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Melrose Unloads Nortek Control for Just $285 Million

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Photo of Nortek facility, now part of Melrose

Only Ergotron Remains…for Now…from the Original Acquisition

Melrose PLC, the private equity turnaround expert that purchased the entirety of Nortek back in 2016, unceremoniously let it slip in a bullet point of a report on financial results, that it has found a buyer for the last remaining piece of the Nortek puzzle they have struggled to turn around over the years. Although they did not name the buyer, Melrose says a contract has been signed for a $285 million deal – remarkably low considering all the brands included in this transaction.

See more on the sale of Nortek Control by Melrose

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New BMW iX Luxury EV Features Audio by Bowers & Wilkins

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BMW iX featuring audio by Bowers & Wilkins B&W

Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) announced today that they have partnered with BMW as the audio system provider for their new luxury electric SAV (sports activity vehicle)…the eagerly anticipated iX. The company says that engineers from both of the partners worked closely together to develop an audio experience that “feels as though you are there with the artist in the studio” – or what B&W likes to call “true sound.”

Learn more on Bowers & Wilkins’ collaboration with BMW

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Power is Dumb, Schneider Electric Can Make it Smarter for the Smart Home

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XD series of connected devices for the smart home
The higher design XD Series switches. Homeowners can easily change the design without needing to rewire

Launches Square D X and XD Series Connected Wiring Device Lines

Schneider Electric is looking to take that dumb old 110v power coming into the typical residential home and make it smarter…much smarter. As part of its strategy to lead the digital transformation of energy management and automation in the home, the company has launched two new lines called the Square D X and XD Series of connected wiring devices. This opens up a whole new world of control convenience and possibilities for homeowners, and the integrators who serve them.

See more on Square D X and XD Series for the smart home

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CEDIA Expo Loses More Than 100 Exhibitors; Redraws Smaller Floorplan

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CEDIA 2018 crowd
CEDIA Expo in better days

CEDIA Expo 2021, scheduled to run in less than two weeks from September 1-3, 2021 in Indianapolis, IN, has been steadily shrinking over the last ten days or so, as exhibitors began pulling out in the face of the rapid expansion of COVID infections due to the Delta variant. Emerald, the exposition company that owns the CEDIA Expo, has said they are going forward no matter what – even though their data shows that more than 100 exhibitors have pulled out of the event in the last two weeks.

See the latest numbers from Emerald and the smaller floorplan

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Emerald: The Show WILL Go On!

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Emerald Holding logo

Emerald Letter Tries to Nail Down Remaining Exhibitors

On Wednesday, Emerald emailed a letter to exhibitors that appears to be an attempt to stem the outflow of companies that have canceled their participation in the CEDIA Expo 2021 – 42 brands according to Strata-gee’s tracking – and encourage those exhibitors that have not yet abandoned the show from leaving. Signed by Emerald executives Brian Pagel and Jason McGraw, the letter declared “the show is still very much on as planned.”

See more on the Emerald attempt to stem the tide leaving Expo

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Sonance Says, See You in a (Hopefully) Safer 2022; Exits CEDIA Expo 2021

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CEDIA 2019 in Sonance booth
Photo was taken during the 2019 CEDIA Expo in the Sonance booth looking towards the front of the hall. Notice Lutron booth on the left, another exhibitor who, like Sonance, withdrew from the CEDIA Expo 2021

Sonance, a leading supplier of custom integration speakers and electronics, announced today that they will “withdraw from exhibiting at the 2021 CEDIA Expo,” much as several other exhibitors have decided over the last few days. In fact, today has been a big day for such withdrawals – almost a third of all companies who announced they were pulling out of the show, made that announcement today.

See more on the Sonance withdrawal from CEDIA Expo 2021

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Lutron, Another Major Exhibitor, Cancels Their CEDIA Expo 2021 Plans

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BREAKING NEWS

This morning, within just minutes of Crestron’s announcement, Lutron announced that they too have decided to withdraw from CEDIA Expo 2021. One of the top lighting control and systems providers to custom integrators, this announcement is likely to hit hard, as potential attendees weigh whether attending the show will be worth their time, and their added risk in the face of the rapid spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19.

See more on the Lutron decision to withdraw…

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List of Exhibitors Pulling Out of CEDIA Expo 2021

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BREAKING NEWS – 2nd Update 8/31

<<NOTE on 2nd MASSIVE Update: Scroll to the bottom of this page to learn more about a second MASSIVE list update on 8/25>>This past week brought a surprising turn of events while we were all preoccupied with preparations for the rapidly approaching CEDIA Expo 2021 show that is just about 3 weeks away in Indianapolis, IN at the Indiana Convention Center. The surprise is that some exhibitors began to pull out of the event in response to the national increase in infections resulting from the COVID-19 Delta variant.

The first to take a stand was Savant, who announced last Tuesday that they would sit out this year’s Expo in order to ensure the safety of their employees, partners, and customers in the face of the surging Delta variant. Within 48 hours, other exhibitors began to join them in making the same decision and by the end of the week, at least six major brands, all large exhibitors representing literally thousands of square feet of exhibit space, had announced or otherwise informed their dealer base that they had decided to pull out of the Expo.

See a continually updated list of companies pulling out of CEDIA Expo 2021…

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Crestron, the Biggest Booth in the Show, Withdraws from CEDIA Expo 2021

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BREAKING NEWS

Crestron Electronics announced this morning that it has made “the difficult decision to fully cancel our presence” at the rapidly approaching CEDIA Expo 2021, scheduled to start in just about two weeks in Indianapolis, IN. Crestron joins a long list of exhibitors who have also decided to pull out of the event, almost all due to health and safety concerns from the dramatic increase in infections and hospitalizations as a result of the rapidly spreading COVID-19 Delta variant.

See more on Crestron pulling out of CEDIA Expo 2021

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Sony Appears to Have Pulled Out of the CEDIA Expo 2021

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BREAKING NEWS

Photo from Sony press conference
Sony press conference at CEDIA Expo 2018

I have been covering the rapidly unfolding events as more announcements come every day of companies choosing to withdraw from CEDIA Expo 2021 in the wake of the surging infections from the COVID-19 Delta variant. While several large exhibitors have already announced their decision to pull out of the annual event, there are many more who are thought to be caught somewhere along the path of the decision process – a tough path to walk in an environment that is extremely fluid and changing daily.

One of the top brands rumored to be exiting the show, but has not yet officially announced anything, is Sony. But now, there is a strong reason to believe that Sony has already exited the Expo.

See the evidence that suggests that Sony is out of the Expo…

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