If it’s fall in New England, then you’ll find me at Almo’s E4 event in Boston. I love small regional events because I am not running miles every day to fit in as many booths as possible and never having the time to have conversations. At the E4 event, I got to spend time with vendors and get a deeper look into products that had recently been announced, including Sony’s Crystal LED UNIFY, a 135-inch All-in-One direct-view LED display that won the Almo Pro AV Top Product Pick award. I most enjoy engaging with local end-users and integrators to learn about the projects they’re working on.
The 2026 E4 Experience Boston event drew the highest number of end users in its 17-year history, with nearly 25 percent of attendees representing local universities, healthcare facilities and corporations. “The showroom was packed from opening to closing, with attendees making time to connect and explore the latest technology. Exhibitors also brought their A game, creating some friendly but fierce competition for the show floor’s most popular product award, voted by attendees,” said Greg O’Rourke, director of Tradeshows and Events for Almo Pro AV.
A Keynote of Caution and A Roadmap
The Boston E4 event was kicked off by a keynote delivered by AVNation’s President, Tim Albright. He mapped out the steady convergence of AV and IT, pointing out how audiovisual hardware has migrated directly onto corporate production networks over the last two decades. That shift places AV gear squarely under IT oversight and security protocols, turning cybersecurity into a frontline responsibility for system integrators. Albright cautioned that security cannot be treated as a secondary thought, pointing to cases where networked speakers were hijacked to launch a major distributed denial-of-service attack. Simple oversights, like leaving factory logins intact, remain a glaring vulnerability. Highlighting how easily bad actors exploit default credentials, Albright noted, "That information is out there. And if that information is out there for us to find and we're trying to do good, it's out there for folks to find who are trying to do bad."
To protect client networks while keeping up with privacy regulations such as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), Albright encouraged integrators to sharpen their security practices, maintain open communication with IT teams, and earn industry credentials such as CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate), AVIXA ANP (Audiovisual Network Professional), and those offered by CompTIA. He emphasized the higher expectations facing today's tech professionals when working inside customer environments, and noted, "Today, we are on their network. We are on their property. We are stewards of their devices and of their network."
Beyond technical security and regulatory requirements, Albright framed financial discipline as the real backbone of long-term business survival. He urged integrators to keep a close eye on key operational metrics, especially their cash conversion cycle, while regularly auditing cash flow and accounts. Managing finances effectively, he explained, is essential for staying afloat and protecting payroll, emphasizing, "Cash is the oxygen that allows a company to breathe," he said. “Ultimately, balancing technical fluency, regulatory awareness, and financial health is what guarantees lasting success for integrators and their clients.”
The Acquisition
A couple of days before the Boston E4 event, news broke that Almo Pro AV is gearing up for its next chapter following the announcement that private equity firm One Equity Partners (OEP) plans to acquire parent company Nexora. The event provided a perfect opportunity to sit down with Almo Pro AV’s Executive Vice President, Dan Smith, to share some perspective.
Rather than shaking up internal management, OEP intends to back Almo’s existing five-year strategy and support further investment in key digital tools and inventory.
“In their words, they would define themselves as a non-managing partner,” Smith said. “They’re not going to take over leadership or provide heavy direction... They’re very interested in the success we’ve had in the past and the continuity moving forward.”
A core driver of this ongoing growth is a revamped web platform currently undergoing customer testing. Designed to streamline administrative tasks like bid registrations, pricing lookups, and shipment tracking, the new site aims to free up time for deeper technical collaboration. “We do very little business through our website today,” Smith noted. “It’s to automate all of that stuff and make it go faster so we can spend more time talking about technology, more time talking about designs, more time talking about the next technology progression.”
Almo’s market position has steadily strengthened, driven by expanding inventory and rising customer demand. According to IDC data, Almo accounts for 41% of the Pro AV distribution market, supplying about half of all professional displays and two-thirds of key projectors.
“We have continued to gain market share over the past seven or eight months in a row,” Smith added. “When we become a larger market share, we have more SKUs, we have more inventory, we have a larger support staff. So, it becomes easier to shop.”
Looking ahead, additional acquisitions remain on the table as part of OEP’s long-term expansion model.
“M&A will be part of our future on the global level,” Smith emphasized. “The plays are already laid out and already agreed upon.”
Smith summed it all up with this: “There were a lot of things already in motion. Be calm, be happy, be positive. I think there's going to be a lot of really nice things coming. And while that is what people typically say in the press, I hope that they feel that there are proof points in the discussion that make it understandable why I believe those things to be true.”
Almo’s Pro Audio Push
When Rob Voorhees, director of Business Development and Pro Audio Category Manager, looks back at Almo’s pro audio business in 2019, the numbers were modest. Total sales stood around $6 million. Fast forward to today, and the category is pacing at nearly $60 million annually.
The secret behind that tenfold growth? A focus on building partner confidence and tackling increasingly complex installations, from corporate spaces to massive stadiums.
"The method that we take is we're selling confidence," Voorhees explained. "Audio can be very, very complex, especially now with AV over IP and Dante... so one of the things we do is we try to focus on confidence with every single opportunity."
That hands-on approach has shifted Almo’s focus from selling simple hardware to engineering whole-system solutions. Rather than just fulfilling orders for mics or speakers, the team now handles large-scale rollouts for college campuses and major venues.
Rising customer expectations around sound quality, accentuated by hybrid work and remote learning, have also fueled momentum. Customers have realized that a flawless display means little if nobody can hear clearly.
"Simplify audio for the people we're talking to, making them feel comfortable about it," Voorhees said. "And then ultimately the proof is in the pudding with the solution that gets mapped out."
As Almo continues expanding with top-tier brand partnerships, Voorhees remains focused on what’s next. "Things are very encouraging on the audio side," he noted. "It's nice to see that point where... the A is coming before the V."
E4 2027
When asked about the 2027 line up, O’Rourke, said, “We’re continuing to evolve the E4 Experience in 2027 with a new venue on the calendar: Truist Park in Atlanta. It’s been seven years since we last visited Atlanta, and we’re looking forward to heading back, especially with the opportunity to host an E4 Experience at a modern, AV-integrated baseball stadium that’s home to the Atlanta Braves. It’s a great setting to showcase how technology transforms spaces and experiences,”
Mark your calendar for the following Almo E4 events in 2027
March 16: E4 Metro NY, at the Teaneck Marriott
April 14: Santa Clara, at the Hyatt Regency
September 15: Truist Park in Atlanta
October 5: Drury Lane in Oakbrook/Chicago
I have a feeling everyone will bring their A game!
