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.
See more on the postponement of the Total Tech Summit…
I have often reminded Strata-gee readers that Emerald Expositions, part of Emerald Holdings, is a for-profit public company that owns the CEDIA Expo, having purchased it from CEDIA back in 2017. However, Emerald also owns another industry show, the Total Tech Summit, which it acquired in 2018 in a package of media properties it purchased from EH Publishing.
Produced on an annual basis since then, it was quite a surprise to discover recently that Emerald had pulled the plug on the 2026 version. First reported by Connected Design, a subsequent scan of social media uncovered further conversations on the topic…mostly comments posted by folks quite surprised to hear the news.
The Total Tech Summit is Postponed Indefinitely
The company posted the following statement at the top of the Total Tech Summit website:
After thoughtful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to indefinitely postpone Total Tech Summit, including the planned 2026 edition. We appreciate the support and engagement of the Total Tech Summit community and thank all those who have contributed to the program over the years.
Total Tech Summit Website
There was no explanation as to just what an indefinite postponement means, other than to say the 2026 iteration was clearly cancelled. Will it return in 2027? There is no way to know for sure, but most interpret it as closed for good.
I made several attempts to speak with the appropriate Emerald personnel associated with the Total Tech Summit, but was unsuccessful in connecting with anyone before this post ran. In some cases, not only was the call not answered, but there was also no opportunity to leave a message in order to receive a return call.
Total Tech Summit, A Different Kind of Event
The Total Tech Summit has no connection to CEDIA, but was launched by EH Publishing many years ago as an alternative event to serve the custom integration community. You may be familiar with it…perhaps even attended it. On the other hand, you’d be excused for being unfamiliar with it, because it was an event offered only to a select class of integrators.
Known as a “hosted” event, certain integrators – generally those with larger operations – were directly invited to attend the Total Tech Summit by Emerald. These invitees were able to attend on an all-expenses-paid basis, with Emerald covering airfare, hotel, meals, and event registration. In exchange for this, attendees were contractually obligated to stay for the entire event and to participate in the complete agenda, including meetings scheduled for them with event sponsors in a boardroom-type setting.
Timing Seems a Touch Suspicious
The timing of this development seems suspicious. As I reported in December, Emerald announced it has received offers of potential acquisition by multiple third parties who remained unidentified [see, Apparently for Sale, Emerald Board is Reviewing Multiple Offers to be Acquired]. Could this be the issue?
As I have reported on extensively, Emerald has gone through multiple reorganizations of its media properties, which have continued to lose money. Perhaps this is another attempt to save money by shutting down the Total Tech Summit. Or maybe attendance was off, and they are simply putting it off to next year.
Still, it is an ominous development…
For More Information…
Learn more about Emerald Expositions by visiting emeraldx.com.
See all about the now-postponed Total Tech Summit at totaltechsummit.com.
Read my story on Emerald reviewing acquisition offers by clicking here…
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