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EXCLUSIVE: AVIXA CEO Weighs In on Trade Assocs., Shows, Emerald & More

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Photo from InfoComm show, an AVIXA production

About five seconds into our phone call, before I even had a chance to explain myself, AVIXA CEO David Labuskes suddenly burst out: “Oh! I know why you called me!” This reaction caught me off-guard as we’d never spoken before. But when he went on to tell me why he thought I had called him, he was right on the money. It was a clue that he is a deeper thinker than many executives I reach out to, and as we spoke further, that impression only got stronger.

Another surprise was that Labuskes knew me (and Strata-gee) better than I realized…

Learn what the CEO of AVIXA shared with me in this EXCLUSIVE interview…

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ISUS in America? Emerald Adds a Commercial Show to CEDIA Expo; Exhibitors React

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Emerald owned CEDIA Expo 2022

Emerald Expositions (NYSE: EEX), the national B2B trade show company that owns CEDIA Expo, CE Pro, and Commercial Integrator surprised the industry at the recent CEDIA Expo 2022 by abruptly announcing that next year they will be “co-locating” a show for commercial integrators at the same time and in the same facility. Reaction to this announcement was…to put it mildly…mixed. Is Emerald trying to imitate the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) show – an event for both residential and commercial businesses – by launching an ISUS (Integrated Systems United States) event??

Do you wonder why there was a mixed reaction to Emerald’s move? Read on…

See why some big exhibitors were not happy with the Emerald announcement…

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In Stinging Rebuke, a Double-Digit Percentage of CEDIA Members Vote No on Slate

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CEDIA boardroom
Boardroom at CEDIA HQ in Fishers, IN

After Obvious Failure of Transparency, CEO Says He’s Learned a ‘Lesson’

On Wednesday, CEDIA Global President and CEO Daryl Friedman sent a letter to all members advising them that the election process for new Board members has been completed – and that the slate of three Board-selected candidates for the three open Board seats has now been filled by Stephan Goodhue, Jennifer Mallett, and James Ratcliffe. The cheery tone of the letter belies the fact that the election process was viewed by many as tainted and has inflamed anger from what seems to be a fairly significant percentage of members who resent losing the opportunity to vote for a candidate of their choice.

However, in this letter, Friedman did allow that “…we need to do a better job of communication.”

See more on the CEDIA letter to members

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WiSA Technologies Puts Up a ‘For Sale’ Sign

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WiSA Technologies home page

On Monday, WiSA Technologies, Inc., a “developer of spatial, wireless sound technology for smart devices and next-generation home entertainment systems,” announced that it has hired an advisor to aid them in moving forward with an “exploration of strategic alternatives” for the company.

In other words, it is putting itself up for sale.

See more on WiSA looking for a buyer

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Expo Shocker! Hundreds of Members Show Up for CEDIA Advocacy Town Hall

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CEDIA Advocacy Town Hall
[Click to enlarge]

Spotlight on CEDIA Expo

Perhaps one of the more surprising events at CEDIA Expo 2022 – at least in my mind – was an event that took place early in the morning on the first official day of the show floor opening. This event, the CEDIA Advocacy Town Hall in which the organization intended to discuss the extent of their political advocacy conducted on behalf of the membership, seemed to me like something unlikely to draw much attention…or attendance.

Boy…was I wrong!

Learn more about the CEDIA Advocacy Town Hall

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AVNation Features Ted Green on Special Episode Discussing CEDIA Board Election Issue

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AVNation graphic on panel where AVNation Features Ted Green

This week, AVNation features Ted Green – me – on a special episode discussing the CEDIA Director Elections taking place right now. As you may know, there was some controversy surrounding this election as CEDIA’s board decided to change the normal election process where association members pick from a selection of nominees to vote on those they want on the Board of Directors. Instead, this year members vote with a simple yes/no on a predetermined slate of candidates selected by the Board’s Governance Committee.

See more on this special AVNation episode featuring me

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CEDIA Expo 2022 Had Nearly 12,000 Attendees; A Good Post-COVID Restart

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CEDIA Expo 2022

It took a couple of weeks, but Emerald Expositions finally released the attendance figures for CEDIA Expo 2022. According to the exposition company, the attendance of nearly 12,000 “exceeded expectations” – their expectations apparently. But there is no question that it certainly blew away the attendance of just 1,400 folks who visited CEDIA Expo 2021.

See more on CEDIA Expo 2022 attendance

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CEDIA Board Elections Now Open, But Did Org Violate Its Own Bylaws?

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CEDIA HQ
CEDIA’s headquarters building in Fishers, Indiana

Why Did an Anonymous Source Call My Attention to the Bylaws?

On Tuesday, CEDIA members received an email from David Weinstein, the well-known VP of Lutron who also serves as the Chairman of CEDIA’s Board of Directors, informing them that the election process to fill vacant seats on the Board of Directors was now open. There are three seats to be filled and Weinstein’s email helpfully/confusingly names just three candidates the Board’s Governance Committee has selected to fill the three open seats. It was the first indicator that something was different with this election as compared to the usual process.

I read this announcement carefully, as only hours before it was distributed I had received a cryptic message from a source exhorting me to find and read “the current Cedia [sic] bylaws.” Something was definitely brewing…

See more on the CEDIA Board elections…

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CEDIA Expo 2022: After the Expo 2021 Dumpster Fire, A Better Expo Brings Relief

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Day 1 show floor at CEDIA Expo 2022
A pretty good CEDIA Expo 2022 Day 1 crowd right after opening [Click to enlarge]

CEDIA Expo 2022, the integration business trade show owned by Emerald Expositions, wrapped up this past Saturday and relief amongst exhibitors was obvious throughout the venue as integrators actually showed up this year in decent – but certainly not great – numbers. It was a refreshing contrast to the dumpster fire known as CEDIA Expo 2021 – when over 200 exhibitors pulled out of the event because of rising COVID cases and a total of only 1,400 people representing booth staff, agencies, and attendees showed up.

It was a much different picture this year…

See more of my thoughts on CEDIA Expo 2022

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What to Expect at CEDIA Expo 2022

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CEDIA Expo 2022 will be in the Kay Bailey Hutchinson convention center in Dallas

Finally, after two years without a real show – absolutely no show in 2020, and a very tiny one in 2021 – the industry comes together again for its one big show of the year – the CEDIA Expo 2022. Although not technically post-COVID, at least the situation is improving to the point where the world is beginning a return to something that approaches normal. And that brings us to now, the relaunching of live in-person events like the CEDIA Expo in Dallas, TX. But what can you expect if you head to Dallas and Expo?

See what to expect in Dallas at CEDIA 2022…

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