INDUSTRY & EVENTS 75
I t’s official: InfoComm, the AV will flock to Las Vegas, Nevada for this unmissable fixture. Hosted by AVIXA and held yet again at the expansive Las Vegas Convention Center, InfoComm 2026 will reflect AV’s current inflection point. “The AV and IT convergence has been a focus at industry’s biggest annual event, is back! From 13 to 19 June, exhibitors, educators and audio-visual specialists InfoComm for years,” says Jenn Heinold, AVIXA’s senior vice president, expositions in the Americas. “What’s different in 2026 is that we are also seeing broadcast and AI converge into the same systems and workflows.” From timely keynote speeches given by Microsoft’s Ilya Bukshteyn and Cisco’s Espen Løberg on AI-driven collaboration and connected intelligence, respectively, to new interactive experiences, tours and stages, InfoComm 2026 is shaping up to be the event of the year. Register at infocommshow.org , and read on to learn what else is in store. WORK HARD, PLAY HARD It’s an exciting time for AV. “Live events have continued expanding beyond the post-pandemic surge,” begins Mike Sullivan-Trainor, senior industry analyst at AVIXA, while “hybrid events are becoming a key part of the landscape, magnifying the reach of in-person performances to a virtual audience.” According to Sullivan-Trainor, the industry will see “more than 5% revenue growth for 2026 and a total compound annual growth rate of 4.6% through to 2030.” He believes the Winter Olympics and the World Cup are largely to blame (or thank!) for this increase, as well as the growing impact of AI on essentially every sector. “The major challenge to pro AV,”
he thinks, “is levelling up immersive experiences while maintaining quality and expanding content distribution capabilities.” InfoComm will show its attendees how to do just that – and much more. The 2026 event is organised around two opposing themes: work and play. Heinold explains that, while the work section (located in the Central Hall) will explore ‘how AV powers smarter spaces’ for corporate enterprising and education, the play section (in the North Hall) ‘will highlight the more creative side of AV, including live events and broadcast’. Central Hall visitors can explore exhibitions on conferencing, command and control, digital signage solutions and ed tech, with dedicated areas providing sector-specific demos and talks. The Smart Workspace, for instance, “is a hands-on, immersive environment that demonstrates how people, spaces and technology come together to reduce friction and support collaboration.” The Retail Experience, meanwhile, combines the latest in experiential tech to, Heinold explains, illustrate the way “integrated systems influence behaviour, increase revenue and drive decisions. “Also placed in Central Hall,” continues Heinold, “the Vision Stage provides a view of where the pro AV industry is headed next. It offers a forward-looking glance at AV, from product announcements and hands-on demonstrations to expert trend forecasting.” Just a short walk away, in LVCC’s North Hall, play defines the show floor. The Pitch will focus on football (that’s soccer when in Vegas) – and how broadcast and live event production are converging to cover it. The new Spotlight Stage, also within the play area, will “immerse attendees in the media technologies
The Convention Center will be home to talks, workshops, tech demos and more
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