What happens in Vegas … impacts the entire Pro AV industry. InfoComm 2024 is taking over the Las Vegas Convention Center, with education sessions June 8-14 and the exhibit hall open June 12-14. David Labuskes, CEO of AVIXA, the association that produces InfoComm, talked with SCN about the overall health of the industry, AVIXA's expanding international presence, and expectations for this year's event.
SCN: On the heels of the pandemic, InfoComm 2022 in Las Vegas had almost 20,000 verified attendees. How was attendance last year in Orlando, and what are your expectations in 2024?
David Labuskes: Well, we’re not able to track verified attendance yet for obvious reasons, but we are able to see some other numbers like registrations to date and hotel room bookings. All of those certainly lead us to expect a great showing. We’d expect that we are definitely back into the realm of the InfoComms that were held before the pandemic. We’re excited about the continued diversity in attendance as well, with a continued showing from countries around the world, channel participants, and end users alike—and a continuing emphasis of diverse and creative minds.
SCN: AI is arguably the biggest buzzword in Pro AV these days, but what will be some of the other hot topics on the trade show floor?
DL: We all do love our buzzwords, don’t we! I’m looking forward to hearing and seeing more innovation in areas like AV and network transport integration and the continued advancements and integration of collaboration within our workflows and customer projects. I think we’re going to see a lot of exciting solutions wrapped around content production and streaming. Great places to hear discussions about all the hot topics: Xchange LIVE and on AVIXA TV.
[Road to InfoComm 2024: 5 New LED Series from Absen, Plus a New Chief Mount System]
SCN: AVIXA TV is back—what makes this an important component of InfoComm 2024?
DL: AVIXA TV has undergone significant evolution in recent years, and 2024 is no exception. We’re transitioning from an initiative aimed at extending the reach of in-person events globally to a platform showcasing cutting-edge content production and streaming technologies, notably virtual production. Partnering with Ross Video, AVIXA TV will showcase accessible solutions at the intersection of Pro AV and broadcast, with an innovative booth design set to bring a classroom, courtroom, and even iconic Las Vegas locations to life right on the show floor. Live streams during InfoComm will be broadcast across major social media platforms including YouTube and LinkedIn, with scheduled episodes airing throughout the event from June 11-14.
SCN: What’s new and different for InfoComm attendees in 2024?
DL: We have a lot of new and exciting things planned for InfoComm 2024, including our event “An Evening at Sphere” on Tuesday, June 11. Sphere is the perfect setting to welcome AV professionals from around the world to InfoComm—the event will leave them energized for the trade show and inspired by the magic created by Pro AV. On June 12, Joe Pham, chairman and CEO of QSC, will deliver the keynote “Everything Has Changed,” which will focus on how the Pro AV industry can capture the opportunities presented by AI.
“I think we’re going to see a lot of exciting solutions wrapped around content production and streaming.”
Dave Labuskes, AVIXA
There will be a lot of new education programming at the show, including our AVoIP Foundations course. After offering a version of this course for two years as an exclusive on-demand offering, we're happy to offer it as an in-person class with two experts who can take the course even further. Hope Roth and Gain Foster have years of industry experience deploying AVoIP solutions. The instructors are great resources, and an in-person environment will allow learners to delve deeply into the world of AVoIP to get their most pressing questions answered.
We are excited to host the SAVe Certification Workshop on Friday, June 14. This full-day program covers important information on current sustainability issues, a workshop session to identify ways your business can address sustainability goals, and a planning session to turn your ideas into action.
#GALSNGEAR is bringing a two-hour workshop, “Getting the Best from Real People on Camera,” to InfoComm for the first time for AV pros working in content production. This is quickly becoming a must-have skill for many in the industry and will specifically address how to direct non-professionals such as corporate executives and experts, as well as equipment choices and setups for camera, lighting, and sound.
KUDO captioning and translation services will be available for the education package sessions and the show floor stages—Technology Innovation Stage, Xchange Live, and InfoComm AI Experience Stage.
SCN: What companies are partnering with AVIXA this year to deliver educational content at InfoComm?
DL: InfoComm has partnered with several exceptional organizations for our education programming, including HETMA, NSCA, Digital Signage Federation, Invidis Consulting, SAVe, and #GALSNGEAR.
HETMA Higher Education Summit takes place Monday, June 10, from 1-5 p.m. and Tuesday, June 11, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and brings together learning technology managers to share their experiences on current topics in leadership and management, in-house integration, and students and AV.
NSCA BizSkills is expanding to a full-day workshop on Tuesday, June 11, from 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. with a strategic business curriculum, empowering participants with invaluable insights and tools crucial to enhancing business operations within the Pro AV industry.
The Digital Signage Federation is once again producing the D=SIGN education program on Tuesday, June 11. D=SIGN will cover top-of-mind issues for the digital signage industry, including a primer on AI in digital signage, sustainability practices for digital signage, and content creation for integrators.
Invidis Consulting Market Insights Lunch: Digital Signage Forum will take place from noon-2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 11, covering the current global outlook for digital signage, trends in North America, and new opportunities on the horizon.
SCN: AVIXA is expanding its international footprint with InfoComm America Latina in 2025. What made you decide to add the new trade show?
DL: Latin America is an amazing hot spot for AV innovation, and the community in that region includes some of those most passionate practitioners of our profession anywhere in the world. Our drive to return InfoComm to that region is perfectly aligned with our motivators on every other continent of the world—to act as a catalyst for market growth and to serve as the hub for the AV profession. That community has waited for a long time to have a place to come together and grow, learn, and conduct business. And I couldn’t be more excited to deliver that place in the form of InfoComm América Latina.
SCN: Is Pro AV past the supply chain issues of recent years, and is it a healthy industry as a whole?
DL: While lingering shocks from pandemic-induced supply chain issues remain, Pro AV has largely recovered. As a result, growth can once again be more equally felt across the market. Macro-economic issues like inflation and interest rates represent headwinds this year, but growth is still expected. Experiential applications for AV technology are at the forefront of this growth, as Sphere exemplifies.
