This is CEDIA Expo week, and many in the custom integration industry have travelled to Denver for the last CEDIA Expo to be held with the big blue bear. Next year, CEDIA Expo moves to Las Vegas, NV, and in 2028 to Orlando, FL. But this year, all signs point to a noticeably scaled-back event in Denver, with more exhibitors pulling off the floor and cutting back on events and attendance.
See what exhibitors and key service providers tell Strata-gee is impacting this year’s CEDIA Expo 2026…
About six weeks ago, Strata-gee reported that Nice, one of the leading companies in custom integration (CI) that owns several significant CI brands, had announced its decision to pull out of the 2026 CEDIA Expo. It was a bit of a surprise that an organization as significant as Nice decided to ditch the industry’s biggest trade event of the year. Since my report appeared, I have heard from a steady stream of industry folks, including other Expo exhibitors, as well as many associated service agency folks and other industry executives, with their take on my – pardon the pun – Nice story.
Those conversations surprised me. Most who reached out to me were not seeking to criticize Nice for its decision, or somehow suggest that this competitor [to them] has in some way become weakened and was forced to pull out. Nope, everyone I spoke with completely understood this decision by Nice and even told me they themselves were considering a different approach to this annual marketing event that once was the center of our industry. More specifically, many told me they are scaling back their presence at this event this year…and are even reconsidering future attendance.
The ‘Last Year in Denver’ to The ‘Last Show’
Over the weeks between then and now, I would say a buzz, born of nervous energy, began to build. A few weeks ago, CEDIA (the trade association) ran a promotion to encourage folks to attend Expo 2026. The headline? “Last Year in Denver.” This headline became a sort of meme where people would slightly modify the phrase from the “last year in Denver” to the “last show in Denver,” Then they would drop off the last two words and ask: “Are you going to the Last Show?”
So how did this all come about? In my report from CEDIA Expo 2025, I noted that among the usual show reverie, there were “some dark and disturbing undercurrents.” Those dark undercurrents were the growing realization among exhibitors and attendees at the show of the many ways that the show had contracted in 2025.
A Multi-Year Trend That Was Detailed Last Year
Last year, Strata-gee broke the news that LG had pulled off the main floor. The company was still there, but in a smaller, off-the-exhibit-floor meeting room. Previously, the company had hosted a large, main floor display. Other companies had exited the show and set up shop in various meeting rooms in hotels around downtown Denver. Finally, others – such as Samsung and Harman – had merged previously independent and large separate booths into one combined booth.
I believe that we are seeing a continuation of the trend I identified last year. CEDIA Expo appears to be continuing to decline. Even Emerald’s 2025 data seemed to confirm this decline, with reported attendance dropping from 12,239 in 2024 to just 11,270 in 2025. That’s a decline of 8% in overall attendance. By the way, that attendance is a calculated approximation of actual attendance based on modified registration figures, not verified attendance figures, which Emerald declined to reveal. So the “real” number may actually be smaller.
The End of CIX?
This year, that trend may be accelerating. In 2023, Emerald launched Commercial Integrator Expo (CIX). This new event was targeted at the commercial integration market, the same market currently served by InfoComm. CIX was said to be “co-located” with CEDIA Expo. This usually means it is in a separate hall or center in or near the Expo. In actuality, it was simply an added row or two of booths right on the CEDIA Expo show floor.
This year, with no notice that I am aware of, the company has quietly closed the CIX add-on event, although it continues to refer to it in some of its materials, even though there is no CIX section on the floor, according to attendees. It was clear the CIX event was not gaining any traction over the 2023-2025 events. So that is another reductive element to the show this year, although perhaps not a big impact by itself.
First LG, Now Samsung: More Exhibitors Exit the CEDIA Expo Show Floor
Also this year, LG has remained off the show floor, again taking a smaller meeting room. That’s not new, but what is new is that they are joined by Samsung, which has now also completely pulled off the exhibit floor. Following LG’s lead, Samsung has now taken two meeting rooms and has no display on the show floor.
Daisy, the national franchisor, had a large Vegas gaming-themed booth in 2025. This year, they too have pulled off the main show floor and moved into a meeting room space.
And Harman, which was combined with Samsung into one massive booth at the 2025 Expo, has also exited the exhibit floor this year and, like Samsung, has taken a meeting room.
The Troubling Numbers Continue
The troubling numbers continue. In 2025, a source connected with Emerald told me there were “about 400 exhibitors.” This year, a simple count of the exhibitor listing shows a total of just 280 exhibitors. Show organizers had been publicising a total of 300 exhibitors. If each of those numbers is accurate, that would indicate another drop of 30% in the count of exhibitors.
The only major TV manufacturers left on the show floor now are Sony and TCL. They each are featured in their own large separate booth. But, of course, we know those two are in the process of combining Sony’s AV divisions into TCL. I would not be surprised if there is to be just one booth next year for the merged businesses of these brands.
Service Agency Slump
In the days leading up to this year’s Expo, I had multiple service agency personnel tell me that clients (typically exhibitors) had cut them back on their services for the Expo 2026 in an effort to reduce expenses. This meant fewer glitzy press presentations, demonstrations, parties, and other promotional events.
One top PR person told me that clients feel tradeshows are not delivering the return on investment they need to justify the heavy expenses required to participate. Even in good times, trade shows have typically been rated the highest cost per lead generated. For many, this choppy economy is hardly the best of times.
This is the first time I have had multiple service agencies tell me a story exactly like this or a substantially similar one. And this was not just smaller exhibitors; it includes some of the larger ones.
Issues May Be Bigger Than Emerald
Earlier this year, I had a discussion with a CEDIA executive about the state of affairs related to the show they run…the Tech Summit. This regionally rotating show has also fallen into a pattern of declining attendance. I typically attend the Northern New Jersey event, and the drop-off in attendance and exhibitor count is unmistakable.
This suggests to me that the issues that are causing trade shows to lose momentum are more complicated than just the efforts of any one promoter. Factors could include a struggling economy, high inflation, and declining profits (due to new tariffs and rising AI-connected memory chip costs). Perhaps the smart home market is losing momentum.
The Original Sin
I still believe that the original sin is when the non-profit trade association CEDIA decided to sell its show (its biggest revenue generator) to the for-profit Emerald. In this transaction, we lost our ability – and perhaps will – to positively influence CI market momentum. Emerald’s priority is not to build the custom integration industry, but rather to increase financial returns to shareholders.
What do you think? Did you attend the CEDIA Expo 2026? What was your impression? Share your thoughts in the “Leave a Reply” comment box below.
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