AVIXA: As Pro AV assesses the financial damage, it eyes the next normal

In its latest COVID-19 Impact Survey, AVIXA continues to gauge the economic fall out of the coronavirus pandemic on the Pro-AV industry

• New information gauges the steps companies are taking to go back to work safely.
• A steady share of AV providers says they’ve been impacted negatively, although the share of all AV providers citing fresh revenue declines has gotten smaller.
• Figuring out the extent of the damage will take time.

It’s too early to say we’ve hit bottom. Revenue losses continue to reveal themselves and companies are still taking what measures are left to ride out the business destruction brought on by the pandemic. But with each passing week, more local economies are beginning to open, and AV professionals are planning for what’s next: going back to work in a way that doesn’t jeopardize the tenuous foundation from which we’re restarting.

“In the U.K., there are specific requirements for work to continue … that means a review of safe systems, risk assessments, and re-planning to minimize the risk of infection,” said one AV provider in the latest Impact Survey, fielded May 19-20. “Most controls revolve around health awareness and hygiene. Social distancing is the bigger challenge, so [that means] minimal staff on site, site setup arranged to minimize the risk of working in close proximity, and where this is unavoidable — short term — specific risk assessments. Essentially all work now has to be put through this additional level of management, so that’s extra documentation, extra procedures, extra training …. It’s subject to lots and lots of change.”

Said another, “We have developed and published a set of COVID-19 pandemic policies and guidelines for the benefit of our employees, clients and partners. We rely on CDC-published protocols primarily, with additional precautions as we believe necessary.”

This week, AVIXA Market Intelligence asked members of its AV Intelligence Panel about specific measures they’re taking to work safely. Of AV providers (integrators, designers, manufacturers, distributors, service providers, live events companies), 74% said their staffs are wearing masks; 42% said they’re doing extra cleaning at project sites; 40% are reducing the number of staff at project sites; and 36% say they’re regularly screening crews for symptoms of COVID-19. For many, project work has not yet resumed, so we will be monitoring these answers in the coming weeks for indications that more professionals may be on-site. Additionally, 25% said they’re planning to complete projects over a longer period of time, and 23% said they’re working off-hours at client sites.

Read the full report.