Editor’s Note: This article featuring Alan Brawn and his 2026 predictions is part of Commercial Integrator’s series running throughout the month of January. In this series, we spotlight forward-looking insights from some of the pro AV industry’s most notable luminaries.
As we look ahead to 2026, the pro AV industry stands at the cusp of exciting opportunities and transformative trends. To explore what lies ahead, Commercial Integrator turned to Alan C. Brawn, a respected thought leader and #AVLivingLegend, for his expert predictions on the technologies and strategies that will shape the future of pro AV.
Alan C. Brawn 2026 Predictions
Commercial Integrator: Without getting into any specific vendor or particular branded solutions, what technology category or solution area do you see as 2026’s ripest, most profitable growth opportunity for pro AV integrators and installers? Explain your reasoning.
Alan C. Brawn: The most promising and profitable growth opportunities for 2026 are those that “go beyond the rectangle” of traditional AV applications and solutions. Examples in the real world are as follows:
- Converging AV into IT and tech beyond traditional pro AV (smart facilities)
- AV-over-IP and signal distribution
- Managed services
- System analytics and remote monitoring
- Convertible spaces
- Custom designed room packages (hardware and software) for those working remotely
Commercial Integrator: Which emerging AV technologies do you think are overplayed? Which ones do you think will truly transform the practice of integration in the coming years?
Brawn: There are few if any disruptive technologies in play. We are in a period of incrementalism and evolutionary improvements. DVLED is the most obvious hardware marketing hype but it is being overplayed. It has some huge benefits (sizes, shapes, seamless, contrast, brightness, etc.) but in some cases (less than 100-inch) it is being specified just for the sake of being seen as new. The only real disruptive technology that comes to mind is AI. Within the framework of its current iterations, it has an outsized buzz. However, be aware: as it matures — and in the not-too-distant future — AI, in multiple forms, will transform parts of pro AV.
Commercial Integrator: What’s getting better about the pro AV industry these days? What seems to be getting worse?
Brawn: There is a clear delineation on both sides of the equation. On the positive side, the most forward-thinking individuals and companies in the industry are embracing new ideas and approaches, and this is improving. On the negative side, too many have their heads in the proverbial sand, mired in the past. This is getting worse day by day, with missed opportunities piling up—whether they realize or admit it or not.
Commercial Integrator: What’s liable to catch some pro AV industry integrators and installers off guard in the coming year?
Brawn: Many are being caught off guard with the very real migration of end users increasingly “doing it all in house” and sourcing product online. Our community (jointly and individually) needs to emphasize the benefits of working with an integrator and the tangible benefits that this provides.
Commercial Integrator: What’s the single most pressing challenge that professionals in the pro AV industry must tackle right now? And how would you suggest tackling it?
Brawn: The most pressing issue to understand and respond to is existential in nature involving the possibility of extinction and the danger of not being relevant or needed.
Commercial Integrator: Finish this sentence: 2026 will be remembered as the year that the pro AV industry…
Brawn: The pro AV industry truly began to understand and embrace the experience and an expanded group of technologies beyond traditional pro AV that can provide these experiences.
Stay tuned with Commercial Integrator as we gather year-end insights and 2026 pro AV predictions from the brightest minds in the industry. If you’d like to be featured, contact our editorial team (Alyssa Borelli, Amala Reddie and Dan Ferrisi).
