Signs of trouble? Your car service driver splashes cold water on his face as he takes you to the airport. He chats you up to stay awake. Cars are honking, your car is swerving, and rain is pelting the windows. If your smart phone partially awoke you at 2:30am, you are fully awake now.

Despite this inauspicious start, and notwithstanding our fully booked airplane row, we made it to Indianapolis, checked in at the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis, and walked over to the Expo Center.

This was a Cedia Expo unlike any other.

The exhibition space accommodates 67,000 people and, typically, Cedia can attract roughly 50,000 attendees. This year, on account of COVID, 6,000 were registered to attend. It felt more like 600. One percent in a cavernous space.

The silver lining was that we felt safe in terms of social distancing and cleaning protocols. Because there were fewer attendees, we were able to enjoy quality time catching up with old friends and making new acquaintances.

Highlights included:

  • experiencing AVProedge’s new 8K video matrix (The best robust and scalable products in the business for HDMI Switching, Video over IP, and HDMI extenders)
  • admiring Kaleidescape’s display (leading the industry in terms of the highest quality picture and sound in movies)
  • checking out iRoom iO’s high-end and smart docking solutions for Apple’s iPad™ and iPad mini™. (These turn your Apple tablet into a touch panel that controls your lighting, audio, and security.)
  • connecting with women who rule tech / ladies who lunch #CediaExpo style: Jamie Briesemeister, Integration Controls’ CEO; Amanda Wildman, TruMedia Owner; Candace Hoffman, Bravas Business Development Manager; Janeen K Gaskins, Principal at Shakatronics. (These ladies were wonderfully welcoming to our very own Operations Manager Ashley Bancroft!)
  • reconnecting with Alan Karen of Satco Products and Nuvo Lighting (their 24′ RGB and warm white 10-light outdoor string light is a perfect solution for adding color to your patio)
  • Hearing all about plans for the upcoming Kitchen Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in Orlando, FLA, February 8-10, 2022!

During a typical year, Cedia provides the opportunity for manufacturers to showcase their new product lines and technology. This year, big players in the industry such as Control4, Lutron, Sonance, Sony, Samsung,  Sonos, AudioQuest, and SurgeX bowed out on account of the Delta variant and COVID concerns.

Says our founder and president Rex Aguirre, “Cedia was intimate this year. I hope next year it will be what it used to be for our industry – the greatest show on earth. People come from all over the world — Mexico, the UK, Australia, New Zealand.”

For a thought-provoking discussion about trends in the home automation space, watch Steph Beckett of rAVe [PUBS]’s short video:

CEDIA Expo 2021: Steph Beckett and Jason McGraw Talk Residential, the Growing Outdoor Market & More

Next year in Dallas!