CEDIA Expo opens this week, with education sessions starting today and the show floor opening tomorrow. As Strata-gee has been reporting, over the last three weeks literally hundreds of exhibitors have pulled out of the event over concerns surrounding the surge of infections due to the Delta variant of COVID-19. With Emerald expositions vowing to forge ahead with the event no matter what, attendees to the event – whether many or few – will find themselves at a very different CEDIA Expo.
Integrators
Digital Projection Pulls Out of CEDIA Expo and All Tradeshows Through 2021
Digital Projection, Inc. (DP), a leading video technology provider, announced this week that it will withdraw its participation in CEDIA Expo 2021, as well as all large, in-person tradeshows for the remainder of 2021. While DP says they enjoy meeting face-to-face with “customers, partners, and friends,” the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced them to reexamine the risks of such events and led to this decision.
See more on the thinking behind this DP announcement
[Read more…] about Digital Projection Pulls Out of CEDIA Expo and All Tradeshows Through 2021Emerald: The Show WILL Go On!
Emerald Letter Tries to Nail Down Remaining Exhibitors
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.”
See more on the Emerald attempt to stem the tide leaving Expo
[Read more…] about Emerald: The Show WILL Go On!Sonance Says, See You in a (Hopefully) Safer 2022; Exits CEDIA Expo 2021
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.
See more on the Sonance withdrawal from CEDIA Expo 2021
[Read more…] about Sonance Says, See You in a (Hopefully) Safer 2022; Exits CEDIA Expo 2021Lutron, Another Major Exhibitor, Cancels Their CEDIA Expo 2021 Plans
BREAKING NEWS
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.
See more on the Lutron decision to withdraw…
[Read more…] about Lutron, Another Major Exhibitor, Cancels Their CEDIA Expo 2021 PlansSound United Follows Others to the Exit as CEDIA Expo Loses Another Exhibitor
BREAKING NEWS
Positioned on prime real estate in the front row of the convention hall, with power brands Sony on one side and Samsung on the other, Sound United says that their booth at next month’s CEDIA Expo in Indianapolis, IN, will remain empty. The company announced today that, like Savant and Snap One before them, they too have decided to pull out of the Expo over concerns about the spike in cases of the COVID Delta variant.
Learn more about Sound United exiting CEDIA Expo
[Read more…] about Sound United Follows Others to the Exit as CEDIA Expo Loses Another ExhibitorSavant Power: 3 Reasons Why It Just Might Disrupt the Power Segment
By now, you may have heard that Savant has acquired Racepoint Energy, LLC, which will now operate as Savant Power. In another post, I discuss this acquisition in a little more detail and interview Savant Power President Anna Demeo. Demeo is incredibly smart and because of this, it was one of my more challenging interviews – let’s just say you don’t want to take her on in a game of Scrabble. This is a big move by Savant and if you don’t look closely, you may miss the importance of what it potentially represents – a significant disruption of the power segment.
See the 3 reasons why Savant Power may disrupt the power segment…
[Read more…] about Savant Power: 3 Reasons Why It Just Might Disrupt the Power SegmentSavant Power Play, Connecting Integrators to Power
Strata-gee Interviews Savant Power President Anna Demeo
Last week, Savant Systems, Inc. announced that it had acquired Racepoint Energy, LLC, a provider of innovative power solutions. What many people did not know was that Racepoint Energy was another venture launched by Savant CEO Bob Madonna, and was originally intended to be a freestanding solution – primarily targeted for commercial, industrial, and utility markets.
But then the world changed and it made sense for Savant to bring it under their residential automation brand.
See my interview with Savant Power President Anna Demeo…
[Read more…] about Savant Power Play, Connecting Integrators to PowerAudioControl Rolls Out Drivers for Full Integration into Creston Home Systems
AudioControl announced this week that it has released certified drivers for Crestron Home for its line of specialty electronics. This news means that the company’s products, already popular in home automation systems, will now integrate into the rapidly expanding Crestron Home ecosystem.
See more on these new drivers from AudioControl
[Read more…] about AudioControl Rolls Out Drivers for Full Integration into Creston Home SystemsCrestron Home is Center of Attention in a Pair of New Partnerships
Somfy and Josh.ai Say Dealers Demanded They Partner with Crestron Home
Ever since Crestron launched Crestron Home it became obvious that there had been a sea change in the company’s go-forward strategy. The new Home operating system was easier to program and deploy, more visually attractive for end-users, and more clearly differentiated from their more robust high-end programming solutions. But also, the company’s style of operation changed as well, from doing it all in-house to opening itself up to partnerships.
Now we learn of two more in a long line of technology partnerships as the company continues to evolve and propel Crestron Home down the path to becoming the dominant smart home OS in the industry. The new partnerships are with Josh.ai and Somfy, both well-regarded technology players in the custom integration channel.