Daniel J SaitA Journey into the CEDIA Smart Home Awards: A First-Time Entrant’s Story by IndigoZest.
Entering the CEDIA Smart Home Awards for the first time can be a daunting prospect, but for IndigoZest, it turned out to be a milestone achievement. Chhaya Landschultz, Lighting Designer and Director at IndigoZest, shares the company’s journey into the prestigious awards, the challenges they faced and why they believe every integrator should consider taking part.
Overcoming Initial Hesitations
For years, we have been aware of the CEDIA Smart Home Awards but had been hesitant to enter. We have always kept an eye on the requirements, but the roadblock for us was the extensive documentation required, which seemed overwhelming given the resources needed.
However, we noticed that last year, CEDIA streamlined the submission process a little, breaking it down into clearer steps, which made it more manageable for first-time entrants like IndigoZest.
Completing a Submission
Recognising that preparation was key, we changed our approach. Rather than scrambling to gather documentation retrospectively, we aligned our project documentation with the award requirements from the outset of new projects.
This helped a lot because we were not trying to piece everything together last minute. We still had to collate it properly for the submission, but having it all ready made the process smoother.
Our efforts paid off and, despite our initial apprehensions, we were named a finalist for our first-ever submission. We were thrilled. Honestly, we did not expect it, especially knowing who we were up against, but it was such a great achievement to get our entry over the line and we celebrated this internally with the team.
Encouraging Other Integrators
For those who are considering entering the CEDIA Smart Home Awards but are feeling hesitant, my advice is to just go for it.
Now that we have submitted once, we feel like we want to keep doing it. The recognition is fantastic but, more than that, it is a personal achievement. At first, it seems like a lot of work and you might wonder if it is worth it. But if you start early, you will find you already have most of the documentation – you just need to organise it.
I encourage new entrants to focus on the process rather than the outcome. Do not think about winning – think about submitting an entry as the achievement.
Building a Culture of Recognition
Beyond the awards themselves, the entry process has had a positive impact on the IndigoZest team. It has fostered a mindset where we actively consider which projects could be worthy of submission, leading to higher standards across the board.
The team is now thinking ahead. Our project managers have started asking, ‘Do you think this one is good for submission?’ It has shifted our company culture to recognise the quality of our work.
For us, entering the CEDIA Smart Home Awards was not just about recognition; it was about growth, learning and striving for excellence. We hope to see other first-time entrants get involved with the programme this year.
If you want to enter the 2025 CEDIA Smart Home Awards, visit www.cedia.org/awards. The CEDIA Smart Home Awards programme will remain open for entries until April 11, 2025 for Integrator categories and June 6 for Business, Individual and Manufacturer Product categories. The early bird deadline for Manufacturer Product categories is May 6, 2025.