Strategy in TECH...
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.
The industry is all abuzz ever since this past Tuesday, when Sony Corporation announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with TCL “for strategic partnership in home entertainment field.” The announcement goes on to describe, in really sketchy terms with virtually no details, an idyllic or almost utopian vision of how this “partnership” would operate.
But it’s all code. The media has scrambled to spread the news of what they know…which is virtually nothing. Let me help you decode the important meaning of this announcement.
On Wednesday, a new company, RLS Creative Services, announced that it was relaunching Connected Design, a business-to-business, trade media property previously owned and ultimately shut down by former publisher CT Labs’ owner, Messe Berlin (owners of the IFA, an international technology show in Germany). In a formal announcement, the new owner pledged a “renewed commitment to serving the design-forward build environment.”
What happens when a team of engineers with Authentic Insights (AI) craft a powerful artificial intelligence (AI)-based system to benefit integrators with a new, heretofore nonexistent but incredibly impactful tool? Tech Sage is what happens. Tech Sage, a new, powerful support solution for integrators, has been launched by AVPro Global, and this is one of the best uses for AI I’ve seen so far.
London-based audio company Cambridge Audio announced this week that it has selected Fidelity Imports as its exclusive distribution partner for the United States territory. This is a move that Cambridge says marks a “strategic milestone” and suggests will serve to scale up its operations here in the States.
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.
Calling 2025 a “transitional” year, new Sonos, Inc. (Nasdaq: SONO) CEO Tom Conrad suggested the company turned a corner in the fourth quarter, as part of reporting its financial results for fiscal 2025, the year that ended on September 27, 2025. However, I couldn’t help but notice company executives were carefully choosing their words in describing the company’s performance – referring to just certain key Q4 numbers and “adjusted” results. This always makes me want to take a deeper look, and when I looked at fiscal 2025’s total performance, it was disappointing, with revenues continuing to decline and losses progressively increasing…again.
Even in the fourth quarter, which the executives did want to talk about, the company lost $37.9 million.
Crestron Electronics, a leading industry manufacturer of commercial and enterprise-grade connectivity gear, as well as sophisticated but simple control and automation solutions for the smart home, has launched another Crestron Experience Center (CEC) in Mechelen, Belgium. Not only does this stunning facility showcase the depth and breadth of Crestron technology, but it also demonstrates the company’s commitment to EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Asia) markets as well as to the greater global community.
By any measure, Sean Weiner has had an exemplary run in custom integration. His blue-chip resume includes significant roles with custom integrators such as Myer Emco, Starr Systems, and Bravas, where he was the organization’s Chief Technology Officer.
But now he’s left the role of integrator and created something new, called Spexi Advisory. And in so doing, he may have created a new business model – something that puts him on the side of the buyer (client).
