Volume 12, Issue 6 — March 23, 2020

March 23, 2020 | Volume: 12 | Issue: 6

Hi, #AVtweeps, welcome to your second March edition of DS! And boy, has a lot changed since our last issue. (Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, it’s work from home we go!) The most notable change for all of you, in particular, is that DSE has been postponed until fall. I know it’s disappointing, but it’s also really great that so many organizations are looking out for the safety of attendees. If you’re looking for the status of any other shows/events, we’re keeping a running list of postponements and cancellations.

Our one column in this issue is from Mark Coxon, where he takes a look at the recent mergers and acquisitions in our industry — and what they mean for the rest of the companies big and small that make up the AV market.

In other news, AVIXA is keeping InfoComm plans and will continue to monitor the situation on an event-by-event basis. Almo Pro A/V has three new service development managers, and NoviSign has new digital signage hand sanitizer kiosks.

Enjoy and stay safe out there.

— Steph Beckett

COLUMNS

+ Mergers, Acquisitions and the AV Ecology [Mark Coxon]

I remember reading a book back in the late ’90s called “Why Big Fierce Animals Are Rare” by Paul Colvinaux. It was one of the first ecology books I read, and although the science was still evolving itself, there are a couple points in the book that have stuck with me over time and that I have found perhaps even more relevant given the course of recent events. This year has brought more mergers and acquisitions among AV integrators, most notably at the top with Diversified buying Sensory Technologies and AVI-SPL merging with Whitlock Group. It seems these types of mergers always cause some initial trepidation in smaller firms, wondering how they will keep up, compete and fight off the large behemoths.