The move to Sydney from the Gold Coast for this year’s CEDIA Expo was highly successful, with 2,584 visitors and 830 exhibitors attending the three-day event at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour 15-17 July.
On display was a wide range of high-end audio/visual components, home automation technology, home cinema equipment, and a collection of the latest residential and commercial electronic systems and products.
While the global recession may have played a part in many trade shows this year, the CEDIA Expo experienced only a slight downturn in figures from 2008. The number of entries in this year’s CEDIA Electronic Lifestyles Awards was a record (82).
CEDIA manufacturer training was again well represented and registrations for the trade show were double that of previous years, indicating how important the show is to its members, electronic systems professionals, their trade suppliers and affiliates.
Special Announcement
At a special announcement during the show, CEDIA Asia Pacific Executive Director Stephen Miller said that Expo 2010 would be held in Melbourne in conjunction with the highly regarded trade exhibition, DesignBuild – from 23-25 June. The event will then return to Sydney – with DesignBuild – in 2011.
DesignBuild Exhibition Manager Steve Horsley said the partnership made great sense. He added that DesignBuild attracted 10,000 trade professionals each year, from architects through to building engineers to facilities managers.
He went on to congratulate CEDIA on this year’s event and said he looked forward to working together with the organisation over the next two years. In other CEDIA News, the annual Lifetime Achievement Award-winner this year was given to industry stalwart Brian Lee from Amber Technology.