“CEDIA Expo made its long-anticipated return to Denver for the 2019 event and based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees and exhibitors alike, CEDIA Expo 2019 was a huge success,” says Brian Pagel, executive vice president, Emerald Expositions. “Market feedback from the 2018 event was foundational to our strategy and drove many of the innovative new activation areas throughout the show floor. This was supplemented by engaging content and networking opportunities all week long.”
“CEDIA offers the most diverse and industry-leading educational courses each year, more so than any other event within our industry,” says Tabatha O’Connor, global president and CEO, CEDIA. “With 125 courses covering all ranges of experience and six courses offered in Spanish at the 2019 show, CEDIA Expo continues to be the destination for beginning a new career or gaining expert-level educational credits in the residential technology field.”
CEDIA Expo saw a return of show floor programming as well as a debut of new programs for exhibitors, attendees and media.
TechStarter, the all-new program specifically for Innovation Alley exhibitors at the 2019 show, gave all-new exhibitors a chance to pitch their business models to three leaders of the residential technology market. After the pitches, the winning brands participated in a panel discussion, received media training, interviews and a chance to win $2,500 cash.
Starting with judging on Thursday of the show, the TechStarter judges walked the Innovation Alley section of the show floor to choose the five brands who demonstrated the most promise for a successful business model. After judging and deliberation concluded, the “TechStarter FIVE” winners were chosen:
- Hero Labs (overall winner)
- SandTrap Audio
- Konnected
- Artio Lighting
- Caavo Inc.
“CEDIA Expo is Hero Labs’ introduction to the North American market and we are excited to debut our product in Denver,” says Krystian Zajac, founder and CEO, Hero Labs. “Exhibiting in Innovation Alley and being awarded the grand prize for TechStarter exceeded our expectations as a first-time exhibitor. We are thankful for the support from CEDIA Expo and their industry leaders.”
The brands also convened on the CEDIA Expo Smart Stage for a panel discussion, moderated by Walt Zerbe, senior director of technology & standards, CEDIA, to discuss business models as well as how to stand out in a competitive new market.
CEDIA Expo Pavilions - Design + Connection, Wellness, Security
Powered by the NKBA and ASID, and headlined by the Control4 Tiny Smart Home, the Design + Connection Pavilion at CEDIA Expo proved once again to be a bridge between the design and tech communities. Helping to guide the conversation between designers and integrators was Tech Collider, a new program in 2019 that took place within the Design + Connection Pavilion and featured three lounge style chats from industry leaders. Topics ranged from healthy home living to making connections between designers and integrators and featured representatives from the NKBA, AIA, Seura, CE Pro, and KBB, among others.
“Bridging the gap between technology integrators and interior designers remains a high priority for Control4 and SnapAV,” says Brad Hintze, senior director of product marketing at Control4. “Thanks to events like the Design + Connection tours at CEDIA Expo, we’re able to make professional connections between the two industries and highlight the need for collaboration.”
Wellness and health-focused technology continue to be a growing trend in the industry. Knowing this can be an added opportunity for CEDIA Expo exhibitors, the CEDIA Expo Wellness Pavilion launched at the 2019 show. The pavilion featured new wellness technology products and education on themes like biophilia, biodigitry, indoor air quality (IAQ) and human centric lighting.
CEDIA Expo 2019 also saw the return of a dedicated security pavilion on the CEDIA Expo show floor.
CEDIA Awards
As always, CEDIA has announced the 2019 Best New Product and Product Hall of Fame Award Winners. The winners were selected by a panel of judges comprised of home technology professionals.
2019 Best New Product Awards Winners:
Best New Hardware Product category winners:
Meridian Audio
Meridian DSP640.2 In-Wall Loudspeaker
NAD ElectronicsNAD Masters M10
Nexus 21
Apex Motorized TV Wall Mount
Nortek Security & Control
ELAN Intelligent Touch Panels with Face Recognition
SAVANT
SAVANT Breaker-Companion Modules
Séura
Séura Shade Series Outdoor TV
Seymour-Screen Excellence
Seymour-Screen Excellence Adjustable Ratio Theater (ART) Motorized Masking Film Screen System
SnapAV
WattBox 250-Series Wi-Fi 2-Outlet IP Surge Protector
Sony Electronics Inc.Sony MASTER Series Z9G 8K HDR TV
Best New Software Product category winner:
Control4
Control4 Smart Home OS 3
2019 Product Hall of Fame Winners:
Crestron Electronics, Inc.
Crestron DigitalMedia
Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
RadioRA 2
Just Add Power
J+P 2G Platform
SAVANT
Savant TrueImage
Winners are recognized for their innovative contributions to the industry and for the value they provide to integrators and end users.
The Best Booth Awards, which debuted in 2018, recognized these brands for their creative, engaging and impactful CEDIA Expo presence:
Best in Show: Google Nest
Best Booth (small): Control4 Tiny Smart Home
Best Booth (medium): Leon Speakers
Best Booth (large): Sonance
Best Booth Honorable Mention: Josh.ai
For more information on the 2019 and 2020 shows, visit cediaexpo.com
