The Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association lowered the curtain on its first InfoComm show in North America as AVIXA, while the annual trade show and conference for audiovisual professionals set new records for size and attendance.

Held June 6-9 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the show kicked off with a record-setting TIDE (Technology. Innovation. Design. Experience.) conference and boasted an exhibition that attracted nearly 43,000 registered attendees from across the U.S. and abroad, a 10 percent increase compared to the last time InfoComm was held in Las Vegas, in 2016. 

“It was another fantastic week for a show and an industry that never stops innovating,” said Jason McGraw, senior vice president of expositions for AVIXA. 

He continued, “We continue to develop new offerings that celebrate and explore in-depth the many facets of technology experiences. Our exhibitors took the lead with solutions that continue to push the envelope of what AV can deliver, and our many subject-matter experts and thought leaders contributed to a program that gave all attendees the opportunity to think differently about the role audiovisual technology plays in people’s lives.”

The show’s 964 exhibitors anchored a bustling expo that spanned 550,000 net square feet of exhibits, demo rooms and special events space, making it the largest InfoComm ever, while 94 percent of this year’s exhibit space was rebooked for InfoComm 2019 – another new record, according to show officials.

“In its third edition, TIDE drew its largest crowd to consider ways of applying human-centered design to AV solutions,” McGraw said. 

He continued, “New programs such as Design Thinking for AV and Integrated Life Day were well-received, and the C2 Experience on our show floor had participants collaborating in ways they’d never imagined.”

Emerging Trends Day, held prior to InfoComm and in association with the IMCCA, attracted more than 600 attendees who explored everything from the digital workplace and smart buildings to global brands in the pro-AV market.

“The engagement of InfoComm attendees in our new and evolving content offerings has been very gratifying,” said AVIXA CEO David Labuskes. “Technology moves so quickly, it’s important to try and think differently and innovate in new ways, namely by focusing on the experiences of AV customers.”   

As the trade association representing the $178 billion commercial audiovisual industry worldwide, InfoComm International changed its name to AVIXA last fall to reflect the association’s broadening mission to be an industry hub while also acting as a catalyst for market growth beyond what has been considered traditionally as professional A/V.

Going forward, AVIXA’s trade shows worldwide will continue to operate under the InfoComm name.

“AVIXA thanks all the exhibitors, attendees and media who made InfoComm 2018 a success,” Labuskes said. “I hope that nothing that happened this week in Vegas stays in Vegas. 

He continued, “I encourage all our attendees to take home what they learned and experienced and share it with their colleagues and customers. It’s a great and important time to be in AV, connecting people and changing the way they experience the world around them.”

InfoComm ranked No. 30 in TSNN’s 2017 Top U.S. Trade Shows list. The show’s 2019 edition is set to take place June 8-14 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

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