Strategy in TECH...
Data from the 2024 CEDIA Expo in Denver, CO this past September shows a troubling trend – attendance actually declined…and declined appreciably – from the 2023 version of the event. And this decline took place even though the promoter has combined CEDIA Expo with a new event (new last year), the Commercial Integrator Expo (CIX), which was probably an effort to boost attendance numbers.
Once again, the industry gathered to celebrate the world of custom integration last month at the CEDIA Expo 2024 in Denver, Colorado. An annual event that is part business conference, part education/training confab, and part social get-together & party, many in the industry look forward to this one-time seminal event in anticipation of finding the seeds of future business growth in the innovation shown there.
This week, Emerald Expositions released the registration numbers for CEDIA Expo & Commercial Integrator Expo 2024 (CIX), but did not disclose the verified attendance number. At first, I thought this was an oversight…
Earlier this summer, executives from Russound visited me to offer me (and Strata-gee readers) a pre-CEDIA Expo sneak peek at some newly redesigned models that are in many ways smarter. I say smarter because these new designs reflect input from integrators (as well as some industry trends) and have launched new sleeker (such as 1U models) and smaller footprint products (such as its popular mini-AVR models). The company is also previewing a new industrial design that I like a lot.
On Tuesday, Emerald Holding, Inc. [NYSE: EEX], aka Emerald Expositions, a national B2B tradeshow company, reported its financial results for the First Quarter of Fiscal 2024. Emerald, as most Strata-gee readers know, is the owner of the CEDIA Expo show, the Total Tech Summit show, and various publishing entities like CE Pro, Custom Integrator and more.
The consolidated results looked pretty good, but one business unit was a decided under-performer. Can you guess which one? Read on…
Noting solid gains in their trade show segment, Emerald Holding, Inc. (NYSE: EEX) management proclaimed satisfaction with their fiscal 2023 third-quarter results. However, while the tradeshow business – the segment containing its CEDIA Expo show – saw a post-COVID increase in attendance and revenues, all was not rosy, as the company reported a dramatic drop in profits. Not only that but continued trouble in its content business – the segment with its CE Pro and Commercial Integrator (and other media brands) properties – saw revenues decline and even forced the company to revise its overall annual financial guidance downward.
Attendance at this year’s CEDIA Expo, held in Denver at the Colorado Convention Center from September 7-9, was a bit of an illusion. The Expo, which is owned and operated by Emerald Expositions, announced final attendance figures nearly two weeks after the event closed. At the event, many exhibitors expressed satisfaction with the number of attendees they saw – yet the final announced attendance numbers turned out to be not quite as significant as some had thought. How did that happen?
Well, another CEDIA Expo is in the books and we return to our daily duties and launch into a new Fall season full of promise…and concerns. What were the big stories of this year’s edition of Emerald’s (a public, for-profit company that owns the show) CEDIA Expo? Well, I’ve scanned several summations from others in the media and it almost seems like we attended different Expos. Here’s what I think they are…
The crowds on Day 2 of CEDIA Expo 23 were equally as impressive, if not more so, as they were on Day 1. I had a mid-day meeting at the Snap One booth and as you can see in the image above, I couldn’t even get into the booth! Of course, I can only give you my impressions as there is no official count as I write this, but to my eyes it sure looks like attendance is going to be a pleasant surprise when Emerald announces the final count.
Well, the question I posed yesterday as to whether we’d see CEDIA Expo 2023 attendance up or down as compared to the show last year appears to have been answered. Aisles and booths were filled on Day 1 of the event, suggesting that CEDIA Expo 2023 attendance is not only ahead of last year’s numbers…but perhaps well ahead. So it seems we are all on a Rocky Mountain High.
But was there anything interesting to look at on the show floor? See some of the items I found interesting…
It’s September again and that means the approach of Fall, kids are back in school, and it’s time for CEDIA Expo. So like many of you, I packed my bags and headed to Denver, which almost feels like coming home again. But will the show this year be [musical reference] a Rocky Mountain High? Or will it be a Low Rider?
