Daniel J SaitAway from the bustle of this busy event with Crestron Masters programmers taking part in 26 separate courses run across 59 sessions throughout the three-day event, Ce Pro Eu sat down with Randy and Robin to get their views on the event and Crestron’s vision for its future.
The future was the first thing on CE Pro Eu’s mind; so what can installers and programmers expect from the company as the industry changes and evolves?
Randy enthused: “The first thing they can expect is that there will always be a need for you. We are committed to creating end to end solutions and we need skilled practitioners as we develop this technology. There will be no commoditisation of our approach, value added is what we are.
“It’s best not to think just in terms of future functionalities, it’s much better to think at a higher level and look to create complete end to end solutions driven by products and software designed from the ground up to offer easier to interact with and more efficient homes and work places.”
Robin added: “Our Masters training is not just about knowing about the latest software and products, it’s understanding the road map and the changes and challenges ahead.”
Ce Pro Eu also wanted to know how the Crestron Masters events fit into the company’s global strategy?
Randy explained: “These events are major highlights for us. New York was the first this year with nearly 650 in attendance; add the 150 from this event and that’s 800 skilled people dedicated to our company and this industry. This is significant as there is expense involved to come here, but it is to our mutual benefit and I don’t know any other industry that can do it like this – attendees are Masters in every sense.
“In the US we had several people in attendance that are second generation Crestron programmers, there are even third generation ones too. We can be very proud of that, this is not just about technology, it’s about being part of the Crestron family.”
On the history of the event, Randy added: “I don’t know anyone else who does this. Fourteen short years ago these events started and to get to where we are now is impressive on any level. This is not just about training, it’s about the certification of highly skilled professionals. This is a family? You bet it’s a family, because what do you do for your family? You care for them, you provide for them, you are responsible for them and that’s the way we feel about our family of Masters programmers.”
One of the issues highlighted at the event was Crestron’s commitment to reach out to companies and end users to create demand.
Randy said: “We have always been at the cutting edge. People say we are leaders, but what does that mean? It’s not just about being the biggest. It means that you need to create and shape an industry. We have to do that and develop the end users.”
Robin explained: “Once we start engaging with industries we can explain how it will work, how the technology is supplied; it really does help. We can talk with big companies and put them together with resellers in each region. For us our next big goal is to go for the smaller spaces too and connect it all.”
“In the residential market we are engaging with developers and getting the right integrators involved and helping to co-ordinate everything. We are very much focused on the high end – that is where we want to be.”
Randy added: “That does not mean we are expensive, it means we are a professional luxury brand – we have to use those words – it’s an end to end solution that no other industry can do.”
So if an installer does not currently use Crestron, why should companies get involved?
Randy confidently stated: “Consistency. You can count on us. We will be here in 30 years. Some companies may change or go out of business, but you can depend on us and together we can build the market – no one else can do that.”
Robin added: “The Masters training is part of that; installers have to understand the competition and embrace the change with us to move into the future. Our aim to treat our programmers as if they are our own staff.”
The Internet of Things was a phrase bouncing around the event and of course the industry in recent times. But what does it all mean?
Cutting through some of the dust created by the growth of this particular concept, Randy argued: “Everyone is using this phrase. The reality is, there is an Internet and there are ‘things’ – it’s really not new. What people are talking about is end to end integrated systems and we have been doing that for years.
“The IoT presents a responsibility to be able to pull all of it together and keep information secure. It’s up to us to deploy the best and deliver security. It is a challenge, but Crestron’s strength is in our history and our vision of the future; we have never been about buzzwords.”
There was no doubting the enthusiasm shown at this event from attendees and its was refreshing to witness the clear vision Crestron has for the future of the industry and its place in it.
Check our full report from the event on our sister site here.
