AVT Question: Please share insights and trends on AV/IT in the cloud, including the benefits and cautions.

Thought Leader: Mohammad Al-Taraireh, Director of Product Management at Shure

As enterprises standardize collaboration spaces across campuses, regions, and hybrid work environments, AV is no longer a one-time room build; it’s becoming a managed service. The shift to cloud-connected AV reflects a broader reality: IT teams are being asked to deliver consistent experiences at scale while keeping systems secure, supportable, and measurable over time.

The biggest benefit of cloud-based AV is not only remote access, but, most importantly, operational control. When devices are connected through a cloud management layer, organizations gain centralized visibility into what’s deployed, what’s healthy, and what needs attention. That makes it possible to apply a fleet mindset: consistent configurations across room types, faster rollout of standardized templates, and proactive monitoring that identifies issues before they disrupt meetings. In practical terms, cloud management reduces truck rolls; shortens time-to-resolution; and helps maintain a predictable user experience, whether a space is a huddle room or a large, divisible conference room.

Interoperability remains essential, especially as Microsoft Teams and Zoom become the standard interface for daily work. Cloud-connected AV can support repeatable designs that align audio performance to certified room environments, helping reduce inconsistency and rework across varied spaces.

However, cloud connectivity raises important precautions. Organizations should evaluate security and governance first, including role-based administration; authentication alignment with IT identity practices; and clear policies for device onboarding, updates, and access control. Network readiness also matters. Segmenting AV endpoints, confirming bandwidth and quality-of-service, and planning for lifecycle management are key to ensuring reliability.

Ultimately, cloud-based AV enables scale without sacrificing control and turns room technology into an enterprise system that can be monitored, governed, and continuously improved.

Artificial intelligence has taken over Pro AV. At least, it feels that way. New products tout “AI this” or “AI that.” Some folks brag how AI is simplifying their inbox or streamlining their reports, while others fear for their jobs. Every professional conversation somehow seems to wind its way back to AI.

Once we get past summaries that reduce hourlong meetings into bullet points and Instagram videos that trample on intellectual properties for comedic effect, what does it all mean? From machine learning to large language models (LLMs), how is AI truly impacting the Pro AV industry today, and what can we expect in the coming years?

To find the answers, SCN reached out to industry futurists and technologists to collect their thoughts on the current state of AI in Pro AV—and explore potential roadmaps into our industry's next chapters.

Accentuate the Positive

Julian Phillips, SVP and managing director of XTG, the AVI-SPL Experience Technology Group, has spoken extensively about AI and last year released LevAIthan: A Brief History of Humanity and AI, a book co-authored with Athena, his AI assistant. In his book, he argued that we should stop calling it “artificial intelligence” and start calling it “augmented intelligence.” His point is that AI’s greatest value is in strengthening people, not replacing them.

“If we call it artificial intelligence, we think substitution. If we call it augmented intelligence, we think amplification,” he explained. “The wording matters because language shapes strategy. The best AI does not remove the human being from the experience; it makes the human more capable within it.”

According to Phillips, AI is most powerful when it helps designers, technicians, support teams, and end users work faster, smarter, and with greater confidence. “At AVI-SPL, for example, Symphony helps organizations monitor and manage assets across the network, identify issues earlier, and support users more proactively,” Phillips said. “That is a practical example of intelligence improving both operational performance and the user experience.”

In his role at Midwich, Chris Neto, head of emerging markets, revealed that AI is changing the conversation both internally at and with external vendor partners. “'Emerging markets' used to mean geography. Now it also means capability,” he said. “AI is accelerating that shift. Markets and verticals that may have lagged in the traditional sense now have the opportunity to leapfrog through software-driven, AI-enabled solutions.”

And that’s where Neto’s role is evolving. “It’s no longer just about identifying where growth might happen,” he said, “it’s about helping our teams within Midwich understand what’s possible and then extending that insight to our vendors and manufacturer partners so we can move together, faster and more strategically. AI doesn’t replace strategy, but it absolutely sharpens it.”

Of course, the willingness to integrate AI with AV systems depends entirely on the client, said Rich Green, president and CEO of Rich Green Design. "We’re still very early in the AI journey," he said, "so what my clients demand is superb audio, superb video, and flawless connectivity. Our job as integrators is to help them understand how AI fits into their broader digital transformation strategy. If AI can improve speech intelligibility or automate presentation connectivity, hooray! If it gets in the way, VC partners get ornery."

Perceptions and Realities

So, is AI being perceived in Pro AV as a godsend or a job killer? If you ask Neto, it's following a very familiar pattern.

“Every major shift, from DSP to networked AV to the cloud, came with the same fear cycle,” he said. “AI is just the latest iteration. The difference now is the speed and accessibility. The people who see it as a job killer are usually thinking about tasks. The people who see it as a tool are thinking about outcomes.”

"The Pro AV industry has always relied heavily on automated workflows, and AI represents a new era for efficiency," added David Labuskes, CEO of AVIXA. "Adopting AI requires thoughtful consideration of how it fits into current systems and processes. In some cases, it may accelerate tasks or simplify programming, but the fundamentals remain the same: Professionals are still defining the goals, guiding the system, and validating the outcomes."

AVIXA maintained a pragmatic view of AI in its education program at InfoComm 2026. "AVIXA is focused on what’s actually happening with AI today," Labuskes said. "We’ve moved past the phases of 'AI will do everything' and 'AI isn’t doing most of those things.' Instead, we’re now in a phase where practical applications are emerging and adoption is steadily growing. Rather than focusing on fears of widespread job loss, the emphasis is on how people are actually using AI in their day-to-day roles to work more efficiently and effectively."

Phillips warned that AI literacy is vital in today's Pro AV workplace, because AI is entering the workplace—whether people are ready for it or not. "In modern Pro AV, understanding AI is becoming as important as understanding signal flow," he said. "AI literacy matters because it helps people separate real capability from hype. It helps them ask better questions, apply the tools responsibly, and have more credible conversations with customers who are already looking at how AI fits into their workplace strategies. This is not about keeping up, it's about staying ahead."

Joe Andrulis, EVP of corporate development for Biamp, expects AI will empower productivity gains, because it eliminates training barriers and helps workers come up to speed more rapidly. "With AI, products get easier to implement because the products themselves incorporate artificial intelligence to make setup more dependable and to handle situations dynamically," he explained. "However, I don’t know the net effect, positive or negative. I think the effect of AI will be varied by sector and by application area. Some jobs are going to be greatly enhanced, and AI will be a big boost to AV, while others might be negatively impacted."

For example, Andrulis acknowledged that one of the big challenges in the dealer community has been finding qualified people. "The more that AV systems can incorporate intelligence natively, the more easily integrators can install systems with less specialized workers, which can make it easier to hire while also ensuring a more standardized outcome across geographies," he said. "In the past, customers were often willing to pay for high-value installation services, but that was very difficult for dealers to scale as the pool of qualified experts is very limited. With AI, they are giving up some of that high-value work, but in return they get scale. Scale is how dealers can win with AI."

Aim Higher

"On the design and pre-construction side, AI tools are meaningfully accelerating how integrators work," Green observed. "AI can help parse complex RFPs, draft system narratives, cross-reference equipment specifications, and even generate first-pass signal flow documentation. Work that used to take days can now take an hour. That's not a small thing because it frees up real time for the higher-value, higher-judgment work that actually requires a human expert."

That expertise is an indispensable part of equation. "We dare not underestimate the human in the loop," Green warned. "Nurturing talented and competent professional humans is the most important path to sustained success and prosperity. The liability and the craft are still ours to own."

AV has always been built on relationships, trust, and experience, which Neto said AI can’t replace. Instead, AI removes friction. “It handles the repeatable, the predictable, and the scalable, which frees us up to focus on what actually matters: creativity, customer experience, and quality service,” he said. “So no, it’s not killing jobs, but it is going to expose complacency.”

Based on discussions with clients and other integrators, Dave Van Hoy, president of Advanced Systems Group, said defining what AI is for Pro AV really depends on who you ask. “AI is a buzzword. AI is an initiative. AI is an actual functional tool. We're at the evolution of these tools, where all these things are true,” he offered. “It’s in many applications. It's a management initiative with no clear definition. It's being used today in everything from camera tracking to closed captioning, graphics generation, and many other things."

AVIXA research shows a shift toward practical adoption. According to Labuskes, studies of AI use in the Pro AV workplace show significant growth in implementation, along with increased recognition of its benefits, particularly since the rise of GenAI. "While AI continues to evolve, it is clearly becoming more deeply embedded within organizations," he said, "and as adoption matures, its business impact will be increasingly measurable."

But Phillips believes too many organizations are treating AI as a productivity hack, rather than as a "partner in exploration" that can help teams model possibilities, test ideas faster, identify patterns, and solve problems. "If we're implementing AI just to make us faster," he argued, "we're aiming too low."

Present Practicalities

In the real world, AI features have gone from nice-to-have to expected faster than most people realize. “Walk into any modern meeting space, and AI is already there—whether people call it that or not,” Neto offered. “Auto-framing, speaker tracking, noise cancellation, transcription, translation. These aren’t futuristic features anymore, they’re baseline expectations.”

However, when it comes to AI and UCC, Neto thinks the industry needs a reality check. “AI is only as good as the environment it’s operating in,” he explained. “We can’t talk about AI-driven transcription and translation, arguably two of the most in-demand features from end users, without talking about acoustics. If the room sounds bad, the AI performs badly. It’s that simple.”

Shure is already integrating AI into its products to provide intelligent noise suppression and voice focus. "AI is only as effective as the data it ingests," agreed Christine Schyvinck, president and CEO of Shure, "so pristine audio is paramount for AI to do its job and for end users to experience greater productivity."

In other words, speech intelligibility should now be considered foundational for meeting spaces. Poor acoustics lead to poor data, which leads to poor outcomes.

“So, while AI is raising the bar for what these systems can do, it’s also raising the bar for how we design spaces,” Neto advised. “Integrators and designers need to think beyond the camera and the codec and start with the room itself. Because at the end of the day, if the AI can’t clearly understand what’s being said, everything else falls apart.”

Improving Products

Schyvinck believes AI can be a game changer when it comes to product development—with the right governance, policies, and planning. At her company, AI is not only assisting with the process, it's making product development more effective and efficient.

"AI has definitely helped accelerate many tasks, which can help us bring products to market faster," Schyvinck noted. "It is especially well suited for rapid prototyping. AI assists with learning and acquiring user feedback earlier in the development process, which is something we value a great deal at Shure because of our focus on customer input."

Schyvinck said Shure has been leveraging AI in its products for years, and it serves a critical role in today's UCC products. " AI helps with hybrid work pain points," she explained. "It enhances meeting intelligence, workflow automation, personalization, and analytics."

AI is certainly improving Biamp products—for example, cameras include auto zoom and focus as well as tilting capabilities, while AI noise reduction is helping to improve voice intelligibility in ways that users may not even realize. "Thinking broadly, AI is enabling products to become easier to use while also becoming more flexible," Andrulis said. "AI software, such as Biamp Launch, is now embedded into system programming, including auto setup and auto tuning.

"This is useful beyond just installation, as it can adapt to changes in the environment. As a result, the end user is getting a much more polished experience in a wider set of use cases," Andrulis added. "It’s all happening more efficiently and at lower cost, with overall better performance and without any overt action from individuals."

Predictions and Next Steps

AI has already made some pretty impressive technological strides. As Labuskes said, "While our eyes are on how AI is being used in practical AV applications, we're also tracking its potential to make huge shifts across the industry."

Coming soon, look for continued growth in Edge AI, which is the practice of running AI locally on AV devices instead of sending it to the cloud. And beyond that is Physical AI, which combines sensors and control systems with AI to create meeting rooms that essentially run themselves.

Van Hoy said the best is yet to come. "Today, AI can take care of many mundane tasks," he said. "As we go forward, it will be able to do more sophisticated things, including technical direct productions and allow voice control of AV systems for unattended use. The applications will continue to evolve, particularly in the routine applications where humans provide the least creative value."

Schyvinck has already seen the shift from static hardware to adaptive learning systems. "End users want meetings that automatically generate, track, and facilitate action items and tasks," she explained. "They want rooms that self-diagnose issues and trigger support workflows or even self-heal."

Green agreed that platforms that can flag anomalies in system behavior before a client even notices a problem are a "genuine operational win" for integrators and end users. "AI-enhanced knowledge management systems for system integrators and support technicians will be a game changer," he predicted.

Voice control in professional environments needs attention, Green said, mostly because consumer voice AI tech can't be used due to cybersecurity and privacy concerns. However, he expects agentic AI, which makes its own decisions and takes action, to have a significant impact on system interoperability. "It’s a wild frontier fraught with hazards but improving exponentially," he added. "That’s the space to watch right now."

A Word of Warning

For Neto, the future of AI in Pro AV is about better overall experiences, not features. The industry is heading toward environments that are context-aware spaces that "understand who’s in the room, what they’re trying to do, and adjust in real time without manual intervention."

However, that kind of AI integration should probably come with a warning sticker. "Just because we can automate everything doesn’t mean we should," Neto said. "There’s a balance between intelligent and intrusive. The winners won’t be the ones who cram in the most AI; they’ll be the ones who use it with purpose thoughtfully, transparently, and in ways that actually make human interaction better, not more complicated."

For Green, the IT manager is often the integrator's point of contact, and they are "extremely cautious" about introducing AI. "Cybersecurity is top of mind in these firms. AI poses new threats, often cleverly disguised," he explained. "It’s best to defer to predictable reliability and hold off on AI tricks in these environments. Sophisticated clients can see right through them."

While AI-driven diagnostics and remote monitoring are maturing, Green said the interoperability and standardization layer still needs improvement. "Integrated systems can be sourced from a dozen different manufacturers, and the AI features often live in proprietary ecosystems that don't talk to each other elegantly," he noted. "The industry needs either stronger open standards or deeper partnerships at the platform level before AI can reach its full potential in a fully integrated system."

Andrulis had his own warning—about unintended consequences. "As the systems become smarter, we need to recognize that our industry is about audio and video sensors," he said, "and as they become more widely used and data is processed more intelligently, there are valid concerns about surveillance or the misuse of personal information. Users may not even be aware it’s happening.

"The good news is that as we get more information, we can do even more wonderful things with that information, but that is assuming good intentions," he continued. "Bad actors can use that information in ways that do not benefit end users. There is a potential dark side to this paradigm and as an industry we need to be cognizant of that."

In live production, switching happens in the moment. In sports, for example, no one knows what’s coming next—and if the operator misses the shot, it’s gone. Even in news, where rundowns provide structure, switching still has to react dynamically to what’s happening on air.

The pressure hasn’t gone away. But the systems behind it have evolved.

In my previous column, I said that FPGA changed the trajectory of production tools by letting engineers evolve a switcher instead of rebuilding it. Functions that once required fixed hardware can now be designed in software and loaded onto programmable silicon. If something needs fixing, it can be reprogrammed. If requirements change, it can often be reworked, provided the FPGA has been sized correctly.

A production switcher can be built to meet today's requirements. When a customer asks whether the system could also do something it wasn’t originally designed to do, the question becomes whether that capability can be added within the existing architecture.

Cloud With Constraints

Across the industry, business models are under pressure. More content is being delivered over the internet and OTT platforms. Long-established broadcasters are rethinking how they operate. Sports organizations stream directly to audiences, corporate teams run significant production infrastructure, and independent producers put content online every day. The production landscape has grown, and with it, the infrastructure decisions.

Five years or so ago, the industry buzzed about moving everything to the cloud. With income and turnover reducing, many organizations needed to find ways to cut both operating costs and CapEx budgets—and the cloud seemed like the answer. Providers like AWS and Azure offer massive amounts of compute power, so the whole industry began working on virtualizing what we've typically done in hardware and FPGAs.

Some parts of media production made that shift easily. Media playout, for example, has always suited the cloud, Netflix being the obvious example.

But live production is different. The challenge isn't insurmountable, but it's technically complex. Getting multiple feeds into the cloud, producing there, and getting the output back requires compromises, including a lot more compression. Still, if it can save money, people want to make it work.

More recently, early enthusiasm about the cloud has given way to a shift in thinking. Without major advances in technology, putting everything in the cloud remains, for live production at least, something closer to a utopian dream than a practical reality, except at relatively small scales.

Bursting into the Cloud

In live production, systems have always been built for the biggest day—the worst-case size and production need. That means a lot of capacity sits idle most of the time. Every studio in the world is overbuilt on purpose, sized for the maximum need, even though that maximum might only happen a few times a year.

Bursting offers a different approach. Rather than investing in permanent infrastructure to handle rare peaks, the cloud can supplement an existing system when demand briefly exceeds the base setup.

Elections are a good example. A broadcaster may suddenly need additional camera feeds for a few hours or a few days, more than the on-prem system can support. In those cases, extra capability can be added temporarily by bursting into the cloud.

Used this way, the cloud doesn’t replace on-prem systems; it complements them. For many use cases, putting everything in the cloud can end up costing more than running systems on-prem. As a supplement, however, there can be enough affordable horsepower to make it worthwhile.

That’s why the conversation has shifted. It’s no longer about on-prem or cloud, but how to combine the two in a way that fits organizations, workflows, and business models. The hybrid approach will be the real game changer. And as it matures, so will the tools and services that support it.

For most, the future looks hybrid.

The post-InfoComm hangover is real, so it was a bit quieter this past week in Pro AV headlines. That is not to say there wasn't news you needed to know.

[Apogee Insights, SCN Partner for SCN Top AV Consultants 2026]

While M&W Pro Audio was founded in 2022 by Greg Mackie and British audio/digital engineer Peter Watts, M&W Pro Audio made its industry debut at InfoComm, introducing itself on the global stage to the Pro AV and pro audio world. There, it demonstrated the new D24 and D32 digital mixers. Engineered for modern live production environments such as houses of worship, theaters, concerts, corporate AV, and nightclubs, the D24 and D32 digital mixers deliver enhanced sound quality, intuitive touch-screen-based operation, versatile signal management, and robust performance in a compact form factor.

Mackie and Watts have a symmetry of talents that spans decades developing of a host of products. Watts brings decades of pro audio engineering experience and a shared vision for the next evolution of digital mixing technology. Together, the M&W Pro Audio team has spent five years developing and refining a new generation of fully digital mixing systems built around advanced DSP architecture, advanced microphone preamps and high resolution touch interfaces, delivering dramatically expanded functionality, faster operation, intuitive workflow, and a platform designed to support continuous feature growth and software evolution throughout the life of the product.

"I've never stopped gathering ideas about how to make live mixing easier," Mackie reflected on his new company. "The D24 and D32 are the culmination of decades of sound experience and four solid years of translating my ideas into a more intuitive, easier workflow. My goal was to create a touch screen mixer “done right”. We believe we have accomplished this, but it took years of design, review, redesign, and final design."

What else happened this week? Keep reading to find out.

1 SOUND Custom Shop Launches Exterior Wood Finishes

1 SOUND’s Custom Shop is now offering outdoor wood finishes for all of its loudspeakers. 1 SOUND is utilizing research and inspiration from ancient techniques of structural building from places like Japan and Norway, which have proven to stand the test of time.

1 SOUND discovered how to offer its premium, commercial loudspeakers in wood finishes that work with the elements of nature for loudspeaker durability and longevity in permanent installation outdoors. All 1 SOUND loudspeakers are customizable for indoor and outdoor applications in only 3-4 weeks' time.

Absen Unveils Upgraded Global Booking Platform

Absen announced a full upgrade to its global showroom booking system, making it easier for customers and partners to schedule visits to the company’s growing international network of showrooms. The platform was designed to deliver an intuitive and user-friendly experience.

Over the past year, Absen has continued to expand its global showroom footprint, opening new sites and brand factory stores across the Americas, EMEA and APAC. Newly added locations include Los Angeles, Mexico, and Denver in the Americas; Morocco and Saudi Arabia in EMEA, as well as Korea and Vietnam in APAC. Each showroom is designed to reflect local market needs with carefully curated displays that demonstrate how Absen’s innovative LED solutions can be applied across a range of sectors and markets.

The newly upgraded booking interface has been created to simplify every stage of the visitor journey including choosing a location and arranging an appointment. With a cleaner design and more seamless navigation, the platform enables users to identify their nearest showroom, select a suitable time and submit visit requests with greater ease and confidence. The result is a smoother digital experience that complements Absen’s on-the-ground investment in local service and customer engagement.

Introducing AVPro Design Services

AVPro Global announced the formation of AVPro Design Services (ADS), a dedicated team of AVPro system architects that helps integrators design, program, and deploy professional AV systems with precision and efficiency. The ADS team will support integrators serving market segments such as business and corporate, education, government, hospitality and retail, houses of worship, and medical. The new support services group represents AVPro’s continued evolution as a leading manufacturer of audio, video, and control solutions for professional integrators.

The ADS team will support the deployment and configuration of AVPro's comprehensive product portfolio, including AVPro Edge, AudioControl Pro, RTI, Bullet Train, Murideo, and ThenAudio brands, by designing systems that are inherently stable, scalable, and perfectly tailored to the client.

Iris Unveils New Angekis and Bolin Integrations

Iris announced OEM partnerships with Angekis and Bolin at InfoComm 2026. These partnerships will bring native Iris technology directly into the firmware of select PTZ camera models from the two brands.

With a simple free upgrade to the latest firmware on the Angekis Saber X and Bolin B2 camera lines, customers can instantly link their now Iris-enabled cameras to the Iris platform. This unlocks a suite of features accessible through a single browser or app window with no additional hardware required.

Through Iris, users can remotely manage cameras with low-latency control, collaborate across teams and locations, and leverage AI-powered tools for framing, preset creation and recall, and more. This is all done without the complexity of traditional hardware-based systems. These new partnerships strengthen Iris's growing ecosystem of camera manufacturers and reinforce its commitment to interoperability. The Iris platform supports more than 400 camera models and integrates with leading switchers, IP controllers, and production software, allowing organizations to modernize operations while preserving existing infrastructure investments. In addition, Angekis and Bolin now join eight other brands that have Iris-enabled devices, allowing those cameras to connect to the Iris platform directly without needing a network bridge device.

MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Systems is acquiring the assets of MRMC (Mark Roberts Motion Control), a developer of robotic camera systems, motion control solutions, and automated camera tracking technologies for broadcast, digital cinema, sports production, and live events. As part of the transaction, MultiDyne has established MultiDyne Robotics and Motion Control, a new company that will maintain the MRMC brand. The acquisition brings MRMC’s core technologies, intellectual property, manufacturing capabilities, and key engineering expertise into the MultiDyne organization, creating a powerful combination of complementary technologies that extend MultiDyne’s reach to the very beginning of the content creation chain.

[The Experience Economy, Revisited]

"MRMC is a world-class brand with an exceptional reputation for innovation, engineering excellence and customer success," said Frank Jachetta, CEO of MultiDyne. "This acquisition represents a natural and highly strategic extension of our business. MultiDyne has long been focused on the transport, processing and management of video, audio and data signals. MRMC places us at the point of image acquisition itself, allowing us to participate in a much broader portion of the production workflow. Together, our technologies create a powerful end-to-end ecosystem for content creators, broadcasters and live production professionals worldwide."

MRMC has been involved with camera robotics and motion control for six decades, developing solutions that enable precision camera movement, automated tracking, virtual production workflows, and cinematic motion control for some of the world's leading broadcasters, filmmakers and content creators. The move comes during a milestone year for MultiDyne as the company celebrates its 50th anniversary.

The MultiDyne and MRMC product portfolios have virtually no overlap. Instead, the two companies serve many of the same customers, channel partners, and markets with complementary technologies. MultiDyne's fiber-optic transport, camera interface, and signal processing solutions are widely used throughout professional production environments to move video, audio, and data across complex infrastructures. MRMC's robotic camera systems, tracking solutions, motion control rigs, and automated production technologies complement those workflows by controlling the physical movement, positioning, and automation of the cameras themselves.

The combined portfolio will strengthen MultiDyne's value proposition across broadcast television, sports production, digital cinema, virtual production, corporate AV, houses of worship, live events and emerging content creation markets. The acquisition also significantly strengthens MultiDyne's international presence, particularly in Europe, where MRMC has built a respected global brand and loyal customer base. MultiDyne plans to maintain MRMC's operations in the United Kingdom while preserving the engineering expertise, product innovation and customer relationships that have made the company a trusted partner throughout the industry.

"MRMC has earned tremendous loyalty throughout the broadcast and cinema industries because of its innovation, product quality and commitment to customer success," said Neil Maycock, a member of the MultiDyne leadership team, who will now run MRMC as managing director. "Our priority is ensuring continuity for customers, partners and ongoing projects while creating a strong foundation for future growth. We see tremendous opportunities to expand the reach of MRMC technologies through MultiDyne's global sales channels, customer relationships and long-term investment strategy."

First, I must say, from my perspective, InfoComm 2026 was outstanding. The official numbers reported by AVIXA show that attendance was down seven percent from the IC show in Las Vegas in 2024, but you wouldn’t know it from the crowded booths. And when I talked to manufacturers, the overwhelming consensus was that while booth traffic might have been slightly off, there were more focused attendees and fewer tire-kickers. I was pleased to see that the percentage of end-users attending was higher than in previous years.

This was the first InfoComm held in the recently renovated Las Vegas Convention Center. Thank you, thank you, thank you to LVCC for the beautiful new space and air-conditioned hallways, and to AVIXA for creating a great experience. The main lobby was inviting, energizing, and engaging. Not having to walk twenty minutes between halls meant I could see more booths, and I actually had more energy. Rather than being totally wiped on Friday, I had a spring in my step (but that could have been my stormtrooper suit).

AI is No Longer a Buzzword (or two)

I don’t need to tell you that AI is advancing at warp speed. But let’s take it down a notch and relate it to our industry and the positive impact it can have in many areas.

If embraced with intent and the proper context provided, the use of AI assistants, facilitators, or agents in meeting, collaboration, and education spaces can increase productivity.

And, for the moment, let’s forget about hybrid versus all-in at the office, because AI-enabled collaboration spaces apply to all scenarios.

First things first. I think we can all agree that high-quality audio is foundational to the success of AI-enabled collaboration spaces. AI is about receiving clean data to deliver actionable data. Good enough audio is NOT good enough. Josh Blalock, director, Alliances & Engagement at Shure, said, "In the era of AI and particularly as we shift deeper into the agentic side of things, having crystal clear audio being passed from the spoken word into the platform that is processing that transcript and who said what and all that on the back end is 100% in focus and important right now." For anyone thinking that 95% is a pretty good average for accuracy, Blalock countered, "That's 5% that you're missing, and that 5% can change the entire context of what was just said. It could be leaving out who owns a task. If we're not clearly identifying every single person that said something, then the data is not as useful."

If you’re ready to embrace it, AI can be enormously helpful with programming, deployment, troubleshooting, upgrading, and monitoring of systems and devices. And that doesn’t mean eliminating jobs. It’s about making your job more efficient.

Kendra Philips, senior vice president of Sales at Legrand | AV, said, “Our new Unified Cloud Platform brings AI-driven remote monitoring and management to the AV stack, giving integrators visibility, predictive insight, and recurring managed service revenue opportunities that didn’t exist before.”

I stopped by the DVIGear booth to learn more about DisplayNet Connect for AI Agents for AV over IP signal distribution platforms. “We are taking the parts of an AV over IP project that have traditionally required deep API expertise—writing integrations, building control UIs, and debugging issues in the field—and making them accessible through the same AI tools our customers already use every day,” said Steven Barlow, president of DVIGear.

ENCO demonstrated enSpeak as part of a complete multilingual communication workflow that combines live captioning, real-time text translation, and AI-powered voice synthesis into a seamless end-to-end solution.

At InfoComm, the AI-enabled and AI enabler solutions were endless.

Remember, it’s about the data.

Eyes and Ears, Everywhere

The immense number of “videobars” shown at InfoComm this year was, let’s say, noticeable. Actually, it seemed like they multiplied like rabbits. That said, with AI being deployed fast and furious in collaboration and education spaces, the more the merrier. And they’re not all created equal.

Huddly’s C1 Crew is Microsoft Teams certified and comes as a complete kit: one C1 videobar, two Crew Add-On Cameras, cabling, mounting hardware, an Ethernet switch, and runs Edge AI onboard, working as one system. Barco announced the solution with its new wireless room system bundle developed in partnership with Huddly and Certified for Microsoft Teams. The solution combines ClickShare Hub Pro with the Huddly C1 video bar, bringing effortless wireless conferencing and presentation to small to medium-sized rooms.

And, as mentioned, I firmly believe audio is the most important element in a collaboration. At InfoComm, many audio companies upped the ante with new solutions and revisions to already great products.

David Missall, insights manager, consultant, and technical application engineer manager at Sennheiser, said, “Our philosophy is simple: Build flexible, scalable tools grounded in real customer needs and empower users to connect and collaborate through exceptional sound.” This vision included the TeamConnect Ceiling M Plus (TCC M Plus), a new ceiling microphone that combines premium audio performance with a new generation of features designed to reduce deployment effort, simplify system configuration, and scale easily. A new capability included with TCC M Plus is PartnerLink, Sennheiser’s integration feature designed to simplify how microphones are configured within leading AV platforms.

All for One, and All-In-Ones for Everybody

The term “all-in-one” is used freely to describe a combination of technologies engineered into one form factor for ease-of-use for integrators, AV/IT managers and end-users. From display manufacturers to collaboration device and solution companies, there was no shortage of unified solutions.

Display manufacturers often put the “All-in-One” moniker in the product name.

Sony showed its new entry into the category, the Crystal LED UNIFY All-in-One display. "Expanding our portfolio to include a 135-inch All-in-One model helps us meet customer demand, makes our solutions easier to spec and deploy, and serves as the perfect complement and extension to enhance our existing lineup while adding compatibility and consistency across our integrated pro AV family of solutions," said Rich Ventura, vice president, Professional Display Solutions, Sony Electronics.

“From all-in-one dvLED systems to foldable LED displays, we’re rethinking how large-scale displays are installed and maintained, reducing time, effort, and uncertainty for AV and IT managers alike,” said Shane Roma, technical product manager of dvLED and Commercial Displays at ViewSonic.

The Q-SYS RoomSuite Collaboration Bar is a Windows-based device, certified for Microsoft Teams. The solution features four high-resolution 50 MP cameras and a 16-element microphone array and is bundled with an 11-inch touchscreen controller. While it offers standard collaboration features, its true value lies in its integration with the wider Q-SYS Platform via Q-SYS Reflect. "It’s so much more than bar," said Sanjay Kulkarni, VP of Product for QSC. "It’s a context-generating endpoint that feeds into the cognitive cloud layer of our platform, capable of generating insights and actions across the enterprise."

The Ecosystem

Discussing an “ecosystem” has been a growing trend, but I noticed a more expanded role. Why not have your ecosystem talk to my ecosystem and be part of a larger, transparent ecosystem, and so on?

“Xyte is focusing on unified cloud management, automation, and AI-assisted operations,” said Omer Brookstein, chief executive officer and co-founder of Xyte. At InfoComm, the company demonstrated how AV/IT teams can centralize device data, automate routine actions, schedule operational workflows, and use the Xyte CLI to create a consistent, auditable language for people, scripts, and AI agents. “Our philosophy is that AI in AV should not be a demo trick; it should help teams reduce downtime, control cost, improve room readiness, and make every action traceable. The next phase of AV/IT management is not just smarter dashboards; it is governed execution across the full device fleet—from the cloud to the room.”

MDEP

Barco, Crestron, Jabra, Optoma, and QSC were among the many manufacturers that announced products and solutions that included or were built on the MDEP Android-based platform.

The Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform (MDEP) is the Android-based platform from Microsoft that enables device manufacturers and software developers to deliver innovative solutions, backed by Microsoft's reputation for security, trust, and management. Built on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), the platform is designed to be extended and customized for both hardware and software solutions.

Mark Yang, group CEO at Optoma Corporation, said, "We are thrilled to become part of the MDEP community, which is an important endorsement for Optoma. As part of MDEP, Optoma will focus on developing and evolving a portfolio of enterprise-grade visual solutions designed for shared workspaces, collaboration environments, and digital signage applications—prioritizing interoperability, security, manageability, and scalability."

More Trends

My counterpart in crime, Mark J. Pescatore, SCN’s content director, covered more trends from InfoComm 2026 that you should check out.

Sustainability is not a new innovation in Pro AV. The industry has long strived to reduce its carbon footprint for a greener tomorrow, whether that be replacing packaging to more biodegradable products or advancing the longevity and recyclability of hardware solutions. There have been major advances in just a few years, but there is much work to be done.

Recently, SAVe has been front and center in the Pro AV sustainability revolution. Since its founding in 2022, the nonprofit has seen progress within the AV industry toward meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. "But let’s be honest," said Tim Alevizos, SAVe board member and co-chair of marketing and PR, "the scope of the challenge we’re facing is gigantic. If the 2030 SDGs are to be achieved, it’s going to take a concerted global effort that goes well beyond what we can achieve in the AV sector."

Whether it is events like the SAVe 2026 Global Conference (coming this October) or manufacturers making impactful changes, SAVe applauds incremental progress and efforts to reduce e-waste and longevity of products. However, as Alevizos explained, SAVe is a catalyst for change on a larger scale.

"To fulfill our mission, we need more volunteers—and, specifically, more leaders—to step up for the sake of future generations and, indeed, the planet itself," he noted. "Our advice is for people in our industry, and far outside it, to take action as individuals and as organizations, but not to step there: We need to act collectively in a broader sense, and that requires leaders who can inspire, educate, unite, and organize people and resources to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development."

Here is how some companies are paving the way for reaching these goals.

'Ecofficient' and Paper Packaging

Extron has made sustainability a major focal point. Its Ecofficient initiative, developed in response to the sunsetting of the ENERGY STAR program for commercial AV devices, spotlights energy-efficient excellence across its entire AV product portfolio. It signals Extron’s ongoing commitment to reducing power consumption, lowering operating costs, and supporting global sustainability goals.

“At Extron, we’ve always believed that sustainability and performance go hand in hand," said Joe da Silva, VP of marketing, Extron. "Opportunities for sustainability and conservation are evaluated at every step of a product’s life, from power supply designs leveraging GaN [gallium nitrade] technology for cooler and more efficient operation, to shipping materials optimized for recyclability, to our product recycling program that minimizes landfill waste."

One way to reduce Pro AV's environmental footprint is about how the technology is delivered. Switching to eco-friendly packaging is big step, reducing shipping costs and providing much greener transport.

Lightware Visual Engineering, which has already reduced its carbon footprint by designing and manufacturing its solutions in a centralized headquarters, switched to all-paper packaging in the next step of its ESG strategy. The biodegradable, recyclable paper-only packaging will be used for Taurus UCX, Taurus TPX, Taurus TPN, OPTX, and OPTN products. Packaging is still secure, yet it offers plenty of benefits for a greener tomorrow.

Sustainable and Socially Responsible

Sustainability has long been a part of the PPDS philosophy. The display manufacturer was eco-conscious before it was trendy in Pro AV. PPDS focuses on low-energy solutions with long-lasting shelf life. For example, PPDS e-paper solutions, like the Philips Tableaux, save energy and maximize technology uses, further reducing a carbon footprint.

As the saying goes, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

Last August, TPV Technology, the parent company behind PPDS as well as TP Vision, MMD Monitors and Displays, and AOC, earned the EcoVadis Platinum Medal. Founded in 2007, EcoVadis provides business ratings, having screened more than three million companies across 185 countries, awarding bronze, silver, gold, or platinum honors. The platinum recognition places TPV Technology in the top 1% globally as one of the most sustainable and socially responsible manufacturers in Pro AV.

Not long ago, Kinly's net-zero targets were validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). This achievement—which, per Kinly, made it the first global systems integrator to have the honor—validates the work the company has done towards achieving "net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain by 2050; reducing absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 54.6% by 2033 from a 2023 base year, as well as scope 3 GHG emissions by 61.1% per EUR value added within the same timeframe," according to a recent release.

It isn't simply big displays and packaging that are focused on enhancing the carbon footprint. Last summer, L-Acoustics invested in French-based MagREEsource. Per the company's report on the partnership, it introduces a "breakthrough circular economy model for the professional audio industry" that focuses on magnet recycling and manufacturing technology.

There are many hands in the pot helping to stir a greener future in Pro AV. And that is exactly what SAVe's goal continues to be. "It won’t be easy," Alevizos admitted. "Systemic change is required. But there is strength in numbers, and we have the numbers on our side to create the groundswell necessary to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We won’t be satisfied until the potential of our movement for change is fully realized."

It was a busy week in Pro AV as 12 people were either appointed or promoted to new positions. There were also key partnerships secured from AVI-SPL, Neat and Kinly, Yealink, and several others.

[Survey Open for SCN Top AV Consultants]

Get caught up with what you may have missed at InfoComm in this week's newsmakers.

People News

Anthony James Partners Names Michael Martin Chief Technology Officer

Anthony James Partners (AJP) has named Michael Martin chief technology officer (CTO). Martin has led AJP’s broadcast systems and network infrastructure practice for nearly two decades. As CTO, he is focused on guiding the company's technology strategy across all disciplines while continuing to oversee the planning and design of integrated systems across the firm's project portfolio.

Martin specializes in SMPTE ST 2110 IP-based production environments, broadcast control rooms, network architecture, and large-scale fiber and structured cabling infrastructure. With more than 44 years of industry experience, he has led the design and development of broadcast systems for some of the largest and most complex sports and entertainment venues in North America, delivering modern IP-based control rooms and technical infrastructure engineered to support high-density workflows and long-term scalability.

d&b audiotechnik Announces David Servinis as Regional Manager for Ontario

d&b audiotechnik appointed David Servinis to the position of regional manager, Ontario. In this new role, Servinis is responsible for supporting and growing the d&b presence across the Ontario market by working closely with partners, integrators, consultants, and end users throughout the region.

Servinis brings an extensive background in the professional audio and music industries to d&b audiotechnik. He most recently served as the North Central territory manager in commercial acoustics for Primacoustic. Throughout his career, he has focused on relationship building, technical sales, and consultative problem-solving across a variety of music and audiovisual sales roles, including positions at MCR Rental Solutions and CCR. Servinis studied recording arts and music production at the Harris Institute and remains an active musician and guitarist in the local Hamilton music scene.

Cleerline Appoints Robin Roy as Senior Account Manager

The Cleerline Technology Group appointed Robin Roy as senior account manager, overseeing the continued development of Cleerline’s distributor network across the United States. Based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Roy brings more than 20 years of experience in the commercial and residential AV channels, having demonstrated success in previous roles with distributors and independent sales representative organizations throughout the Atlanta region. During that time, she was introduced to Cleerline solutions and recognized early on that fiber infrastructure would become critical in meeting the growing bandwidth demands of commercial AV applications.

Russel Goodwin Promoted to VP of Engineering & Operations at C.V. Lloyde Audiovisual

C.V. Lloyde Audiovisual has promoted Russel Goodwin to VP of engineering and operations. Goodwin joined CVLAV in 2022 and has played a key role in strengthening the company’s engineering capabilities and operational excellence. Most recently serving as director of engineering, he has helped guide the successful design and deployment of complex audiovisual systems for sports and entertainment facilities across North America.

In his new role, Goodwin oversees engineering and operations while continuing to support the company’s commitment to innovation, quality, and exceptional customer experience.

PJ Pedroni Appointed Senior Director of National Sales USA at digiLED

digiLED has appointed PJ Pedroni, based in Seattle, as senior director of national sales. Pedroni leads efforts to grow awareness of digiLED in new markets, highlighting the company’s global track record of delivering ambitious projects across sports, immersive experiences, attractions, and DOOH applications.

Having started his career in outdoor advertising, Pedroni traces his passion for ambitious visual experiences back to one of the defining projects of his early career: an installation in New York City. The project, located at the intersection of 42nd Street and Broadway, won "Spectacular of the Year" in 2002 and sparked a lifelong appreciation for projects that push creative boundaries and capture public imagination on a grand scale.

DMF Lighting Names Bryan Biga as VP of Residential Sales

DMF appointed Bryan Biga as VP of residential sales. Biga brings more than 25 years of residential lighting sales leadership to the role and will be responsible for leading residential sales efforts for both DMF Lighting and HK Lighting across North America.

Biga joins DMF Lighting from sister company HK Lighting, where he served as senior sales director-residential, driving new business development and building the brand’s residential channel. Throughout his career, Biga has demonstrated a consistent track record of transforming underperforming markets, developing high-performing teams, and forging lasting customer relationships. He has deep expertise in channel management, independent rep management, key account development, and sales training, capabilities that position him well to support DMF Lighting’s integrator partners and accelerate growth in the residential market.

FORTÉ Names Tobias Enders Managing Director, Europe

FORTÉ has promoted Tobias Enders to managing director, Europe, expanding his leadership responsibilities across the company’s growing European operations.

In this role, Enders serves as the central leadership point of contact for FORTÉ’s growing European Region, partnering with FORTÉ’s leadership in Ireland, the U.K., Sweden, and Germany. Enders provides more day-to-day focus on existing expansion plans, including new facilities in Frankfurt and London that will each have full Velocity meeting room solution capabilities, along with stronger coordination with FORTÉ’s technology partner network.

Enders previously owned and led GMS, an audiovisual integration business based in Frankfurt, Germany. GMS became part of FORTÉ through acquisition in April 2025. Since joining the organization, he has been instrumental in driving record growth in Germany, leading with FORTÉ’s unique managed services and innovation offerings, along with driving a new expansion effort in Munich. Enders brings expertise helping enterprise organizations create connected, productive, and future-ready workplaces. His background includes leadership roles focused on smart workplace solutions, digital services strategy, advanced analytics, and global project delivery. He holds a diploma in International Management and is a certified ITSM and Project Management Professional.

WAVIT Expands Board with Five New Visionaries

As Women in AV/IT (WAVIT) continues to expand its impact across the audiovisual and technology industries, the organization has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of five new members to its Board of Directors and the nomination of a new VP. Joining the board are Vanessa Tolisano, Gisela Ramirez, Kristy Demsay, Kim Lonas, and Susan Milwit, while Cheryl Walton has been nominated to serve as VP.

As WAVIT enters its fourth year, the organization continues to broaden its leadership with representation across sales, operations, HR, channel partnerships, mentorship, diversity initiatives, and emerging technologies. The addition of these five leaders marks a significant milestone for WAVIT as the organization continues to expand its programs, mentorship opportunities, scholarships, and community initiatives designed to support women throughout every stage of their AV/IT careers.

Company News

AIMS Launches the Official IPMX Training Series Online

The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) has launched its Official IPMX Training Series, a free online program designed to help the Pro AV community better understand, design, configure, and deploy IPMX-based AV over IP systems. The Official IPMX Training Series is structured across three progressive levels, Foundations, Systems, and Networks, providing a clear learning path that supports both newcomers to AV over IP and experienced professionals seeking deeper technical insight.

The courses will balance demonstrations with business and technical information, helping participants understand not only how IPMX works, but how it fits into real-world workflows. The curriculum will also explore how IPMX relates to and builds upon complementary standards such as AES67, SMPTE ST 2110, and AMWA NMOS, while providing insight into the ecosystem clusters emerging around open, interoperable AV over IP deployments.

AVI-SPL Launches Autonomous Freight Operations, Announces New Partnerships

AVI-SPL has started commercial autonomous freight operations between Dallas and Houston using the Volvo VNL Autonomous powered by the Aurora Driver. The operations will support AVI-SPL’s freight movement and reflect the company’s continued investment in operational innovation and supply chain strategies designed to improve scalability, reliability, and long-term efficiency.

The collaboration marks an important step in demonstrating how autonomous trucking can be applied in real-world logistics operations where speed, consistency, and reliability are critical. As demand for freight capacity continues to grow, autonomous transport has the potential to strengthen supply chains through greater uptime, improved asset utilization, and enhanced cargo security.

Additionally, AVI-SPL expanded operations in Costa Rica, Australia, and Switzerland. The expansion reflects AVI-SPL’s continued global growth strategy and investment in delivering consistent customer experiences, local expertise, and scalable support across international markets. The expanded presence in Costa Rica, Australia, and Switzerland enables AVI-SPL to better support regional customers while also strengthening service delivery capabilities for global enterprise clients operating across multiple countries and time zones.

Neat and Kinly to Accelerate Intelligent Platform Deployment

Neat and Kinly announced a global partnership during InfoComm 2026. Kinly has been designated a Mastery partner, the highest tier in Neat’s Global Partner Program, specifically for its technical expertise and global enterprise deployment capabilities.

The strategic alliance instantly mobilizes Neat’s video portfolio with Kinly’s global network of customers, providing a single, standardized, end-to-end solution for enterprise modernization. This collaboration ensures customers worldwide can seamlessly deploy intelligent meeting room technology to transform their workplace collaboration environments.

nsign Partners with BrightSign on Expanded Digital Signage Deployment

nsign partnered with BrightSign at InfoComm 2026, expanding the deployment options available to customers, integrators and channel partners worldwide. The partnership highlights nsign's international growth strategy, particularly in North America, where BrightSign media players are widely deployed across enterprise digital signage networks in sectors such as retail, quick service restaurants (QSR), hospitality, transportation, and corporate communications.

By supporting selected BrightSign media players, nsign can now be deployed on both new and existing BrightSign-based infrastructures, allowing organizations to adopt the platform without replacing previously installed hardware. This provides a practical migration path for companies looking to modernize their digital signage operations while protecting existing technology investments.

For AV integrators and channel partners, the integration expands the range of deployment scenarios available to customers. Many large multi-site organizations already operate BrightSign-based networks and are increasingly looking for CMS platforms that combine ease of use, centralized management, scalability, and remote device control.

SFM Named Canadian Distributor for Yealink Video Conferencing Solutions

SFM was appointed the Canadian distributor for Yealink. The agreement enables SFM to bring Yealink's full suite of professional video conferencing products to market across Canada, offering resellers and system integrators direct access to one of the world's most trusted collaboration technology portfolios. The portfolio addresses a wide spectrum of deployment environments —from compact huddle spaces to executive boardrooms and large-scale enterprise installations—ensuring resellers can match the right solution to every client requirement.

The appointment reflects the complementary strengths of both organizations. SFM brings specialized knowledge of the Canadian Unified Communication technology landscape, a proven distribution network, and long-standing relationships within the AV and unified communications channel. Yealink, ranked among the world’s top videoconferencing solution providers, delivers enterprise-grade technology deployed by organizations across more than 140 countries—solutions engineered to support the demands of modern hybrid work environments at any scale.

Pro AV Around the World

The Cleerline Technology Group announced the appointment of Quartz AVA as the distributor for its optic solutions across the Benelux region (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg). For over 30 years, Quartz AVA has been a value-added distributor of premium audiovisual and custom integration technologies. Based in the Netherlands and serving a network of dealers, integrators, and home cinema specialists, Quartz AVA provides comprehensive technical support, training, logistics, and project guidance across the region.

SpinetiX appointed ALGAM Enterprise as SpinetiX distribution partner for France, Monaco, and North African countries such as Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. ALGAM Enterprise offers the full SpinetiX portfolio and provides field commercial, technical, and consultative support to system integrators and channel partners delivering demanding large digital signage projects across the territory.

While Las Vegas turned up temperatures for InfoComm 2026, the show made its own heat. There was serious energy on the show floor, with plenty of exhibitors, presentations, and experiences to keep attendees engaged. The completed renovations to the Las Vegas Convention Center helped traffic flow between the Work (Central Hall) and Play (North Hall) areas, with free session spaces and other attractions positioned between the two.

[What's the Buzz? How InfoComm Has Changed in Five Years]

First, let's talk about those show numbers. I said it on the show floor and I'll stand by my assessment: Attendance was fine. Not record-breaking, not a disaster. Fine. Normal. Within acceptable parameters.

The official numbers back me up. According to AVIXA, there were 28,132 verified attendees (35,707 total registrants). International attendance accounted for 20% of attendees, with representation from 94 countries. There were also 807 exhibitors.

How does that compare to last year's effort in Orlando, FL? InfoComm 2025 attracted 817 exhibitors, which was down from 833 in 2024. So, yes, there's a small downward trend, but 807 still gave attendees plenty to experience.

Orlando attendance was 30,998, and InfoComm 2024 in Las Vegas was 30,271, which reported 23% international attendance. That little nugget of data is important. Based on these numbers, a quick bit of math shows me the show lost about 1,300 international attendees from the last time we all gathered in Las Vegas, which represents roughly 60% of the attendee loss.

What kept them away? Was it outrageous travel costs? International unrest? The growing popularity of ISE in Barcelona? Methinks it's all of the above.

Speaking of numbers, Michael Sullivan-Trainor, AVIXA’s senior industry analyst, reported during the show that growth in the Pro AV industry has slowed from 5.4% to 3.9%, but it's still ahead of GDP in most countries. Even more encouraging: Pro AV buyers are increasing budget growth expectation this year. Here are a couple of other things I noticed on the show floor.

Don't sleep on virtual production.

If you haven't heard, there's a buzzword gaining momentum in Pro AV: broadcast AV. (You can get some insights from our recent ebook, AV for Broadcast.) During a presentation for media covering the show, Sullivan-Trainor said the growing broadcast AV market is changing the way the industry is looking at delivering AV. In fact, broadcast production rooms that deliver high production values are being adopted across other verticals, including corporate, government, healthcare, education, and more.

According to Trainor, the core principles of broadcast AV include workflows that offer repeatable execution, not just ad hoc operations, with enterprise-first designs that are focused on business teams and are aligned with IT requirements. And virtual production is a "very important" part of the growing broadcast AV market segment. He mentioned one company that embraced virtual production and was producing content 30% faster as well as 40% more content. That kind of ROI is hard to ignore.

Sony gets it. The company has developed a comprehensive virtual production ecosystem, and partnered with Vū Tampa Bay to demonstrate a setup designed for corporate users during the show. The solution featured Sony's CAPRI modular dvLED display, which can be upgraded to a VERONA display with a lower pixel pitch and deeper blacks. Both are purpose-built Sony Crystal LEDs for virtual production. The demo also had a BRC-AM7 PTZ camera with AI integration for tracking and facial recognition.

Jaime Raffone, senior sales manager, virtual production, Sony, said the demand for virtual production at the corporate level is "growing exponentially," because it offers a "very easy point of entry." Many financial and Fortune 500 companies have already adopted virtual production workflows and are now building out their facilities for more complex productions. "Content is still king," Raffone offered, adding that virtual production provides an "easier, more immersive way to build their brand."

A virtual production set was also part of the Smart Workplace, which was powered by FORTÉ and showcased modern office technologies. It was one of three new immersive experiences at the show; there was also the Pitch, powered by Diversified, which provided a look at the modern fan experience, while the Retail Experience demonstrated how Pro AV technologies are influencing consumer engagement in physical retail environments.

Stop trying to bury the projector business.

Yes, the projector business is not en fuego. Robert Ambrose, CEO and co-founder of Caretta Research, took a quick look at the numbers for me. The market is not showing a positive trend; in fact, it's on the decline at a roughly 5% drop annually. But it ain't dead yet.

According to Petro Shimonishi, director of new business development and business transformation for Panasonic Projector & Display Americas, the market oscillates between flat and declining, depending on the year. Except this year—because sales are up. She's seeing customers "boomerang" from dvLED solutions due to the cost and complexities of maintenance issues.

Panasonic is also investing in a new projector technology. VIVID PRIME is a RGB laser light source technology that's designed to eliminate the "rainbow effect" without introducing new imaging issues. The new PT-HTQ20 4K projector is the company's first to feature VIVID PRIME, and is designed to appeal to museums, themed entertainment, and immersive experiences. Shimonishi said the company is also seeing new interest from golf simulation systems that rely on projectors. Obviously, you can't launch a golf ball at a dvLED display—or at least not more than once.

Joel St-Denis, director of project management at Christie, admitted concerts and live events have been "taken over" by LED. However, he said, "There's still growth in certain areas." Fixed installations are a bright spot, particularly with projectors in the 8,000-12,000 lumen market space. St-Denis said these models, including Christie's new Korus Series, are bright enough to punch through ambient light while providing competitive price points.

And then there's projection mapping. Scalable Display Technologies had a patriotic demonstration of projection mapping on a scaled version of Mount Rushmore at its booth. From monuments to historic structures, projection mapping brings existing spaces to life. "I think it's reinvigorating production," said James Pietsch, director of global accounts, Scalable Display Technologies.

ViewSonic launched its LSD Series of laser projectors in May and had three models on display at InfoComm. Jeff Muto, business line director, ViewSonic, said the lumens-per-dollar ratio has improved with the company's third-generation laser technology, so ViewSonic can deliver a more viable product for schools and small businesses. (And yes, they have a dedicated Golf Mode, too. I sense another trend.)

Muto also admitted the professional projector market is "slowing," but with relatively few projector manufacturers in the industry, there's no reason to abandon the technology. And slowing doesn't mean stopped; globally, this is still a multi-billion dollar industry. So, plenty of sales, new technological developments, new products, and new potential markets and applications. Sure doesn't sound like a dead market segment to me.

Following the announcement at InfoComm 2026 that Optoma had joined the Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform (MDEP) community, Group CEO Mark Yang sat down with AV Technology Content Director Cindy Davis to discuss the pivotal milestone and his strategic vision for the company.

Watch the full interview below.

By aligning Optoma’s visual solutions with the Microsoft security and management framework, the company aims to better serve the evolving needs of the enterprise market. Yang emphasized that today’s customers require visual solutions that integrate seamlessly into existing IT environments, shifting away from the limitations of standalone devices. This integration ensures that Optoma’s products are scalable, secure, and easier to manage for IT professionals.

[Optoma Announces Joining the Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform (MDEP)]

Looking ahead, Yang outlined a three-year vision to transform Optoma into a global technology powerhouse. Central to this strategy is the delivery of intelligent, trustworthy products that aim to "impress, amaze and move" its users.

Yang outlined a roadmap comprising three tenets. AI Integration: Exploring how AI can enhance collaboration, communication, and professional efficiency. Simplified UX: Prioritizing user experience to make deployment and management seamless for system integrators, IT administrators, and end users. Ecosystem Expansion: Moving beyond standalone hardware to develop a broader, more value-driven ecosystem.

Under Yang’s leadership, Optoma is positioning itself to become an essential partner for its customers, delivering a future defined by intelligent, interconnected technology solutions.

Watch the full interview.

Bose Professional unveiled a preview of its new global brand identity, 802 LABS, at InfoComm 2026. The company shared plans for a phased transition beginning in February 2027 and concluding in 2028. No changes will take effect until that time, giving the company time to work closely with partners and affiliates to prepare for the new identity.

The “802” name pays homage to the newly independent company’s origins and its first iconic product, the 802 loudspeaker. “LABS” symbolizes the company's commitment to engineering excellence and the spirit of curiosity that has defined the company’s culture since its inception.

John Maier, CEO, said the new name "honors where we’ve been and gives us space to build what’s next. The 802 LABS identity is personal for our team because it connects directly to our history of innovation and engineering excellence. We’re excited about this opportunity to define who we are for the future."

Since becoming an independent company in 2023, Bose Professional has rebuilt the organization around the needs of integrators and system designers. Over the past three years, the company has launched more than 25 new products and opened more than a dozen offices and experience centers worldwide, including its new headquarters in Boston.

“Building a new brand platform on a 50-year legacy gives us a chance to be clear about what sets us apart and what we stand for," Maier added. "As 802 LABS, our purpose is simple: make great sound effortless. This change is the next step in our journey, and we're already hard at work on what comes next.”

For years, single-use batteries have been treated as a background issue in Pro AV. They’re small, relatively inexpensive, and easy to replace, so most teams just get on with the job. But ask an audio engineer, stage manager, or facilities technician how many AA or AAA batteries their organization actually uses in a year, and many struggle to answer with confidence.

That’s understandable. Battery consumption builds quietly in the background—a few wireless microphones on stage, some beltpacks, or a handful of in-ear receivers for every rehearsal, show, or corporate presentation. But across live production, broadcast, theater, house of worship, and corporate venues, those numbers add up quickly.

I’ve spent years working in the touring industry. I’ve seen firsthand just how reliant our industry is on disposable batteries. They remain a practical and universal power source for pro audio equipment. That won’t change overnight. But the scale of battery waste today—and the financial and environmental costs attached to it—mean it’s time to think more seriously about how batteries are managed, tracked, and replaced.

A Numbers Game

At my own production company, Sonic City, we operate 74 channels of wireless equipment. In a typical year, that translates to more than 20,000 single-use batteries. That’s a fairly common story for medium-sized touring and production operations.

The wider industry picture is more striking. Norwegian cultural institution Kulturrom estimated several years ago that Norway’s entertainment sector alone uses more than 1 million disposable batteries annually across concert venues, touring productions, theatres, and cultural events.

Norway is a small market.

Scale that globally and the numbers become hard to ignore. In the United States alone, it’s widely estimated that around 3 billion batteries are discarded every year, many of them standard alkaline AA and AAA batteries used in everyday electronics and Pro AV equipment.

It’s not down to an AV integrator or venue manager to solve the global battery crisis. What they can influence is how much they spend on batteries and what their environmental impact looks like.

The first step is tracking battery usage properly. Many teams don’t have enough visibility into how many batteries are being purchased, stored, used, and discarded across productions or facilities. Once those numbers are added up alongside purchasing costs, disposal requirements, and day-to-day operational pressure, battery management becomes a serious business issue.

Integrators, venues, and production teams need to ask the tough questions. Start counting batteries. Estimate annual consumption. Understand the cost attached to that usage. Even a rough baseline can quickly highlight opportunities to reduce waste, simplify workflows, and lower long-term expenditure.

Current Status

The pro audio market offers several approaches to rechargeables. Major manufacturers such as Shure and Sennheiser have developed highly capable proprietary charging ecosystems designed for their own wireless systems. They’re fantastic for reliability and visibility, but can introduce additional cost and lock users in a single vendor environment.

Then you have standard consumer rechargeables. While they’re adequate for low-drain household devices, traditional 1.2V NiMH batteries struggle to meet the reliability needs of demanding professional environments. In live production, there’s no room for uncertainty. A wireless mic dropping out during a service, keynote presentation, or live performance isn’t acceptable.

Those issues are being addressed. Advances in rechargeable battery technology, particularly lithium-ion systems designed for professional use, are helping tackle longstanding concerns around runtime predictability, charging speed, and voltage.

Operational realities are also pushing things forward. Touring crews, venue technicians, and corporate AV teams are expected to do more with fewer people and tighter turnaround times. Reducing last-minute battery runs, simplifying charging workflows, and increasing runtime makes work easier.

Recycling matters, regardless of the battery. A recent EPA report to Congress cited recycling rates for alkaline batteries at just 4%. That means the overwhelming majority end up in landfill, not recovery.

In Europe, the EU Battery Regulation 2023/1542 introduced stricter sustainability, collection, and recycling requirements across the battery lifecycle, including a target to collect 73% of waste portable batteries by the end of 2030. It's a more fragmented story in the United States, but states like California, New York, and New Hampshire have introduced stricter rules around recycling and disposal, increasing pressure on businesses and end users to adopt more sustainable battery practices.

Charging Smarter

Broadcast, music, house of worship, and corporate AV are all environments where battery reliability and operational efficiency matter. Several broadcasters, audio rental companies, and churches in Europe are taking a rechargeable-first approach. Similar thinking is emerging in orchestral environments, where consistency and reliability are essential for rehearsals, recordings, and live performances.

Touring engineers are also looking at the issue from a logistics standpoint. For audio crews working internationally, reducing battery swaps, simplifying charging, and traveling with less gear makes a demanding schedule a little more bearable.

The AV industry has transformed how it approaches remote production, AV/IT workflows, cloud—and yes, AI. Battery management is a practical issue that we’ve been too slow to address. Relying entirely on proprietary systems or single-use power sources in an industry increasingly focused on interoperability and ROI no longer feels sustainable.

The encouraging part is that this is a solvable problem. Better tracking, smarter charging workflows, improved recycling practices, and greater awareness can all make a measurable difference to the bottom line and working culture.

For an industry built on reliability, preparation, and technical precision, battery management can no longer remain an afterthought. The teams that approach it more strategically will reduce waste, lower operational costs, and make day-to-day production workflows easier in the process.

Optoma has announced it has joined the Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform (MDEP) community. The company is a leader in projection, large-format and interactive display technologies, spanning digital signage, LED video walls, interactive flat panels and professional projectors for retail, education, corporate and public venues.

This milestone marks a significant step in Optoma’s strategy to deliver secure, scalable and enterprise-ready visual solutions that integrate seamlessly into Microsoft-managed workplace environments. Through its participation in MDEP, Optoma is aligning its future product platforms with Microsoft’s device, security and management standards to better support modern workspaces, meeting rooms and in-building digital signage.

MDEP is an enterprise-grade software platform built on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). Designed to meet the highest standards of security, reliability, ease of deployment, and innovation, MDEP gives enterprises and device makers a consistent, customer-ready foundation for building and deploying devices at scale. By joining the MDEP community, Optoma is strengthening its ability to deliver solutions that meet the evolving requirements of IT, AV and facilities teams operating within Microsoft-centric environments.

“We are thrilled to become part of the MDEP community, which is an important endorsement for Optoma,” said Mark Yang, Group CEO at Optoma Corporation.

“This community with the MDEP Team reflects our strategic shift towards platform-led, IT-aligned visual solutions that integrate naturally into the Microsoft workplace ecosystem.”

“As part of MDEP, Optoma will focus on developing and evolving a portfolio of enterprise-grade visual solutions designed for shared workspaces, collaboration environments and digital signage applications — prioritizing interoperability, security, manageability and scalability.”

"Optoma joining the MDEP community reflects the growing momentum behind enterprise-grade, devices for modern workplaces. We look forward to working with Optoma to expand the range of trusted visual and digital signage solutions available to our mutual customers," said Juha Kuosmanen, General Manager, MDEP, at Microsoft Corporation.

Optoma plans to collaborate closely with Microsoft as part of the MDEP, with further updates on product direction, ecosystem integrations and go-to-market activity to be shared in due course.

Across modern workplaces, lecture halls, and collaboration environments, AV and IT systems are becoming more closely intertwined. What was a once a simple plug-and-play relationship has transformed into a vast web of interconnected devices, all competing for resources on the network.

This new landscape has led both AV and IT professionals to greater collaboration, but it's not without its challenges. One of the most significant issues is the absence of clear, continuous visibility into how networked technology behaves, especially across multi-site deployments.

As networked audio systems scale across hybrid workforces and multi-building estates, traditional methods of on-site monitoring and room-by-room oversight are unable to keep pace with operational demands. When teams lack a centralized view of device health, configuration status, and performance conditions, they are effectively working blind, leaving them to react to issues only after they disrupt communication.

Emerging Solutions

To address this shift in expectations, the industry has accelerated toward cloud-based device management. Visibility has become the foundation of reliability, enabling teams to anticipate problems instead of responding to them. This visibility helps AV/IT teams to understand their audio infrastructure as a unified living system rather than a series of isolated endpoints. In environments where uptime is essential, the ability to observe device behavior, detect inconsistencies, maintain firmware alignment, and track overall performance from any location has become a defining requirement for successful operations.

A new generation of centralized management platforms is emerging to solve this challenge. These platforms, currently in development across the industry, are designed to unify device oversight into a single, intuitive interface accessible from any location. They enable secure, role-based management across teams and campuses, allowing organizations to organize rooms and devices in ways that reflect how their environments function.

By operating entirely through a web browser, they streamline deployment and remove installation barriers, offering fast, flexible management for integrators, IT staff, and AV teams alike. While these systems represent meaningful progress, their deeper significance comes from how they evolve after launch. Cloud-based platforms do not remain static; they become living ecosystems shaped by the organizations that use them.

Real-time diagnostics, usage patterns, and operational insights create a feedback loop that informs future development. Instead of guessing what features customers may need, developers gain continuous visibility into emerging behaviors and challenges, enabling smarter, more targeted enhancements. Over several years, such platforms often become far more capable than anyone could have forecast at the outset.

Let's Add AI

As cloud-based visibility becomes the norm, the next phase of evolution will be defined by intelligence layered on top of that visibility. Centralized platforms already aggregate telemetry, configuration data, and performance indicators across distributed environments. As these data sets mature, they create the foundation for intelligent systems that can interpret conditions, recognize patterns, and recommend—or initiate—action. Rather than simply presenting status information, future management layers will increasingly function as active participants in system operations, reducing the burden on AV and IT teams and shortening the distance between insight and resolution.

Advances in AI agents and large language model–driven orchestration point toward a future where device management becomes intent-based rather than task-based. Instead of manually interrogating individual endpoints, teams will define outcomes—maintaining audio consistency across rooms, validating system readiness before meetings, or isolating anomalies before users notice them—and intelligent agents will handle the underlying complexity. Enabled by standardized APIs and secure context-sharing protocols, these agents will be able to understand device states, correlate events across vendors and systems, and execute corrective workflows autonomously while remaining governed by enterprise security and authorization policies.

This shift will further blur the traditional boundaries between AV, IT, and building systems. As intelligent management layers gain the ability to reason across audio, networking, control, and collaboration platforms, networked audio will no longer operate as an isolated discipline.

Instead, it will become part of a broader, software-defined environment in which performance, reliability, and user experience are continuously optimized by systems designed to learn and adapt over time. In this context, long-term value will be driven less by static feature sets and more by openness, interoperability, and the ability to participate in intelligent ecosystems that evolve alongside the organizations they support.

As hybrid work continues to expand and distributed learning becomes more entrenched, this shift will influence the entire lifecycle of networked audio deployments. Visibility will become as essential as sound quality, and the ability to oversee devices remotely will be viewed not as an advanced feature but as a baseline expectation. Organizations will invest in systems that can adapt over time, accommodate new spaces and workflows, and provide the kind of real-time intelligence that allows teams to stay ahead of issues rather than chasing them.

The future of networked audio will be defined by platforms that give organizations the ability to understand their environments holistically. When systems can be observed in real time, refined continuously, and secured centrally, collaboration becomes more dependable for everyone who relies on it. In an era where communication is mission-critical, the most transformative advancement is not any single device—it's the ability to finally see the entire landscape and act with confidence.

Vanco International's owner Brad Corbin has passed away. Corbin studied engineering at Georgia Tech; he joined Vanco as president in 1999 and acquired the company in 2007, spearheading its transition from a regional distributor to a trusted global provider of professional audiovisual equipment. He was 78.

Corbin helped guide the company through decades of growth and industry change. Under his leadership, Vanco was one of the first companies to introduce HDMI cables into the U.S. market. He laid the foundation for the introduction of Evolution, Vanco’s curated line of professional AV distribution products, and PulseAudio, the company’s audio accessories line. In 2017, Corbin led Vanco’s acquisition of Beale Street, expanding Vanco’s offerings to include internationally recognized premium audio products. Thanks to Corbin’s stewardship, Vanco transformed into an AV distribution and audio solutions manufacturer serving customers around the world.

In 2018, Corbin passed day-to-day leadership of Vanco to his son, Mark. He remained actively involved in the company as CEO until his passing.

“My father’s commitment to the audiovisual industry was lifelong. He built the culture of service, innovation, and ambition that drives Vanco today,” said Mark Corbin, president of Vanco International. “He was a model leader at Vanco and an even better father and grandfather. I will always be grateful for the legacy he built.”

Corbin loved fishing and golfing near his home on Amelia Island, FL, as well as spending time with his family. He reveled in being a grandfather and will be remembered for his sense of humor, larger-than-life personality, and expansive heart. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Susan Corbin; his son Matthew Corbin and daughter-in-law Elizabeth Corbin; and son Mark Corbin, daughter-in-law Lindsey Corbin, and grandchildren Chloe, Ava, and Hayden Corbin.

On Wednesday, June 17, at 9 a.m. PT, the doors to the show floor of InfoComm 2026 will open, and I can hardly wait!

This year, I will be channeling a stormtrooper as I sprint from meeting to meeting, traversing the North and Central Halls packed with more than 800 exhibitors. I’m excited to see the new products and solutions I have been privy to during NDA interviews and the many more embargoed press releases our editors have received.

And of course, seeing people in person is absolutely the best. We've got such a great community.

The AVT Guide

Because the AV Technology Guide to InfoComm contains a great deal of embargoed information, we're putting this together at the 11^th hour. I've just finished proofreading the final pages, which represent the biggest Guide that I have worked on since starting with AVT in 2014.

More than 100 exhibitors are represented through interviews with CEOs and product managers about company roadmaps and the strategies that led to the products and solutions we'll all see on the show floor. The Guide will be released on June 17 at 9 a.m. PT.

You’ll see some common themes that have been a thread for several years. Ease of use, flexibility, and scalability have been the cornerstones of our industry. New and evolving standards hold the promise of interoperability, and then there’s AI.

Is AI ushering in a new convergence for our industry? It is certainly a disruptor, the likes that I don’t think we’ve seen before, and we’re at the precipice. Last InfoComm, most manufacturers were talking about how they were planning to implement AI, and some had solutions. This year, there’s hardly a manufacturer that hasn’t embraced AI in some way, whether through a partnership, creating AI-enabled products, or delivering solutions that work seamlessly with AI platforms.

After the conversations we had with executives to compile the guide, the products that were submitted for it, plus reading the hundreds of Best of Show at InfoComm entries (another record-breaking year), I am excited for the year ahead.

Best of Show

As always, we hire end-users, integrators, and consultants to anonymously judge new products on the show floor. In many cases, two judges will weigh in on a new product. At the last minute, we needed to hire more judges, because we got so many more entries than in previous years. All the judging is done on the first day of the show, and the editorial team stays up all night tabulating and evaluating the comments to announce the winners on Thursday morning.

3 Quick Tips

Airport Badge Pick-Up: Skip lines at the convention center and pick up your badge at the airport at these locations: Terminal 1 Baggage Claim (Across from the Starbucks), or at Terminal 3 Baggage Claim (Near Door 51)

First Time Attendee Guide: AVIXA has put together this handy guide for first time attendees. It’s invaluable!

A New Yorker Approved Deli: While the show floor occupies the North and Central Halls, the sessions and association meetings are being held in the West Hall. If you’ve got a hankering for New York-style deli, Future’s Adam Goldstein highly recommended Siegel’s Bagelmania. Located adjacent to the West Hall on Convention Center Drive, the massive 10,000-square-foot Jewish deli is legendary in Vegas. Hours: Sun-Sat 6:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Kudos to the Las Vegas Convention Center

In January 2026, LVCC opened its newly renovated North and Central Halls. Music to my ears: A climate-controlled indoor concourse now connects the North and South Halls, letting attendees move across the massive 200-acre campus entirely indoors. Dry heat or not, I don’t like the heat, and my new stormtrooper suit isn’t air-conditioned.

It was yet another busy week in Pro AV. Audix, PPDS, and Grass Valley were among those to announce strategic promotions and hires, while WAVIT announced the winners of the 2026 Mary Cook Empowerment Scholarship. And yes, there were two more acquisitions of note.

[Survey Open for SCN Top AV Consultants]

First, CTI made its second acquisition in less than a month, acquiring Texolve Digital of Oakmont, PA. Adding Texolve’s team, which provides broadcast engineering and integration at the highest level, will expand the broadcast media division’s ability to serve clients worldwide.

Next, Legrand acquired Girtz Industries, a provider of custom-engineered modular power enclosures and related services based in Monticello, IN. Girtz Industries’ development and integration of complete power systems support the reliable provision of critical power across datacenter, industrial, and commercial applications. It joins Legrand as a business unit within the company’s Electrical Wiring Systems division led by Ravi Ramanathan. David Girtz, who has served as Girtz Industries’ president and CEO for nearly 40 years, will continue to lead the Girtz business and team, reporting to Ravi.

Now, before InfoComm opens its doors, get caught up with the week that was in your regular dose of Pro AV Newsmakers.

People News

AUDIX Welcomes Eric Reese and Sam Vitali

AUDIX appointed Eric Reese to VP and Sam Vitali to the position of director of sales–European markets.

In his new role within the Videndum Creative Solutions family of brands, Reese oversees all functions at AUDIX, including sales, marketing, product development, and operations. He brings over 26 years of extensive experience in the AV and entertainment industry to his new position. Having started his career as a reliability engineer at Peavey Electronics, his background spans the entire product chain—from manufacturing and designing integrated AVL systems to global business development and channel management.

Vitali oversees sales, marketing, and operations within the EMEA region to ensure the brand is optimally represented and supported across Europe. He brings a wealth of experience across sales, marketing, and operations within the music technology industry. He joins AUDIX following a highly successful tenure at Focusrite.

beyerdynamic Names Jesse Dean Managing Directorof the Americas

beyerdynamic has appointed Jesse Dean as managing director of the Americas. In this role, Dean oversees beyerdynamic's business operations, sales strategy, and brand development across North and South America.

Dean brings more than 25 years of experience across the professional audio, video, creator, and consumer technology industries to beyerdynamic. Throughout his career, he has held a range of leadership roles. Most recently, Dean served as director of business development, Americas at RØDE, where he played a key role in the brand’s expansion across the United States.

Brompton Technology appoints Andrew Beaudet as Head of Sales for the Americas

Brompton Technology welcomed Andrew Beaudet as its new head of sales for the Americas. With almost three decades of experience across the music and digital signage industry, Beaudet found his passion for sales running a distributions company with independent manufacturers.

Building on that knowledge, he branched into digital signage where he worked with major LED display manufacturers. By meeting people in the live events industries and observing their work, he developed a keen understanding of what they deserve from large-format LED displays. During his 10 years working with BARCO in its live event and retail division, the camaraderie of the production teams he worked with left a lasting impression. He brings that same respect and understanding to his new role at Brompton.

Grass Valley Appoints Sam Craig as Vice President, Global Pre-Sales

Grass Valley has appointed Sam Craig as VP, global pre-sales. Craig returns to Grass Valley after serving as VP of advisory services at Diversified and previously spent seven years with the company in a number of leadership role.

In his new role, Craig leads Grass Valley’s global pre-sales organization, working closely with regional teams across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC to strengthen collaboration, align customer engagement strategies, and support continued growth across the Grass Valley Media Universe.

PPDS Names Tom Keefe as new Director of Sales for Philips LED in North America

PPDS has welcomed sales professional and Pro AV ‘veteran’, Tom Keefe, as its new director of sales dvLED North America. Keefe's appointment plays an integral role in PPDS continued growth trajectory and long term ambitions in North America, which includes establishing Philips Professional Displays as the preferred partner for premium indoor and outdoor dvLED projects.

An AVIXA CTS holder, he brings extensive market knowledge and 23 years of experience to the PPDS team, with proven expertise in sales, business development, category management, marketing strategy, brand building, distribution, partner relationship management, and market analysis. His core responsibilities include developing and defining PPDS’ organizational sales structure and executing its go-to-market strategy.

Howdy, Partner

Audinate and Soundtrack Technologies Partner to Streamline Business Music with Dante Integration

Soundtrack Techvologies, a music streaming provider for businesses, announced that its hardware solution, the Soundtrack Player, is now compatible with Audinate’s Dante ecosystem. This strategic integration makes it easier than ever for businesses to deploy professional-grade background music across industry-standard Dante networks.

The collaboration bridges the gap between AV networking and commercial music streaming. By enabling Dante directly on the Soundtrack Player, integrators can now route licensed, high-quality music to any Dante-enabled device—including speakers, amplifiers, and processors—via the local network.

Miri Technologies Partners with Midwich For Distribution in North America

Miri Technologies has expanded the global reach and availability of its products with the signing of a new distribution partnership for the United States and Canada with Midwich. The agreement reinforces Miri's channel partnership strategy for meeting the rapidly growing demand for the X510 dual-cellular bonding router and the new V410 4K live encoder/decoder in the world's largest commercial market.

The Miri X510 router enables resilient internet connectivity anywhere by forging multiple wired and wireless links (including Ethernet, Wi-Fi, 4G, 5G and satellite) together to overcome speed limitations and withstand network disruptions even in challenging environments. Powered by Speedify channel bonding technology from Connectify, the X510 bolsters internet connectivity for any type of data and supports use cases ranging from live streaming and remote broadcast contribution to trade shows and disaster response.

WAVIT Announces Recipients of 2026 Mary Cook Empowerment Scholarship

WAVIT (Women in AV/IT) announced the recipients of the 2026 Mary Cook Empowerment Scholarship: Designing the Future. Created in memory of industry pioneer Mary Cook, the scholarship recognizes emerging women leaders in the AV/IT industry who demonstrate passion, leadership potential, and a commitment to advancing their careers in audiovisual technology.

This year marks a significant expansion of the program, with two scholarships awarded for the first time, made possible through the support of sponsoring partner Shure. The scholarship program continues WAVIT’s mission to invest in the next generation of women in AV and honor Mary Cook’s enduring legacy of mentorship, advocacy, and empowerment within the industry.

The 2026 scholarship recipients, Alexa Johnson of IMS Technology Services and Emily Cieslak from TeamPeople, were selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants for their enthusiasm, career ambition, and dedication to shaping the future of AV/IT.

Legrand has acquired Girtz Industries, a provider of custom-engineered modular power enclosures and related services based in Monticello, IN. Girtz Industries’ development and integration of complete power systems support the reliable provision of critical power across datacenter, industrial, and commercial applications.

[Pro AV Newsmakers: A Ricoh Acquisition and Riedel Networks' New CEO]

“The unprecedented demand for power is reshaping our energy landscape," said Brian DiBella, president and CEO, Legrand, North and Central America. "Girtz Industries’ modular power and generator solutions are indispensable to industries that require critical back-up power or off-grid, behind-the-meter primary power options. Legrand is a growth company focused on reaching €15 billion in revenue globally by 2030. To help meet that goal, we continue to acquire businesses that meet global needs, including energy transition and datacenter expansion. Adding Girtz Industries to our portfolio is a natural next step for us. We are extending our reach along the power chain by adding support for power generation and redundancy. This complements our existing portfolio of power quality, power distribution, and cable management solutions, which helps us continually evolve and improve the lives of our customers.”

Girtz Industries joins Legrand as a business unit within the company’s Electrical Wiring Systems division led by Ravi Ramanathan. David Girtz, who has served as Girtz Industries’ president and CEO for nearly 40 years, will continue to lead the Girtz business and team, reporting to Ravi.

“For our hundreds of employees, and for our customers, today is a great day in our impressive journey,” said Girtz. “Since 1963, Girtz Industries has built and maintained a reputation for providing high-quality, reliable products backed by an expertly qualified and reliable team. Our teams take a lot of pride in the fact that precision engineering has always been a mainstay of the Girtz brand. Now, backed by Legrand’s financial strength, Girtz Industries will be able to further invest in our people and facilities within our local community, while also increasing capacity for production and testing services at an accelerated rate. Legrand’s proven expertise in efficiently scaling operations will also help us meet the growing demand from our customers, as well as innovate for more diverse applications.”

AVT Question: Please share insights into your company’s roadmap for products and solutions to be showcased at InfoComm.

Thought Leader: Gauthier Renard, Group Product Manager, Meeting Experience at Barco ClickShare

Microsoft Teams Rooms added much-needed structure, security, and consistency to hybrid meetings. But structure alone does not reflect how meetings actually unfold, with people switching rooms at the last minute, external guests arriving with their own laptops, or a customer sending a meeting link for a different platform. When that happens, even well-equipped rooms can let people down.

For users, the friction is immediate: They walk into a Teams Rooms space, but the meeting is scheduled on another platform; they move rooms unexpectedly and cannot access the new room’s audio and video; or, maybe a guest is ready to present but cannot access the company tenant. The meeting does not fail because of poor planning; it fails because real life doesn’t always play out as planned.

The core challenge is not Microsoft Teams Rooms; it is the gap between a standardized room experience and the variety of meetings people actually join. A space that works perfectly for a scheduled Teams meeting can become harder to use when the meeting link is for another platform, the host is an external guest, or someone needs to run the call from their own laptop. Users fall back on cables, workarounds, or urgent support calls, turning small disruptions into recurring delays.

Adding wireless BYOD within a Teams Rooms environment changes that dynamic, allowing structure and flexibility to coexist. The room remains Teams Rooms ready and aligned with IT requirements, while users can join the call from their laptop when the meeting is hosted on another platform like Zoom, Webex, and Google Meet. External guests can also run meetings confidently while maintaining a consistent in-room experience.

As hybrid work matures, flexibility becomes the real benchmark for meeting room success. Solutions such as ClickShare Hub, with wireless BYOD for Microsoft Teams Rooms, help absorb real-world unpredictability without adding complexity. When users trust that a room will support them no matter how the meeting evolves, meetings become truly reliable spaces for collaboration.

Take a moment to consider all the disruptions we are facing in the broader context of the global economy—changing trade policies through tariffs, supply chain challenges linked to conflict in the Middle East, rising energy costs due to the same, climate change, aging workforces, and of course AI.

The last is perhaps the one that the Pro AV industry is contemplating the most. A quick review of the news coming out of NAB provides a firehose of announcements of the next wave of use cases for AI. In fact, there is a good amount to talk about there, as the exact applications within AV solution sets crystalize. We’ll get to that, but first let’s back up a moment. What exactly is the context?

Optimism or Pessimism?

Coming out of a muted 2025, which saw lower growth rates for GDP and Pro AV specifically, has everyone wondering how 2026 might fare. Starting with GDP, IMF estimates show some challenges, particularly once the Iranian conflict is factored in. Growth rates for the Middle East were cut fairly substantially, creating a ripple effect around the rest of the world.

Estimates now show GDP in 2026 growing 3.1%, down from 3.4% last year. This means a weaker context for Pro AV, as arguably there is less capital to be invested overall, even if technology may win a disproportionate share, as it often does.

The counterpoints to a pessimistic outlook aren’t hard to find. A quick search reveals continued growth in corporate profits, historically low jobless claims, low unemployment rates, and robust consumer spending. Each of those provides a good fundamental for Pro AV investment generally speaking.

Economists continue to talk about an experience economy, in which consumers’ discretionary spending shifts to "micro-luxuries." Witness travel, entertainment, and dining related outlays here. The challenging news is that data shows a slower rate of growth in normalized consumer spending since the peak of the pandemic recovery.

The U.S. World Bank estimates for global household consumption numbers are growing at a slower rate over the past several years and into 2026 once the data is normalized to 2015, rising only 2.7% in 2025. As an early indicator of downstream investment in technology, this could portend softness ahead.

Fortunately, since corporate profits are up, even if consumer spending weakens over the near term, there is room for investment, assuming executives do not also become cautious in light of rising costs. One indicator suggesting the contrary is the Purchase Manager’s Index, a gauge of corporate buying intent. As with any similar diffusion index, scores above 50 indicate growth; the Q1 result shows 52.5, a slight increase from last year.

With consumer spending growth down and corporate plans improving, economists suggest we are entering a late-stage economy wherein growth comes from corporate investments to improve operations and gain efficiencies, instead of one driven by consumers. This is perhaps a good sign for Pro AV, though with many projects being driven more by experiences, this is only partially positive.

Evaluating the Outlooks

With context in mind, let’s turn to the actual outlooks. According to AVIXA, 2025 was a low watermark for growth and 2026 will rebound a bit. Caretta Research shows similar, though with a bit more conservativeness. Both put overall Pro AV spending growth closer to 4%. Based on past differences between GDP and Pro AV, these figures may appear a bit low, but not out of keeping with a general climate of concern. A tepid year of growth, with perhaps an upside more toward 5% is reasonable.

Multi-source data from Q1 helps shed light on the trajectory so far. AVIXA’s AV Business Index, a diffusion index based on surveys submitted by AV professionals, shows a slight uptick in March to near 60. Those paying close attention will immediately notice that March is typically the highwater mark for a given year and should be taken with a grain of salt. Though one month doesn’t make the year, the tone that signal sets is a bit of a cautionary tale. Respondents did indicate rising costs as a chief concern, which echo in other data indicating that the impact of tariffs may be finally showing up in the data.

Turning to the Jetbuilt project management platform for AV dealers and installers offers another signal of a strong start to 2026. The total value of projects created on Jetbuilt increased 38% over the same period last year. While some of this is due to just the increasing usage of the platform, that is well above the baseline growth of 15% in project value for 2025. Thus, it is a clear sign of more projects in the pipeline at a higher value.

Here’s the bigger issue—while the average project values are increasing, the percentage of project costs from hardware is on the rise. While it hovered around 40% over the past few years, it shot up more than 50% in late 2025. This puts pressure on integrators from a margin perspective, as more of the revenue is consumed by hardware rather than markups or service. Once again, we have a potential signal of tariff impacts.

Two examples of the hardware cost increases felt by integrators can be found in data from PMA Research, a market research company focused on the display market. While a bit bouncy, the average prices in the Pro AV channel for both flat-panel displays and projectors have shown 10-20% spikes over the past several months. In the case of FPD and dvLED, this occurred in December with slight improvement since.

Projector prices have risen more steadily both for integrators and at the distributor level with increases more in the 25% range. Given that display prices had been dropping over the past several years due to a surge in inventories, this further supports the theory that inventory has diminished to the point where tariff impacts can be felt.

So where does this leave us as we come together at InfoComm to get a renewed pulse on the evolutions in AI? Here’s what we know: The volume and value of projects in the AV pipeline are showing good growth over last year. But project work may be less profitable for the channel as rising hardware costs eat up the budget. This will further require integrators to be creative in how they gain efficiencies to maintain margin.

Fortunately, AI may be poised to help provide process improvements. AI-powered design recommendation tools coming from project management platforms are emerging to help integrators create and deploy reference designs in a more efficient way.

Get your free copy of SCN's Integration Guide to AVoIP.

Cornhuskers Coverage Conversion

HuskerVision, the in-house production department for University of Nebraska Athletics, has been working in phases to streamline its operations since 2023. Most recently, it deployed an IP-based ST 2110 video infrastructure and opened a centralized production facility to connect three co-located control rooms to multiple venues on campus. Also in this issue, learn how Bally's Baton Rouge is using AVoIP to unify video distribution, audio control, and digital signage.

At Issue

Industry experts from Atlona, DVIGear, Just Add Power, and Matrox Video consider some of the challenges associated with adopting an AVoIP workflow.

Download the Integration Guide to AVoIP.

Read the June issue of Systems Contractor News.

Consider the expectations of your clients officially raised.

The continuing convergence of broadcast and Pro AV technologies means corporate, education, and other verticals want broadcast-quality productions—as do their audiences—coupled with systems that are more user-friendly and a lot less expensive than traditional broadcast studios. So, what technologies are driving the next phase of convergence?

From the integrator's perspective, Ben Dandola-Grubb, VP of technical integration for Verrex, said the next phase of convergence will be driven by technologies that blend high-end AV hardware with software-centric, IP-based workflows. "We’re seeing clients pair advanced cameras and professional audio with IP standards like Dante, NDI, and SRT, while simple tools like OBS and Stream Deck controllers make sophisticated graphics accessible to everyone," he explained. "As these ecosystems mature, the shift toward full AVoIP—eventually including ST 2110 and IMPX—will accelerate even faster."

For Will Waters, principal product manager for Audinate, the most significant driver is a shift toward software-defined media platforms, which can be seen increasingly in universities, enterprises, and media organizations. "Organizations are moving away from fixed, device-centric systems toward environments where routing, processing, and control are implemented in software," he said. "This abstraction allows workflows to be deployed across on-premises infrastructure, virtualized environments, and cloud services using consistent management and security models."

To that end, KVM will also have a part to play in the next chapter of convergence. Anna Kozel, VP of marketing for VuWall | G&D, said technologies like KVM over IP are "enabling operators to access and manage video and data workflows more flexibly across facilities and remote locations. At the same time, centralized management platforms are becoming critical, allowing teams to control video walls, sources, and KVM systems through a single intuitive interface."

Security is also a major driver, Kozel added, particularly in government and enterprise environments where secure remote access, encryption, and compliance with standards like Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) and Common Criteria are essential. "Ultimately, convergence is about operational flexibility, bringing AV, IT, and broadcast workflows together on a shared, scalable infrastructure," she said.

Emphasis on Infrastructure

Sebastian Mucha, MultiDyne's executive VP of sales and strategy, said IPMX is accelerating convergence by “bringing broadcast-grade IP transport into Pro AV without the complexity traditionally associated with ST 2110. This lowers the barrier to entry for high-performance IP systems.”

Distributed workflows—where processing happens closer to the source, rather than centralized control rooms—is another trend. “This aligns with both Pro AV scalability and broadcast remote production models. Plus, cloud is increasingly used for orchestration, monitoring, and workflow management,” Mucha explained.

Jonathan Lyth, product director for enterprise media at Grass Valley, agrees that software-defined production and hybrid cloud will be key drivers. "Instead of tying specific functions to fixed hardware, teams can use the same production capabilities across different events and locations, scaling them up or down as needed," Lyth offered. "This makes it far easier to produce more content without rebuilding systems each time or buying infrastructure to cover occasional peak events."

With software as a driving force, IP networking will (not surprisingly) continue to play a huge role in convergence. "Moving video workflows from the world of baseband into IP is opening new doors, especially as more timing-aware technology surfaces, and high-bandwidth, managed IP equipment becomes easier and more cost-efficient to set up and maintain," said Abe Abt, senior product consultant for AJA Video Systems. "Tools have come down substantially in price, and we’ll continue to see more of this in the years to come."

"As everything moves to an IP infrastructure, the next 'phase' is software-defined workflows all running on COTS servers either on prem, in data centers, or in the public cloud, eliminating bespoke hardware," added Rick Seegull, SVP of technology and business development for Riedel Communications. "These innovations will promote true interoperability between vendors’ software within the broadcast, Pro AV, and IT systems, having all software access the media directly in memory and enabling seamless communication across multi-vendor environments. By supporting open standards and flexible architectures, they allow customers to select best-of-breed components while building scalable, future-ready workflows."

A Place for AI

AI will play a role, Lyth acknowledged, but he said its early impact will be largely focused on reducing day-to-day workloads, rather than changing how Pro AV content is created. "Tasks like system monitoring, tagging content, preparing clips, and checking quality control can increasingly be automated, helping teams to deliver more frequent productions more reliably, making live production easier to repeat and manage at scale," he said.

According to Abt, some live sports networks are already using AI to quickly produce highlight reels for distribution on social media platforms. "AI is another emerging technology that both industries are just beginning to explore, and it's already showing a lot of promise for enhancing media asset management and the setup and configuration of live productions," he added.

While Waters said AI and automation will support monitoring, diagnostics, provisioning, and content management, their value depends on a strong foundation of software and management. "For decision-makers, convergence means applying IT and platform thinking to media operations. Prioritizing vendors that offer flexible deployment models, open APIs, and systems proven at scale helps create ecosystems that balance usability, control, and long-term sustainability," he said.

Michael Bergeron, Panasonic's senior category manager–advanced video production technology, believes the challenge with technologies such as cloud or AI is determining where each has its maximum benefit. "We tried cloud everywhere in the early 2020s," he recalled, "and it stuck in places where scalability was required or where rarely used assets needed to be delivered—cases in which on-prem support of the same functionality might be cost prohibitive. We may see a similar shakedown with AI. GenAI content is still too easily recognized as such, but AI with a human operator is a force multiplier."

AVT Question: Please share insights into your company’s roadmap for products and solutions to be showcased at InfoComm.

Thought Leader: Duncan Miller, Director of Global Marketing at Adder Technology

At InfoComm, we're showcasing more than products and solutions; we're demonstrating how Adder is helping organizations simplify and unify control across complex AV and IT environments.

Adder is driven by a clear philosophy: deliver complete connectivity, exceptional user experiences, and the flexibility customers need to scale and evolve their operations with confidence. As AV and IT infrastructures continue to converge, organizations are looking for solutions that are secure, intuitive, and easily integrated into broader workflows.

A key focus for us has been expanding the openness of our platforms. Through enhanced API capabilities across our portfolio, we're enabling administrators, developers, and technology partners to integrate Adder solutions more deeply into control systems, management platforms, and automated workflows. As organizations look to connect AV, IT, and operational technologies more seamlessly, our APIs provide the flexibility to build tailored workflows that improve efficiency, visibility, and control.

This commitment to interoperability continues with the launch of the ARDx™ Software Development Kit (SDK), which allows third parties to embed high-performance, out-of-band KVM-over-IP capabilities directly into their own applications. Together, our APIs and SDK provide customers and partners with greater freedom to integrate Adder’s technology into the ecosystems that best meet their needs.

We’re also introducing AIM 6, the latest generation of our ADDERLink INFINITY system management software. Developed in response to customer feedback, AIM 6 introduces a redesigned user interface, enhanced accessibility, greater system visibility, and strengthened security features, helping administrators and operators manage increasingly sophisticated IP KVM deployments more efficiently.

Visit Adder at InfoComm 2026 on booth #C5449 to see AIM 6, ARDx, and our range of IP KVM solutions.

CTI has acquired Texolve Digital of Oakmont, PA. Adding Texolve’s team, which provides broadcast engineering and integration at the highest level, will expand the broadcast media division’s ability to serve clients worldwide. It is CTI's second acquisition in less than a month, after acquiring Valley Communications Systems on May 19.

“I don’t think there’s another broadcast engineering and integration company in the U.S. that provides broadcast solutions for all the major league sports in their city," said John Laughlin, CEO of CTI. "It’s incredible: Texolve works with the [Pittsburgh] Penguins at Acrisure Stadium, the Steelers at PPG Paints Arena, and the Pirates at PNC Park. I can’t tell you how excited I am to bring this team into CTI’s broadcast division.

“Their focus on problem-solving and client satisfaction makes them a strong fit for the culture here at CTI. I can’t wait to see what they can do as part of our growing broadcast division, which already counts the NYSE, the Houston Rockets, the University of Michigan, and the Philadelphia Union among its clients.”

CTI's Whirlwind of Acquisitions

CTI has been one of the busiest Pro AV companies dating back to February 2024. CTI first acquired Vistacom of Allentown, PA, that month and a mere three months later, CTI acquired not one, but two companies, first, Advanced Systems Integration (ASI) to expand its Pro AV services to Minneapolis, and then San Antonio-based Digital Technology Solutions.

That momentum continued into 2025, when CTI acquired its 39th U.S. location in Delta AV, providing expanded coverage of the Pacific Northwest to Portland Metro Area. CTI also used 2025 to expand its West Coast operations with the acquisition of LightWerks and then extended its global reach with the acquisition of Candeo Vision of London in the U.K. This year already, CTI has made four acquisitions with this move following May's acquisition, which came on the heels of its April acquisition of Nomad AV Systems after the late March acquisition of Streamline Solutions, expanding its reach to Seattle.

For decades, innovation in the AV and collaboration industry has largely followed a familiar path.

Manufacturers build products. Consultants and integrators assemble those products into systems. End users compare and evaluate the proposed solutions, and eventually deploy what the market has made available.

Over time, that model has arguably become even more linear. As enterprise collaboration scaled, the industry moved further toward standardization, repeatability, and solutions designed for the “average user” and the “typical” room. That shift had good reasons behind it.

Standardization helped the industry scale. But it also made it easier to forget how differently real people and real organizations actually work.

More and more, the opportunity to contribute innovation value moved away from the many and into the hands of the largest and most resourced players, where scale and efficiency were greatest. And I’d propose that it is both a problem and an opportunity as we move further into an AI age of change and uncertainty.

I have never sat in the chair of an end-user technology manager, but I have spent much of my career pushing back against the status quo in how our industry operates and builds business models that serve more than the transaction itself. From that vantage point, I believe one thing very strongly in this moment: the end user community has more power to shape the future of collaboration than it exercises today.

The entire industry is hungry for direction. Manufacturers are trying to understand where AI-enabled value will actually land. Integrators are trying to determine how their role evolves. Consultants are trying to rethink what guidance looks like when best practice itself is changing. Everyone is trying to see around the corner of transformative shifts that may only be 12 to 24 months away in a legacy that operates on five-plus-year lifecycles.

Of course, that makes the role of a collaboration technology leader incredibly difficult. As the future of work, collaboration, and workplace experience becomes more intelligent, adaptive, and critical to organizational success, collaboration technology leaders cannot simply wait for the supply chain to bring them tomorrow’s answers.

They need help, but more importantly, they also need to help shape the answers. In this unprecedented environment, particularly where AI is shifting many elements of best practice back from ‘standardization’ and toward hyper-personalization, customer clarity can become a true force for innovation.

But my argument for deeper end-user engagement and leadership goes beyond specific problem-solving. Across the end-user community, there are organizations whose entire market position is built on the foundation of their capacity for transformative innovation. They have world-class research and development capabilities, defined digital transformation teams, data scientists, formal AI programs, innovation infrastructure, and cultures built around a mandate to fail fast, learn quickly, and move forward with intent.

And yet, too often, that innovation muscle is applied outward to the products, services, and markets the organization serves, while rarely being applied with the same intent to the internal operational ecosystems that power the organization. And as we well know, that very much applies to their collaboration infrastructure. Not only do we spend too little time fully understanding the needs and workflows of these collaboration power users to serve them, but we also fail to leverage the opportunity to learn from the innovation capabilities and best practices they maintain.

That matters because we, as the collaborative enablement industry, need those skills. From vendor to integrator to technology manager, innovation is not deeply embedded in our DNA. If we are going to remain relevant in the AI era, we need to learn, understand, and apply innovation far more deliberately.

Deliberate Innovation

So, I ask you to imagine an enterprise collaboration leader proactively convening three groups.

A combination of internal modern workplace stakeholders: real estate, HR, IT, AI, security, procurement, learning, workplace strategy, and others, with organizational context, technical imagination, and human workforce insight.

The most progressive external partners from across the supply chain: mainstream vendors with scale, emerging vendors with agility, integrators with delivery knowledge, consultants with strategic perspective, and service partners with operational understanding.

A selection of the organization’s own innovation leaders, both as catalysts for innovation itself and as users with lived experience of what is broken, missing, or possible in their own collaboration workflows.

Not for a one-off workshop. But as contributors to an ongoing strategy, structure, and process of ideation, experimentation, validation, and iteration. A group that could explore critical questions, such as whether AI has created new opportunities to:

>> Allow collaboration spaces to adapt more intelligently to equip different meeting types?

>> Offer utilization data, employee experience signals, and business workflows that could be interpreted together to build entirely new operational models?

>> Enable support models that become predictive and proactive rather than reactive?

>> Reduce many of the frictions and effort we currently face before, during, and after people come together?

This is where the process of innovation becomes less like procurement and more like chemistry. The point is to create an environment to “play” with different technology and human ingredients. To discover catalytic combinations that, when brought together, might release transformational new energy into the collaboration process.

Of course, just as in chemistry, not every combination will create a useful reaction. Most will fail—that’s the nature of innovative explorations. But occasionally, that experimentation will create something far more valuable than the sum of its parts. It may even become the foundation for a whole new line of exploration and opportunity that serves every participant well beyond the original initiative.

The Broader Collaboration Ecosystem

The challenge, of course, is that this is not an insignificant undertaking.

There are models that point in this direction. Microsoft’s Hive is one well-known example. So, there is precedent and business case. But examples like this remain too rare across the broader collaboration ecosystem.

In my recent conversations across the end user community, very few reject the value or need for this kind of approach. Their hesitation is rarely because the concept lacks merit. More so, it is because of everything that would need to change internally to make it viable.

Undoubtedly, this type of innovation model requires the supply chain to evolve. But frankly, we all know most manufacturers, integrators, and consultants would jump at the opportunity to support a serious initiative like this with their best customers if a true win-win partnership is on the table.

The AV and UC supply chain has for years sought to offer more service-centric models, risk-sharing models, managed lifecycle approaches, and outcome-based relationships. We know AI now makes many of those models far more viable than ever. Some past efforts absolutely fell short because the offerings were immature. But many also struggled because customers were simply not ready or equipped to buy, fund, govern, or evaluate them differently.

That is why I would argue the first work starts with the internal foundations on the customer side. Procurement approaches. Capital planning models. Security review processes. Real estate strategies. Support expectations. Sustainability priorities. Risk tolerances. Departmental silos.

So, if we believe that collaboration powers innovation and innovation creates competitive advantage, in a world where the rate of change in markets has never been faster, and amid all the other priorities the AI era is creating, is enhanced innovation capability seen at senior executive level as a distraction, or as an imperative?

That matters because that executive sponsorship is where the silos driving the lack of confidence in the models I describe can be overcome.

It’s here that the leadership opportunity begins! Building consensus, finding advocates, identifying the internal and external thought leadership to create momentum, connecting collaboration enablement to the bigger organizational priorities already on the table.

None of that is easy. But what is new is that there may never have been a stronger story to tell, or a moment of greater willingness across organizations to listen to progressive ideas for change. This is a moment of leadership opportunity and strategic relevance that many in this industry have been seeking for their entire careers.

So the practical challenge I put to the end user community is this: in moments of uncertainty, the party that controls demand has more power to lead than it often recognizes. You have an opportunity to build a plan, articulate a vision, and start designing the conditions and initial steps required to drive the experimental collaborations that will underpin the future of your career, of this industry, and of your organization.

I do not pretend there is a single recipe or destination for this shift. Each organization will have different risk profiles, cultures, governance models, and collaboration patterns. But the message is clear.

For leaders within organizations where innovation, change, and human collaboration are central to future success - do not wait for the market to define your future. Let’s find the ways to invite the right people into the room, bring the real challenges and opportunities to the table, and create the conditions for better answers to emerge.

In the AI era, the most valuable end user collaboration leaders may not be those who simply buy the best technology, but those who become the best collaborators in shaping what that technology, and the human and digital innovation ecosystem around it, need to become.

For an industry still learning how to innovate, let alone at the speed of AI, that kind of customer leadership may be exactly the catalyst we collectively need.

First, I would like to define the workplace. It is wherever you work. That could be in a corporate environment, a home office, a classroom, an auditorium, a sports venue, a museum, a government office, a transportation facility, a control room, a healthcare environment, hospitality, on the road, or in the field—you name it.

Hopefully, your environment is controlled with the optimal acoustics for speech intelligibility (near and far) and has the ideal lighting so the images on displays are clear. Yes, I know that’s a bold statement, but this is our industry, and if we want our collaboration spaces to enable positive outcomes and enhance productivity, it’s something to continuously work towards.

There’s no doubt that collaboration in the workplace has dramatically changed in the past few years. But this is no longer a conversation about the percentage of employees who are hybrid or remote, or how many days they work in the “office.” Remote participants could be vendors or invited speakers. Collaboration also means sharing content so everyone in the room can clearly view it on the displays, hear all participants, and share ideas.

Collaboration and The AI Factor

Artificial intelligence is a massive topic. It’s akin to talking about the impact of the World Wide Web in the late '80s and '90s, only bigger and more unknown.

At AV Technology, we’re going to home in on the potential and ever-evolving impact AI can have on collaboration in the workplace. My goal is to share ideas, inspire, educate, and sometimes challenge conventional thinking.

We’re launching the AV Technology Thought Leader Series on Collaboration and AI with Byron Tarry. He is the founder and chief transformation officer of NΞXXT, which helps individuals and organizations build collaboration-centric transformation that is measurable, responsible, and built to last. Tarry has more than 30 years in the AV and collaboration technologies realm, including nearly a decade as CEO of global AV integrator GPA. He brings a rare combination of strategic perspective and hands-on understanding of what makes innovation and change stick at scale. He will regularly contribute thought leadership articles for us. And, having spent some time with him, I am sure he will get you thinking outside the box.

Tarry is a frequent speaker on AI and collaboration and will be presenting The SPRINT at InfoComm, a hands-on innovation experience designed to help the AV and collaboration industry learn how to turn AI opportunities into practical outcomes. We connected at Integrated Systems Europe, where he presented on the topic of AI. I invited him to deliver our keynote at the AV/IT Summit in New York City on Aug. 5, The AI Moment for the Collaborative Workplace.

We’re thrilled to welcome Tarry into our circle of trusted contributors.

AVT Question: Please share insights into your company’s roadmap for products and solutions to be showcased at InfoComm.

Thought Leader: Mark Bonifacio, Director, Business Management, Professional Display Solutions, Sony Electronics

At InfoComm 2026, Sony Electronics is positioning its expansive professional AV portfolio around a clear idea: empowering creativity while enhancing spaces. Our booth features displays, dvLED, projection, PTZ cameras, management tools, and partner integrations in real-world environments spanning corporate, education, command and control, retail, broadcast, digital signage, and virtual production, as well as interactive experiences and demos. As the industry transitions from standalone AV hardware toward integrated experiences, Sony is highlighting an ecosystem of solutions and alignments that facilitate communication, connectivity, learning, and engagement while making installations more intelligent, efficient, and adaptable.

Visitors will see new BRAVIA Professional BZ-P Series displays, comprised of 16 models that combine AI-powered XR processing, Deep Black Non-Glare technology, and improved energy efficiency. We’re also expanding our Crystal LED family to prioritize installation speed and accessibility. The S Series targets mid-market environments, and UNIFY provides an All-in-One entry to the portfolio, while CAPRI combines high brightness and anti-reflection, bringing virtual production capabilities to a wider audience.

Sony is also advancing automation and content capture through additions and strategic updates to its PTZ camera portfolio. The compact SRG-AS10 and SRG-XS10 deliver 4K 60p, low-light performance, flexible installation, and broad protocol support. The SRG-AS10 adds AI Auto Framing, including multi-person and basketball tracking, while firmware updates to the SRG-A40/A12 extend AI sports, stabilization, overlay, and facial recognition capabilities.

Complementary and open solutions are also a central focus for Sony. Zero Touch Provisioning, cloud-based device tools, device management, open control support, and mobile access reduce integration friction and simplify operations. At InfoComm, Sony is not simply launching products; it is presenting a connected AV philosophy built around interoperability, sustainability, automation, and practical problem-solving for spaces that work harder, look better, and evolve faster.

AVT Question: Please share insights into your company’s roadmap for products and solutions to be showcased at InfoComm.

Thought Leader: Kendra Philips, senior vice president af sales at Legrand | AV

At Legrand | AV, our philosophy is straightforward: customers don’t buy products, they buy outcomes. That belief shapes every conversation we have with integrators, end users, and consultants, and it’s the throughline of our InfoComm 2026 presence under the theme “Where Solutions Live.”

This year, we’re showcasing how our brands work together to solve vertical-specific challenges. In corporate, higher education, government, and commercial retail, the questions aren’t about a single mount, a single switcher, or a single rack. They’re about how the entire AV system performs over its lifecycle. Our roadmap reflects that reality.

Three solutions illustrate where we’re heading. Our new Unified Cloud Platform brings AI-driven remote monitoring and management to the AV stack, giving integrators visibility, predictive insight, and recurring managed service revenue opportunities that didn’t exist before. The new Vaddio SpeakerVIEW redefines automated conferencing, intelligently tracking active speakers without the operator overhead that has historically limited adoption. And Chief continues to push display mounting forward with engineering built for today’s installations, from in-wall and portrait Tempo applications to TiLED trim solutions for dvLED applications.

What ties these together isn’t a feature list. It’s a commitment to building product families that meet integrators where they work and customers where they live. Our roadmap will continue to prioritize interoperability, serviceability, and the kind of design integrity that makes specifying a Legrand | AV solution the right choice years after installation.

We know, InfoComm prep is in full force. You may have missed some of the big news last week, but fear not. SCN and AV Network has you covered with our weekly check in on Pro AV's biggest newsmakers.

Before we get to that, June opened with Other World Computing (OWC) acquiring PowerON Services, known for its IT asset disposition (ITAD), trade-in, reverse logistics, refurbishment, and technology value recovery solutions. The PowerOn acquisition is an ideal enhancement to OWC’s SellYourMac.com (SYM), a purchaser and reseller of used Apple computers, iPhones, and iPads. Want to know more? Click here.

That was followed by an acquisition by SCN Top 50 Systems Integrator, Ricoh. Ricoh Company and Ricoh Asia Pacific acquired Global Vision Multimedia Group, a specialized provider of audiovisual and multimedia integration services with expertise across the Asia-Pacific region. The acquisition accelerates Ricoh's expansion of its workplace services portfolio and service delivery footprint in the region.

Founded in 2016, Global Vision Multimedia brings end-to-end services spanning design, integration, and ongoing support for AV and multimedia solutions and over 140 experts across the region. Global Vision Multimedia serves multinational corporations and regional enterprises across multiple industry sectors, supported by deep local expertise and the ability to centrally manage complex, multi-country projects, ensuring consistent, high-quality service delivery across the region.

By integrating Global Vision Multimedia's strong regional track record and complementary capabilities with Ricoh's global workplace services portfolio, Ricoh further strengthens its position as a global integrator, meeting the needs, challenges and ambitions of customers across the Asia-Pacific region.

Now, on with the show.

People News

ASG Promotes Joe Marchitto to Western Regional CTO

Advanced Systems Group (ASG) has promoted Joe Marchitto to Western Regional CTO. In this new leadership role, Marchitto’s is working on advancing tools, workflows, and engineering alignment across the organization.

Marchitto will oversees the management and evolution of ASG’s system design across both pre and post-sales functions to streamline project execution, deepen engineering engagement, and deliver a more seamless and responsive client experience. He works closely with ASG professional services manager Rob Wentz to align team objectives for the upcoming year, while continuing to support pre-sales engineering on the West Coast.

He previously served as CTO-strategic accounts, where he provided pre-sales engineering support for enterprise clients across the West Coast. Marchitto became a trusted advisor to customers, navigating complex technical environments and helping design solutions that balanced performance, scalability, and cost.

CODA Audio USA Appoints Mark Meding

CODA Audio appointed Mark Meding as managing director of CODA Audio USA. In this role, Meding leads the company’s continued strategic expansion across North America, with a focus on further strengthening market presence, developing channel partnerships, and driving sustainable revenue growth.

With more than 30 years of experience in the professional audio and AV industry, Meding brings a proven track record spanning business ownership, sales management, product management, and business development. Throughout his career, he has built strong relationships across manufacturers, integrators, consultants, and distribution partners, perfectly positioning him to accelerate CODA Audio’s growth in the region.

Live Technology Appoints Curtis Lewis

Live Technology, supplier to the audio, lighting, and video markets, appointed Curtis Lewis to the position of lighting sales manager. Lewis represents Live Technology’s extensive lighting portfolio, with a focus on supporting and supplying new and existing customers, including maintaining and developing close relationships with lighting designers.

With 25 years experience in lighting sales, Lewis brings a proven track record of success to Live Technology. While dealing across the board with all of Live Technology’s distributed lighting brands (Elation, Obsidian, Robert Juliat, Stage Smarts, Martin, and JEM) he takes the lead for the company on Elation products, with a view to accelerating the brand’s growth in the UK market.

Gudrun Scharler Appointed CEO of Riedel Networks

The Riedel Group today announced the appointment of Gudrun Scharler as CEO of Riedel Networks. She succeeds Michael Martens, who has led Riedel Networks since 2012 and will support a structured handover through the end of August.

Scharler brings extensive executive experience from leading telecommunications and technology companies, where she has improved operational performance, led customer-focused transformation, and managed complex organizations. Her track record includes key roles at Unitymedia, where she served as chief operations officer, as well as senior leadership positions at Nets Group, E-Plus, Sunrise Communications, and Telefónica Germany. Most recently, she expanded her leadership experience through roles at Canyon Bicycles and P2 eBike GmbH.

Company News

Mason Technologies Breaks Ground on New HQ

Mason Technologies broke ground in May for its future corporate headquarters in the Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge, NY. The groundbreaking ceremony brought together business leaders, industry organizations, and government officials from across Long Island to celebrate the company’s continued success and investment in the region.

Its new HQ will be a 69,000-square-foot building with a 2,800 square-foot atrium and a dedicated exhibition and event space intended for networking, collaboration, and technology demonstrations.

The company’s mission has always been to work with individuals and organizations who help change the world, primarily in healthcare spaces, higher education, and government projects. Founded in 2002 by CEO Jennifer Mason with just two employees, Mason Technologies now has locations in four states and 275 W-2 employees, with plans for continued growth as construction moves forward on the new facility.

AVT Question: Please share insights into your company’s roadmap for products and solutions to be showcased at InfoComm.

Thought Leader: Scott Bowditch shares insights into Ross Video’s roadmap for products and solutions to be showcased at InfoComm.

InfoComm is a valuable opportunity to connect with the integrators, consultants, and enterprise leaders shaping the future of corporate AV. Ross helps these teams build reliable, scalable production environments that make high-quality communication easier to deliver.

Sports and entertainment venues need to deliver bigger, more immersive experiences for fans. Ross unified workflows give production teams best-in-class control and flexibility to manage complex live environments and create moments that bring audiences closer to the action. The AVIXA Studio Powered by Ross shows where corporate AV is heading. We’re excited to work with AVIXA to demonstrate practical, broadcast-quality workflows for modern corporate communications.

The AV Sales Index (AVI-S) for April dropped 7.3 points to 52.2, with 21% of survey respondents reporting they saw a decrease in sales for the month. This most likely means buyers are still active but are moderating spend, leading to softer revenue outcomes despite continued deployment activity. Companies are stating they have a good pipeline through 2026.

Tariff uncertainty, geopolitical conflict, and economic instability are the dominant concerns, making it difficult to forecast, price projects, and close sales. However, seasonal patterns in education and a few other vertical markets provide optimism for the coming months.

“Constantly changing tariff add-ons make it difficult to provide clients with accurate cost assessment for projects. In addition, frustration with paying tariffs to vendors knowing they'll be the ones to collect any refunds instead of giving them back makes one question the legality of vendors even being allowed to charge them to us in the first place,” shared an end user in North America.

The March AV Employment Index (AVI-E) remained steady at 54.2 in April. The U.S. job growth rebounded but at a slower pace than last year’s norms. Some are finding it hard to hire skilled employees while others are freezing hiring.

The Pro AV Business Index report is derived from a monthly survey of the AVIXA Insights Community, a research community of industry members that tracks business trends in commercial AV. The report comprises two diffusion indexes: the AV Sales Index (AVI-S) and the AV Employment Index (AVI-E). In each case, an index above 50 indicates an increase in sales or employment activity.

Visit www.avixa.org/AVindex to access the free monthly Pro-AV Business Index reports and learn more about the methodology. For more information about joining the AVIXA Insights Community, visit www.avixa.org/AVIP.

The distinction between broadcast and professional AV is blurring as the two worlds converge and overlap, creating a new era in content creation that benefits both markets.

Historically, broadcast-quality production required dedicated studios, specialized engineering teams, SDI-based infrastructure, and significant capital investment. Today, many of those barriers are coming down. But the end goal remains the same—to produce high-quality content that looks good, helps deliver important messages, and fosters engagement while being cost-effective and easy to use.

Corporate and education customers are increasingly expected to create, deliver, and distribute high-quality video content at speed, whether for executive communications, training, education, live productions, hybrid events, product launches, or customer and student engagement. As a result, these end users are turning to technologies that combine the reliability and image quality of broadcast with the flexibility and accessibility of AV. This creates new markets, customers, and opportunities for those in both broadcast and Pro AV.

Interest is growing in solutions including budget-friendly studio cameras with expandable future pathways and PTZ options that incorporate the cinematic look, zoom, and AI-based technologies.

The Drivers

Several trends are accelerating this convergence. AV-over-IP is moving video and audio transmission away from dedicated media and cabling toward standard IT networks. This gives organizations more flexible production environments and broader ways to deliver content across rooms, campuses, and remote locations.

At the same time, remote and cloud-based production tools are reducing the need for physical control rooms, fixed studios, and specialized editing suites. Teams can now switch, manage, and edit content from virtually anywhere, lowering both operational complexity and cost.

[Sony Electronics to Launch Two Compact, Lightweight 4K PTZ Cameras at InfoComm 26]

AI-powered capabilities are also playing a critical role. Intelligent features such as AI auto framing, tracking, and enhanced autofocus, seen in Sony’s latest PTZ cameras, are helping non-technical or less-experienced users produce more professional results with less manual input. These capabilities are especially important in corporate, education, and faith environments, where internal teams or volunteers may not have traditional broadcast expertise but still need to deliver polished, consistent content using intuitive technologies.

Video Becomes Central

This evolution is visible in the growing use of PTZ cameras across auditoriums, mixed-use spaces, lecture halls, studios, and meeting environments. Equipment is becoming smarter, easier to deploy, and better suited to multipurpose use cases. Instead of building production around highly specialized facilities, organizations can create scalable video ecosystems that support everything from simple internal messaging to sophisticated live productions.

As video becomes central to how organizations communicate, thought leadership, internal messaging, and education are becoming more dependent on production capabilities. Using the latest technologies, end users can now create high-quality content quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively with fewer barriers and resources, making them better positioned to inform, influence, and engage their audiences now and into the future.

Most Systems Contractor News readers are familiar with our annual SCN Top 50 Systems Integrators. Now, we’re starting something new. It’s called the SCN Top AV Consultants. It’s an opportunity for consultants to provide insights about the Pro AV marketplace while promoting their specialties. Consultants can fill out the questionnaire here.

"Our goal with the SCN Top AV Consultants is to help our readers understand the impact of consultants on the Pro AV industry," explained Mark J. Pescatore, SCN content director. "I'm looking forward to sharing this data with our readers later this year."

Unlike the SCN Top 50 Systems Integrators, the SCN Top AV Consultants is not focused on revenue. Instead, this research will provide a snapshot of the collective value of the products and services specified by consulting firms. Our coverage will highlight the top players, but we want to estimate the broader influence of all AV consultants—so even if you are a specialist, your information is important.

SCN is working with an independent research company, Apogee Insight, to collect and process the survey responses. Responses will be confidential unless you qualify to be included in the top ranking that we publish in the article. If that happens, we will reach back to you to advise you of that and confirm that you agree to having your company name and data in the article.

There is no charge to participate, nor do we pay consultants to participate. Access the questionnaire here.

Other World Computing (OWC) has acquired PowerON Services, known for its IT asset disposition (ITAD), trade-in, reverse logistics, refurbishment, and technology value recovery solutions. The PowerOn acquisition is an ideal enhancement to OWC’s SellYourMac.com (SYM), a purchaser and reseller of used Apple computers, iPhones, and iPads. Together, the three will ensure organizations have access to the best ways to upgrade, reuse, recover, deploy, and manage technology so they can save money, reduce complexity, remain agile, and keep more equipment out of landfills.

[Korbyt Has a New CEO, and Yes, More Acquisitions]

Founded in 1994, PowerON specializes in the movement, processing, refurbishment, and responsible recycling of used computing, mobile, and consumer electronic devices. Headquartered in Roseville, CA, just outside Sacramento, the company operates a primary processing facility supported by a network of third-party partner facilities serving customers across the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific regions.

“We’ve spent over 30 years helping consumers, educational customers, and corporations recover value and extend product lifecycles, along with designing programs for computing manufacturers to divert an incredible amount of technology from the landfill back into the reuse market,” said Brent Kelley, founder and CEO, PowerON Services. “What excited us about OWC is that they’ve always been at the forefront of extending the usability of technology, which meshes so well with our reuse-first philosophies. They understand that great technology shouldn’t have a short lifespan, customers deserve smarter and more sustainable solutions, and doing the right thing for the environment can absolutely go hand-in-hand with building a strong global business.”

As part of the OWC family of companies, PowerOn's operational and services footprint will be dramatically expanded across America and around the world. PowerON’s comprehensive service offerings include customized and turnkey product take-back programs, value recovery solutions, reuse strategies, reverse logistics, repair services, secure data destruction, recycling, de-manufacturing, and brand protection initiatives. The company’s leadership team brings more than 100 years of combined experience across the ITAD and trade-in industries, with expertise spanning global sales, software development, customer service, logistics, value forecasting, design, marketing, and data security. This collaborative and multidisciplinary approach enables PowerON to deliver reuse and recycling solutions while helping clients maximize value recovery and support sustainability goals.

“What Brent and the PowerON team have built is really special because they understand this business isn’t just about recycling hardware. It’s about helping organizations get more value out of the technology they already own, keeping good equipment working longer, protecting data properly, reducing unnecessary waste, and creating smarter lifecycle strategies from beginning to end,” said Larry O’Connor, founder and CEO, OWC. “OWC was founded on this belief, and we are delighted to bring an organization of PowerON’s caliber into the fold, as we endeavor to grow and enhance our capabilities in these areas.”

Bringing PowerON into OWC brings together two companies that believe technology should last longer, deliver more value, and create less waste. By combining OWC’s data storage, memory cards and readers, connectivity, expansion, software and apps, accessories, and services with PowerON’s take-back programs, ITAD services, reverse logistics, and value recovery experience and expertise, the two companies will enable customers to achieve a more complete technology lifecycle ecosystem built around smarter reuse, sustainability, and long-term ROI.

Welcome to InfoComm month. May is officially behind us, and June opens with a flurry of moves. CCS Presentation Systems and Advanced Systems Group welcomed new people while there were rebrands, headquarter remodels, and partnerships made.

[Voting Is Live for SCN Installation Product Awards 2026]

Get caught up with the week that was below.

People News

Advanced Systems Group Welcomes Brian Gross

Advanced Systems Group (ASG) welcomed Brian Gross as an account manager in its audio team. Gross brings a blend of hands-on studio experience, technical knowledge, and client-focused insight. He joins Hamid “Gadget” Hopkins, director of audio and post, team and supports clients across a wide range of applications, from music recording and studio design to immersive audio.

With a career rooted in recording studios, music production, and audio post, Gross has designed, built, and run commercial recording facilities. He has an intuitive understanding of how technology should foster, not obstruct, the creative process.

Atlona Announces Addition of Alesia Hendley to Pro AV Team

Atlona has welcomed Alesia Hendley to its growing Pro AV team. Bringing more than 15 years of industry experience spanning live production, broadcast, manufacturing, and business development, Hendley joins the organization with a strong reputation for technical expertise, industry leadership, and relationship-driven growth.

Throughout her career, Hendley has worked across a wide range of AV environments including stadiums, conference centers, theaters, arenas, and large-scale live event venues. Beginning her career as a front-of-house (FOH) engineer, she developed extensive hands-on experience in audio, video, lighting design, and video wall integration before transitioning into manufacturing and business development leadership roles with companies including Access Networks, Audinate, and most recently Sennheiser.

CCS Presentation Systems Reestablishes California Presence with New Partner Team

CCS Presentation Systems (CCS) launched its California operations with the appointment of Peter and Sorina Pantis as partners. The partnership marks CCS’s return to the California market, where the company previously operated through 2018, and follows its recent entry into the Pacific Northwest as part of a broader push to extend its partner-led model into key western markets.

Peter Pantis has five years of experience with CCS, most recently serving as director of technical and installation services. He has held roles ranging from design engineer to engineering manager, helping shape technical standards and deliver complex AV projects across the company’s operations.

As partners, Peter and Sorina Pantis lead CCS’s efforts throughout the state, serving customers across education, corporate, healthcare, houses of worship, and other commercial markets.

Company News

dBTechnologies USA Expands West Coast Representation with Plus 4 Marketing

dBTechnologies USA has appointed Plus 4 Marketing as its new manufacturer’s representative firm for the Pacific Northwest territory. The territory includes Washington, Oregon, Western Idaho, and Western Montana, with Plus 4 Marketing providing regional representation, dealer support, technical outreach, and market development throughout the area.

Following the passing of founder Jim Mathews in 2022, his son Joe Mathews has continued leading the Plus 4 team, carrying forward the values, relationships, and customer-focused approach that established the company’s respected reputation throughout the professional audio industry. The firm has built a longstanding reputation for combining technical fluency with a highly relationship-driven approach to representation—supporting dealers, integrators, consultants, rental providers, and end users through close collaboration and long-term market development.

Humly Updates Branding and Workplace Ecosystem

Humly will showcase its new global brand identity and expanding ecosystem strategy at InfoComm 2026. Visitors to Booth C9278 will experience Humly’s new visual direction in North America for the first time, alongside demonstrations of new technology integrations and ecosystem partnerships that reinforce the company’s evolving workplace philosophy.

Originally unveiled at the ISE exhibition in Barcelona earlier this year, Humly’s new branding represents a strategic evolution for the company as its workplace platform, software and sensor ecosystem, and integration partnerships continue to grow. The refreshed identity emphasizes simplicity, calmness, and intelligent enablement, all of which are values that align with the changing expectations of modern workplaces and enterprise users.

PMA Research Channel Tracking Reveals Best-Selling Projectors

PMA Research posted highlights from their most recent Projector Tracking Service results to the “Top-Selling Projectors” area of their website.

For more than 30 years now, PMA Research has collected monthly sell-through data from leading U.S. projector dealers, retailers, web resellers, and distributors. Their Tracking Service family of monthly reports offers timely data and analysis on unit sales, true volume-weighted street prices, and inventories of projectors for these channels.

B2B Laser Projectors (Normal/Semi-Throw) with 5,000 and Higher Lumens: In the +5,000 lumen B2B laser-phosphor projector segment, Epson nearly swept this “Top 5” list with the four best-selling models in April. Sony rounded out the +5,000 lumen B2B laser-phosphor projector list. The list includes: Epson PowerLite L690SU; Epson PowerLite L695SU; Epson PowerLite L795SE; Epson PowerLite L690U; and Sony VPL-PHZ61.

Installation Projectors with Interchangeable Lenses: This “Top 5″ list is compiled from PMA’s monthly Projector Distributor Tracking Service panel, which is made up of IT, Pro AV, and CEDIA distributors. The list includes: Sony VPL-FHZ85; Sharp/NEC XP-A824U; Epson EB-PU1008; Sony VPL-FHZ80; and Panasonic PT-MZ882.

Consumer Ultra-Short-Throw Projectors: This “Top 5″ list is compiled from PMA’s monthly Retail Projector Tracking Service panel, which is made up of U.S. retailers, web resellers, and custom installers. The list includes: Epson EpiqVision LS800; LG PU615U CineBeam S; Epson Lifestudio Grand EH-LS670; YABER K300s; and Optoma GT3500HDR.

Whitwam AVI Upgrades HQ Demo Space

Whitwam AVI has upgraded the meeting room at its Winchester headquarters, creating a live demonstration space where clients can experience modern corporate AV solutions in a real-world setting. Designed around simplicity, flexibility, and ease of use, the new space showcases the kind of bespoke workplace AV systems the company delivers for its corporate environments.

As a specialist AV integration company, Whitwam AVI designs, installs, and maintains AV systems across corporate, heritage, government, houses of worship, and other specialist environments, providing end-to-end support from initial design through to ongoing assistance. Renowned for delivering carefully planned systems in demanding spaces, the upgraded meeting room reflects Whitwam AVI’s growing focus on workspace AV, showcasing exactly what clients need from modern corporate environments: systems that support hybrid meetings, BYOD workflows and simple day-to-day operation.

At the heart of the upgraded meeting room is a simple, user-friendly AV system supporting both wireless and wired meeting workflows. The space features a Panasonic Laser Projector as the main display, with a Lightware Taurus UCX-4x2 switcher providing central source selection and signal management. A Barco ClickShare CX-30 enables wireless presentations, while the Sennheiser TeamConnect Bar M provides high-quality audio and video. Whitwam AVI also plans to install a Joan 6 Pro Gray panel and PoE wall mount outside the room, demonstrating how meeting spaces can be managed as bookable resources.

Yorkville Sound Has New Distribution Partnerships

Yorkville Sound is now the exclusive Canadian distributor for Morley, the effects pedal company which designs wah pedals, volume pedals, switchers, and innovative guitar and bass effects solutions. Morley has been trusted by musicians around the world for decades for its roadworthy construction, reliable electro-optical technology, and artist-driven designs.

Additionally, Yorkville Sound announced a new partnership with Ludwig Marketing to represent Yorkville Sound products throughout the Midwest United States. Under the agreement, Ludwig Marketing represents Yorkville Sound in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa.

SurveyMonkey recently conducted a study on remote and hybrid work, collecting responses from more than 3,500 U.S. workers. Based on the statistics the company shared, I think we can agree that when it comes to hybrid work, the workforce agrees to disagree.

Between 2017-2018, before COVID-19 introduced us all to face masks and elbow bumps, less than one-quarter of almost 35 million full-time workers had never exercised their option to work from home. In fact, almost half of us had never worked from home at all, according to Statista. As we all remember, things changed quickly.

Now, a little more than six years after the initial shutdowns, the pendulum has swung back the other way, with almost 40% of workers reporting that their “ideal work arrangement” has shifted. In 2025, based on a survey of 849 companies, Resume Templates reported that about 80% of companies were increasing their return-to-office enforcement measures, while about 27% of companies were returning to a five-day, in-office work week.

Why do companies want employees back in the office? The primary reasons, based on the Resume Templates data, were improved collaboration, productivity, and communication. But here’s where it gets a little messy: According to SurveyMonkey’s research, while 23% of workers want more remote work opportunities, 14% want more in-person opportunities. Turns out there’s no one-size-fits-all for this whole hybrid thing.

What draws folks back to the office? Collaboration and improved focus (32%) were highest on the list, with visibility (31%) and higher productivity (29%) not far behind. However, there’s also a healthy dose of personal worry to go with those company-first sentiments.

More than 45% of respondents were concerned about missing the opportunity to build relationships with co-workers. One-quarter of respondents were worried about missing out on unplanned learning with members of the senior team, and one-quarter thought hybrid would lead to declining trust between employees and management.

Remote work has its share of selling points, too. More than half (52%) of respondents noted the lack of a commute, while 44% reported higher productivity levels outside of the office. The majority of remote (72%) and hybrid (68%) workers say remote work provides a better work-life balance. That said, hybrid isn’t always an ideal situation, as about one-third were worried about home and work boundaries.

To summarize, remote workers want to avoid commuting and can be more productive at home, but they've also got career FOMO and can be more productive in the office. Wait, what? Welcome to the joy of statistical analysis, where you can use the same numbers to plead either side of the case.

Gallup recently estimated 26% of U.S. workers in remote-capable jobs are exclusively remote, while 52% are hybrid. Again, there's no official number, and "remote-capable" is open to interpretation, but Neat research from last year indicated more than 32.6 million Americans work remotely. That's about 19% of the civilian labor force, based on March numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Now that we've cited stats and research from various sources, what does it all mean? We can talk corporate culture or managerial motivations as much as you'd like—but whether they're happy or worried, you've got more than 32 million Americans who work outside of the office at least part of the time, and more than 6 million of those never work there.

The return-to-office trend may continue, and I'll concede that some workers may head back to the office full time. However, hybrid and remote work opportunities are not going to suddenly disappear, and neither is the workforce's reliance on videoconferencing for conducting internal and external business. Statistically speaking, there are more than 32 million reasons for Pro AV to keep effective and reliable meeting room and collaborative technologies as the top priority at InfoComm this year.

There’s nothing better than a successful deployment of new AV when everything is running smoothly. New auto-framing audio and video conferencing hardware and software connect in-person and remote participants, and a control system automatically initiates a meeting and starts the presentation on display. Participants collaborate, sharing content and video that is seamlessly switched to different displays. It’s AV/IT nirvana.

Until it’s not. We asked AV/IT industry thought leaders about how their company’s products and solutions help ensure interoperability and connectivity not only on the day of deployment, but also on Day 2 and beyond. Below are some excerpts.

For the full interviews, check out the sidebar on the right.

Omer Brookstein, CEO and co-founder at Xyte, said, “The real goal isn’t simply to connect devices. It’s to make AV easier to manage, easier to support, and easier to improve over time. Open cloud connectivity helps organizations monitor mixed fleets more consistently, move data between systems, automate routine tasks, and adopt new tools without rebuilding everything around a single vendor’s stack.”

“We focus heavily on open standards and network-based solutions, said Emma Eagle, manager of Marketing at Hall Research. “When AV technology works the same way other IT systems do, it becomes easier to deploy, manage, and scale across an entire organization—from small meeting rooms to large conference spaces.

“Established customer deployments may require upgrades to maintain long-term interoperability, as the protocols themselves are often evolving,“ Amy Zhou, director of Sales at Magewell, added. “For example, the popular NDI connectivity technology has changed over the years; it’s now on version 6.3 overall, and media formats within it have gone from NDI High Bandwidth to NDI HX, NDI HX2, and NDI HX3. This makes the upgradability of our products crucial for continued interoperability and compatibility.”

Joel Mulpeter, senior director of Product Marketing at Crestron, said, “Our products always need to work with the network—not against it. When we get deployed in a facility, the network exists, and we’re part of that ecosystem, so we ensure that we’re good citizens on that network.”

“By combining manufacturer-agnostic interoperability, robust management, and scalable design, Audinate’s solutions help ensure connectivity that works without friction, every day, at any scale,” said Jim Kidwell, principal product marketing manager at Audinate.“

“At ViewSonic, we approach product development with the full ecosystem in mind,” said Shane Roma, technical product manager of dvLED and Commercial Displays at ViewSonic. “A unified API structure reduces programming complexity, accelerates deployment, and minimizes support calls across diverse installations.”

Effi Goldstein, President of the HDBaseT Alliance, added, “Our commitment to an open, vendor-agnostic standard empowers businesses with exceptional flexibility. Organizations can mix and match products across multiple brands without risking compatibility issues, supporting business continuity, easier maintenance, and long-term investment protection.

“Sennheiser’s commitment to interoperability—across Dante, open APIs, alliance partnerships, and secure cloud management—helps organizations build AV ecosystems that are connected, scalable, and ready for whatever comes next,” said Jakub Kolacz, manager of Product Management Software at Sennheiser.”

Adam Sowers, senior manager of Business Development at Sony Electronics, added, “As a founding member of Open AV Cloud, we help to drive best practices around open ecosystems and interoperability for IP-based integrations, control, and monitoring that work across environments.”

“By prioritizing interoperability at every level, Shure empowers IT teams to deliver collaboration environments that are consistent, intuitive, and scalable wherever work happens,” added Justin Ramirez, senior director of Software Sales at Shure.

AVT Question: Please share insights into how your company’s products and solutions help ensure interoperability and connectivity not only on the day of deployment but also on Day 2 and beyond.

Thought Leader: Joseph Gagliardi, Product Manager at WyreStorm

Interoperability is one of those things you don’t think about when it’s working—and you definitely think about when it isn’t. Most end users don’t care what’s behind the wall or in the rack; they care that the room behaves the same way every time. They want to be able to plug in, present, hear audio, see video, and get on with the meeting.

What I’ve learned is that connectivity isn’t a one-time setup. Rooms live in the real world where laptops change, operating systems update, and UC platforms roll out new versions. Invariably, someone will swap a display model, or the network team will tighten a policy. The question isn’t whether change will happen; it’s whether the room can handle it without turning every Monday morning into a helpdesk rush.

At WyreStorm, we design for that reality. We build around the standards and workflows people actually use day to day, common interfaces, familiar control methods, and AV distribution approaches that are proven in the field. The aim is simple: fewer special rules, fewer surprises, and a setup that keeps working even when the environment around it evolves.

The other half is what happens after the install. Interoperability stays healthy when people have clear guidance and can get real answers quickly. Good documentation, practical deployment notes, and responsive human support shorten the distance between, “Something changed,” and, “We’re back up.” When that’s in place, nobody thinks about the tech, and the room just does its job.

AVT Question: Please share insights into how your company’s products and solutions help ensure interoperability and connectivity not only on the day of deployment but also on Day 2 and beyond.

Thought Leader: Mark Boyadijan, Customer Solutions Director at Neutrik Group Americas

The Neutrik Group continues to advance connectivity solutions designed to meet the evolving demands of the AVL industry. Specifying and designing with its trusted brands, NEUTRIK, REAN, and CONTRIK, eliminates the risks associated with non-compliant or uncertified products for a range of AV projects. This ensures safety, durability, and long-term reliability. Where interoperability is critical, standardizing with Neutrik Group connectivity brands provides backward compatibility within product families, with precision tolerances engineered to deliver optimal mating performance cycle after cycle.

As technology trends drive the need for higher data throughput and increased power delivery, Neutrik Group remains committed to developing interconnect solutions that meet or exceed emerging standards. Customers value the confidence that comes from deploying products built to perform in mission-critical environments, including large-scale integrated AV systems. That peace of mind means never having to second-guess the decision to rely on proven connectivity solutions.

With more than 50 years of innovation and industry-defining product designs, Neutrik Group has built its reputation on collaboration and responsiveness. By listening closely to engineers, designers, consultants, integrators, and end users, the company develops solutions that address real-world challenges and withstand demanding conditions. This customer-first philosophy keeps the organization at the forefront of both current and future connectivity requirements.

The Neutrik Group’s leadership in the interconnect industry is not the result of chance, but of continuous partnership and shared innovation, empowering professionals to deliver exceptional experiences across AV, integrated installations, broadcast, and live events worldwide.

Christie Digital Systems USA has announced that it and Vista PHX have ceased negotiations on a previously announced agreement in principle to sell Christie’s Broadcast and Professional Video group’s assets, including intellectual property and operational infrastructure, to VistaPHX.

Vista PHX was established earlier this year by former Vista Systems owners and industry veterans, CEO Clark Williams and CFO Jeff Wilson. The company was set to acquire the Spyder, Terra, Phoenix, and Mastering Gateway product lines, a move that would have return the products to the creators who had originally developed and manufactured them.

However, Christie will now retain those product lines, along with the operations supporting them, while it evaluates future opportunities. In a statement, Christie said it is committed to supporting customers, partners, and ongoing business activities tied to these products—and no additional details regarding the negotiations will be disclosed. Christie declined to comment for this story.

Trade shows are among the most powerful opportunities the AV industry has to connect, learn, network, and advance business relationships. Whether it’s InfoComm, ISE, NAB, CEDIA, or a local conference, these gatherings condense months’ worth of conversations, connections, relationship building, and business development into just a few days, making it critical to make the most of these opportunities.

While exhibitors and event hosts invest months in planning, promoting, and preparing for a successful trade show or conference, attendees must also adopt a strategy for success to make the most of their time and energy—or the event will pass by in a flash, leaving them with overwhelming exhaustion and regret.

Attending a trade show effectively is not about how much you do; it’s about how well what you do aligns with your goals. Preparation, intentionality, execution, discipline, and follow through can be the difference between being busy and producing results or simply feeling busy.

Start With Purpose

Before you even register for the event, outline your objectives for attending, identify your "must have" meetings, connections, or conversations. Define what success looks like or what would constitute a good return on investment. Next, document those clear goals and objectives so you can measure outcomes and identify tangible results afterward. Trade shows reward those who prepare.

Without defined objectives, it becomes too easy to get caught up in the excitement of the event and the frenzy of the crowds, have conversations that are more social than business-focused, attend random sessions, and return home having done a lot yet getting little done. With purpose, every conversation and meeting becomes part of a strategy rather than a coincidence.

Whenever possible, schedule appointments with exhibitors, partners, colleagues, and clients in the weeks leading up to the event. Take advantage of opportunities to meet on the show floor, outside the show, or at a social event. Invite them to meet for a meal or coordinate a time to meet at a hotel lounge. Stay on schedule so outcomes and results become routine rather than random. Planning ahead ensures you’re prioritizing meetings with the people and companies that matter most.

It's also critical to be strategic in meeting planning and to map routes across the show floor to make the most of your time, minimize backtracking, and conserve energy. When scheduling times, it's critical to build buffers between meetings and account for "commute" time between booths. Conversations may run long, appointments can be delayed, crowds will slow movement, impromptu conversations happen, and, most importantly, opportunities arise. Leaving breathing room provides scheduling flexibility, keeps stress levels manageable, and creates opportunities for short, valuable breaks.

Being booked from morning to night may sound productive, but it's not sustainable. Understand and stick to limits. It's OK to have downtime, especially when it boosts overall effectiveness. A few minutes to decompress between meetings or time to rest between the day's meetings and evening activities can dramatically improve focus, engagement, and stamina.

Beyond meetings, plan logistics thoughtfully. Make reservations early and stay at a hotel that balances convenience and value while aligning with predefined objectives. For example, if networking is important, stay at a high-traffic hotel. If social activities are a priority, seek out the hot spots. If recharging outside the show is key, stay at a quieter hotel with ample dining options. Hotels near the convention center also reduce steps and commuting time, offering convenience for breaks when needed.

Prioritize What Matters Most

Trade shows offer more opportunities than anyone can realistically handle. Beyond meetings with exhibitors and clients, there are networking opportunities, educational sessions, invitation-only events, social gatherings, and random conversations, all competing for limited time.

The key to intentional prioritization is to remember the goals and objectives first established during the planning process. This means aligning time allocation with business objectives by scheduling the "must have" activities first. Then, plan the next tier of meetings and activities in order of importance. After that, fill in the gaps with nice-to-have appointments to round out the schedule. Be sure to avoid overbooking or scheduling unnecessary events, especially when they could threaten priorities.

Prioritization isn’t only about business goals. It also pertains to personal effectiveness. Many attendees focus solely on time management, but effective trade show participation also requires managing energy and mental bandwidth. Large crowds, loud environments, and information overload can quickly diminish your ability to engage meaningfully.

Through the #HealthyAV movement, first brought to light in 2024, Brittany DiCesare and I shared a personal experience that organically led to a commitment to being our best at trade shows and conferences, and it gained traction in our industry. It applies to anyone and entails recognizing that professional performance at industry events can be directly tied to physical and mental well-being.

Making good choices to treat yourself well, including eating and drinking in moderation, getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, exercising, and recharging when needed, can be a winning formula for being at your best when it counts the most.

Have Fun on Your Terms

Trade shows are among the few times our industry gathers in person, and maintaining connections and relationships matters. Take advantage of opportunities to have fun and socialize. The trick is balancing that value with your broader goals and priorities.

Evenings at trade shows often bring a flood of invitations: receptions, dinners, meetups, parties, and private gatherings. These events can be valuable opportunities to strengthen relationships in a relaxed setting, but they can also consume a lot of time and drain energy.

Instead of trying to be everywhere, evaluate each invitation with priorities in mind. Which events align with objectives? Which relationships would benefit most from face-to-face time? Where is the greatest likelihood of meaningful conversations?

Selective participation leads to greater engagement rather than rushing from event to event just to show up, make an appearance, and gain little value at high cost in fatigue. The #HealthyAV mindset reinforces this approach. When we treat wellness as part of our professional strategy, we show up better for our teams, partners, clients, and ourselves.

Ultimately, the value of a trade show is not measured by how many steps you log, how many booths you visit, or how many people you meet. It’s measured by the actions taken, knowledge gained, opportunities created, and outcomes achieved. By approaching events with intention, preparation, and self-awareness, success becomes a more predictable outcome rather than a matter of chance.

AVT Question: Please share insights into how your company’s products and solutions help ensure interoperability and connectivity not only on the day of deployment but also on Day 2 and beyond.

Thought Leader: Joey Palkowitch, Director of Commercial Audio Sales at AtlasIED

Interoperability and connectivity are essential to modern AV systems, especially as organizations increasingly rely on networked infrastructure to manage audio across multiple spaces. One of the most effective ways manufacturers support this shift is by embracing widely adopted AVoIP protocols like Dante.

Dante simplifies system architecture by enabling high-quality audio to travel over standard Ethernet networks rather than traditional analog cabling. For integrators, this dramatically reduces installation complexity while increasing flexibility.

AtlasIED’s Atmosphere platform reflects this philosophy. With Dante-enabled DSPs, Atmosphere allows integrators to unify networked audio with powerful, user-friendly control and processing. Designers can seamlessly connect Dante microphones, endpoints, and other third-party devices into the system while still benefiting from Atmosphere’s intuitive configuration and management tools. This ensures that systems remain flexible, scalable, and easy to manage long after installation is complete.

AtlasIED is also Dante-enabled on the loudspeaker level. The Atlas+Fyne Dante-enabled PoE++ loudspeakers combine network audio transport, power delivery, and advanced acoustic performance over a single cable. By pairing Dante networking with IsoFlare point-source transducer technology and onboard DSP, these loudspeakers deliver consistent coverage, high intelligibility, and real-time system monitoring through Dante Controller and network management tools.

AVT Question: Please share insights into how your company’s products and solutions help ensure interoperability and connectivity not only on the day of deployment but also on Day 2 and beyond.

Thought Leader: Robert Luckey, Consultant Liaison at Ampetronic | Listen Technologies

Everything Ampetronic | Listen Technologies builds, serves our core commitment: connecting every listener to the sound they need to hear clearly, so they can fully engage within their organization and its facilities. Interoperability is how we deliver that connectivity within their network architecture, security policies, and budget at any scale.

Our Wi-Fi-based assistive listening systems (ALS) use a central audio gateway and a venue’s existing wireless network to distribute audio and interactivity well beyond baseline compliance. The economics scale with ALS user load rather than room count. In one building or 100—it’s the same architecture. Our platform authenticates and operates within existing network policies, and, in the most complex architectures, out-of-band service discovery enables transparent roaming across network segments. IT manages assistive listening in the same way they manage everything else.

Ampetronic | Listen Technologies’ newest product line, Auri, implements the forward-looking Auracast broadcast audio standard, enjoying rapid adoption across consumer BYOD devices from hearing aids to earbuds. WAP-like transmitters are the only transmission-side hardware: standard PoE, with no rack space. Broadcasts are one to infinite, low latency, and high quality, with impressive range and peaceful coexistence with Wi-Fi. Auri provides centralized software management while air-gapping end users from the network entirely.

Both platforms support dedicated receivers for compliance alongside BYOD, promoting usage by eliminating stigma. Security configurations adapt to a venue’s policy. Neither requires internet access.

One thing I beg of every designer and specifier: Ensure your AV infrastructure includes an ALS-compatible audio output path, even when assistive listening isn’t in the initial scope. Hold your meeting room audio hardware vendors accountable for providing it. Routable near-end and far-end mixed analog audio is simplest; Dante and AES67 are equally suitable. Build that signal path proactively. Ampetronic | Listen’s technology is ready when your organization is.

What a busy week it was in Pro AV. People were on the move, HARMAN opened a new Experience Center, Crestron announced a huge partnership, and we had a pair of acquisitions you may have missed.

There were two big acquisitions that went down on the same day last week. First, Panasonic Projector & Display Corporation started Tuesday morning bright and early, announcing it had acquired U.K.-based media technology company Hive Media Control (HIVE), strengthening its capabilities in media playback and control for immersive and fixed-installation environments. We had all the details, so CLICK HERE to continue reading.

Later in the day, CTI announced its THIRD acquisition of 2026, acquiring Valley Communications Systems of Chicopee, MA. The acquisition expands CTI’s coverage throughout the Connecticut River Valley, including the Boston, Hartford, and Albany markets, and adds Valley’s 80-year legacy of audiovisual innovation and client service to CTI’s growing national footprint. Find out more by CLICKING HERE.

Now, get caught up on the rest of the week's action.

People News

Audio-Technica Strengthens Leadership Team

Audio-Technica has announced key leadership appointments designed to further strengthen its sales organization and drive continued growth across the Americas. Mark Humrichouser has been promoted to VP, sales, U.S headquarters and System Solutions Group Americas. In this expanded role, he oversees brick and mortar sales, e-commerce, System Solutions Group (SSG) Americas Sales, broadcast sales, SSG Marketing and regional SSG initiatives.

Jim Schanz joined the company as executive director, System Solutions Sales, effective March 23, reporting to Humrichouser. He leads initiatives to strengthen pro audio channels, deepen customer relationships, and identify growth opportunities.

Brompton Technology Appoints New Regional Sales Manager for Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau

Brompton Technology has appointed Jude Lam as regional sales manager for Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. In her new role, Lam supports Brompton’s customers and partners across her territory, helping to deepen the company’s presence in the market and build on its existing relationships across the region.

Lam joins Brompton with strong industry experience spanning international LED sales, virtual production, and customer engagement across multiple territories. She spent time at AOTO, where she supported broadcasting and control room projects across the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and more recently PIXREAL, where she worked on a number of key international projects.

Daktronics Welcomes Steffan Piolet to European Sales Team

Daktronics has expanded its international sales team with the hiring of Steffan Piolet to expand the company’s indoor and stadium projects in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe. His focus is on ensuring the market understands how our indoor offerings differ from the outdoor business.

Previous experience for Piolet has been in multiple phases, including a digital signage integrator in the retail and hospitality industries, in sports technology for launching and monetizing direct-to-consumer streaming services, and playing sports as a professional cricket player.

Korbyt Appoints Andrew Robson as Chief Executive Officer

Korbyt has appointed Andrew Robson as chief executive officer. Robson brings a distinguished track record as a chief executive and revenue leader in the financial services technology sector and is uniquely positioned to lead the company into its next chapter of growth. Robson joins Korbyt from Verity, a provider of research management software, data, and analytics serving more than 350 financial services firms globally, where he served as CEO from 2021 until the company's acquisition by TMX Group in 2025.

As CEO, Robson is focused on accelerating Korbyt’s product innovation, strengthening customer engagement, expanding global market opportunities, and further scaling the Korbyt Anywhere platform. In corresponding moves, Travis Kemp has been appointed chief product officer, leading the strategic direction and continued evolution of the Korbyt Anywhere platform, including AI-powered digital signage and space management innovations, and Nathan Fullington has been appointed chief customer officer.

PlexusAV Strengthens US Team

PlexusAV appointed Seth Warner as U.S. sales manager, based just outside Cleveland, OH. After serving six years in the US Air Force and five years in law enforcement, Warner brings a disciplined, solutions-focused mindset to his role. He has spent the last decade working within the AV industry, alongside extensive experience implementing EHR and EMR systems across hospitals, giving him a strong understanding of complex, mission-critical environments and customer needs.

PPDS Welcomes Nicole Rutherford as New Event Marketing Specialist in North America

PPDS has appointed Nicole Rutherford as new event marketing specialist. An accomplished business owner, leader, and marketing professional of over 10 years, Rutherford supports PPDS day-to-day marketing efforts with a strong focus on events, partner engagement, and sales enablement.

These responsibilities incorporate coordinating logistics for trade shows and regional events, managing marketing assets, supporting digital and social content, and working with both national and regional partners to help drive brand awareness and engagement.

Re-Sauce Welcomes Beth Warren as Global Consultancy Partner

Re-Sauce welcomed Beth Warren as its global consultancy partner, leading growth and transformation across key regions. An enterprise marketing executive with more than 20 years’ experience, Warren brings a proven track record in driving revenue growth, brand transformation and scalable go-to-market strategy for both publicly listed and high-growth B2B technology companies. She is recognized within the digital signage sector, with deep expertise as a retail SME, spanning connected store experiences that keep CMS, retail media and ad-tech platforms at the center of the ecosystem.

The partnership marks a significant step in Re-Sauce’s international growth strategy, strengthening its presence in the North American market and beyond, and enhancing its ability to support clients operating across multiple regions. In her new role, Warren focuses on positioning marketing as a core growth driver for B2B organisations, helping clients differentiate more effectively, sharpen their brand positioning and translate full-funnel strategy into measurable commercial outcomes.

Company News

AVIXA Unveils New AVIXA.org to Enhance Content Discovery for AV Professionals

AVIXA launched its new AVIXA.org, designed to enhance the discovery of professional AV resources for AVIXA members and the broader AV community, including training, certification, and thought leadership.

“Our goal was to move the website to its next phase by removing any sense of disconnection between users and the valuable content they consistently tell us they need,” said Steven Guzi, director of digital product, AVIXA. “Much like our trade shows, we want everything we provide to be easy to discover and useful, whether you’re an experienced Pro AV professional or exploring your future in AV.”

The evolution of the new website reflects extensive stakeholder and user feedback gathered through interviews at trade shows, surveys, and analysis of user behavior from the previous version of the site. This research process highlighted that many users were missing pathways to both new and essential resources that can support their growth through the Pro AV industry. In response, AVIXA introduced new features designed to improve content discovery as users navigate education resources, industry insights, and additional offerings.

Adder Releases AIM 6 Software Upgrade

Adder Technology launched its latest release of AIM, its IP KVM matrix management software, introducing an enriched user experience for both system administrators and desktop operators. Rebuilt with a focus on visibility, control and usability, AIM 6 simplifies the management of complex ADDERLink INFINITY matrix environments while enabling fast and intuitive switching at the desktop.

AIM 6 has been redesigned from the ground up. A new, intuitive interface provides clearer system insight, streamlined navigation, and more efficient day-to-day control. From monitoring system health to managing users, devices and connections, administrators can now interact with their entire IP KVM matrix more quickly and with greater confidence.

The update delivers improved system visibility and control across the IP KVM matrix; simplifies management workflows for faster configuration and operation; redefines the user experience with a more intuitive, accessible interface; and strengthens system security with enhanced protection and access control.

Coastal Source Launches Nationwide 2026 Road Tour 

Coastal Source will take its latest innovations on the road this spring and summer with a nationwide 2026 Road Tour, bringing hands-on demonstrations, new product introductions, and interactive system design tools directly to dealers across the country.

Running from May through July in key markets nationwide, the tour will highlight major additions across the Coastal Source ecosystem, including new EVO and VIA lighting solutions, the 1000 Series Bollards, expanded outdoor audio offerings, and the introduction of PowerSource, a plug-and-play outdoor power distribution system designed to simplify installation and improve system performance. The tour will also introduce the Coastal Source Design Studio, an interactive platform that streamlines system design and presentation for dealers. Visit the Road Tour webpage here for dates.

EPOS Powers-Up Battery Replacement Strategy

EPOS is ’charging-up’ a battery replacement program to simplify a more sustainable future ahead of new legislation coming into force across parts of the world. Going forward all new product launches will provide the option to replace batteries with a simple paperclip or similar tool, rather than any complex or complicated procedures.

Søren Holm Printz, VP corporate strategy and product management, said EPOS is committed to extending the lifespan of its products by offering user-friendly battery replacement solutions. The EPOS IMPACT 500 on-ear Bluetooth headset is the newest member of the product range, and part of the enhanced sustainability strategy, where just a paperclip is required. Furthermore, original equipment replacement batteries will remain available through EPOS and its partners for five years after a product is discontinued.

Samsung and AOPEN Partner to Unify Multi-OS Classrooms

AOPEN, known for its commercial and industrial computing solutions, and Samsung Electronics America announced a strategic collaboration that seamlessly pairs AOPEN Open Pluggable Specification (OPS) models, based on Intel Core processors, with Samsung Interactive Displays. This partnership delivers a plug-and-play computing experience on large-format interactive flat panels, designed to bridge the gap between personal devices and front-of-room classroom technology.

By integrating AOPEN’s WB5116-W and Chromebox OPS models with Samsung’s Interactive Display lineup, the collaboration brings an elegant, modular solution to modern education: centralized device management across multiple operating systems.

VIVID Studios Joins Stage Precision's Global Service Network as an Authorized Service Partner

Stage Precision has welcomed VIVID Studios to its Service Partner Program as an Authorized Service Partner (ASP). Specialists in creative technology and immersive experiences, VIVID Studios will support the delivery of Stage Precision solutions across complex, experience-led projects.

Launched in 2023, Stage Precision’s Service Partner Program was created to build a trusted network of technical partners across the live-event, virtual production, and AV sectors. Dubai-based creative technology specialist, VIVID Studios, has integrated Stage Precision's SP Grid platform into its wider ecosystem of system design and digital experience tools. Using digital content design, AV technology, and artificial intelligence, VIVID transforms venues and attractions into living, interactive environments.

Pro AV Around the World

Bluesound Professional announced a new sales representative agreement with Generation AV. Lenbrook Asia will continue to serve as the official distributor, while the new representative partnership with Generation AV will accelerate the brand’s growth in the Asia region, bringing their innovative audio solutions to a broader audience. Specializing in the professional, commercial, and residential markets, the company is well suited to ensure Bluesound Professional’s scalable audio streaming solutions reach the right installations, enhancing audio experiences across a wide range of commercial spaces.

Crestron Electronics has been named the Official Smart Hospitality Systems of Espai Barça, a project redefining Spotify Camp Nou and its surrounding district into a next-generation, always-on destination. Espai Barça is FC Barcelona’s landmark initiative to modernize and expand its stadium and campus, reimagining one of the sports venues as a year-round destination for sport, business, hospitality, and community engagement. As part of a multi-year collaboration, Crestron has already and will continue to deliver the underlying technology infrastructure across Spotify Camp Nou, providing an integrated ecosystem of content, collaboration, and control solutions.

HARMAN Professional Solutions officially opened its newly revamped Experience Center in Singapore. Designed as a purpose‑built business Experience Center, the space demonstrates how HARMAN Professional solutions address customer needs across multiple vertical markets through real‑world applications and collaborative engagement. More than a traditional showroom, the space has been reimagined as a platform for solution exploration, co‑creation, and executive engagement, reflecting the evolving ways B2B organizations navigate technology amid increasing complexity in today’s business environment.

PPDS has formed a new strategic partnership with leading Italian AV distributor, Prase, a Midwich Group company. Founded in 1993, and a Midwich Group Company since 2019, Noventa di Piave (Venice)-based Prase distributes an extensive range of AV and IT solutions with corporate, education, and retail among its core target verticals. PPDS recently joined Prase at MIR 2026, Italy’s largest AV event, which included the official launch and availability of the foldable and height-adjustable 135-inch Philips Unite LED 6000 Series AIO.

AVT Question: Please share insights into how your company’s products and solutions help ensure interoperability and connectivity not only on the day of deployment but also on Day 2 and beyond.

Thought Leader: Jim Kidwell, Principal Product Marketing Manager at Audinate

Interoperability and connectivity are crucial to how AV professionals design modern systems, as audio and video must move reliably across diverse devices, environments, and architectures.

As AV over IP has matured, Audinate’s products address the growing complexity of connecting large numbers of devices across shared networks. Rather than relying on inconsistently applied open standards or manufacturer-specific standards, Audinate provides a fully supported transport platform that allows products from over 700 manufacturers to communicate consistently. This gives integrators the flexibility to choose the best products for each application while avoiding the limitations of single-vendor systems that can lead to compatibility issues.

Interoperability today also depends on how well AV systems coexist with IT infrastructure. Audinate’s solutions offer visibility into Dante device status, traffic, and performance. Through centralized management, control, and a unified API, IT teams can monitor Dante AV endpoints alongside other networked systems, gaining a clearer, more cohesive view across sites. This simplifies management, improves troubleshooting, and supports closer alignment between AV and IT teams.

Scalability is another critical aspect of interoperability. Products built on Dante deliver consistent performance with backward compatibility, whether deployed in small, single-room systems or across an entire campus or enterprise. They route audio and video flexibly across the network while maintaining synchronization, reliability, and control.

By combining manufacturer-agnostic interoperability, robust management, and scalable design, Audinate’s solutions help ensure connectivity that works without friction, every day, at any scale.

AVT Question: Please share insights into how your company’s products and solutions help ensure interoperability and connectivity not only on the day of deployment but also on Day 2 and beyond.

Thought Leader: John Henkel, Product Marketing Director at NETGEAR AV

The AV industry's interoperability problem is misdiagnosed. It's framed as a protocol problem, so the industry responds with more protocols. And yet, deployments still fail in the field.

The actual problem is behavioral. AV systems are predictable by design, with static endpoints, known traffic patterns, and intolerance for timing variation. IT networks are dynamic by nature: Devices connect and disconnect, bandwidth fluctuates, and change is constant. When those two operating philosophies share infrastructure, protocol compliance doesn't prevent conflict.

This matters because it changes what "solving interoperability" actually requires. It’s primarily a people-and-knowledge problem—not a product problem. The deployments that work are staffed by people who understand both disciplines—people who understand why a multicast misconfiguration that an IT team would catch in minutes can go undiagnosed for weeks in an AV context, and vice versa.

That's the investment we made. The NETGEAR Engage Controller, for instance, isn't built on the assumption that every integrator arrives with the same knowledge, because they don't. Someone who wants a validated, protocol-specific starting point gets pre-configured profiles; someone who wants to go deeper gets a fully functioning, enterprise-grade network switch. It’s the same infrastructure with two different on-ramps, and neither one is a workaround.

The partnership work operates on the same principle. When we validate interoperability with a manufacturer, we're not just slapping a badge on it or reading each other’s spec sheets; it means our engineers test against real production conditions. The NETGEAR Training Academy extends that outward, with free training on third-party solutions’ protocols and platforms.

The interoperability gap closes when the people designing, deploying, and managing these systems understand both sides of the equation. And that's a different kind of investment than creating a new product or standard.

AVT Question: Please share insights into how your company’s products and solutions help ensure interoperability and connectivity not only on the day of deployment but also on Day 2 and beyond.

Thought Leader: Kevin Christopherson, Director of Product Marketing, Hardware Portfolio at Sharp Imaging & Information Company of America

Sharp is a leading worldwide provider of display solutions. These include a robust portfolio of dvLED, large-format, interactive, projection, epaper, and desktop solutions that integrate seamlessly into diverse technology ecosystems, ensuring reliable interoperability and connectivity for customers every day.

At Sharp, we emphasize standards-based compatibility. Our products support widely adopted interfaces such as HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C, and wireless protocols, allowing effortless connection to laptops, media players, conferencing systems, and legacy equipment. This reduces friction in mixed-device environments commonly found in offices, classrooms, and control rooms.

We also incorporate interfaces for network control and management. A majority of our solutions feature LAN connectivity and are compatible with leading control and networking standards. This enables centralized monitoring, remote diagnostics, and control across fleets of devices. IT teams can manage updates, troubleshoot issues, and optimize performance remotely.

Furthermore, we enhance collaboration through either built-in or optional wireless casting technologies on select products, allowing users to connect instantly without cables.

Finally, we focus on scalability and reliability. Our solutions are designed to work consistently across single rooms or enterprise-wide deployments, maintaining stable connections and predictable performance.

Together, these capabilities ensure that Sharp’s display solutions fit naturally into existing infrastructures, simplify user experiences, and support uninterrupted communication and productivity.

AVT Question: Please share insights into how your company’s products and solutions help ensure interoperability and connectivity not only on the day of deployment but also on Day 2 and beyond.

Thought Leader: Mitch Rauch, U.S. Sales Director at Powersoft

As audiovisual deployments grow larger and more distributed, system connectivity has become an important consideration for integrators and operators. Today, distributed AV designs increasingly rely on IP networks rather than dedicated signal paths. As a result, integrators have to account for network fundamentals such as IP addressing, VLAN segmentation, and switch configuration. Amplifiers and processors are no longer passive endpoints within a signal chain; they are active, networked devices responsible for routing signals, synchronizing system behavior, and supporting centralized control.

Additionally, device connectivity has further expanded the role of AV infrastructure. Remote management platforms allow integrators and support teams to monitor system performance, diagnose issues, and deploy firmware updates without being physically present on-site. In many cases, system anomalies can be identified and resolved before they affect users, which reduces operational interruptions, limits unnecessary site visits, and supports service strategies built around continuous monitoring and maintenance.

At Powersoft, our product development reflects today's operational realities. Unica and Nota 142 are designed to function as intelligent components within distributed AV ecosystems. Their native cloud connectivity supports remote monitoring and management, while compatibility with standard IT network practices helps simplify deployment across large or multi-building installations.

Connectivity also extends beyond with our AnyMATE communication technology, which enables identification, monitoring, and data exchange directly through existing loudspeaker lines. Its first implementation, SpeakerMATE, allows amplifiers to recognize connected passive speakers and exchange operational data without requiring additional network cabling or external power.

Together, these capabilities help ensure that installed audio systems remain interoperable with today’s complex AV systems and aligned with the increasingly network-driven environments in which they operate.

Originally, the KVM switch was originally created to improve the control of computers within data centers. They began as mechanical rotary switches that handled keyboard and video feeds, with mice being added in the 1990s after they became popular. Since then, KVM technology has evolved from analog to digital and added network connectivity, which has led to what is now called “KVM over IP.”

The space-saving and efficiency advantages offered by KVM switches explain their ongoing popularity. “KVM technology allows operators to control one or more computers from a separate location as if they were sitting directly in front of them,” explained Catherine Koutsaris, product marketing manager at Matrox Video. “KVMs are especially useful because they enable secure, high-performance remote access without compromising video quality, latency, or reliability. IP KVM systems transmit audio, video, and USB signals over standard networks, allowing workstations to be centralized while operators work wherever it makes the most sense, improving flexibility, security, and operational efficiency.”

That said, the days of the KVM switch serving merely as a remote control system for servers are over. “KVM’s real value is that it decouples people from places and humans from hardware," said Thomas Tang, president of Apantac. "Once broadcasters and others in AV start designing their workflows around this philosophy, KVM stops being infrastructure and starts becoming a strategy."

An Invisible Backbone

The ability to deploy KVM over IP has unleashed this technology’s potential, supporting the strategic transformation that Tang has alluded to. His view is shared by AV integrators such as Michael Blankenship, solutions architect at FORTÉ.

“In modern broadcast environments, KVM has evolved into a critical control layer that allows broadcasters to centralize computers, support flexible and remote workflows, and maintain frame-accurate control of high-performance systems without compromising reliability or security,” Blankenship told SCN. “Today’s KVM systems aren’t just keyboard and mouse switches. In broadcast and production, they function as workflow enablers, remote production backbones, space and infrastructure optimizers, and offer a security and resiliency layer.”

To prove his point, Blankenship noted that KVM allows studio and post-production computers to be removed from human-centric offices and relocated to secure server rooms. Doing so reduces noise and heat in the offices themselves, while maintaining real-time access to the equipment.

KVM is also being used in OB vans and live production trailers, allowing on-location operators to switch between multiple feeds and systems without latency. “For instance, Sky Germany uses G&D KVM for simultaneous live sports broadcasts, while Barco CTRL powers control rooms for utilities and media,” Blankenship offered.

“A strong example is entertainment solution company PRG’s deployment of Matrox Extio 3 IP KVM extender for a large-scale entertainment event in Saudi Arabia,” Koutsaris added. “In this deployment, operators remotely accessed UHD 4K media servers over a 10 Gbps IP network, ensuring reliable control across long distances without sacrificing performance.”

Optimizing Workflows and Workspaces

Besides providing a critical control layer for broadcasters, video producers, and other content creators, KVM is solving other problems for them as well.

Case in point: “KVM technology is helping broadcast and production users transition from traditional SDI environments to flexible, IP-based workflows,” said Neil Firth, senior product manager at Adder Technology. “As operations become more distributed and dynamic, our award-winning ADDERLink INFINITY IP KVM range enables centralized and remote access to critical systems with ultra-low latency and pixel-perfect image quality. These key features allow production teams to work more efficiently, scale with confidence, and stay focused on delivering high-quality content rather than managing complex technology.”

KVM products also solve several critical challenges, including distance, scalability, collaboration, and reliability, Koutsaris said. “KVMs also enable multi-user access, allowing teams to collaborate more efficiently, and support long-distance fiber connections for large venues," she noted. "These capabilities reduce physical constraints, improve operational resilience, and help production teams maintain consistent performance in complex, high-pressure environments.”

By removing bulky hardware from operator desks, Blankenship said KVM resolves space and ergonomics issues. "It also helps maintain cybersecurity through network isolation while enabling operational control, and workflow efficiency through multi-view layouts, and quick switching that improves situational awareness," he added.

Current Tech Trends

We have seen just how far KVM technology has come from its humble analog beginnings. So, what's on the horizon? According to Koutsaris, the technology is evolving toward IP-first designs built on open standards, higher resolutions, and tighter integration with broadcast and Pro AV ecosystems.

“At Matrox Video, products like Avio 2 reflect this shift by supporting open standards such as IPMX, SMPTE ST 2110, and NMOS," she added. "Advances in IP KVMs now support higher resolutions and lower latency, making KVMs suitable not just for control rooms but also for live events, hybrid production, and distributed workflows.”

“KVM is constantly evolving to meet the increasing requirements for flexible systems, remote access, and high-performance workflows where purely software-based solutions can fall short of critical industry applications,” Firth said. “Our ARDx next-gen KVM over IP technology goes beyond the standard keyboard, video, and mouse extension by offering secure, scalable, and out-of-band remote access with no distance limitation. These key advances are responding to the various requirements of operators, while remaining collaborative and sharing information without boundaries.”

Speaking as an AV architect, Blankenship has seen several advances in the KVM space. “They include Barco CTRL’s Zero Trust architecture and multiview scalability to hundreds of sources,” he offered. “Also noteworthy is G&D’s ControlCenter-IP 2.0 with bluedec compression for pixel-perfect video and latency-free switching, and Thinklogical’s IA-accredited fiber-optic KVM matrix switches for multi-classification environments.”

For his part, Tang characterizes KVM over IP as the ever-evolving “dominant remote control paradigm” in AV that provides full remote access to systems over both LAN and WAN. “Unlike software-based remote tools, it enables true BIOS-level control, allowing systems to be accessed and managed even when the operating system is unavailable—a key capability supported by Apantac KVM solutions,” he explained. “This makes remote KVM especially valuable for broadcast operations with distributed teams, REMI workflows, and decentralized production hubs.”

Tang also noted that KVM technology has advanced significantly in video performance. “Modern KVM extenders now support higher resolutions and improved color fidelity over IP, while optimized compression and transport methods keep latency effectively imperceptible to operators," he continued. "Apantac KVM systems operate over standard 1 Gb Ethernet, regardless of whether the signal is FHD or UHD, minimizing infrastructure costs while still delivering ultra-low latency of approximately 17 ms. This combination of high image quality and low latency is critical in live production environments, where signal fidelity and operator responsiveness directly impact on-air performance.”

A Virtual Future

As for the future of KVM? Expect greater advances to come, going even further beyond KVM’s initial function as a remote control system for computers.

“KVM has a significant role in emerging areas such as virtual production, where live action and real-time rendering engines converge," said Firth. "As virtual production expands from its filmmaking origins into live broadcast environments, KVM can support increasingly complex, multi-system workflows by enabling flexible, centralized control. As this technology continues to evolve, KVM will adapt alongside it, helping production teams manage new tools and workflows while enhancing creative and operational efficiency.”

“KVM could solve potential issues in a variety of areas,” Blankenship added. “They include cloud and virtualization integration with virtual desktops and cloud workflows, AI-driven switching, and new markets for KVM such as healthcare, education, and esports for secure remote access.”

Ultimately, KVM is no longer about connecting a keyboard, monitor, and mouse to a remote computer; instead, it's about connecting creative intent to technical execution, regardless of physical location. As the AV industry embraces the cloud, AI, and virtual production, KVM will be the silent yet essential bridge that allows this industry to create—and work—without boundaries.

Want more KVM content? Download SCN's Integration Guide to KVM.

AVT Question: Please share insights into how your company’s products and solutions help ensure interoperability and connectivity not only on the day of deployment but also on Day 2 and beyond.

Thought Leader: Ryan Hansberger, Vice President of Technology, Platform, and Architecture of Vizrt

The Vizrt ecosystem casts a rather large net for enabling whatever existing setup or workflow to work natively with our solutions, without needing to do a translation, conversion, transcode, re-encode, et cetera.

Our solutions are very interoperability-focused for video ingest—SRT, NDI, SDI, 2110, and several other video transport standards. With our video players, a plethora of video codecs for playback are supported. Interoperability is key to Vizrt’s production switching features, particularly for remote caller contributions supporting a variety of platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

Right now, we have a very tight integration with Zoom, and by leveraging their SDK, Zoom calls work natively across our solutions. You can invite callers in, have return feeds going out—it's a seamless integration that enables multiple levels of collaboration. The next steps of our collaboration with Zoom have resulted in two new solutions: one for regular Zoom calls and one for Zoom Rooms. The latter solution augments a meeting space into an AI-enabled immersive meeting.

We have brought our nearly 30 years of experience in broadcast, live production, and data-driven graphics into everyday virtual meeting environments. From a human standpoint, this is quintessential to interoperability; you no longer need to have production specialist or technical director skills to drive a solution that creates immersive visual elements and drastically elevates video communications.

Vizrt also offers an industry-leading automation solution in Viz Mosart. The system is an orchestrator, so it connects and works with all tools in the Vizrt ecosystem, but also feeds into numerous third parties. We work closely with a lot of other companies in our space with their SDKs and their APIs to make sure that we can help with that translation. We communicate with all types of workflows, and this will continue to be the case with every new solution and feature we introduce.