News

InfoComm/ICIA and Custom Retailer Announce Partnership for Residential Pavilion (15/4/2005)

Magazine Sponsors New Showcase as Expo Projects Records

The International Communications Industries Association, Inc.(R) (ICIA(R)) and North American Publishing Company's (NAPCO) Consumer Technology Publishing Group announced that Custom Retailer, a leading NAPCO monthly magazine, will be the media sponsor for the first Residential Pavilion at ICIA's upcoming InfoComm International(R) tradeshow, June 4-10, 2005, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

InfoComm is the largest conference and exhibition for audiovisual and communications professionals, systems integrators, design consultants, rental and staging companies, production studios, dealers, independent representatives and buyers from more than 15 vertical markets.

NAPCO publishes and operates 15 magazines, one tradeshow, five subscription services, and a number of directories and online services for the several markets it serves. Custom Retailer, published by NAPCO's Consumer Technology Publishing Group, provides in-depth coverage of technologies and strategies for specialty consumer electronics retailers.

The Residential Pavilion will create for attendees an unparalleled opportunity to learn more about home theater systems, residential lighting devices and controllers, high-definition displays, residential audio systems, security systems, electronics, home automation, satellite equipment, networking hardware and software, and home entertainment furnishings and accessories.

The new sponsorship agreement comes as this year's InfoComm is expected to be larger and more exciting than ever, with over 725 companies expected to exhibit and 25,000 professionals expected to attend. More than 95 percent of the Show's anticipated 350,000 net square feet of exhibit space, including special events, has already been sold.

In keeping with the Show's growing attendance, InfoComm is expanding in new ways designed to respond to its audience's broadening needs. The Residential Pavilion addresses the increasingly sophisticated residential market growing here and around the world, and the strong desire by InfoComm's professional AV community for greater participation in this marketplace. Among dealers attending the show, 75 percent have expressed an interest in exploring residential opportunities, while nearly 25 percent of pro-AV dealers in the U.S., and 30 percent in Europe, already serve the residential market. This makes residential the top choice for North American and European pro-AV dealers and integrators who plan to enter new markets in the next three years.

"The residential marketplace represents a significant area of growth for AV professionals," said Randal A. Lemke, Ph.D., ICIA Executive Director. "The Residential Pavilion reinforces InfoComm's position as the one show to visit as a comprehensive source for new technology products and services, education, and networking - especially for pro-AV solutions providers crossing over to residential assignments."

The Residential Pavilion, already 70-percent sold, will feature electronic products, services and technologies for the home, including those designed for networking, security, lighting, and technology integration, as well as the Ultimate Home Theater, a state-of-the-art demonstration room sponsored by Optoma Technology. Pavilion exhibitors that include Sharp, Electrograph Systems, Orion PDP Co. Ltd., Krystalvision, Elite Screens, Lumagen, Perdue Acoustics, SunBriteTV and Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH, and many more, will highlight the latest residential trends and technologies as areas of growth for the pro-AV communications marketplace.

"We're very pleased to be working with InfoComm and ICIA on this project and in general," said Eric Schwartz, President and Publishing Director of Custom Retailer. "We look forward to the Residential Pavilion contributing to the growing interest and expertise of pro-AV solutions providers in residential types of products and services."

Augmenting the Pavilion's attraction as an anchor for residential opportunities, InfoComm 05 will also showcase residential events and activities. Among them are the AVolution NextGen Home, a sophisticated home-of-the-future demonstration showing cutting-edge technologies, ranging from advanced electronics to super-strong, energy- efficient building materials; and a CEDIA(R) residential education track, sponsored by the Custom Electronic Design Installation Association(R), to educate the professional and commercial side of the industry to the residential arena.

www.infocommshow.org