Fall Integrators Meeting 2024 Recap

That’s a Wrap on Edge Fall Integrators Meeting 2024

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 in Irvine, California, on Sept. 24-26 where the sunny skies welcomed travelers from across the country.

Collaboration is key to our collective success, and our events are a catalyst for that effort. We had 27 member companies, and our elite partners represented, which provided great opportunities for networking, especially because we had a few new faces in the group. If you attended, we hope you had a great event and brought some insight back to the office with you. If you did not attend, take a look at what you missed below, and we hope to see you at the next one.

Tuesday, Sept. 24

QSC Tour and Welcome Dinner

We kicked off the event with a tour of the new QSC facility, which certainly was impressive on many fronts. The Experience Center and production studio were highlights, along with “a behind the scenes” look at how their products are made. After the tour, we ended the night with a wonderful dinner at II Fornaio. As always, the Edge network spent their time catching up with one another.

Wednesday, Sept. 25

Keynote Workshop: Utilizing Artificial Intelligence to Revolutionize Your Organization with Sally Dominguez

Day two began with our keynote speaker, Sally Dominguez, bringing AI speak to a more practical level. She highlighted the importance of how to use AI properly and focused on a few tools of the trade to help the journey.

Fireside Chat with Joe Pham of QSC

After a few exciting Edge updates, Joe Pham, QSC chairman and CEO, took the stage for a fireside chat to explore the dynamic landscape of the AV industry and the strategic direction of one of its foremost companies. Joe put QSC on a path to become more than “just an amplifier company,” and walked us through the many stages of difficult changes that needed to occur along the way. He reviewed his thoughts on AI as well, and how technology has rapidly changed the landscape of our industry and our culture. Joe snuck a few Taylor Swift references in and tried his best to convince us they were inspired by his daughter!

Swell - Gain Your Edge

Swell, an Edge Marketing Agency, Managing Director Marissa Vacek highlighted a recent case study with Trinity Dynamics and gave an update on Swell promotions for Edge members. Be sure to schedule a call with Swell today to receive a FREE marketing audit!

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Fireside Chat with Dave Labuskes of AVIXA

Next up was our second fireside chat of the day with AVIXA President Dave Labuskes. It only took one question to get Dave going as he went deep into how AVIXA has transitioned the organization to more than just an event company. This was accelerated due to the pandemic and highlighted a common theme of our meeting – making changes to stay relevant involves tough, but necessary decisions. Not everyone will come along for the ride, and you may need to look in new places to find your future path. We also touched on InfoComm, Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) and additional shows around the world, which we learned India is currently growing the fastest.

Facilitated Integrator Breakouts and Partner Meetings

Edge integrators and sponsors discussed several topics among the tables, which they later shared with the group. The combined mindshare that this group represents is second to none, and the sharing of ideas is at the heart of what makes the Edge network tick. Alongside the roundtables, we weaved in our partner one-on-one sessions, so we covered quite a bit of ground during the afternoon.

Awards Dinner on Balboa Island

This led us to our awards dinner out on Balboa Island where we celebrated the achievements of our members, sang a few songs and laughed at some caricature drawings of those brave enough to sit for the artists.

2024 AWARD WINNERS

Thursday, Sept. 26

AVIXA State of the Industry with Sean Wargo

Day three was led by Sean Wargo, vice president of market intelligence at AVIXA. The data insights Sean brings to the table are extremely valuable for the Edge network as we get a glimpse into how the overall industry is performing and which segments are doing better than others.

Strengthening Your Leadership Pipeline: Are You Prepared for the Future?

Brooke Erickson, director of learning and development for PSA and Edge, closed out the event with a discussion on succession planning and brought in John Mitton from Red Thread to showcase how he is applying her plan. Brooke left us with tools to identify who in your organization could be the next leader and how to move the process forward.