Why Did I Go to CEDIA?

Generally speaking, I’d prefer that we not have to attend trade shows. But that doesn’t mean they are not valuable. Sure we can all read a cut sheet for product info and that’s great because it has significantly less hyperbole than the sales pitch. But obviously the opportunity to see, hear, and touch products is great. The networking and training opportunities are also obviously valuable. 

I am a technology consultant. The majority of our projects are, strictly speaking, commercial. So why would I attend a technology showcase primarily devoted to residential projects. Well I am going to tell you why. Mainly so people will stop asking. Also, I go to InfoComm every year, and I’m not going to stop.

First, there is some crossover between the two worlds so there are extra opportunities for some time, discussion, and training for products and techniques that are coincidental.

I am 49 years old. I started in this business when I was 19. So I have gotten to know a few people. It is very difficult for me to walk a show floor like InfoComm and get to Point-A, from Point-B without someone tugging on my shoulder to pull me over and discuss something. I am incapable of shutting that conversation down. I’m just not built to be rude like that so that can take its toll, impeding my focus, getting me late to appointments, and generally making my day longer. It’s not just my friends though, it’s also the profile of my great company and just the heft of my job, my position, that can cause this to happen. I sometimes feel like all anyone wants to do is stare at my badge. My eyes are up here, you know.

A big part of why I enjoy the occasional CEDIA is that kind of stuff just isn’t a problem for me there. That has a ton of advantages. So, it can be a bit of a drag explaining sometimes (not as bad as Radio Shack) exactly what a consultant is and who exactly I am. But mostly, these people don’t care. Which is great. I can have more time with the things that interest me and make new, intriguing connections.

Over the last thirty years the things that influence this industry have changed considerably. This is not exclusive by any means but we as an industry were once taking a lot of our cues from broadcast. And the majority of the overlap in technology sort of came from that world. And most technology firms were more about acoustics and less about technology. And that technology was primarily audio related. Also I would say that there was a bit more reciprocity. We were more often, back then I think, influencing technology in other arenas. Over time, and this is something that happens with all technology over time, the technology we were responsible for was easier to access, cheaper to make, and made its way to the average consumer. The consumer is like a gazillion times bigger as a costumer than the average commercial entity, so that meant that the majority of the R&D and focus would go that way, of course. This is the way of things. A lot of things we use every day were once only available to government or commercial entities.

So like it or not, for quite a few things, and for quite some time actually, we follow the consumer world. That’s why the occasional CEDIA and CES are a must for a guy like me.

The majority of our work here is corporate. Some very large corporations. These corporations are all very focused on providing what they believe are fantastic work environments for their employees. Their ideas, the owner’s ideas, are driven almost exclusively by what they have or want at home, have seen on TV, movies, or what other corporations have. And I understand that if you are in charge of technology in-house at a corporation, this is also your consternation. I feel you, sisters and brothers. The slick, sleek, streamlined, invisible, ethereal, automated world of the consumer is exactly what these folks expect. And for the most part, our commercial industry has answered this call by offering their products up in “white." 

It’s also not a bad idea to cultivate relationships with quality residential installers, in my opinion. These people have the kind of experience that I think is much more “white glove” as compared to the average commercial integrator, who should, in my opinion, embrace the residential talent, if not the business.

And so attending a show like CES or CEDIA is not just about seeing some future stuff that might inspire some commercial stuff one day, but it is also about educating yourself on your client’s perspective. Have you ever had to have a meeting with your client where they want to understand why they are paying $100, 000 for a room, when they have a “bigger” screen in their living room that cost them $3,000?

Though I’m sure we all have great skills for making those justifications and turning the clients around I can bet that we all don’t really understand why it’s such an issue for them. Not really. This is one perspective that dipping your toes in the residential markets can gain you. And despite being a consumer myself, I need that.