Strategy in TECH...
Premium networking systems and services specialist WhyReboot announced this week that they have set up a national network of independent specialty manufacturers sales representatives. The company has appointed nine top rep firms across the country, expanding their local presence for both sales and support.
Melrose PLC, the private equity turnaround expert that purchased the entirety of Nortek back in 2016, unceremoniously let it slip in a bullet point of a report on financial results, that it has found a buyer for the last remaining piece of the Nortek puzzle they have struggled to turn around over the years. Although they did not name the buyer, Melrose says a contract has been signed for a $285 million deal – remarkably low considering all the brands included in this transaction.
Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) announced today that they have partnered with BMW as the audio system provider for their new luxury electric SAV (sports activity vehicle)…the eagerly anticipated iX. The company says that engineers from both of the partners worked closely together to develop an audio experience that “feels as though you are there with the artist in the studio” – or what B&W likes to call “true sound.”
Schneider Electric is looking to take that dumb old 110v power coming into the typical residential home and make it smarter…much smarter. As part of its strategy to lead the digital transformation of energy management and automation in the home, the company has launched two new lines called the Square D X and XD Series of connected wiring devices. This opens up a whole new world of control convenience and possibilities for homeowners, and the integrators who serve them.
CEDIA Expo 2021, scheduled to run in less than two weeks from September 1-3, 2021 in Indianapolis, IN, has been steadily shrinking over the last ten days or so, as exhibitors began pulling out in the face of the rapid expansion of COVID infections due to the Delta variant. Emerald, the exposition company that owns the CEDIA Expo, has said they are going forward no matter what – even though their data shows that more than 100 exhibitors have pulled out of the event in the last two weeks.
On Wednesday, Emerald emailed a letter to exhibitors that appears to be an attempt to stem the outflow of companies that have canceled their participation in the CEDIA Expo 2021 – 42 brands according to Strata-gee’s tracking – and encourage those exhibitors that have not yet abandoned the show from leaving. Signed by Emerald executives Brian Pagel and Jason McGraw, the letter declared “the show is still very much on as planned.”
Sonance, a leading supplier of custom integration speakers and electronics, announced today that they will “withdraw from exhibiting at the 2021 CEDIA Expo,” much as several other exhibitors have decided over the last few days. In fact, today has been a big day for such withdrawals – almost a third of all companies who announced they were pulling out of the show, made that announcement today.
This morning, within just minutes of Crestron’s announcement, Lutron announced that they too have decided to withdraw from CEDIA Expo 2021. One of the top lighting control and systems providers to custom integrators, this announcement is likely to hit hard, as potential attendees weigh whether attending the show will be worth their time, and their added risk in the face of the rapid spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19.
<<NOTE on 2nd MASSIVE Update: Scroll to the bottom of this page to learn more about a second MASSIVE list update on 8/25>>This past week brought a surprising turn of events while we were all preoccupied with preparations for the rapidly approaching CEDIA Expo 2021 show that is just about 3 weeks away in Indianapolis, IN at the Indiana Convention Center. The surprise is that some exhibitors began to pull out of the event in response to the national increase in infections resulting from the COVID-19 Delta variant.
The first to take a stand was Savant, who announced last Tuesday that they would sit out this year’s Expo in order to ensure the safety of their employees, partners, and customers in the face of the surging Delta variant. Within 48 hours, other exhibitors began to join them in making the same decision and by the end of the week, at least six major brands, all large exhibitors representing literally thousands of square feet of exhibit space, had announced or otherwise informed their dealer base that they had decided to pull out of the Expo.
Crestron Electronics announced this morning that it has made “the difficult decision to fully cancel our presence” at the rapidly approaching CEDIA Expo 2021, scheduled to start in just about two weeks in Indianapolis, IN. Crestron joins a long list of exhibitors who have also decided to pull out of the event, almost all due to health and safety concerns from the dramatic increase in infections and hospitalizations as a result of the rapidly spreading COVID-19 Delta variant.
