Editor’s Note: This article featuring Tobi Tungl and his 2025 reflections is part of Commercial Integrator’s series that will run throughout the month of December. In this series, we’ll highlight 2025 reflections from some of the industry’s most notable luminaries.
As the pro AV industry reflects on the year 2025, it’s clear that this has been a period of both growth and transformation. To gain deeper insights into the trends, challenges and opportunities that have shaped the industry, Commercial Integrator turned to Tobi Tungl, chief marketing officer at CTI.
Tobi Tungl 2025 Reflections
Tungl shares how 2025 has been a transformative year for pro AV, shifting from hype to practicality. AI has become an invisible yet essential tool, while the industry’s integration with IT has redefined design priorities, focusing on experiences, uptime and measurable outcomes.
Commercial Integrator: What kind of year has 2025 been for the pro AV industry?
Tobi Tungl: 2025 has been a “back to reality” year. The sugar high is gone and customers are asking a simple question…does this actually matter to how we work, learn or serve our customers? The integrators who can connect tech to clear outcomes and stories are still growing. The ones selling gear for gear’s sake are feeling it.
CI: What has been the most surprising development in the pro AV industry this year?
Tungl: How fast AI went from hype word to “of course that should be built in.” Clients now expect smarter rooms, cleaner automation and easier support…but they don’t want a user manual to get there. The surprise is how quickly “AI” became invisible back-end support instead of the headline.
CI: What has been the most important change we’ve seen this year in pro AV?
Tungl: AV now feels truly at home in IT. The sunset was called years ago, but this is the first time it’s really showing up in how we design. We’re not just installing gear…we’re standing up platforms IT needs to secure, monitor and measure. The focus has to move from individual devices to experience, uptime and data.
Stay tuned with Commercial Integrator as we gather year-end insights and reflections 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, [email protected])
