CAIRO: Gone are the days of conventional TV sets or videos cluttering the living room. People living in Egypt can now walk into a room, hit a button, and instantly be swept up in music or films that originate in a remote closet or even basement in its sleek black-box design. With Archimedia's launch in Egypt on May 24 comes a fully integrated home entertainment system with in-wall displays, media servers, loudspeakers, amplifiers, and projectors. "What we are offering is a mix of high-end home entertainment systems, said Karim Zaki, CEO of Archimedia. "We have a suite of technologies that enables complete audio/visual home and digital media control used in homes. Archimedia's vision rage comprises premium high-priced products for discerning entertainment junkies. Established in Dubai in 2003, Archimedia specializes in producing high-end tailored home entertainment solutions as well as lighting and security systems. After successfully entering the entertainment market in Dubai and the GCC countries, Archimedia decided to expand to the whole region and opted to start with Egypt. "We've been getting a lot of inquiries from customers in Egypt. We have a lot of Egyptians visiting our showroom in Dubai, and a lot of Emiratis demanding the service be installed in their second homes in Egypt, explained Omar Hikal, Arichmedia's chief operating office. Targeting a clientele which buys homes in newly established residential projects, the real estate boom in Egypt particularly attracted Archimedia to begin operations in the country. The real estate market is booming in Egypt with local companies as well as regional ones like Emaar and Sama Dubai operating extensively in the country. Their clientele is also ours. So, we are following their paths into the market, Zaki explained. Archimedia's core business lies in new and luxurious residential projects such as those in Katameya Heights, Sheikh Zayed, Sixth of October.etc. "Building new homes implies a business opportunity for us, Hikal stated. That encouraged the team to pour in investment equal to $1 million in Egypt. The company provides customers with both the hardware and the software that enables them to have a home theater at their fingertips. It assembles media equipment such as king-size screens, servers, and amplifiers producing high-end tailored home entertainment solutions, while maintaining the beauty of the home setting. "We take our roots from high-end home entertainment brands that are at the top of their category, Zaki pointed out. Archimedia uploads servers with a rich and wide collection of music and video meeting tastes of their clients. "The world has gone beyond a regular radio transmitter or a regular TV set. Nowadays, TV is a panel installed into a hole in the wall. In five years time, CDs will become obsolete, and you will no longer see traditional DVD or CD players at home, Zaki stated. "Our system is a generation of iPod, only a rich man's iPod. He explained that Archimedia Home Entertainment Solutions is tailored to appeal to different consumers. "People live differently at home, and we want to give them what they want. For example, we customize our solutions to mix-match with the interior design of the clients' houses, be it classic, modern.etc. In that sense, the company works hand in hand with interior designers and offers consultancy services to architects as well as designers. "We do our job best when we work with designers, said Hikal And from that concept came the name Archimedia i.e. Architects of Media. "It's the same as having an electrician installing electricity at your home or a plumber working on your plumbing system. We don't find people doing their own plumbing or electricity. The same should be true for home entertainment, Hikal added. Seeing is believing, and that is why Archimedia opened a showroom in Cairo for clients to virtually experience the ample media possibilities they can have at their homes. The showroom includes a fully automated media system, with a home theater set within the context of a nicely decorated home environment. "We usually get two reactions from clients visiting our showroom. One: I didn't know I could do that at home. Two: I want something exactly like this. These two reactions mean that we did our job right, Zaki boasted. He explained how the team spends time with clients to specifically understand what they want their home media to be like. "Some people want a TV in their bedrooms, others in their living rooms. Some customers, he added, have to use reading glasses to comfortably see pads on a remote control. Archimedia can provide them with a bigger keypad to use the remote control without fetching for their glasses. Others want an Arabic-enabled system and so on. "A strong focus of our clientele is females or those people who are not familiar with technology and specifically want a system easy to operate, he said. Again, for those who are not technology savvy, Archimedia offers systems with simple and easy control capabilities to enjoy their home cinema experience while using sleek touch-panel remote control. And with Archimedia's integrated home theater system comes another luxury - one remote control to work the entire gear (music and video), including options for the adjustments of lights, curtains, and air conditioners. The system's remote possibilities also extend to full blown home theater control systems that are expandable to wirelessly controlled devices all over the house, enabling different family members to simultaneously listen/watch different media. With such a luxurious home cinema system, Archimedia's clientele base is the region's rich and affluent who give it a run for its money. "We've worked with heads of state in the region, monarchs, royalty, top VIPs and audio connoisseurs throughout the Middle East. We supply to those who seek quality, performance and convenience, rather than price, Zaki explained. With its core business in giant residential projects, Archimedia mainly sells to clients "who are financially well off and can buy a 2 to 3 million dirham system. It's a simple logic, as Zaki put it, "People who want it are willing to pay for it. "We sell to the rich and affluent. 80 percent of our turnover comes from 20 percent of our clients, and vice versa; 20 percent of our turnover comes from 80 percent of our clients. To put it in simple language, he explained, "In terms of our brand portfolio, we are the Mercedes-Benz of the home cinema industry. We're not a Rolls Royce for a few select and not a Toyota that is out there selling to everyone. But we are a Mercedes for the [top notch]. Still, given the nature of the market in Egypt, Archimedia tries to offer good news to the less affluent people. "Newlyweds or company executives can buy an LE 15,000 system and be happy with it. Following the Egyptian operation, Archimedia plans to further fuel its expansion all over the Middle East starting with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. "We are active all over the GCC countries, and our vision is to become the entire region's leading residential entertainment providers, said Zaki, adding that by 2009, Archimedia will have opened at least seven showrooms in the region.
