The Exertis Almo #E4Experience in Chicago was the biggest E4 event to date, with over 400 people in attendance. It was filled with fresh new energy, new partnerships, new products and new perspectives. In the past, I’ve seen pretty much the same partners on the exhibit floor region to region. Even though there was always new technology to see within these booths, the exciting part for me has always been in meeting the different #AVtweeps within the companies that exhibit and attend the #E4Experience.
During the Chicago event, there were a lot of new faces mainly because it was the first official E4 where both Exertis and Almo teams have become one powerful force. The brand was strong (as you can see with my red suit), the whole team was exhilarated and engaged. There is a great deal of history between these two teams that I was able to learn about from different members. The passion and love the Exertis Almo team has for education and their partners as a whole exudes from their entire team and is something that I can relate to and personally stand behind. The simple truth as Mac Anderson puts it is, “You can’t fake passion. It is the fuel that drives any dream and makes you happy to be alive.”
Exertis Almo’s collective strategy and purpose will continue to push our industry forward beyond the solutions we sell because you can not fake the effort and initiatives they’ve brought to the forefront in this space for 75+ years.
Part of the reason I am personally so passionate about the #E4Experience is because it opened me up to a new world of opportunity that I didn’t know about before I stepped foot into the Dallas Hyatt Regency back in 2016. This show led me to my first Dante training class. I was able to get hands-on experience with technology like Barco’s Unisee. I was even able to meet industry thought-leaders like Rob Ziv.
The E4 Experience is one of our industry’s best events with top-tier technology, education and networking. This event breaks barriers and creates opportunity for people like me. It is truly a game changer as it moves from region to region making it possible for people to attend an industry award-winning event right in their backyards. The accessibility of this show is unmatched.
Exertis Almo E4 Experience Highlights
Not only is there a very strong sense of purpose associated with the E4 experience, but there is also a lot of product on the show floor to explore. The Chicago event was the largest in attendance and also the largest show floor we’ve ever seen at any E4. Some of the savviest and smartest integrators embraced the show floor as a showroom. Naturally, I was extremely thrilled to see what all the partners had to offer. Here’s a quick look at my top five products I saw throughout the day:
5) Jabra Business: Jabra PanaCast Speak 750UC Bundle
I have this product as number five because it’s what we need. We’re working from home, we’re working on the go and we need to have quality products that set us up to have quality calls no matter where we are located. The bundle from Jabra Business contains its PanaCast 180-degree 4K UHD Conferencing Camera, PanaCast USB Type-C Hub, Speak 750 Wireless Speakerphone, along with a wall mount and sturdy table mount. All of this comes within a well packaged travel kit to keep everything protected and neat. Because we buy webcam, mics, etc. individually and then throw them all into a backpack, this bundle with the durable travel kit raises bonus points in my book.
4) AVOCOR Interactive Touchscreens
I’ve been watching Avocor for a few shows now as it is a new name to me. But during this show I took sometime out with Angela Green, business development manager at Exertis Almo, and Kylie Pfile, sales manager at Avocor, to learn more about the solutions. Yes, it’s an interactive display, but it is built to work with any type of meeting platform for total flexibility — Webex, Zoom, Google, Microsoft Teams, your choice.
But the one thing that stood out to me the most was the software, Group Share. Group Share was created to start a meeting seamlessly no matter the platform. It’s a little challenging switching between video platforms all day, but GroupShare simplifies the confusion that can come with switching between video platforms. Making things simple: I like it, Avocor!
3) LG Electronics: CLOi Bots
Robots at the #E4Experience?! This was something completely new! There were two CLOi bots roaming the show floor and navigating traffic flawlessly. Both CLOi GuideBot and CLOi ServeBot were showstoppers in Chicago. Michael Lawrence, senior account manager at LG Electronics, explained the vision for these robots coming to market. With a focus on hospitality, CLOi can be utilized within restaurants, hotels and retails stores where CLOi can focus on serving consumers. Yes, new to the market but was well received by attendees at the event. Let’s see what CLOi adds to our industry within the next five to 10 years. Keep your eye on these robots.
2) AVer: VB130
We saw a demo of this product during the keynote and I was blown away by the technology within this all-in-one distance learning video and audio solution. The VB130 features advanced AI combining SmartFrame technology with voice tracking. Gary Kayye refers to the magic of this technology as Audio Fencing. AVer is pushing this product heavily in K-12 and distance learning but in all honestly, this made my number two because people need this savvy solution. The power within this solution is extremely valuable and I’m looking for a way to get my hands on one. You should too.
1) Sony: Crystal LED
Shout out to the team at Sony. It’s been exciting to watch this team expand and grow over the past few years. I was excited to meet Chrissy Sara for the first time in person, as well as David Pequeno who walked me through all they were showing within the exhibit. I think their booth may have been the largest booth (I could be wrong but they held a great amount of real estate.)
But what really grabbed my eye was the Crystal LED product, I was standing right on it and it never lost its beauty. They even won a 2022 Display Industry Award for Display Application of the Year with their Crystal LED Virtual Production System Solution from the Society of Information Display (SID), the same week of the show. It simply takes your breath away, and I can’t wait to see how they showcase this tech with an even bigger footprint at InfoComm.
I could go on and on about the value add of the #E4Experience, but don’t just take my word for it. Meet me at the next event! D.C., you’re up next on September 23!
Check out our website archives for other E4 event highlights from Alesia Hendley.
