Trade shows are supposed to showcase the best of what this industry has to offer — new innovations, sleek technology and fresh ideas about how to make work and communication better. InfoComm 2025 certainly delivered on that front. The booths were packed. Companies sent their brightest minds and flashiest gear.

But when the booth lights go out — when the music fades and the staged enthusiasm quiets — you start to see what these events really reveal: not just product direction, but corporate values.

This year, one major vendor made a move that speaks volumes. Without warning, and right before the show, they eliminated the role of their product’s lead evangelist. That individual was essentially shown the door while on the way to the show floor.

And what did they do?

They still showed up. Still worked the booth. Still represented the brand with grace, professionalism and dignity.

The booth, by the way, was pristine — well-funded, glossy, full of energy. A shiny reflection of a company that wants the world to see its best face. But knowing what had just happened behind the scenes? The whole thing felt hollow. A company willing to gut its own soul and smile for the camera.

Then, after the show wrapped and attendees flew home, more cuts came. Several booth staffers — who had just spent a grueling week delivering demos, shaking hands and flying the company flag — were laid off when they got back.

Let that sink in.

The companies that do this right now are not scrappy startups making painful survival decisions. These were profitable, established companies. The same ones that issue statements about ESG goals, diversity pledges and “bringing people together.” The ones that sponsor keynotes on the future of work and plaster booths with feel-good slogans.

But apparently, that sense of unity doesn’t extend to their own teams.

There’s something deeply unsettling about that. A kind of moral dissonance that’s become too easy to ignore. We praise the product but turn a blind eye to the people behind it. Even when those people are quietly being pushed out—mid-sentence, mid-show.

And make no mistake, this isn’t just a human resources issue. It’s a trust issue.

If a company is willing to cast out its most public-facing employees without so much as a whisper, what makes you think they’ll treat you — an integrator, consultant or enterprise buyer — any differently?

How long before they lay off the support staff that knows your deployment inside and out? How long before someone in finance decides to sunset the product you’re using because it’s not hitting margin goals?

I’ve said it before: Choose your partners wisely. Not just based on specs, roadmaps or booth swag. Watch how they treat their people. It’s the clearest sign you’ll get about long-term reliability.

If the team working the booth isn’t sure they’ll still have a job by Monday, that’s not a company to bet your infrastructure on.

We all love innovation. AI-driven cameras. Adaptive acoustics. Immersive content experiences. The future of collaboration is bright, no doubt. But while the technology dazzles, it’s up to us to stay clear-eyed. A trade show is a highlight reel. The real story is what companies do when no one’s watching.

Not how many tech tools they donate to schools. Not how many badges they scan. But how, away from the cameras, they quietly take food off the tables of the very employees who built their success.

That’s not just irony. That’s galling, disingenuous hypocrisy.

A vendor’s internal culture always bleeds into the customer experience. Into support calls. Firmware updates. Feature requests. Channel relationships. Everything.

And if they treat their people like they’re expendable, you’d better believe they’ll treat you the same way.

The vendor I’m referring to still had a beautiful booth. Still had a product worth seeing. Still had polished messaging about how much they value their partners.

But once you know what was happening behind the scenes, it’s hard to see anything but the hollowness of it all.

So here’s the real takeaway from InfoComm 2025: Don’t just ask what new product impressed you. Ask who impressed you by how they treat their team. Ask who built their booth around respect — not just revenue.

Because that’s the company worth doing business with.