The InfoComm trade show that takes place every June in either Las Vegas or Orlando, pulls together over 35K AV professionals to talk shop, see the new equipment and discuss business, technology, and industry practices and where they are all heading. It’s a compact show running over just three days with seemingly countless exhibitors showing their wares to prospective customers, hundreds of education opportunities, and limitless chances to meet and network with the brightest minds in professional AV.
Those three points often take place simultaneously, but it’s hard to keep up with all of them in an attempt to see all the new equipment, learn about all the latest trends, and meet the movers and shakers of the industry.
The Latest Gear
This is the main reason that many of the thousands of professionals that descend on the show attend – to see what new product offerings are available to them for their upcoming projects. Staying up to speed with the progression of equipment that’s available for design and client services keep those at the top of the industry constantly on the bleeding edge of product offerings.
It’s not always easy to pick and choose which manufacturers to visit while at the show, because there just isn’t time enough to visit them all. Often the integrators will invest time with their business partners that they regularly purchase from and look for the next big thing that they can add to their arsenal of equipment offerings for that common or rare application.
This year there’s an added treat with the addition of a new pavilion that actually offers some financing to new and emerging technology companies exhibiting at InfoComm for the first time.
Get Educated.
Three day courses starting the Saturday before the show, Super Tuesday with half and all day intensive courses to take a deep dive on important subject matters, and the offerings during the show itself give attendees countless options for how to get educated on the latest gear, trends, tips, tricks, fundamentals, and improve their expertise in the AV industry.
There is a course for everyone and every level of expertise, it’s just a matter of sorting through the offering and finding the ones that are most important to you, your business, and your career goals.
No Place Else
With over 35K people in attendance, it’s hard to walk five feet without running into someone in the industry that you don’t know. Mustering up the interest and courage to say hello and start the conversation isn’t easy for everyone, but it’s definitely worth your while. No other experience in the US AV industry brings together this many professionals and experts in one place where relationships can be formed and established – even if at the show is the only time each year you see your new found friends.
Taking the time to introduce yourself at the countless events, sessions, and manufacturer parties is the chance of a lifetime to meet and industry legend, or an industry rookie that’s just looking to understand who we are and what we do so that they might be able to leave their mark in the long run.
InfoComm always feels like a week where much of the industry shuts down for a few days while we all gather to show, educate, and network with one another. It almost reaches that party atmosphere on the show floor, and blows the doors off of many of the facilities where the late night parties are often being held. The hardest part is managing your time between your options.
