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CEDIA Dropping The Term ‘Integrator,’ CEO Says At PowerHouse Pow-Wow

Vincent Bruno, CEO of CEDIA, delivered the keynote address at the PowerHouse Alliance’s fourth annual national sales meeting last month, where he called for an end to the industry term “integrator.”

The event, held in Chicago, brought together each of the distributor coalition’s 12 members and 27 vendor partners to discuss market conditions and collaborate on marketing and sales tactics.

In his keynote, Bruno spoke of the opportunity for CEDIA to lead the industry and to change the perception of the dealer and integrator in the eyes of the consumer.

“What does the consumer search for online when they want speakers installed?” he asked. “Not an integrator. In order to bridge the gap between the end user and integrators, we need to speak the same language.”

As a starting point, CEDIA plans to drop the term “integrator” and replace it with “technologist,” PowerHouse reported.

Bruno also pushed for better collaboration between distributors and the A/V, entertainment and security sectors they serve.

“Home technology professionals are in a prime position to support the growing automation and security markets,” he said. “Trainings and support from distributors and vendors will be key to strengthening their place in the market.”

The PowerHouse Alliance, now in its seventh year, continues to focus on training and product support in CE, residential and commercial A/V, as well as home entertainment, IT and security markets for custom installers, specialty dealers, large retailers and industry buying groups.

Its annual sales meetings “give members the opportunity to connect and discuss products and trainings directly with vendors and other members, and to layout their game plan and tactics for the remainder of the year,” said executive director Dennis Holzer. “New, improved and additional member facilities and training efforts, as well as continuous improvement of strategies and quality vendor lines, all have contributed to our growth this year.”

Indeed, member distributors still have a full schedule of events on tap for August, including Ultimate Integration’s 4th Annual BBQ Bash and Trade Show this Thursday in Clifton, N.J.

Here’s the full lineup:

21st Century Distributing

Integration and Networking Courses
* Aug. 9-10: Orlando, Fla.
* Aug. 15-16: Atlanta, Ga.    
* Aug. 17-18: Nashville, Tenn.

CED (Consumer Electronics Distributors)

* Aug. 3: RTI Training, Northbrook, Ill.

ECD (Electronic Custom Distributors)

 Lutron Radio Ra2 Training
* Aug. 3: Houston, Texas (Bell & McCoy office)
*Aug. 4: Dallas (Lutron Design Center)

Ultimate Integration

* Aug. 4: 4th Annual BBQ Bash and Trade Show, Clifton, N.J.

Volutone

 Network Training
* Aug. 16: Simi Valley, Calif.
* Aug. 17: Van Nuys, Calif.
* Aug. 18: Cerritos, Calif.
* Aug. 23: Irvine, Calif.
* Aug. 25: San Diego
* Aug. 30: Ontario, Canada
* Sept. 1: Las Vegas

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