CEDIA is announcing two advances in its ongoing strategic mission to boost industry education, grow the workforce, enhance global accessibility, and raise the profile of CEDIA members with industry partners and homeowners. CEDIA has launched a new website with features designed to create a tailored experience for all users, as well as a new online learning platform, CEDIA Academy, rebuilt from the ground up to better connect with learners where they are and move them to the next level.
The organisation says debut of the new website and CEDIA Academy not only move the strategic mission forward, but these developments also align with CEDIA’s continuing CEDIASTRONG campaign, designed as a unifying initiative designed to empower, educate, and inspire members and stakeholders in the industry as they navigate new realities arising from the global COVID-19 pandemic.
“The new website and launch of CEDIA Academy represent dramatic progress in our drive to be the leading education and certification resource for the industry and to serve as the global industry connection point for everyone from integrators and manufacturers, to those in the design/build community, to homeowners,” says CEDIA Global President and Chief Executive Officer, Tabatha O’Connor. “The user experiences on the site and learning platform are world-class and have been precisely crafted by our team using expert input. The new digital tools bring tremendous value and illustrate CEDIA’s everlasting commitment to our members, no matter the challenges.”
The industry body says CEDIA Academy is loaded with a robust line up of meticulously-designed courses, which support learners in any stage of their career and lead them along well-formulated pathways. Over 100 hours of online training — more interactive than ever before — are now available, with more planned to come online by the end of the year.
CEDIA Vice President of Education and Training, Samantha Ventura adds, “The industry is demanding a workforce that is well-prepared and well-rounded, with education that must be accessible virtually anywhere — CEDIA delivers on these mandates with our new platform and courses. We’ve made tremendous strides with more globally-accessible, customised, and expert-driven courses through an exceptional platform, with many courses localised for the EMEA region.”
For the launch of CEDIA Academy there has been a focus on an expanded and revised pathway for those who are new to the industry, as well as more advanced courses in AV-over-IP and cybersecurity.
Additional learning pathways are under active development with topics ranging from business operations to mastering cash flow to project management and growing and retaining talent, and many more. CEDIA will share details about new courses as they become available.
CEDIA Academy is accessible through the newly-designed CEDIA.net, which consolidates the powerful resources of several of CEDIA’s global online assets.
The new CEDIA website offers a tailored experience for all users — this customisation extends from how member benefits are presented to the content presented to builders, designers, and architects to the features served up to homeowners interested in what integrators, the industry, and organisation are all about. The user experience was driven heavily by the expertise of CEDIA staff and subject matter experts inside and outside the industry.
“The new website pulls together the resources of five previously-separated CEDIA websites, streamlining the experience for members, partners, and those interested in the industry,” CEDIA Director of Marketing, Desiree Friedman says. “Anyone using the site will immediately notice its deep personalisation and how it exquisitely showcases — in a consistent, highly-visual way — the beautiful work of our members. Components like the Find a Pro feature have been heavily enhanced to offer a customised experience to better spotlight CEDIA members. The site is a culmination of months and months of research and strategy.”
CEDIA.net offers a refreshed, image-forward feel that is designed to unify a wealth of resources that had resided on several different global CEDIA websites. Additional key features and improvements include: revamped navigation format; wider access for CEDIA members to submit their work to potentially be showcased through the CEDIA Inspiration Gallery; and refined messaging that better illustrates the value of working with or becoming a CEDIA member.
The CEDIA Designer (TCD) software tool, which allows integrators to create technically-accurate dedicated cinema or media room designs in minutes, also received an upgrade with a new microsite.
The CEDIADesigner.net fully details the advantages of incorporating the revolutionary software into an integrator’s business and all the technology brands and products available in TCD.
“The hard work and collaboration that went into this massive undertaking have been remarkable,” Tabatha adds. “Kudos to our Education, Marketing, and IT teams for their extraordinary efforts to pull off these monumental projects.”