Well, that was one for the books!
If I had to describe my InfoComm 2022 experience in a few words, I would have to say “tiring, but worth it”. I am extremely grateful to have the opportunity to attend with AVNation and I hope *fingers crossed* I get to go to next year’s tradeshow in Orlando, FL. My week consisted of early morning, long walks, and so many AV solutions. Allow me to breakdown my week:
Tuesday, June 7
I landed in Vegas around 7:00 a.m. PT and was off to the races. I thought I would have time to breathe once I got to my hotel, but that was not in the cards for me.
Once I sat my stuff down, I trekked from the North Hall to the West Hall to pick up my badges, checking out the final touches to all the booths. This was when I got my first taste of what my days would consist of: a lot of walking. Who knew I would be clocking in about 20,000 steps in the span of an hour.
After collecting my badges, eating a delicious breakfast, and an impromptu Target run for final touches to our studio, it was time for the first networking event of InfoComm. I got the chance to attend Sony’s Customer Reception party at the Kassi Beach House in the Virgin Hotel. Although intimidating at first since this was my first professional party ever, I was able to make a couple of new connections before I headed to my next event.
I capped my evening off with our end user event, Fuse Party, at the Minus 5 Icebar. The cool environment was the perfect setting to escape the Vegas heat. It was nice chatting not only about our platform Fuse but to garner some advice and excitement about InfoComm 2022. What a fantastic introduction to what’s to come in the days to come.
Wednesday, June 8
It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for: InfoComm Day 1! Day one was probably the busiest day for me, with some much to see in so little time. My day started with an early morning press event at Sony’s booth in the North Hall. There, the company discussed new projects and solutions they’ll be unveiling at this year’s InfoComm. Some key items that personally stood out to me were the Spatial Reality Display and the new Crystal LED C-Series displays.
Once done walking around Sony’s booth, it was time to journey over to Crestron’s booth in the West Hall. Once there, we were given a rundown on what Crestron was showcasing at this year’s event from updates to its NVX software to new hybrid conferencing solutions.
After my morning obligations, it was time to tag along with Rich Fregosa and the rest of the floor team to AtlasIED’s booth for our coverage of InfoComm. After the interview, it was time to head to a special recording of A State of Control with host Steve Greenblatt in the Starin booth.
Since my next obligation was in the North Hall, I decided to head that way to check out what they had to offer. I must say, it was a sensory overload when I walked in but seeing the wide range of solutions was worth it. Some standouts I saw while walking around was the emphasis on XR studios in the workplace and how these massive displays can be used for a range of solutions.
Next, it was time for back-to-back press events, the first at Jetbuilt’s booth where they discussed new updates to their project management systems. Then it was off to QSC where they discussed their new Q-SYS platform powering smartAV. The event ended with a send-off to Cory Schaeffer, who was retiring from QSC.
Finally, it was time for our annual Tweetup event, a nice way to wrap up Day 1 of InfoComm. There were drinks, there was food, and an opportunity to take a picture with Flat Matt since the real one, host of ResiWeek Matt Scott, couldn’t make it. My night ended with me dancing and singing at Peerless AV’s after-party at Zouk Nightclub.
Thursday, June 9
Another early day for me, thanks to the Samsung press event. The tour started off in a meeting room where we previewed The Wall All-in-One solution. After that, we headed to their booth where they showcased a wide range of hardware including new interactive whiteboards, self-serve kiosks, and EV charging stations. When it was time to head over to the West Hall, we traveled in style thanks to the Tesla tunnels carrying folks between the North Hall and the West Hall.
After the tour, it was time to hit the tradeshow floor for more interviews during InfoComm Day 2. I followed around our team as they interviewed a slew of booths including Zoom, Avocor, Biamp, and Starin conducted by the charismatic Brian Heidgerken. We wrapped up our interviews at Legrand’s booth.
Once that was done, it was time to celebrate with the AVNation team at Alexxa’s in the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. During this time, I got to truly experience Vegas: gamble at the slot machines. To close out Day 2 of InfoComm, we headed to CTI’s Tech on Tap event at the Springhill Suites.
Friday, June 10
Although not as strenuous as the other two days, InfoComm Day 3 was still exciting. I spent the first part of my day following around our floor crew with stops at Shure, FSR, and Sennheiser. Then before I headed to the airport, I was a guest on the InfoComm-themed AVWeek where we talked about the show, moments that stood out to us, and what we would do differently for next time. I used to just sit in on these episodes and just absorb all the knowledge from these industry professionals and now I get to talk on there!
InfoComm 2022 was certainly a time I will not forget. I am truly beyond blessed to do something like this and call it my job. I hope I get to see a lot of you at the next tradeshow, but until then you can follow me on Twitter.