Strategy in TECH...
Apollo Global Management, the large private equity company that recently acquired both Emerald Holdings and Questex, announced this month the creation of a new corporate entity that will manage and control the combined business of both trade show aggregators from this point forward. That new corporate parent will be known as Forge.
In a communication with dealers this week, Nice North America, the global holding company for many important custom integration brands, announced it has pulled out of the CEDIA Expo 2026. The company says this is a “strategic” move as it seeks to focus its marketing investments on “initiatives that deliver greater value…”
The popular Northern California CI Expo & Technology Conference is preparing to run on May 28, 2026, in the same facility where the event was hosted last year – the DoubleTree Hotel at the Club, in Pleasanton, California. Organizers tell me that this year’s CI Expo will be even bigger and better than last year, with expanded exhibition space housing a greater assortment of booths presenting all of the latest technology innovations in the custom integration (CI) industry.
Holy Cow! The Harman Luxury Audio Group lion has reared back its head and roared AUDIO!!! I mean, the company is launching a total of 24 brand-new audio products at the 2026 Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) show. Even for a company the size of Harman, that’s a lot! For now, I’m going to focus on the moves the company made with its JBL Synthesis Custom Loudspeaker line, which includes nine new speakers and three new “next-generation” AV processors.
Emerald Expositions (NYSE: EEX), owner of the CEDIA Expo, CEPro, Commercial Integrator, and more, has formally announced on its website that it has decided to “indefinitely postpone” the Total Tech Summit. Quite a buzz erupted on social media as word of this decision spread among those in the custom integration industry.
Sonance, a long-time leading manufacturer of custom integration gear valued by integrators all around the world, has announced its plans for the Integrated Systems Europe Show 2026 (ISE) taking place now in Barcelona, Spain. Key to the announcement is that the company will display in two different “stands” (the European name for a “booth”), one optimized for the professional/commercial channel and another optimized for the residential/marine channel.
The company also announced the launch an all-new, high-performance Ultra Thin-Line VX Speaker.
I have to say that the team at Premium Audio Company (PAC), part of the VOXX division of Gentex Corp., does a nice job of paying homage to the long, 80-year history of technical innovation and market success of its Onkyo brand, while at the same time, launching innovative new models to propel the brand into a space-age future. While conventional wisdom might suggest otherwise, you could say that they prove that they can walk and chew gum at the same time.
Emerald Holding, Inc. (NYSE: EEX) – parent company of Emerald Expositions, CEDIA Expo, CEPro, Commercial Integrator, and many more – announced Tuesday that it’s Board of Directors has begun “a review of potential strategic options.” Why does it have to consider “strategic options?” Because Emerald says it has received “inquiries” about offers for a possible acquisition of the company.
Ft Lauderdale, FL-based Just Video Walls, a specialist supplier of custom MicroLED video walls, had a massive showing at CEDIA Expo 2025, situated in two large booths on the main floor. The company, which has had a huge growth spurt over the last couple of years, has added many new employees, introduced new product models, brought on new accessory & control options, and had its largest presence ever at Expo 2025.
The past couple of years there’s been a lot said about the value and effectiveness of CEDIA Expo. While some of the criticisms may be valid, it does not mean that industry professionals should skip the event because its usefulness has passed.
Here are my thoughts on some of the powerful, but intangible, benefits of attending our industry’s most important trade show.
