The thrumming vibrance of this month’s CEDIA Expo/CIX exposition in Denver continues to reverberate in all corners of the AV community. The show, which brings together custom home integration professionals and commercial integration specialists, drew thousands and thousands of attendees to the Mile High City, marking the event’s third consecutive year there.
Spirits Elevated at CEDIA Expo/CIX in Denver
Spirits were equally elevated all week, as integrators networked with peers and colleagues; took in education sessions, panel discussions and manufacturer product training sessions; and explored booths and exhibits from nearly 400 top brands. Longtime exhibitors like Crestron, Sony, Lutron, ADI | Snap One and Origin Acoustics leveraged the show to highlight products spanning residential and commercial applications.
Emerald, CI+SSI’s parent company, owns CEDIA Expo/CIX, and our team descended on Denver in force. That included five editors, among them CE Pro executive editor Zachary Comeau, who emceed most of the thought-leadership sessions on the Smart Stage.
A particularly well-attended session, which Ari Supran, CEO of Sonance, presented, focused on practical uses of AI. During his presentation, Supran highlighted simple, accessible AI tools that can help integrators streamline operations, save time and elevate customer service.
Shortly after, a State of the Industry panel presentation, which brought together executive leadership from CEDIA, Azione, Ellipsys, Nationwide Marketing Group, ProSource and HTSA, analyzed market health, ascendant challenges and year-defining trends for integration businesses.
Ongoing CEDIA Expo/CIX Content Session Coverage
CE Pro and Commercial Integrator have already begun covering, and will continue to cover, those sessions on our respective platforms in the coming weeks. Our coverage will extend to include other Smart Stage sessions, as well, including those on the state of unified communications and collaboration; how lighting can open the door to bigger, more profitable projects; and the art of mastering high-end home theater sales.
I’m especially excited to recap the session I led, “How Software Tools Help Integrators Run Better, More Profitable Businesses,” which allowed D-Tools CEO Randy Stearns and TheCoTeam principal Chris Smith to educate integrators about developing a mindful software-selection process, earning organization-wide buy in and comprehensively implementing software solutions.
(L-R): Dan Ferrisi, Joe Whitaker, Shawn Hansson and Rich Green of the resimercial-focused panel at CEDIA Expo/CIX. Photo by Emerald/Commercial Integrator.
Moderating that session was certainly a show highlight; so, too, was it a highlight, however, to lead a CEDIA Education Conference session. Entitled “Resimercial: Learn How Resi Integrators Expanded into Light Commercial,” the presentation offered 90 minutes of nonstop learning. That was thanks entirely to our panelists: Shawn Hansson, CEO and founder, Logic Integration; Rich Green, founder, Rich Green Design; and Joe Whitaker, a key executive with Origin Acoustics.
All of them sit at the nexus of custom and commercial integration, which allowed them to touch on numerous key considerations for expansion-minded integrators. Session attendees learned the benefits of branching into commercial, which verticals are ripest to tackle first, which pitfalls to avoid (e.g., spec’ing consumer-grade products into commercial applications), how to nurture emerging technical competencies and which regulatory/compliance issues to watch.
Live Podcasts During CEDIA Expo/CIX in Denver
Another highlight of my CEDIA Expo/CIX experience was joining Josh Cooperman for podcasts taking place in a Volkswagen ID. Buzz electric bus parked right in the convention center lobby. Those podcasts — one with Hansson, one with Restrepo Innovations’ Michael Restrepo and one with Delano Associates’ Buzz Delano — captured the effervescence that prevailed all week.
For CEDIA Expo/CIX attendees, the Denver show is not merely a gathering of peers, colleagues and competitors: It’s a beloved family reunion.
On the technology front, two of my most memorable experiences centered on genuine technology immersion. First was a HYRISS demo at the L-Acoustics booth. The acronym, which stands for Hyperreal Immersive Sound Space, elevates the science of spatial audio not only in residential applications but also in environments ranging from wellness spaces and yoga studios to retail and hospitality environments. It’s worth checking out.
Equally impressive was an immersive demo from Edge Sound Research, whose multimodal, tactile Embodied Sound technology departs from traditional loudspeaker approaches to embrace what it characterizes as “full-body sound.”
Sitting in a living room-like space within their booth and watching a basketball game, I could feel every ball bounce and sneaker squeak through the couch, the table and the surrounding walls. Watching an action film trailer, the sound rumbled through me — but not by traditional means of moving air. This was genuinely different, and the company is working through Sweetwater to bring it to market.
Don’t Miss CEDIA Expo/CIX in Denver Next Year!
If you didn’t attend CEDIA Expo/CIX this month, you missed out! But we’ll be back in Denver next year, so secure your spot early! Visit CEDIAExpo.com for details.
