Jorge Him

Focused on the technology events niche, Gauss Systems has adapted in the last few years by offering virtual events, audiovisual services and equipment for hotels, and a professional audiovisual store with both in-person and online options.

As Gauss Systems generally works in events, how would you assess its performance during and after the pandemic?

Panama has a great deal of stability, and there are many foreign companies that have their bases here, because it is easier for them to do business. All those corporations make up the market niche of our company, namely corporate events, incentive meetings, and so on. Those meetings have needs that we can supply. The niche that we are in is technology events. It is a niche that was hit hard by the pandemic. It is not like other industries like food or pharmaceuticals, which did well for themselves. Our industry was hit hard, and even more after the pandemic since more remote technologies began to be used. Before, we used to hold one virtual event a month, and now we do 10-15 virtual events a month, and more often; however, now the sector is reactivating, and face-to-face events have begun to be held again. There are also many hybrid events taking place. Even though some prefer to attend conferences and meetings in person, there are many others who prefer to stay at home and watch the proceedings. We help organizers of events to run physical events and also broadcast it on social networks. In the end, we earn more because we are offering a complete product.

How has Gauss Systems reshaped its services in such a rapidly evolving industry?

Technology has changed significantly. Before, equipment used to be large, hot, expensive, and sometimes complicated. It required a highly trained technician to use it. Now, the technology required is not that big, and they are much smarter. Furthermore, in order to be an audiovisual technician at this time, you must have expertise in networks, IPS, the internet, and so on because everything is now connected. Before, there was the audiovisual world that had nothing to do with the world of computer science or the world of people who made sound. All those areas where such as separate departments, and communications were something else. Now, everything is all connected. Then, if someone does not know about that, they are already at a slight disadvantage.

What solutions does Gauss Systems offer to hotels?

For the world of events, we do everything: the visualization part including screens and projection; sound for events; simultaneous translations in several languages; videoconferencing capabilities; and logistics, including the organization, decoration, lighting, registration, and everything else used in events. Lately, we have started to handle virtual congresses as well, including virtual registration and so on. In the area of audiovisual integration, we also have an engineering department that does installation design. There are some hotels or even corporate customers that prefer to buy their equipment, and we sell and install it for them as well. Now, with the new Zoom and Teams capabilities, we are focused on that area as well. We are selling a great deal of new videoconferencing equipment as well. The technology is fully integrated, with a screen, sound, and everything else that is required. It is an accessory that is becoming the standard in conference and meeting rooms.

How is Gauss Systems adapting to the new consumption patterns?

We recently opened a professional audiovisual store to focus on this new end-user market. Now, almost all stores are setting up virtual stores; however, we are doing it the other way around. We are setting up a face-to-face store because of the equipment that we sell. I want to see the equipment, touch it, and be assured that the person who sells it to them will be there even after the sales and advise them accordingly. We are also operating it as part of parallel e-commerce. For those who do not want to buy it through e-commerce, we will use a face-to-face approach because when something is of a certain value, not everyone wants to buy it online.