You could fit an awful lot of hi-fis into the space given over to showing Bose and Fujitsu's latest cutting-edge products in Brown Thomas, "but you have to speculate to accumulate," says Colm Doolin, manager of the audiovisual department.
The concept of the themed showcase rather than the showroom was initially slow to catch on in the audio-visual world but it means the difference between exhibiting products and just displaying them on a shelf.
"We wanted to create theatre and drama rather than go for the hard sell, which was a quite unique idea," says Bill Simpson, design controller of Brown Thomas. "But we had to sell the idea and it took some manufacturers a while to understand that it's not just an extra selling space, but a place where they can show off what they are doing in a way that makes an impact. Those who have already tried it have had a lot of feedback and now we have a waiting list of people interested."
Two rooms in the audiovisual department are available to companies for two to three month stints at a time and the onus is on them to create a unique experience for the customer, says Simpson.
Those who congregate around this area of the third floor tend to be "boys who like toys".
A past exhibitor, Sharp, capitalised on this by holding a boys' football night in its CD room.
Simpson sees the all-male event as a form of positive discrimination because "most of the events in the store are geared towards women".
The products are pitched at the upper end of the market and the thinking behind the rooms is about trying to "create a point of difference between ourselves and people like Dixons and Power City, who can't really do that sort of thing."
The rooms, created in consultation with Douglas Wallace architects, were designed so they can be easily adapted to the requirements of each occupant.
The current inhabitants, Bose and Fujitsu, have upped the ante and may prove difficult acts to follow.
Bose have spent an estimated £10,000 to £15,000 (€12,697 to €19,047) replicating a bank vault, complete with iron bars, protecting the coveted bullion - the Bose cutting edge lifestyle system - which includes a CD/radio unit, five state-of-the art tiny speakers and a plasma TV screen. In its entirety it will set you back around £12,000 (€15,237). The most basic system in the range costs £1,500 (€1,905).
"The Bose range is quite minimal and understated, the speakers are small and subtle so the display is a way of making an immediate impact and creating an image of something that is precious."
Fujitsu - regarded as leading plasma TV screen manufacturers - have the other room. The theme is Big Brother.
A large leather chair in the centre of the room is surrounded by a series of plasma screens hanging on the dark walls. The plasma screens cost from £7,000 to £10,000 (€8,888 to €12,697).
Simpson got the idea for the display rooms from the cosmetics business. "It was inspired by the concept of the beauty room, which is used to show different products every few weeks." As far as he knows, Brown Thomas pioneered the sound-system theme-room and, while he's not saying it pinched the idea, Selfridges in London now has a dedicated home entertainment area.
