Happy Monday, AVtweeps! I hope you had a great and safe holiday this past weekend. It’s good to be back to work for a few days before the new year comes around in a few days.
As one of the first in-person trade shows that happened for a while, InfoComm was a chance to connect, regroup and get our hands on some new products. Check out this recap from Michael Katz about his experience at the show. For the Rental & Staging industry, InfoComm was a breath of fresh air and a glimmer of hope — for a long time, in-person events just weren’t an option. Slowly but surely, the rental market was able to pivot. We’ve seen online, livestreamed events like no other and produced outdoor concerts and celebrations in creative ways we never would have before. But it’s old news now; we’ve talked almost too much about how COVID-19 has limited the market. What’s next?
According to Jeff Hastings, these changes have started to make the AV industry smaller — and that’s not a bad thing. Though some businesses have had to close up shop, others are using this time to consolidate and collaborate to lead us to the future of AV. Acquisitions, mergers and partnerships such as Neutrik Americas acquiring Major Custom Cable and 3Dot Technologies’ distribution agreement with LianTronics are examples of how the Rental & Staging world is both getting smaller and expanding its capabilities. What other collaborative efforts or projects have you seen that are leading to new innovations and adaptions in AV?
That’s it for today! Have a great (hopefully short) week, and I’ll see you next year — here’s to 2022!