2017 was my first visit to CEDIA Expo. The decision to go outside of the UK and Europe to gain access to further Home Tech knowledge was an easy to one to make last year. The UK had a very poor offering of trade shows mainly focused on AV and home cinema or organised by brand focused distributors, and the giant Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) show in Amsterdam had only a fraction of the show dedicated to home technology. 2018 has seen no change on that front so it’s with huge excitement that I head to sunny San Diego again.
The CEDIA (Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association) EXPO has been in existence for nearly twenty years and grows in visitor and exhibitor numbers every year. It is a North American based show that draws the huge majority of its visitors from the United States. CEDIA EXPO spreads over five days of activities, with a main show floor of 500+ exhibitors being open for the final three days.
Ahead of last years visit it became obvious that this is a show which attracts the biggest names and trends in smart home and home technology. Household tech brand names like Amazon and Google were on hand last year to speak with professionals in this fast paced industry. Google have hung around in 2018 with another giant booth alongside Nest but Amazon appear to not have booth presence this time. What will be on show though are lots of collaboration with Amazon products on the show floor. So I guess Amazon have succeeded in infiltrating every sector of the CEDIA channel and will let their products do the promotion this year.
Other notable giants of tech who will welcome industry discussions during the EXPO will be Samsung, Sonos, Logitech, Lutron and Control4. It’s the participation of the biggest names in home technology that made booking tickets and accommodation in San Diego this year a no-brainer. As Customised move towards a very tight knit lineup of products and services for our customers homes, I have a duty to get up close to these brands to know what’s coming next. How do we get the best out of them and how do we improve our installation and support of the products.
I will be taking part in a number of training courses at the EXPO covering both technical and business development. I’m also excited to be part of panel discussions with Logitech as they speak with home technology professionals about the opportunities in the new markets opening up with more affordable home technology devices and services. Networking with my peers is also an big reason for taking the time out of the daily installation cycle to discuss business growth, sustainability and diversity. Meeting with business owners in another region often highlights opportunities and techniques to pursue and implement when I return to the UK next week.
You can follow my time at the CEDIA EXPO by following us on Instagram at @customised1. I will be generating lots of highlights from the show using Instagram Story. If you’d like to learn more about the CEDIA EXPO go to www.cediaexpo.com for more info.