InfoComm 2014, the international conference and exhibition for professional
audiovisual buyers and sellers took place from 14 to 20 June this year.
A massive 37 048 professionals from 114 countries flocked to the Las Vegas
Convention Center for InfoComm this year, which saw a 5.5% increase in
attendance from 2013. There were 947 exhibitors participating at InfoComm last
month. Exhibitors occupied more than 490 000 net square feet of exhibition and
special events space.
More than 10 000 of the hottest technology products from more than 950
companies were featured for the business, government, military, education,
worship, healthcare, hospitality, retail and entertainment markets.
The event provides the multi-billion dollar industry and its customers with a
thriving show floor, along with education and training. Attendees heard from
leading audio brands in demo rooms and on the show floor, and connected with
collaborative conferencing in the United Communications and Collaboration
Pavilion. Attendees also viewed the latest in signs at the Digital Signage Pavilion
and experienced the latest in illumination and production in the Lighting and
Staging Pavilion.
The Technologies for Worship Pavilion featured the latest AV technology applied
for House of Worship staff and volunteers, while the new Security Pavilion
featured the latest technology solutions.
“The AV industry continues to grow each year and the demand for AV
technology, including control systems, conferencing, digital signage and
networked audio has increased dramatically in the built environment, says David
Labuskes, CEO and Executive Director of InfoComm. “Audiences expect to be
amazed at live events. This interest has resulted in a thriving show, and I’m
certain that InfoComm 2014 attendees experienced technologies that they
hadn’t seen anywhere else.’
InfoComm is often praised by attendees and exhibitors as the “can’t miss’
technology show of the year because of its ability to interact with all segments
of the industry in just a few days, while having the opportunity to attend a wide
range of educational sessions offered by InfoComm University and partner
groups.
More than 5 700 seats were filled at the InfoComm University sessions, which
provided practical training and attracted the industry’s best and brightest
instructors and students. The courses were on topics ranging from acoustics to
videoconferencing, the popular courses included BYODs: The New Reality, The
Future of Video Collaboration, CTS Prep, Designing Classrooms; and 4K is Here:
Are You Ready For It? With two-thirds of all of the education sessions being
new, technology managers flocked to the inaugural InfoComm’s Solutions
Summits on UCC and Digital Signage, attracting more than 500 participants.
Beyond the show floor, AV Technology Tours allowed attendees to see installed
AV projects in action and networking activities brought everyone together, which
allowed for the development of meaningful conversations and relationships.
InfoComm also featured a Solutions Summit that began before the show and
offered related sessions available throughout the week. There was Digital
Signage and UCC tracks, with the flexibility to move amongst sessions. In
addition, InfoComm International marked its 75th anniversary with an awards
dinner.
Industry outlook
A new study by Acclaro Growth Partners projects that audiovisual products and
services will become a $116 billion global industry by 2016. The 2014 Global AV
Market Definition and Strategy Study, conducted on behalf of InfoComm
International, is the only worldwide study aimed at sizing the commercial
audiovisual industry.
The growth of conferencing, signal management, AV acquisition and delivery
equipment and streaming media resulted in an 11% compound annual growth in
demand for AV products and services between 2012 and 2016. The study finds
that the audiovisual industry currently generates $92 billion a year. Further
industry growth is anticipated.
AV applications such as displays, AV acquisition and delivery, projectors, signal
management and processing, and sound reinforcement are expected to drive
future growth. The fastest-growing product categories are control systems,
software, AV acquisition and delivery, and displays. Over time AV systems have
become complex and essential to the operation of government, institutions and
corporations, resulting in a growing need for service contracts.
The corporate, venues/events and government/military markets are the three
largest consumers of audiovisual products and services. However, hospitality is
the fastest growing market for AV goods and services. The increased need for
communication and collaboration in these environments is fuelling a reliance on
AV and reinforcing the importance of industry trade shows like InfoComm.
InfoComm 2014 was platinum sponsored by Crestron, Microsoft, Panasonic and
Samsung, and was Gold sponsored by Aurora, Blackmagic Design, Christie
Digital, Epson, NEC and Ricoh.
