When Will CEDIA Hire a New CEO? I’ll Tell You

June 1, 2017 - BlogSquad, Gary Kayye,

To say that the “perceived” sudden departure of CEDIA‘s short-time president and CEO, Vin Bruno isn’t big news would be a lie. It’s all nearly every Home AV manufacturer I’ve spoken to over the past two weeks has asked about it, asked if I know what happened, asked if I knew if Vin got fired, asked if it was because of Crestron that Vin left or just called to ask my opinion. And, this is not like 10 companies. It’s like 50+ companies. And, all the biggies you’d probably know off the top of your head. It’s all they’re talking about.

Most liked Vin, some loved Vin and a few hated him — that’s par for the course for anyone in a leadership role.

And, the changes CEDIA made during his brief tenure are clear — the biggest of which was the sale of the Expo itself.

“This wasn’t sudden,” CEDIA Chairperson Dennis Erskine, of Erskine Group, said in a statement to me over the phone today. In fact, he did allude to the fact that that this had been in the works for the better part of a month prior to the actual announcement. So, it wasn’t so sudden after all.

And, let’s be real here. There’s no way CEDIA (or Vin) will publicly tell us what happened with his departure as there’s a personal reputation issue here — it’s a personnel issue and no one’s going to violate federal employment privacy laws and risk getting sued. Not Vin and not CEDIA.

So, get over it. Get beyond it. He’s gone. Now, on to bigger, more important issues.

I spoke to Mr. Erskine for over 20 minutes today and he was very honest and forthright in answering every question I threw at him. I will write more about my frank conversation with Mr. Erskin later, but here’s what everyone wants to know: When is CEDIA going to hire a new CEO?

The answer is some time after September of this year. It’s not going to happen before the next Expo scheduled for September 6-9, 2017, in sunny San Diego, Calif.

And, the reason for that has absolutely nothing to do with the Expo itself. Erskine said the reason is that CEDIA is working on a long-range planning plan (assisted by Dr. Rebecca Homkes, a strategy expert and fellow with the London School of Economics that also assisted InfoComm with the same process) that won’t be completed until at least September of this year so it makes no sense to hire a full-time CEO until the “plan” is known — totally logical, right? The CEO will want to be picked based on the directives of the long-range plan so, duh.

Erskine also issued a well-written and articulate statement via CEDIA today that read:

“If the business of residential integration teaches us anything, it’s that change is inevitable. Anyone involved in the technology industry knows that the constant evolution of machines – and their interaction with humans – is not only expected, it’s necessary.

Many of you have likely read that CEDIA has been evolving of late as well. I’m well aware that to some, recent organizational changes may appear sudden and disruptive. As you know, the governing body of the association is its board of directors, volunteers elected by the membership. As the Chair of that board, I’d like to offer these thoughts and points of clarification regarding the current state of the association:

Personnel changes occur for a broad variety of reasons. Employees come and go in every company. We are extraordinarily grateful to everyone who is currently or was formerly employed by the association as they have shaped the organization with the interests of members at the core. Current CEDIA staffers are among the most talented, thoughtful, and hardworking individuals I’ve ever had the pleasure to spend time with.
The current position of the association – both financially and organizationally – has never been stronger. The sale of the show means that CEDIA will redouble its efforts to focus on education and workforce development.

The board is steering this ship with precision and thoughtfulness for the long-term best interests and profitability of its members. I can assure you that the work we’re doing right now alongside CEDIA’s staff to develop a clear, concise, and effective strategy for the association is moving forward brilliantly, and the assistance of Dr. Rebecca Homkes, a strategy expert and fellow with the London School of Economics, is invaluable.

The board is in the beginning stages of a strategy to appoint new leadership, and we will continue to keep you updated. In the interim, Tabatha O’Connor, an association expert with over 15 years’ experience with CEDIA, most recently as COO, will take over the duties as acting President/CEO.

Lastly, I’d urge any member with concerns or questions to contact me or any member of the board directly. We are happy to talk about the association, its people, and our future – which, to my eyes, looks very bright indeed.”

—Dennis Erskine

When Will CEDIA Hire a New CEO? I’ll Tell You

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