Welcome to another exclusive On the Pulse, where the AV evangelists give EI readers an insight into the latest resources available to reach AV and cinema nirvana.

New Media Room at Pulse Cinemas HQ A fresh introduction at the company’s impressive HQ in Stansted is the new media room, created speciďŹ cally to show dealers and visitors what Pulse can deliver in the media room category, offering customers impressive AV performance in a mixed living space environment.

16 years ago, Mike Beatty, company MD, along with business partner Kapes Patel, decided to set about creating a company that offered custom installers the service and support that he knew was required; after seeing many installers struggling to gain the support when pulling together some incredibly complex audio visual systems. The plan was

always to have a one stop shop for all things AV. Bringing together the best possible brands at every price point was paramount, but what was equally important, was the team behind the brands. A team of 14 men and women have been trained comprehensively in the art of service support at every level. Departments are in place to make sure the process of ordering and delivering are effortless for dealer/installers.

On top of quality service support and the best possible product line up, the plan was to build the most up to date demonstration facilities that could offer visitors the most amazing experience.

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On the Pulse

Simon Schino, the company’s internal sales manager, comments, “We are very excited to announce that our much talked about Media Room has now been completed. The room includes a more affordable offering; starting with an entry level Loewe TV package, working alongside one of the company’s quality speaker offerings, Vicoustic’s vast array of impressive room correction products, Audio Control and, of course, Kaleidescape, to ensure the picture and sound quality gives our dealer’s clients precisely what the director intended. I’m convinced the additional rooms will only increase the popularity of working alongside Pulse and our dedicated team.”

Kapes Patel and Mike Beatty, the company’s owners, are proud to enthuse about the room’s completion.

Kapes says, “The room gives our dealers the opportunity to experience two outstanding systems; one incorporating the very finest 65in Loewe OLED, and then an entry level projector-based system from the incredible team at BenQ. The Screen Research model selected is a decor-mask; the client can choose an image to fit the design of the room, which covers the standard white surface offered on the company’s numerous screen options. Lutron looks after the exceptional lighting design and Creston takes charge of pulling together’the technology in this truly breathtaking space.”

Mike adds, “The room not only gives us the opportunity to showcase some of our latest brand arrivals, but additional services offered by our team are also on show. These consist of interior design, bespoke furniture and installation of fabric walls and ceilings. These additional services will be evident for all to see at our next open day. We just know you are going to love it!”

All demonstration areas have been key to the success the company has delivered and the latest addition, a beautifully designed media room, has been a priority for the team to complete for some time now.

Many UK homes don’t have the luxury of an area big enough to install a dedicated room, however, a living space that allows the family to relax and enjoy each other’s company and at the touch of a button, delivers the ultimate viewing experience, is the latest addition at Pulse HQ. In recent years, dealers and installers from across the UK have enjoyed Pulse’s numerous facilities, but up until now, they haven’t had a space to demonstrate this type of solution.

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On the Pulse

Ben Lancaster joins Pulse Cinemas as UK Sales Development Manager

Meet…

David Crozier Cinema Sound Consultant

Carla Miller Office Manager

Chris Branford Sales Support

Margaret Islin Sales Support Manager

Mark Pitts Operations Manager

Pulse Cinemas has not just been on the development trail in terms of the showroom and new products, new people have been very much part of the recent company development.

The most recent addition to the team is Ben Lancaster, who is joining as UK sales development manager. Ben has extensive knowledge in the custom The experienced install arena, after working with Ben Lancaster is the latest companies including Grahams addition to the Pulse Team Hi-Fi, Invision and, most recently, working as Trinnov’s international sales manager.

Commenting on the company’s addition, Mike, was delighted to gain such an experienced employee, “Our company’s recent brand and facility additions have meant that more and more UK dealers are relying on our support.

Adding Ben to our already impressive team gives us an opportunity to exceed dealer expectations by proactively improving opportunities to win new business.”

Ben will be working closely with Simon Schino, internal sales manager at Pulse Cinemas HQ in Stansted, along with recently appointed Margaret Islin and Chris Branford, all of whom will be giving dealers much needed support.

Ben says, “I am delighted to be joining the Pulse Cinemas team and looking forward to making contact with my UK industry friends, after my recent break from the UK market.

“My role will be to spend time focusing on proactively supporting UK dealer/installers for all their custom install and cinema needs. I’ve watched how Pulse Cinemas has quietly added brands, facility improvements and personnel over the past year and I am excited about my arrival into the team.”

Ben Lancaster can be contacted at ben@pulsecinemas. com and found on his new mobile number 07876 333932.

BenQ is the benchmark!

Associating itself with the best brands is at the core of what Pulse tries to do. One of the more recent additions to the family has been BenQ projectors.

Perhaps more widely known for its commercially focused machines, BenQ makes some killer domestic 4K models and has found the right partner with the Pulse to take full advantage.

The Pulse team says BenQ offers dealers/ installers a 4K picture like no other, so get in touch to find out more.

You are on Pulse TV! Pulse has been quietly building a reputation for creating some inspiring videos about its products, services, company news and special offers. For EI Live last year, they created some really effective showcases of the company’s cinema packages and brands and ever since has been building on this with its own regular You Tube posts giving an insight into the company.

Mike says, “Pulse has always been very proactive in providing engaging and useful media to help dealers stay up to date with the latest products and services, no more so perhaps than through our Youtube Channel (www.youtube.com/pulsecinemas) which has been delivering content produced completely in-house by our marketing and sales teams for the last few years.

“A common feature of many great products is that the teams behind the creation of them do not have an understanding of the UK market and/or do not have the ability to spend millions of pounds on building their image through marketing.

“For these brands it is imperative that they have strong representation that understands the product and has the ear of custom installers… this means small but mighty brands are given a fair run at competing with the industry giants for the same space in the rack.”

Mike adds, “Delivering our content to dealers and end-users through the Youtube channel is just one aspect of our strategy that has been instrumental in building the image and exposure of truly fantastic products over the years.

“This channel will soon be integrated into the new website and all of our social channels will be interlinked, so that we can utilise all of the tools in our social arsenal to direct dealer and end-user traffic towards new, engaging content from all of our brands and team members.”

Pulse collects the Screen Research Award for Best Distributor Managing director Mike Beatty and internal sales manager Simon Schino were delighted to collect the award for Screen Research distributor of the year for the second year running.

The award is no PR stunt, but is given to the team who has sold the greatest number of screens by any of the company’s distributors from across the world, as well as playing a proactive role in the marketing of the screens once installed in cinema projects.

Screen Research is Pulse’s go to brand to get the best home cinema performance and installation flexibility.

Hand-made in Europe, the screens are engineered to meet even the most challenging design and installation requirements, offering a large choice of customised products. The maker is proud of its rigorous program of continuous development ensuring it keeps meeting and exceeding the expectations of dealers and end users.

The brand has close ties with the industry’s leading certification bodies, like THX and ISF, to achieve reference performance into every aspect of the fabrics. Screen Research is also known for its high-quality configurator tool helping dealers make the right decisions early on in any project.

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On the Pulse

Loewe is now available to installers through Pulse Cinemas

Pulse Cinemas awarded exclusive distribution for Loewe TVs

Meet…

Mark Rundall Purchasing Manager

Mike Beatty Managing Director

The TV market can be a tricky one for installers, brands that really add value are not all that thick on the ground. Yes there are the very top end models from the obvious players such as LG, Sony etc, however there are not that many brands that can deliver an approach and profile which is totally unique in the market, Loewe is one of those brands.

For customers who really want to mix excellent performance with some bespoke styling, Loewe provides a seriously strong proposition.

As from March, Pulse are the exclusive trade supplier for the install/AV channel.

Mike comments, “Our already impressive portfolio has been screaming out for a brand like Loewe. Our cinema packages now have the addition of a range of beautiful OLED TVs, which will mean our dealers and installers can finally specify a range that will give good margin and unparalleled picture quality, previously unattainable in the UK.” “Loewe will give installers the extensive menu options, meaning the screens can be calibrated for any room conditions to give the ultimate picture quality,” adds Pulse’s technical director and business partner Kapes Patel.

Loewe, sales director Alan Whyte states, “We are very excited about our new partnership with Pulse Cinemas. Pulse has strong relationships with the key players in the UK custom install market together with a deep knowledge of the integration technologies which will make it easy for installers to add Loewe’s state-of-theart and beautifully crafted TVs to projects.”

The Loewe brand will be represented right across Pulse’s suite of demonstration areas so wherever they are in the kingdom of Pulse, dealers can interact with and see just what the brand offers for themselves.

It’s a London thing!

Not content with offering showroom facilities just at company HQ in Stansted, Essex and Chalfont St Giles, Bucks, Pulse has now added an additional site in the install hotspot of London.

Mike explains, “Having demonstration facilities at Stansted and of course, one in leafy Chalfont St Giles, has meant our dealers cannot only hear for themselves the improvements they can deliver their clients by using our brands, but also demonstrate the obvious capabilities. We are constantly pushing the boundaries and our latest addition offers our dealer/installers a facility like nothing currently available.

“Nestled in the middle of the most stunning design hub close to Ealing, you’ll now find an area that will be available to our network of supportive installers.

Boasting a Kaleidescape based cinema, incorporating a selection of our finest brands, including Crestron, Lutron and Screen Research, this beautiful London based facility gives those supporting our brands a place to meet London based clients wanting to experience what’s almost impossible to explain.”

Mike adds, “We are confident that this new facility will give our dealers the opportunity to allow their clients to touch and feel the brands that we now distribute. Being the exclusive distributors for numerous high-end audio visual brands means that, unlike manufacturers of individual ingredients, such as speakers and amps, we have the ability to demonstrate how these products will actually look once installed into a living space.”

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On the Pulse

Meet…

Oli D-F Lutron Sales & Creative Designer

Simon Gibbs Technical Support Manager

Kapes Patel Technical Sales Director

Michaele Ford Admin Support

The wonder of websites Informative and useful websites are of course crucial to 21st century business success. Pulse is keen to keep its game fresh with a new website.

Stephen Carr, brand ambassador for the Kaleidescape AV platform, says, “Pulse Cinemas has always shown dedication to both the brands we represent and the network of dealers that we serve. This comes in a variety of forms, including regular re-investment in showrooms, including the new West London site opening soon, or through the huge choice of value adding support services and expertise that the team provides to dealers to help them deliver award-winning cinema installations.

“With such a strong record of building the image and sales of premium AV brands, Pulse has decided to use that magic to promote our own value and ethos to a wider audience. We have invested in a brand new website which will provide dealers with a useful and informative knowledge and quoting tool, while also offering an enticing, educational journey for the end-user into what makes a perfect home cinema and why Pulse hand-pick the brands they represent.”

Dan Patching Creative Design was commissioned to develop the site, working within a stringent list of requirements that will ensure all users are provided with an efficiently beautiful browsing experience that perfectly showcases the Pulse brands, but also provides a detailed and useful password protected area for their dealers.

Stephen argues, “Perhaps the centre-piece of the new site will be a refreshed dealer finder page, which will be an even finer showcase for the Pulse dealer network. It will add features such as the ability to filter results by brands on demonstration and offer engaging calls to action to the user to help the generation of enquiries.”

A launch date for the website is not confirmed, but Pulse are hoping to go live before the end of May 2018.

Kaleidescape Experience Centres Of all the brands and products that Pulse represents, Kaleidescape is arguably the one who’s value can only be truly and fully understood through experiencing it. From the unique, beautiful and intuitive user interface, to the bit-for-bit quality it delivers to the eyes and ears, the most important factor in selling the product comes down to the dealer’s ability to let a client discover for themselves why Kaleidescape is so highly regarded in home cinema.

It is the responsibility of Pulse Cinemas and the company’s Kaleidescape brand ambassador; Stephen Carr, to ‘move the needle’ on sales in the UK and to achieve that, a new approach is needed, one that develops desire among a wider audience and actions the individuals that qualify as potential customers to enquire about purchasing.

Stephen says, “But, simply increasing the number of enquiries is half the job. With so many dealers unable to showcase or explain the value of the product over alternatives, many of those enquiries may go unconverted.

Which is why we will be encouraging visitors to our website

wishing to learn more about Kaleidescape to book a demonstration with one of a small number of dealers across the UK who offer an experience that is of the highest order in Sound, Vision, Knowledge and Hospitality.”

So how does a dealer qualify? Stephen explains, “The dealers selected are ones who have shown dedication to the promotion of the brand in every sense and have invested in the latest Kaleidescape systems to give the perfect experience. They have also agreed to work more closely with Pulse to help these enquiries through to sale and run Kaleidescape specific events to generate interest among their existing client databases.

“In return, these dealers will be offered an alternative margin structure which promotes a higher volume of sales within each calendar year and inclusion in Kaleidescape specific marketing, funded by Pulse and Kaleidescape, to drive sales in each region of the UK.” The launch of this initiative is set for April 1, 2018, with 30 dealers, at which point Pulse will begin accepting new applications for 2019.

Int

Kaleidescape is the much loved top end movie and content delivery system

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On the Pulse

Meet…

Emma Hayley Head of Finance

Simon Schino Internal Sales Manager

Stephen Carr Kaleidescape Brand Ambassador

ISE 2018: A great year for Pulse brands ISE is now such a huge event, it can be difficult to sift through the avalanche of information that pours down from the show and find the real gems. For Pulse brands this year however, there was plenty to get excited about.

The responsibility for delivering the event this year fell to a cracking team led by Simon Schino and also consisted of Stephen Carr and technical sales & support lead, Simon Gibbs with support from MD Mike Beatty.

Mike says, “From Tuesday to Thursday the team ran a full schedule of product tours for our network of dealers that provided insights into the latest offerings from our brands and in some cases introduced them to brand new ones!”

Stephen adds, “Many Pulse brands had really gone the distance this year to make a big impression at the show, no more so perhaps than Digital Projection, who delivered a fantastic stand showing off nearly every projector they make, with the centrepiece being the world’s first 8K projector which carried a £450,000 price tag and was a modified version of their top of the range 4K laser, the INSIGHT.” Our friends at Fortress spent time meeting with their dealers and distribution partners from the U.K. and Europe.

Their range of stunning and incredibly comfortable seating offers dealers bespoke solutions, an array of finishes and of course protective distribution; as the product is exclusively sold through AV installers in territories with active support, as they have in the UK. Stephen adds, “Let’s not forget our Premium speaker brand, James Loudspeaker. You would never have guessed that they had spent anywhere near six-figures to put their stand together as all you could see was a few TVs, some planters and a pair of Ford Racing Blue towers based on their Maverick speaker line. When the demonstration started however, it was clear where the money was spent. On demo was a pair of in-wall, small aperture speakers, a power pipe hidden subwoofer and four clever in-ceilings that were custom designed to accommodate light fixtures on a superyacht but still deliver incredible sound.

Stephen continues, “On the other side of the stand they offered an insight into just how bespoke they can go with custom soundbars, speaker grilles, Integrated TV/Speaker/Amp mounts and Bookshelf speakers painted to look like books!

And the towers?… Well James were one of just a few brands to be allowed to invite visitors to an after-show demonstration where they could turn it up to 11 and show what James Loudspeaker are all about… and they certainly did that.”

Mike adds, “Perhaps the highlight for many of our dealers was not at the show but at a little known bar in the centre of Amsterdam known as Bierfabriek. This was the venue for the Pulse Cinemas ISE party in 2017 and it went down so well we absolutely had to do it again. Not only did we enjoy the company of over 40 of our dealers and their teams, but the guys from Audio Control, James Loudspeaker and The Cinema Designer also graced us with their presence and enjoyed some of the beer & chicken that flowed freely throughout the night.

“Pulse’s focus now switches to EI Live where we plan to bring many of our brands together to deliver a one-of-a-kind reference cinema experience that won’t have been seen at shows gone-by. Watch this space.”

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