The InfoComm show is produced every year by InfoComm International, the association for commercial AV professionals worldwide. While the InfoComm show is mainly a domestic affair with the large majority of visitors attracted by the conference and education/certification opportunities, nineteen percent of InfoComm attendance comes from outside the United States, and the exhibition remains a global marketplace and a unique opportunity to meet manufacturers, dealers and audiovisual professionals all in one place.
With 1,000 exhibitors and expecting 40,000 attendees, InfoComm 2017 will be the largest trade fair in North America for audiovisual communications. For the audio industry, InfoComm remains the strongest professional audio show in the US, with a strong showing of all major domestic and international pro audio brands, most of which will promote special demonstration rooms, which benefit from the excellent conditions allowed by the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.
Visitors to InfoComm 2017 can expect a very robust education program, InfoComm University training sessions and Manufacturers' Training sessions. The Audio Demo Rooms are opened from Tuesday-Friday (one day before the exhibits are open), allowing visitors to hear the most recent equipment from the biggest brands in audio. There are also excellent opportunities to visit innovative Orlando AV installation projects during the AV Tech Tours program.
InfoComm also promotes complimentary access to the popular Opening Reception on Tuesday evening, which provides excellent networking opportunities, and there is an exclusive International Trade Center for international visitors that are visiting as part of a Department of Commerce delegation.
This year, InfoComm International, in partnership with IMCCA, will host a day of emerging trends education on Tuesday, June 13, the day before the InfoComm 2017 show floor opens. The special day of insight into the future of the AV industry will feature the inaugural class of Emerging Trends Fellows — experts chosen for their knowledge of a cross-section of critical technology areas.
In addition to Emerging Trends Day, InfoComm 2017 will feature a new Center Stage, located on the exhibit floor, where AV industry thought leaders will showcase case studies and real-world AV solutions to customers’ enterprise technology challenges. A schedule of free Center Stage presentations will be available on infocommshow.org.
Also new this year is TIDE (Technology. Innovation. Design. Experience.), a one-day conference at InfoComm 2017 for examining the strategic impact of AV technology. It was created not just for AV professionals, but also for design professionals and enterprise technology customers. TIDE will feature keynote speakers Matthew Luhn, one of the original story creators at Pixar, and virtual reality pioneer Nonny de la Peña.
InfoComm 2017 will also introduce the new Immersive Technology Pavilion, an area dedicated to augmented reality, virtual reality and 360-degree video solutions. The new pavilion will include hands-on experiences of application-specific VR environments, and attendees will learn how AR, VR and 360 video (sometimes called immersive video) can be used in commercial AV applications.
Emerging Trends Day will kick off with Pete Putman, CTS, of ROAM Consulting, who will provide his popular, annual forecast of future trends in the pro-AV industry. Next, Dr. S. Ann Earon, President of Telemanagement Resources International, will moderate a series of 30-minute briefings with the nine 2017 Emerging Trends Fellows. Attendees can join some or all of the sessions.
"This is a thriving, growing, busy industry - especially this time of year - and the fact that so many professionals continue to gather in one place, including new faces and dedicated InfoComm attendees, underscores the important role that the show plays in the success of their businesses and their careers," says David Labuskes, CTS, RCDD, Executive Director and CEO, InfoComm International.
InfoComm continues to grow as a critical venue for professional development and certification. A record 252 attendees registered to take a Certified Technology Specialist exam during InfoComm 2016 and 186 received their certification. Certified professionals earned more than 30,000 renewal units toward maintaining their CTS credentials through continuing education.
Many of InfoComm's growing member councils met at the show. Year-to-date, InfoComm International has welcomed more than 750 new members in North America - double the rate of a year ago. Membership renewals in the first half of 2016 are up almost 40 percent compared to the same time in 2015. InfoComm membership in Europe has climbed 17 percent year-over-year, and overall membership outside the United States has grown 12 percent year-to-date. Up to 20 percent of InfoComm show attendees travel from outside North America to take part.
This year, InfoComm International, and the AV User Group, a nonprofit organization of AV and technology managers and end users, have agreed to collaborate on initiatives to increase AV industry awareness among enterprise decision-makers and foster stronger relationships between the companies and professionals that build AV solutions and the businesses and institutions that operate and benefit from them.
As part of its strategic plan, InfoComm has made it a priority to act as a catalyst for market growth, in part by creating greater awareness of the AV industry in various customer verticals. The AV User Group represents an existing community of AV customers and decision-makers, providing a forum for the discussion of technologies, best practices and standards among AV end users. The agreement between InfoComm and the AV User Group runs through 2019.
infocommshow.org
