The attendance numbers are in for CEDIA Expo 2023 and inaugural, co-located Commercial Integrator Expo (CIX), and they reflect the optimism and enthusiasm expressed on the busy show floor and conference programs during the event. Overall, the Sept. 7-9 expos, held in Denver, announced 15,541 total combined registrants with a verified attendance of 12,848 industry professionals – a 7.6% increase from last year’s 11,946. 

Indeed, the industry appeared to continue its post-pandemic momentum at the Colorado Convention Center following a solid attendance for CEDIA Expo 2022 in Dallas. Show attendees to Denver came from all 50 U.S. states and 21 countries. 

“CEDIA Expo 2023 and Commercial Integrator Expo 2023 were bustling with industry professionals experiencing the newest tech and learning about trends in the residential and commercial audiovisual industry,” states Jason McGraw, CTS, group vice president for CEDIA Expo, Commercial Integrator Expo and KBIS, Emerald. “An energy and buzz of excitement was evident on the crowded show floor!”

The co-located events featured 340 exhibitors with 154,400 net square feet of exhibits, and welcomed over 32% first-time attendees and 94 first-time exhibitors. Last year, 41% of the attendees were CEDIA Expo first-timers.

CIX 2023 Provides Extra Lift to Strong CEDIA Expo Attendance

Exhibitor totals included 50 on the Commercial Integrator Expo side, helping fill the Colorado Convention Center with 7.3% more exhibitors than last year’s Expo, while the show floor added over 11,000 net square feet of exhibitor and Smart Stage session space.

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“With 48% of CEDIA Expo and Commercial Integrator Expo attendees reporting that they also serve commercial markets in addition to residential, the growth in resimercial opportunities was clearly evident at this year’s shows,” McGraw adds.

On the education side, the CEDIA Expo conference schedule was impressive and well attended. The “All Access Conference” featured 100 sessions, attended by more than 700 Expo registrants. Manufacturers offered more than 120 trainings combined from a technology cross-section of 30 exhibitors.

Meanwhile, one of the most anticipated activities beyond the show floor was the first CEDIA AI Symposium, a half-day program that took place the day before exhibits opened. Approximately 75 custom industry executives and leaders attended the AI Symposium to get a better sense from presenters on how AI may impact various elements of the CEDIA channel.

The numbers for the inaugural Commercial Integrator Expo were just as encouraging for a new show with adjacent markets and technologies as CEDIA Expo.

The first CIX event included: 50 exhibitors; roughly 10,000 net square feet of exhibitor space; and 500+ registrants.

“We had fantastic shows in Denver! The show floor was packed with the latest gear from the industry’s leading brands and thousands of smiling integrators, designers, reps, builders, architects and tech managers,” McGraw remarks. “It’s a great feeling to have the industry come together to discover, learn and connect.”

Special Events, Smart Stage, Networking Fun Add to Expos’ Allure

Networking and special events held at CEDIA Expo included the CE Pro All-Star Band Opening Reception, CE Pro BEST & Home of the Year Awards, CEDIA Advocacy Town Hall, Technology Designer’s Day of Discovery and the Women in Consumer Technology Luncheon. These added to the overall reconnection opportunities among attendees and industry colleagues.

Just like with CEDIA Expo, the conference portion of CIX proved compelling. Among the highlights were the NSCA BizSkills Day with sessions focused on sales, operations, project management and finance; Digital Signage Federation’s (DSF) Digital Signage Day, which offered nine sessions covering all aspects of a digital signage project; and a whopping 18 more sessions hosted on the CIX Conference Stage, including IMCCA unified communications and collaboration track topics.

Not to mention that the wide-ranging and jam-packed CEDIA Expo Smart Stage schedule addressed several topics with commercial crossover appeal for residential integrators, such as panels featuring DSF and IMCCA, enterprise-grade networking, and 8K display technologies.

Exhibitors were energized by this year’s co-located expos, as there’s more crossover than ever. Plus, the overall buzz on the show floor at the Colorado Convention Center was palpable from manufacturers and attendees.

“The show was an immense success – one of our best in years, if not the best,” enthuses Patrick Laidlaw, director of business development – integration at AiSPiRE/WAC Lighting, one of the increasingly numerous exhibitors in the lighting fixtures category.

“We scanned over 2,000 people in our booth, and we have a large amount we did not get scanned. The industry as a whole advances every time there is a successful show and delivery of new products and platforms. Attendees were in good spirits and receptive to information shared, all good news.”

Optimism is already running high for even larger attendance next year – 85% of CEDIA Expo and CIX exhibitor space has been rebooked for 2024, according to McGraw. Next year’s CEDIA Expo 2024 and Commercial Integrator Expo 2024 will be staged September 4–7, 2024, again at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. 

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