Strata-gee.com

Strategy in TECH...

You are here: Home / Archives for CEDIA

CEDIA

2022 CEDIA Member Meeting was a Glossy Display of Overt Positivity

by 3 Comments

2022 CEDIA Member Meeting title slide

Selling a Vision Rather than Briefing Members w/Data

CEDIA held its annual member meeting just a couple of weeks ago in mid-December. The version offered this year was decidedly different than those in the past. This is likely due to the professional association management style of the organization’s new Global President and CEO Daryl Friedman.

CEDIA and staff offered members a slick marketing package of largely pre-recorded content and carefully controlled live content. But was it too slick? Did it really brief members with a balanced picture of both the successes and the challenges that CEDIA is facing? Or was it just a form of advertisement for the association?

Learn more about CEDIA’s 2022 annual Member Meeting…

[Read more…] about 2022 CEDIA Member Meeting was a Glossy Display of Overt Positivity

EXCLUSIVE: AVIXA CEO Weighs In on Trade Assocs., Shows, Emerald & More

by 3 Comments

Photo from InfoComm show, an AVIXA production

About five seconds into our phone call, before I even had a chance to explain myself, AVIXA CEO David Labuskes suddenly burst out: “Oh! I know why you called me!” This reaction caught me off-guard as we’d never spoken before. But when he went on to tell me why he thought I had called him, he was right on the money. It was a clue that he is a deeper thinker than many executives I reach out to, and as we spoke further, that impression only got stronger.

Another surprise was that Labuskes knew me (and Strata-gee) better than I realized…

Learn what the CEO of AVIXA shared with me in this EXCLUSIVE interview…

[Read more…] about EXCLUSIVE: AVIXA CEO Weighs In on Trade Assocs., Shows, Emerald & More

ISUS in America? Emerald Adds a Commercial Show to CEDIA Expo; Exhibitors React

by 7 Comments

Emerald owned CEDIA Expo 2022

Emerald Expositions (NYSE: EEX), the national B2B trade show company that owns CEDIA Expo, CE Pro, and Commercial Integrator surprised the industry at the recent CEDIA Expo 2022 by abruptly announcing that next year they will be “co-locating” a show for commercial integrators at the same time and in the same facility. Reaction to this announcement was…to put it mildly…mixed. Is Emerald trying to imitate the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) show – an event for both residential and commercial businesses – by launching an ISUS (Integrated Systems United States) event??

Do you wonder why there was a mixed reaction to Emerald’s move? Read on…

See why some big exhibitors were not happy with the Emerald announcement…

[Read more…] about ISUS in America? Emerald Adds a Commercial Show to CEDIA Expo; Exhibitors React

In Stinging Rebuke, a Double-Digit Percentage of CEDIA Members Vote No on Slate

by 2 Comments

CEDIA boardroom
Boardroom at CEDIA HQ in Fishers, IN

After Obvious Failure of Transparency, CEO Says He’s Learned a ‘Lesson’

On Wednesday, CEDIA Global President and CEO Daryl Friedman sent a letter to all members advising them that the election process for new Board members has been completed – and that the slate of three Board-selected candidates for the three open Board seats has now been filled by Stephan Goodhue, Jennifer Mallett, and James Ratcliffe. The cheery tone of the letter belies the fact that the election process was viewed by many as tainted and has inflamed anger from what seems to be a fairly significant percentage of members who resent losing the opportunity to vote for a candidate of their choice.

However, in this letter, Friedman did allow that “…we need to do a better job of communication.”

See more on the CEDIA letter to members

[Read more…] about In Stinging Rebuke, a Double-Digit Percentage of CEDIA Members Vote No on Slate

Expo Shocker! Hundreds of Members Show Up for CEDIA Advocacy Town Hall

by 2 Comments

CEDIA Advocacy Town Hall
[Click to enlarge]

Spotlight on CEDIA Expo

Perhaps one of the more surprising events at CEDIA Expo 2022 – at least in my mind – was an event that took place early in the morning on the first official day of the show floor opening. This event, the CEDIA Advocacy Town Hall in which the organization intended to discuss the extent of their political advocacy conducted on behalf of the membership, seemed to me like something unlikely to draw much attention…or attendance.

Boy…was I wrong!

Learn more about the CEDIA Advocacy Town Hall

[Read more…] about Expo Shocker! Hundreds of Members Show Up for CEDIA Advocacy Town Hall

AVNation Features Ted Green on Special Episode Discussing CEDIA Board Election Issue

by Leave a Comment

AVNation graphic on panel where AVNation Features Ted Green

This week, AVNation features Ted Green – me – on a special episode discussing the CEDIA Director Elections taking place right now. As you may know, there was some controversy surrounding this election as CEDIA’s board decided to change the normal election process where association members pick from a selection of nominees to vote on those they want on the Board of Directors. Instead, this year members vote with a simple yes/no on a predetermined slate of candidates selected by the Board’s Governance Committee.

See more on this special AVNation episode featuring me

[Read more…] about AVNation Features Ted Green on Special Episode Discussing CEDIA Board Election Issue

CEDIA Expo 2022 Had Nearly 12,000 Attendees; A Good Post-COVID Restart

by 1 Comment

CEDIA Expo 2022

It took a couple of weeks, but Emerald Expositions finally released the attendance figures for CEDIA Expo 2022. According to the exposition company, the attendance of nearly 12,000 “exceeded expectations” – their expectations apparently. But there is no question that it certainly blew away the attendance of just 1,400 folks who visited CEDIA Expo 2021.

See more on CEDIA Expo 2022 attendance

[Read more…] about CEDIA Expo 2022 Had Nearly 12,000 Attendees; A Good Post-COVID Restart

CEDIA Board Elections Now Open, But Did Org Violate Its Own Bylaws?

by 5 Comments

CEDIA HQ
CEDIA’s headquarters building in Fishers, Indiana

Why Did an Anonymous Source Call My Attention to the Bylaws?

On Tuesday, CEDIA members received an email from David Weinstein, the well-known VP of Lutron who also serves as the Chairman of CEDIA’s Board of Directors, informing them that the election process to fill vacant seats on the Board of Directors was now open. There are three seats to be filled and Weinstein’s email helpfully/confusingly names just three candidates the Board’s Governance Committee has selected to fill the three open seats. It was the first indicator that something was different with this election as compared to the usual process.

I read this announcement carefully, as only hours before it was distributed I had received a cryptic message from a source exhorting me to find and read “the current Cedia [sic] bylaws.” Something was definitely brewing…

See more on the CEDIA Board elections…

[Read more…] about CEDIA Board Elections Now Open, But Did Org Violate Its Own Bylaws?

What to Expect at CEDIA Expo 2022

by Leave a Comment

CEDIA Expo 2022 will be in the Kay Bailey Hutchinson convention center in Dallas

Finally, after two years without a real show – absolutely no show in 2020, and a very tiny one in 2021 – the industry comes together again for its one big show of the year – the CEDIA Expo 2022. Although not technically post-COVID, at least the situation is improving to the point where the world is beginning a return to something that approaches normal. And that brings us to now, the relaunching of live in-person events like the CEDIA Expo in Dallas, TX. But what can you expect if you head to Dallas and Expo?

See what to expect in Dallas at CEDIA 2022…

[Read more…] about What to Expect at CEDIA Expo 2022

Frederick J. Ampel, Five-Decade AV Industry Vet, Dies at 75

by 10 Comments

Photo of Fred Ampel
[Photo: CEDIA]

Frederick Jared Ampel, a long-time AV industry vet participating in the pro, commercial, and residential segments, died August 28, 2022 from diabetes and kidney complications. He was 75 years old and enjoyed a 50-year career in AV – a career in which he was still active until his death. While well-known in certain industry circles, Ampel was not a household name and he’d likely not have wanted it any other way.

But Fred Ampel’s influence had a direct impact on the industry…

[Read more…] about Frederick J. Ampel, Five-Decade AV Industry Vet, Dies at 75