CEDIA Ambassador Spotlight: Meet Nadine Aubriot

You travel around the world with Waterfall Audio – what are some of the key differences in the countries you have visited?

It is fascinating to travel around the world and see what differences there are. Some countries are further ahead with technology, but very conservative in their choices of audio components, while others are more advanced with design and are mixing technology and design in a clever way. I would say that North America is more conservative, while Asia and the Middle East are ready for more exotic design choices.

Europe is definitely more focused on the design aspect. In France – which is where Waterfall Audio is based – we see a mix of technology and design, but I would say that we are still behind the UK and other EMEA countries in terms of smart home and private home cinema installations. I have no doubt that we will catch up very quickly.

You recently became a CEDIA Ambassador – what made you want to join this program?

I wanted to help grow the awareness of the CEDIA Community that is made up of manufacturers, distributors, and integrators, and to help the profession become more widely known. The education platform that CEDIA provides is very resourceful for integrators. I would love to see CEDIA become a label of quality for knowledge and service, making it easier for integrators when they look for new customers in the market.

What activities have you done so far as part of this role?

I’ve utilized the fact that I travel so much with Waterfall Audio to spread the word about CEDIA to a wider audience. I have helped consolidate and confirm new CEDIA members, have focused on the importance of education to integrators and distributors in their respective regions, and have signed them up to their local CEDIA Tech + Business Summits.

In October last year, I encouraged CEDIA to attend the Paris Audio Video Show. This was a great success as it put CEDIA in front of professionals that they hadn’t met before and allowed them to explain the benefits of CEDIA membership.

Bringing people together and developing synergies is what I like to do, and this is how I plan to support CEDIA going forward.

What kind of feedback do you get from people when you speak to them about CEDIA?

Many small integration firms or integrators that are working alone feel isolated and turn to forums, blogs, etc. to find the help that they need in resolving some of their day-to-day problems. When I explain to them the support system that they get by joining CEDIA, they are very enthusiastic about this community aspect. I believe that the new membership tiering and the CEDIA App will be great accelerators for integrators to discover the benefits of joining CEDIA.

It is easier to get manufacturers to join as the discount that CEDIA members receive at shows such as CEDIA Expo and ISE is hugely beneficial. This was the main reason why Waterfall Audio joined CEDIA many years ago.

You always have a presence at key industry events such as CEDIA Expo and ISE. What do you enjoy about these events and what other shows do you go to throughout the year?

We use the two biggest events for this industry – CEDIA Expo and ISE – to launch our products to the world. They also provide us with the opportunity to spend quality time with new and existing customers and host evening parties for our distributors and dealers.

When we attend other trade shows, we are of course promoting our brand, but these events are usually done hand-in-hand with our local distributors, and this provides us with a chance to give them recognition in their respective markets and bring the “Made in France” and “French Art de Vivre” feeling along with it. We usually tag on a training session for regional staff at the same time.

In France, our national show – Paris Audio Video Show – is the platform for showing various French technologies and design under one roof.

What excites you most about this industry?

This industry is vibrant, it evolves very quickly, and it provides us with the opportunity to push boundaries. It remains a versatile industry with different choices in music and their reproduction. Music brings people together; it is the greatest connector.