As the first and one of the most prominent brands that decided to pull out of the recent CEDIA Expo in Indianapolis last month, Savant based their difficult decision on placing the safety of their employees and customers as their key concern in a time of surging Delta-variant COVID infections. But that decision did not mean that they didn’t want to communicate with their dealers about the many exciting developments at the company. So Savant developed a powerful two-pronged approach (the 1-2 punch I mentioned) to deliver their dealers a better – virtual – trade show.
Integrators
Elvis Has Left the Building: Co-Founders of Kaleidescape Leave the Company
BREAKING NEWS
A New Era Begins: New CEO, New Exec Team, and New Funding Equals New Opportunities
Earlier this week, sources told Strata-gee that Kaleidescape co-founders Michael Malcolm and Cheena Srinivasan have left the company. Malcolm is said to have left a couple of months ago and Srinivasan reportedly left the organization just last week.
See what I know about the situation at Kaleidescape…
[Read more…] about Elvis Has Left the Building: Co-Founders of Kaleidescape Leave the CompanyWhyReboot Sets Up National Sales Rep Network
Premium networking systems and services specialist WhyReboot announced this week that they have set up a national network of independent specialty manufacturers sales representatives. The company has appointed nine top rep firms across the country, expanding their local presence for both sales and support.
See the all-new WhyReboot rep network
[Read more…] about WhyReboot Sets Up National Sales Rep NetworkCEDIA Expo Attendee Videos Show Wide Open Aisles, Draped Empty Halls, and Sparse Attendance
In a post yesterday, I suggested that the evidence seemed pretty clear – this year, attendees would find a very different CEDIA Expo. Today, the opening day of the event has seen a few videos and photos uploaded on Facebook, YouTube and other social media sites which seem to suggest that this is indeed a very different Expo.
See more on attendee’s CEDIA Expo videos…
[Read more…] about CEDIA Expo Attendee Videos Show Wide Open Aisles, Draped Empty Halls, and Sparse AttendanceCEDIA Expo Opens with Few Exhibitors; Not 500, Not 242, Only 76 Booths Remain
CEDIA Expo opens this week, with education sessions starting today and the show floor opening tomorrow. As Strata-gee has been reporting, over the last three weeks literally hundreds of exhibitors have pulled out of the event over concerns surrounding the surge of infections due to the Delta variant of COVID-19. With Emerald expositions vowing to forge ahead with the event no matter what, attendees to the event – whether many or few – will find themselves at a very different CEDIA Expo.
See more on this very different CEDIA Expo
[Read more…] about CEDIA Expo Opens with Few Exhibitors; Not 500, Not 242, Only 76 Booths RemainDigital Projection Pulls Out of CEDIA Expo and All Tradeshows Through 2021
Digital Projection, Inc. (DP), a leading video technology provider, announced this week that it will withdraw its participation in CEDIA Expo 2021, as well as all large, in-person tradeshows for the remainder of 2021. While DP says they enjoy meeting face-to-face with “customers, partners, and friends,” the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced them to reexamine the risks of such events and led to this decision.
See more on the thinking behind this DP announcement
[Read more…] about Digital Projection Pulls Out of CEDIA Expo and All Tradeshows Through 2021Emerald: The Show WILL Go On!
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
[Read more…] about Emerald: The Show WILL Go On!Sonance Says, See You in a (Hopefully) Safer 2022; Exits 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
[Read more…] about Sonance Says, See You in a (Hopefully) Safer 2022; Exits CEDIA Expo 2021Lutron, Another Major Exhibitor, Cancels Their CEDIA Expo 2021 Plans
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…
[Read more…] about Lutron, Another Major Exhibitor, Cancels Their CEDIA Expo 2021 PlansSound United Follows Others to the Exit as CEDIA Expo Loses Another Exhibitor
BREAKING NEWS
Positioned on prime real estate in the front row of the convention hall, with power brands Sony on one side and Samsung on the other, Sound United says that their booth at next month’s CEDIA Expo in Indianapolis, IN, will remain empty. The company announced today that, like Savant and Snap One before them, they too have decided to pull out of the Expo over concerns about the spike in cases of the COVID Delta variant.