We are just a few days away from the world's most vital Pro AV show opening its doors at the Las Vegas Convention Center. InfoComm 2026 return to Vegas from June 13-19, showcasing innovation and providing education for Pro AV enthusiasts. SCN continues its annual preview of the show, taking you behind the scenes, allowing several exhibitors to talk trends, technology, inspiration, and providing an exclusive special sneak preview of what they’ll show in their booths.
[Products, Sessions, Insights: InfoComm 2026 on AV Network]
Today, Mark Donovan, CTS-D, CTS-I, director of commercial applications at Audio-Technica, dives into complete, intentional platforms for commercial AV and much more.
SCN: What is your company’s story at InfoComm this year?
Mark Donovan: At InfoComm 2026, Audio-Technica is showcasing that we are a company that builds complete, intentional platforms for commercial AV. Everything in the booth is organized around real deployment outcomes—solutions that scale cleanly, integrate naturally into network‑based workflows, and behave predictably once they’re installed. The goal is for people to leave understanding not just what we make, but how we think about modern AV system design.
SCN: Why is InfoComm such an important show for you and your company?
MD: InfoComm is where perception gets set, especially among integrators, consultants, and end users who care deeply about what actually works in the field. The audience has become very practical. They want reliability, repeatability, and confidence. InfoComm gives us the opportunity to show, face‑to‑face, that our approach is rooted in real‑world deployment realities and long‑term system performance, not just specifications on a datasheet.
SCN: What do you expect the buzz to be on the InfoComm 2026 show floor?
MD: One theme we’re hearing repeatedly is predictability and simplification. Alongside conversations about innovation and performance, attendees are clearly focused on systems that scale without becoming fragile, that align with standard networked audio practices, and that reduce installation and support complexity over time. There’s a noticeable shift away from novelty for novelty’s sake and toward solutions that integrators can replicate across rooms and buildings with confidence. Much of the buzz comes back to trust—trust that systems will work as expected in real environments.
SCN: Why are certifications, such as your recently announced Crestron certification, so important for conference room systems?
MD: Conference rooms sit at the intersection of AV and IT, where expectations for reliability are extremely high. Certifications matter because they remove uncertainty. They signal that products have been validated within a broader ecosystem and will behave predictably when integrated into certified room systems. For customers, that means fewer surprises during deployment, smoother commissioning, and more consistent performance over the life of the room. In large‑scale environments, that assurance is critical.
