Editor’s Note: This article featuring Kristin Bidwell and her 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 Kristin Bidwell, owner, principal consultant at Audiovisual Consulting Team (AVCT), for her expert predictions on the technologies and strategies that will shape the future of pro AV.
Kristin Bidwell 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.
Kristin Bidwell: There is a surge in data center projects. Those skilled in this sector can demand premium rates. New projects are expanding into emerging regions instead of legacy markets due to power constraints and property limitations, opening a wider net for AV companies. IT and security qualifications and certifications are a great investment.
Also, the adoption of digital tools as part of your business strategy is a must. These can help companies navigate a dynamic marketplace with more agility. It is also important to design for and install systems that allow for this flexibility. This includes gaining insight from data sets using AI, using machine learning for predictive analysis, visualizing projects using AR, using AI to increase efficiencies and provide comprehensive project models and drawing sets, and using cloud solutions for collaboration and information sharing. All of the above can improve upon teamwork, culture, project execution, proficiency, and the design and install processes, as well as manufacturing.
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?
Bidwell: I would say poorly built videowalls are overplayed. It would be nice to stop seeing low grade solutions. I understand lower price points, but at least make the products good enough that you do not have to take a hammer to the provided mounting solution. You may laugh at this comment, but we have seen it all.
Videowalls are obviously a hot commodity. This is not news in 2026. However, using videowall solutions in conjunction with other emerging technologies provides a much better experience for end users. A bright screen and a tight pixel pitch is not competitive enough anymore. For both indoor and outdoor applications, I look at a variety of specifications. These specs include, but are not limited to, warranty and failure rates, power consumption, cost, mounting solutions, software and physical accessories that help solve problems, audio and interactive applications, etc. I also look at how videowall solutions transform a space and allow the user experience to continue that experience past the physical videowall. Innovative videowall manufacturers will win because they will be pushing the envelope of technologies that continue to attract viewers.
AI will transform the practice of integration. We will soon be working in intelligent workspaces, where you are no longer selling boxes, you are selling an experience. Integrators will need strong IT and security skills to properly deploy these systems. You will need highly technical installers to create these spaces. It will be interesting to see how the industry keeps up with these skill sets. A lot of integrators sub out work as well. Those subs will require new skill sets. How will integrators keep their staff educated and trained to move at the quick pace of technology? How will they guarantee their subs can meet these demands? The playing field is changing.
Commercial Integrator: What’s getting better about the pro AV industry these days? What seems to be getting worse?
Bidwell: The Good: It is an exciting time to be in AV. Our industry has really expanded on a global scale. There are new markets, new entrepreneurial opportunities and new tech.
The Bad: With an increase in M&A, some employees are negatively affected by a lack of job security and are being forced into an unsupportive workplace culture. M&A also limits the opportunity for healthy competition.
The Ugly: More often than in past years, both men and women in our industry have confided in me regarding an increase in sexual harassment. It is disheartening to hear that these issues still existing in our industry. There is no place for it. We should be supporting each other and have respect for our fellow colleagues.
Commercial Integrator: What’s liable to catch some pro AV industry integrators and installers off guard in the coming year?
Bidwell: Market sectors and financial resources are shifting. If integrators are not paying attention to these trends or cannot adjust to meet these requirements, I would assume they will see a decrease in profitability.
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?
Bidwell: Technology is changing at an alarming rate. Understanding how to use that tech to your advantage instead of being replaced by it is the biggest challenge.
I suggest tackling it by staying agile. Constant training and education, hiring hungry and excited employees, being open to exploring and using new technologies, utilizing AI and ML, looking outside of your existing market for other opportunities, doing the work to stay relevant. It is not a time to be stagnant; it is not a time to be complacent. The AV industry has changed, and the demand has changed, and will continue to do so. It is exciting but takes energy, interest and strategic decisions to stay in the game.
Commercial Integrator: Finish this sentence: 2026 will be remembered as the year that the pro AV industry…
Bidwell:…and AI collided.
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).
