Strategy in TECH...
Many in the industry were stunned to learn Thursday afternoon that popular custom integration editor and reviewer Robert “Bob” Archer was released from his prominent role at CEPro by owner Emerald Expositions. It was an inauspicious conclusion to a long, illustrious career at one of the top industry trade publications, where Archer’s insightful product reviews could make a real impact on the success of a product in the market.
Azione Unlimited, a leading North American buying group of upscale custom integrators, announced on Wednesday that it has formed the Azione Collective, a group of women drawn from all walks of the greater Azione ecosystem who have come together to “empower connection, mentorship, and growth.”
Ferrari NV (NYSE: RACE), manufacturer of the leading luxury sports car embraced by many wealthy car enthusiasts, had its scariest ride ever on Wall Street last week, when its stock value had the single largest daily drop in the company’s history. In just one day, the value of RACE shares closed down by 15%. Does this mean trouble for the Luxury market?
In a new survey released today (Thursday), homeowners expressed pessimism and uncertainty about both the economy in general and the housing market specifically. They are also stressing over personal finances, with nearly half of all homeowners (49%) citing their personal finances as the greatest source of stress they face right now.
Just days after Amazon put on its glitzy annual devices and services showcase for the media in New York City, employees were surprised to learn that a Vice President who helps oversee the devices division is leaving the company. In an internal memo circulated to employees, and viewed by Reuters News Agency, it was announced that Rob Williams, Vice President of Device Software and Services – and part of a small elite group of executives with direct access to CEO Andy Jassy known as the S-team – stepped down from his post…and furthermore, will leave the company entirely at year-end.
Here is a really smart idea: AVPro Global, one of the industry’s fastest-growing manufacturers of a wide range of products designed specifically for the residential and commercial custom integration spaces, is creating an “Expert Advisory Board.” Why is that smart? Because a well-selected advisory board can be a great sounding board (no pun intended) on strategies and tactics, and an almost limitless source of fresh ideas and perspectives for driving above-average growth.
The first expert appointed to this board is well-known industry executive Wally Whinna, formerly of ADI/Snap One, AVAD, Tandem Marketing, and Allnet.
Emerald Expositions, part of Emerald Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EEX) and owners of CEDIA Expo and CEPro, has reported that final attendance at CEDIA Expo 2025, “the premier event for the custom systems integration industry,” establishes it was yet another year of declining participation. This rather sobering news is consistent with feedback I received from several exhibitors at the event this year – almost all of whom told me that attendance was noticeably off, with several saying it was significantly down from last year.
Now we know with certainty, even with Emerald’s attempt to hide the real attendance figures, that attendance at Expo 2025 was in fact appreciably below attendance at Expo 2024 last year.
The long-awaited closing of Masimo Corp.’s (NASDAQ: MASI) sale of Sound United (formerly Masimo Consumer) to Harman International, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, has been formally completed. Both parties of the transaction put out their own separate announcements, with Masimo’s version quite short and perfunctory, while Harman’s gave little more than an inkling of what is to become of Sound United.
Another CEDIA Expo has come and gone, and the version this year, Expo 2025, had its share of disappointments, minor advances, AND pleasant surprises from several companies. In this post, I will share a brief synopsis of the items I saw that caught my attention. Many of these will be the subject of a more extensive article later, but this gives you an overview of some of the items I found interesting.
Crestron Electronics, a leading smart home and automation brand in residential and commercial custom integration, is introducing several exciting new products at CEDIA Expo 2025, such as new Cameo keypads, Horizon keypads, and the very cool-looking Cevo Mini Remote. But by far, my favorite launch is the Crestron Home Configure Pro system configuration tool.
