Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief
From Friday’s AVIXA Foundation Career Day, welcoming students to the show, to the more than 40 percent of registered attendees under the age of 40, #InfoComm19 held last week June 8-14 in Orlando, continued to draw the next generation of audiovisual professionals, as well as a broad cross-section of engaged AV customers from higher education, hospitality, retail, and other markets.
Whether they were attracted by insightful new content, including Tuesday’s TIDE Conference and rich session tracks exploring AV experiences in hospitality and retail or by the nearly 950 exhibitors, attendees seemed to infuse #InfoComm19 with their energy.
AVIXA Senior Vice President of Exhibitions Rochelle Richardson told us “It’s been a truly remarkable week. The feedback from exhibitors has been outstanding. Many told us they had exceeded past records for booth visitors by early on the second day, an indication of very engaged attendees. And the sheer number of people absorbing our content – everything from the packed room for Tuesday’s Emerging Trends Day to the crowds at Center Stage – is some of the best validation we can receive of InfoComm’s value to the industry.”
By show’s end, #InfoComm19 counted 44,129 registered attendees, of which 37 percent were attending for the first time and 18 percent traveled to the show from 117 countries outside the U.S.
A record 312 tested to become a Certified Technology Specialist™ (CTS®) while in Orlando, a 23-percent increase over the prior peak, and 255 passed their exams, a jump of 37 percent over the prior record. In all, 205 professionals earned their CTS, 30 attained CTS-D, and 20 became CTS-I.
AVIXA Chief Executive Officer Dave Labuskes, CTS, CAE, RCDD told us “When I encouraged attendees to come to InfoComm to hone their craft – as well as learn about all the technology innovations that enable exceptional, integrated AV experiences – many took it to heart. In addition to everyone who sat for exams, we had nearly 600 people take our intensive three-day courses to kick off the week, more than at any other InfoComm. The show’s evolution over the past several years has been incredible, and the caliber of excited, informed, creative participants continues to propel the AV industry forward.”
Other highlights included the packed room of 283 who attended the AVIXA Women’s Council Networking Breakfast, and the approximately 500 who took part in the inaugural AVIXA Foundation 5K Walk/Run Friday morning.
#InfoComm19 was sponsored by Presenting Show Partner Samsung, Strategic Show Partners Blackmagic Design and Crestron, and Supporting Show Partners Epson and Maxell Corp. of America.
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