By Xavier Sanchez-Roemmele, Managing Director, HIMLY


5 February 2024

I have just returned from visiting the world’s leading B2B event for audio-visual (AV) professionals, which took place in Barcelona last week. I managed to meet with some of the industry’s finest and spent time with some colleagues I hadn’t seen for years.

It’s impressive to see how the AV industry has understood that the best solutions for clients are only achieved by jointly working with other disciplines. It has become clear that when audio, video and IT specialists work collaboratively they can deliver consistent videoconferencing systems or fantastic theatre or immersive experiences, for example.

During the building design process, we often see structural and building services engineers interacting with architects to confirm space requirements and look out for clashes between the building structure and services. However, the level of interaction with other specialists (such as acoustic consultants) tends to be dependent on the willingness of the project manager, project lead or the specialist consultant to be proactive enough to meet as often as required to deliver best results.

The same applies to major infrastructure projects. During the design stage of high-speed rail HS2 Phase 2b, I was responsible for the Sound, Noise and Vibration section of the environmental statement for some 50 km of the route. The most productive meetings were those where all the specialists came together to discuss specifics of the route, which helped us have a detailed understanding of the scheme and make better informed decisions.

I encourage collaboration between design or consultancy specialist from the early stages of the project, which will benefit greatly from such interaction.