The residential and pro AV industry is defined by constant evolution. While established manufacturers provide the backbone of many projects, fresh innovation often bubbles up from new entrants who view old problems through a different lens. This dynamic was the driving force behind the inaugural PitchFest conducted by CEDIA Expo/CIX, a Shark Tank-style competition that pitted emerging exhibitors against one another in a battle for industry recognition.
After two days of insightful pitches featuring highly innovative solutions, one rose above the rest to claim the title of Ultimate PitchFest Champion: SmartShowroom360. Founder Dave Chace’s presentation captivated the judges and the audience alike, securing the win with a platform designed to fundamentally change how integrators sell smart home technology.
However, the event was about more than just one winner. It served as a demonstration for a diverse array of technologies, from power distribution and landscape lighting to AV software and motorized shading.
Read on to learn more about SmartShowroom360 and other solutions that are changing the landscape of the residential and commercial AV sectors!
SmartShowroom360: Ultimate Champion of CEDIA Expo/CIX PitchFest
In an industry where “seeing is believing,” one of the most persistent hurdles for integrators is demonstrating the value of a smart home or building to a client who is standing in an unfinished drywall shell or reviewing blueprints in a coffee shop. How do you sell an experience that doesn’t exist yet?
SmartShowroom360 answered this question with a decisive victory. The platform is an immersive, interactive virtual experience that illustrates smart home elements and showcases solution possibilities without the overhead of a brick-and-mortar location. It allows integrators to bring a fully realized showroom directly to clients, builders and designers, regardless of physical location.
Solving the Sales Gap
Along with the audience, the judges were also impressed by how the solution addresses the sales process. The platform features customizable branding, allowing integration firms to present the virtual environment as their own. Beyond the visuals, it also offers robust backend tools, including detailed analytics of showroom traffic and smart links that create unique URLs for clients. This allows the integrator to track client behavior and interest levels, turning a passive walkthrough into actionable sales intelligence.
CE Pro‘s Zachary Comeau was one of the industry experts evaluating the pitches and he highlighted the platform’s versatility.
“We thought the picture was creative and obviously very visually engaging and it positions the platform as a virtual showroom for integrators that don’t have those physical demo spaces,” Comeau stated. “The customizable branding, we think it offers a really compelling way to educate clients and just support those sales conversations remotely.”
Soundvision’s Michelle Ferlauto, another judge on the panel, also noted that the software solves an issue that plagues even seasoned professionals — clearly explaining what it is that integrators actually do for clients.
“In my opinion, this is a solution that is for everyone,” added Ferlauto. “If you already have a [physical] showroom, then you can use it as part of your marketing package and if you don’t have a showroom, it gives you the means to demonstrate what is it that you do and the products that you offer.”
By bridging the gap between technical capability and client understanding, SmartShowroom360 offers a unique selling proposition: a smart home showroom without physical limitations.
The Finalist Contender: BTX Window Automation
While SmartShowroom360 took the overall crown, the competition was fierce. BTX Window Automation emerged as a formidable finalist, having secured the Day 1 victory with a pitch focused on convergence and partnership. A Dallas-based manufacturer with a 40-year history in commercial and hospitality spaces, BTX presented a compelling case for its solutions available in the shading market.
The core of the presentation was the “Smart by Bond” solution. Co-developed with Bond, this technology embeds the popular Bond bridge infrastructure directly into the BTX motorization platform. For the integrator, this presents a significant workflow improvement. It provides native integration that simplifies deployment, offering true RF real-time state feedback, device power management notifications and over-the-air updates.
Furthermore, BTX showcased its new Power over Ethernet (PoE) motors. These units feature an internal RF radio and a lithium-ion battery. This design provides a critical redundancy: if power is lost, the shades can still operate via the battery backup. The combination of easy third-party integration — with systems like Josh.ai, Control4 and URC — and robust hardware engineering made BTX a standout competitor.
Innovation Across the Board: The PitchFest Cohort
The CEDIA Expo/CIX PitchFest featured a wide variety of vendors, each bringing a specific innovation to the stage. These companies covered nearly every vertical within the residential and commercial AV channels, demonstrating that innovation is happening at every level of the hardware and software stack.
Video Distribution and Connectivity
BZBGEAR presented the BG-IP-Gear Ultra, a solution designed to tackle the bandwidth and complexity challenges of video distribution. BZBGEAR’s pitch highlighted the ability to deliver matrixing video walls up to 20×20 and multi-view capabilities for up to 36 sources, all over a standard 1G network. With features like USB-C and KVM connections, audio embedding and de-embedding, and PoE, BZBGEAR positioned itself as a versatile choice for complex commercial and high-end residential video projects.
Climate Control and Comfort
Jet Living Products brought focus to the outdoor living space with their Infratech heaters. The pitch emphasized control and integration. Moving beyond simple on/off functionality, the company showcased a range of controls that allow for smart home integration and voice activation. As outdoor entertainment spaces continue to grow in popularity, the ability to integrate heating seamlessly into the control system becomes a key differentiator for integrators.
Power Management and Efficiency
Two companies focused heavily on power, albeit from different angles.
Modern Atomics pitched a lineup of power supplies and distribution units aimed at efficiency and cost savings. The pitch claimed that the solution saves 99.75% of wasted energy while coming in at a smaller size and half the price of other shade power supplies. Modern Atomics also highlighted energy storage modules designed to keep operations running during power disruptions.
On the other hand, OnFILTER took an industrial approach to power protection. The company noted that standard surge protectors are insufficient for modern electronics, often missing lower-level transients that degrade equipment over time. OnFILTER showcased its AB 2020 FG filters, which clean both power and ground lines to block electromagnetic interference (EMI). It also helps kill transient voltage spikes, positioning the product as essential insurance for high-performance AV systems.
Lighting and Landscape
Nightscaping USA introduced the Locklin series, a modular landscape lighting solution. The pitch focused on build quality and flexibility, featuring adjustable LED modules with various lensing options. The modular nature of the series allows for easier serviceability and customization in the field.
Inside the home, Deako presented a modular smart lighting system designed to bridge the gap between standard wiring and smart control. The “plug-and-play” system allows a standard switch to be popped out and replaced with a smart dimmer in seconds, without touching a wire. This “smart-ready” approach thus appeals to builders and integrators looking for scalable solutions.
Business Operations and Software
On the software side, WeQuote demonstrated a comprehensive AV software platform designed to streamline the business end of integration. The solution covers quoting, business process management, accountancy, purchasing and inventory management. By connecting directly to vendors and manufacturers, WeQuote aims to reduce the administrative friction that often slows down integration firms.
Audio and Control
Dio Technologies pitched the Dio Node as a minimalist Wi-Fi speaker solution. By eliminating the need for proprietary hubs and apps, the Dio Node operates entirely on the local network using AirPlay 2 and UPnP. This appeals to privacy-conscious clients and those seeking a simple, audio-first web experience.
Finally, Rithum Home showcased the Rithum Switch Pro, a smart touch panel designed to replace standard light switches. It serves as a dedicated control point for lighting, audio and climate, with native integrations for major platforms like Sonos and Lutron. The Pro model also features intercom capabilities, adding another layer of utility to the wall station.
Aesthetics and Concealment
MyTVArt addressed the design-versus-tech debate with a solution that uses real canvas prints to conceal televisions. Unlike digital art modes, MyTVArt uses a motorized roller to retract a giclée canvas print when the TV is in use. With options for surface mounting, frames or recessed architectural niches, it provides a high-end aesthetic solution for clients who want technology to disappear when not in use.
The Future of Residential and Commercial AV
Indeed, the variety of technologies on display at PitchFest underscores a healthy, vibrant industry. From the winning virtual sales tool of SmartShowroom360 to the granular power protection of OnFILTER, these new exhibitors are finding unique ways to add value to the integrator’s toolkit.
For professionals in the residential and commercial AV spaces, keeping an eye on these emerging players is essential as they are often the ones solving the niche problems.
Did you miss the live pitches? Not to worry! Both days of the CEDIA Expo/CIX PitchFest will be available to watch on demand so you can witness the innovation firsthand and see exactly why SmartShowroom360 took home the top prize.
