2020 Year In Review
2020 was a year like none other. USAV started off with a plan to expand internationally, to engage more with our integrators and our partners and have events scheduled for the first six months. We were ready to hit the ground running, with the first leg of strategic initiatives occurring in Amsterdam at ISE including a lot of meaningful meetings with potential international partners. We also continued to strengthen existing partnerships and depend on those connections. There was a whisper around the show floor about the Coronavirus and the few vendors that pulled out of ISE last minute, but the show still attracted over 52,000 people. While that was a decrease, it was still a big turnout for an international show with the world on the brink of a global pandemic. Two weeks later we headed to Dallas for our annual Spring Partner Meeting and NSCA’s BLC. Our meeting was the most attended in the history of USAV and it was a perfect blend of education, networking and fun events. Followed up by BLC, it proved to be an incredible week of networking and relationship building. Who would have guessed that would be the last time we traveled in 2020?
Author: Patrick Whipkey, Director of USAV
Welcome March and the world began to lock down and all sporting events canceled. Everyone moves to working remote, and disaster recovery workforce actions kick in. Schools are closed and the world is in a state of confusion and panic. There are more questions than answers at this point and small businesses begin to grow more concerned. During this time, USAV consulted with the dealer advisory council (DAC) and the decision was made to hold town hall meetings to help share information and keep the group strong. We started with weekly meetings since the information was changing so rapidly. Each week was new information from industry experts to help our partner network navigate the waters of HR, taxes, PPP loans and overall company morale. These weekly meetings proved invaluable for our integrators and our vendor partners. March turned into April and then to May and things started to pick up thanks to the PPP loan.
We began to see the commercial AV landscape change depending on the various regions of the country. The east and west coast were shut down while middle America and Florida resembled business as usual. Work carried on in these parts meanwhile major cities across the US continued to be locked down and the corporate world continued to support remote workforce with large technology companies reinforcing the decisions. Our integration partners saw growth in the education and government sectors as well as the residential market due to home offices being assembled. Some pivoted quicker than others and everyone focused on their business operations to reduce cost and maintain cash flow.
During the summertime, we saw the US begin to open up and outdoor dining became the hit thing. Staycations, backyard BBQ’s and restricted summer fun were all happening with social distancing practices in place. Masks were now mainstream and everyone was doing their part to stay safe. Testing became more routine and the understanding of the virus was widespread. We heard whispers of a vaccine but no date as to when everyone would receive it. Integrators were picking up with summer projects and things were looking better with the number of active cases dropping. Virtual meetings were now normal and people started to get creative with happy hours and bring their pets to work. The new normal was here and everyone was already sick of that phrase. Plenty of questions remained as to when everyone would go back to the office. What will office life look like? When will concerts and large group gatherings resume?
The leaves began to change, and Fall was upon us. Vaccine information was happening on a more frequent basis and the major pharmaceuticals began to forecast dates for distribution. This provided hope to everyone and we began to see an increase in travel and gatherings. Schools opened on a limited basis and things started to seem “normal.” Integrators continued to wrap up projects summer projects that had pushed from early spring. This was the beginning to the end as the air got colder and the spikes in cases were on the rise. States began to lock down again and put restrictions on holiday gatherings. Typically, December is a very busy time for integrators as it is usually the end of the fiscal year and companies have money to spend. Companies scramble to complete as many projects as possible to boost the bottom line but it’s far from what it was a year ago. Integrators are now focusing on the first quarter of 2021 with the concern of a very quiet quarter with things still in lockdown and no return to office date.
2020 was by far the most challenging year for everyone since 2008. There were a lot of questions and unknowns. The goal for a lot of companies was to remain flat or only slightly down from the previous year. Some companies saw growth which they can attribute to having a diverse offering. From commercial to residential, IT to security. The more offerings they had the better chances their business survived. In 2021, we will have a vaccine that will be actively being administered. We are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We need to remain strong; we need to continue to stand together as a community and help each other. 2020 showed just how important our partner network is and how much we need to continue to grow together. There were a lot of positive things that came out of this year; we stood up an international partner program and we added 14 integrators and 15 vendors. Those are big numbers in any year let alone a global pandemic year. We also lost a few along the way but that is part of life and we must take the wins with the losses. We are looking forward to a brighter 2021 and our hope remains that we will all be able to meet in person and celebrate the growth and evolution from surviving to thriving.