STADIAWORLD | SPORTS VENUES 2018/19

www.stadiaworld.com SPORTS VENUES 2018/19   |   83 TECH REPORT STADIAWORLD: How many of your partnerships are long-term? Giffard: Although we do serve clients for punctual needs, most of our projects are long-term relationships. The equipment is more and more complex and most of our customers come to us for service, mainte- nance and upkeep. STADIAWORLD: Do you have a main fo- cus on a certain clientele? Giffard: Our main focus is on sports ven- ues, but also on broadcast, cultural venues, boardrooms and classrooms, really serving a wide variety of domestic and international projects and events. STADIAWORLD: How is the proportion from rented products to sales? Giffard: Revenue from our sales and integration division represents 40% of Solotech’s revenue and both divisions are growing at a rapid rate. STADIAWORLD: You are offering all- in-one tech-solutions and expertise. What makes this special and challenging? Please describe the complexity. Giffard: We really divide the challenges coming our way into two categories: Sales (transaction equipment sales) and integra- tion (large-scale integration projects). Both aspects require focus because the strategy is very different. On the sales side, our added value is the expertise that we have devel- oped which enables us to recommend the right product to meet our customers’ needs, our access to the best products and our huge buying power. On the integration side, our added value is being a one-stop shop, our 41 years of experience and our buying power, as well. STADIAWORLD: Do you have a compa- ny network you cooperate with on a regular basis when supplying customers with tech equipment and components? Giffard: We have a number of preferred vendors but whenever a customer has a special request, he is the boss. We are able to supply our customers with any brands they choose, with our buying power. When it comes to people, our nine strategically placed offices in North America enable us to service the market very well. STADIAWORLD: Which trends in the tech industry are to highlight currently from your perspective? What are remarkable changes since first operating in the 1970s? Giffard: The line between AV and IT is getting thinner and thinner. Most of our projects now come with a network compo- nent. We spend a lot of time training our resources to make sure we are able to serve our customers well on that front and to stay ahead of our competitors. STADIAWORLD: What are current chal- lenges or measurements your company un- dertakes to improve the offer as one of the global leaders? Giffard: Our main challenge remains hir- ing. We are growing rapidly. We are very thorough about who we hire and have to compete with the gaming and IT industry for talent. Our growth strategy is three-fold: organic, acquisitions and opening new offices. Al- though we are growing rapidly, our main goal is to make sure we build a solid foun- dation to make our growth sustainable. Centre Videotron: A multifunctional arena in Quebec City Picture: Solotech „ VERY SPECIFIC NEEDS Solotech Inc. Montreal • Quebec City • Saguenay Ottawa • Toronto • DeKalb • Nashville Las Vegas • Los Angeles Email: info@solotech.com Web: www.solotech.com  Solotech is proudly part of North America’s TOP 10 Systems Integrators according to Systems Contractors News (SCN) More sports venue clients: • Groupe CH (Montreal Canadiens) • Videotron Center • Rogers Arena (Vancouver Canucks) • Montreal Alouettes (NFL) • Montréal Olympic Stadium • Staples Center Top 10 System Integrators i