Orlando, FL (November 8, 2021)—When AVIXA held the in-person InfoComm 2021 trade show in late October, the event faced uncertainty as to whether the industry would show up. When the convention opened its doors, it quickly became apparent that while it was understandably not at pre-COVID heights, the convention was busy and far better attended than widely expected. Now AVIXA has released numbers confirming that suspicion.
InfoComm 2021 total registrations came to 14,017, with 7,335 total in verified attendance. The show hosted 254 exhibitors and spanned across 124,100 net square feet, highlighting a desire for the industry to take its first steps in getting back to in-person, large-scale live events. “InfoComm is the home for commerce, networking, and learning in the AV industry,” said David Labuskes, CTS, CAE, RCDD, CEO of AVIXA. “It was incredible to be back in person and play host for AV professionals to help them grow their businesses, careers, and knowledge base.”
“Our founder Harro Heinz is 92 years old, and he was a driving force behind our decision to exhibit at this year’s InfoComm,” said Graham Hendry, vice president of Strategic Development, Renkus-Heinz. “There was a sense of duty, a sense that we were coming out of everything chaotic, and that there was a near-term opportunity that needed to be capitalized upon. Well, Harro was right! Our audio demo room was standing room only, from the first demo to the last. Deals got done, and the traditional buying cycles got crushed – in a positive way. Visitors told us of their challenges, we gave them solutions, and we wrote orders. It was a phenomenal show!”
“From a business perspective, our booth had paid for itself within three or four hours of the doors opening,” said David Pedigo, CEO of Auralex Acoustics. “Everything after that was just gravy. We had end-users from sports, education, and corporate markets placing orders, plus many integrators coming to us who previously weren’t aware that they could act as dealers.”
here was more to the show than just the exhibit hall, however. Sean Wargo, AVIXA’s Senior Director of Market Intelligence, and Peter Hansen, Economic Analyst for AVIXA, kicked off the Technology Innovations Stage program lineup with a State of the Industry presentation, walking through the macroeconomic landscape, industry revenue forecasts, and supply chain issues. In this presentation, they gave an exclusive look at the new Market Opportunity Analysis Report dashboard, which surveys 1,500-2,000 buyers quarterly to gauge demand for AV products and services.
Over 90 courses were available throughout the week, including AVIXA’s highly regarded Certified Technologist Specialist (CTS) Prep Course. Many AV professionals took their CTS exams at the show, and a total of 44 professionals earned their CTS, 11 attained CTS-D (Design), and 15 became CTS-I (Installation). Setting a record, Phil Ayache, President of Bespoke Technology Group, passed all three exams in one day.
InfoComm 2021 hosted 811 unique attendees in education sessions, from 3-day classes before show opening, through dedicated conference tracks for collaboration and digital signage, to open sessions at the Technology Innovation Stage.
For those who missed this year’s edition, the next InfoComm convention is already around the corner, set to take place June 4-10, 2022 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV.
