Jordan O'BrienFollowing CE Pro Europe’s exclusive interview with new CEDIA CEO Vin Bruno, the exec has taken to Twitter to answer questions posed by the community.
The question and answer session featured people from all over the world asking Vin questions about everything from CEDIA’s education commitment to the industry as a whole.
Below are a subset of questions answered by CEDIA’s new CEO, Vin Bruno:
Are there plans to expand CEDIA AV education to more colleges similar to Madison Media Institute associates program?
Absolutely! We are always vetting new education partnerships like MMI.
We know that finding qualified integrators is a particular concern for members. We recognise the challenge and have been working hard to take action to help build that pipeline of qualified individuals to serve in our industry.
Our ESPA initiative with partners CEA and NSCA is an opportunity to introduce both high school and college students to integration as a career path.
The program provides young adults training to make them marketable, while developing a skilled workforce for our industry.
Is CEDIA looking at a legislative or lobbying component? What about advocacy in net neutrality?
We have a government affairs department that works incredibly hard tracking and fighting legislation that would make it hard for CEDIA members to do business.
In 2015 alone, CEDIA has tracked, monitored and lobbied 149 bills in 40 states.
Our victories at the state level for licensing so far this year have been in New Jersey, Kentucky and Texas.
When it comes to net neutrality, we monitor the issue closely and realise the potential impact for our members; should a coalition form that supports our members we will certainly join.
What is the official name for the profession: systems integrators, custom installers, technicians, AV unicorns?
What a timely question as I have had this conversation multiple times with multiple groups during the CEDIA show.
It is a great debate across the industry, though AV unicorn is a new one!
We are working to come to a consensus so we can present a united front not only to the industry, but also to the consumer audience so they understand how to find CEDIA professionals.
IoT security is a growing concern in the connected home. How will CEDIA be addressing this concern?
We are partnering with CABA to do market research regarding the current realities of cyber security in the home.
This information will help CEDIA create the proper education needed for our members to keep their clients as safe as possible.
The ANSI CEA/CEDIA R10 Residential Systems Working Group has initiated projects regarding IoT and security for residential networks including design and installation best practices for the products going into homes. This work is critical for the health of the industry.
What differences do you see in the roles between CEDIA and InfoComm? Do you see a united show at some point similar to ISE?
We are fortunate to have a great partnership with InfoComm for Integrated Systems Europe, making it the highly successful show it is.
We have no plans to unite our shows in North America. CEDIA and InfoComm both have great opportunities to serve the needs of our memberships in their respective channels so we will continue to each host targeted shows.
What topics will be necessary for the CEDIA membership to become educated on in the coming months?
We cannot emphasise enough the importance of our members learning the ins-and-outs of the home network, it is vital to their survival in the industry.
The number of connected devices is only increasing and the home network is the heartbeat that keeps it all moving.
CEDIA has built excellent training programs including a certification ESC-N (Electronic Systems Certified Networking Specialist) to help integrators get up to speed.
What have you noticed about the show attending as CEO?
I’ve had so many positive conversations with people from every corner of the industry.
The energy and enthusiasm of both exhibitors and attendees has been incredible. You can feel the show floor pulsing – from the packed Opening Keynote and CEDIA Talks to the companies in Innovation Alley who are diving into their first CEDIA experience.
I’m getting to see such a full picture of our industry and it is thriving!