Each fall, Edge members meet in person to discuss what is going on in their business and the industry. This year’s Edge Fall Integrators Meeting was held in St. Louis, Missouri, on Nov. 1-3. In addition to exclusive education and networking opportunities, the event was filled with all the BBQ, blues music and brews St. Louis had to offer.
Edge ISG members are encouraged to attend the annual Edge Fall Integrators Meetings, but if you were not able to make it this year, take a look at what you missed below from the State of the Industry to one-of-a-kind experiences.
NETWORKING & EVENTS
The ultimate benefit of attending the annual Edge Fall Integrators Meetings is working side by side with industry leaders and building lifelong relationships with your peers, which Edge events strive to prioritize.
To kick off the event, attendees gathered at Edge ISG Member Color Art’s St. Louis office on Wednesday, Nov. 1, for a welcome reception. The evening included an incredible tour of the facility, local cuisine and cocktails. Thank you to Color Art and its President Jim Sheer for hosting the group.
Thursday’s schedule featured even more networking opportunities. Integrators participated in “Speed Dating with Partners” where partners ADI, Avocor, Exertis Almo, Legrand, Liberty, Sharp NEC and Shure rotated tables with integrators to discuss their solutions, answer questions and establish their partnership.
The fun was just getting started with the National Blues Museum up next. The group enjoyed a private tour and dinner with a spectacular live performance from a local blues band.
2023 AWARD WINNERS
Ascender Award (Outstanding New Member)
Radiant Technology Group, Inc.
Unparalleled Partner Award (Most Engaged)
VIcom – Dennis Schliske
Pinnacle Award (Top Purchaser)
New Era Technology
Edge of Distinction Award (Biggest Increase On-Program Spend)
LightWerks Communication Systems – David Riberi
EDUCATION AND KEY TOPICS
Over the course of two days, Edge heard from industry experts on key opportunities and challenges facing the industry. Below is a recap of the 2023 Edge Fall Integrators Meeting education including important takeaways from the presentations and discussions that followed.
Thursday, Nov. 2
Keynote: Leading with Simplicity
Bluewater Technologies’ Bob Marsh focused on simplicity as the key factor to selling in this complex world. Bob’s revolutionary concept of Leading with Simplicity™ is all about putting your team at the center of everything you do and maximizing employee engagement by aligning your team's daily purpose. Concluding his presentation, he facilitated roundtable discussions about maximizing your impact.
Unparalleled Partnerships - Success Stories
The group continued its discussion on maximizing impact when it heard from Jim Scheer at Color Art, Kristin Spiewak at Sharp NEC, DAC Chairman Dennis Schliske at VIcom and Daniel McKenzie at IMS Technology share their success stories about leveraging partnerships. Edge members agreed partnerships are the best way to continue to grow business and acknowledged the importance in trusting those connections.
Hereworks Master Services Integrator Overview
IPP Member Hereworks CEO Tomás G. Mac Eoin provided an overview on Master Systems Integration (MSI), a leading trend in Europe. While the U.S. is not yet prepared for this trend, there are some concepts that could be developed soon, and American integrators should begin to have those conversations in preparation.
Panel - Artificial Intelligence (AI) Roundup
AI is omnipresent and impacts the AV industry. A panel of industry experts from Edge, Liberty, Red Thread and RoomReady discussed AI’s involvement in business and reviewed common concerns that were brought up at NSCA’s 2023 Pivot to Profit such as cybersecurity and physical security, job extinction, intellectual property, confidentiality and more.
The panel concluded that AI is here to stay, and those who utilize AI will be more efficient and better protected against the aforementioned areas of concern.
Friday, Nov. 3
State of the Industry
AVIXA Vice President Sean Wargo reviewed the latest trends in the AV industry derived from AVIXA’s annual report. Sean provided a concise snapshot of macroeconomic themes, revenue trends and end user plans from AVIXA's research library. This session shared essential insights for informed decision-making for AV business leaders and adjacent industry professionals. For example, one takeaway recognized that services would continue to increase companies’ bottom line. To learn more about the State of the Industry, take a look at his presentation on your Edge member login here.
Commercial Real Estate: How the Landscape is Changing
Sansone Group Director Office Brokerage Scott Savacool wrapped up the 2023 Edge Fall Integrators Meeting with a review of the changing real estate landscape. Scott instilled positive perspectives that the real estate market is not all doom and gloom; however, now is the time to get ahead of this as the industry is lacking a sense of urgency. Take a look at his presentation on your Edge member login here.
