Why AV Isn’t Just About Hardware Anymore—Reflections from InfoComm

If InfoComm 2025 showed us anything, it's that the pro AV industry is evolving beyond cables, codecs, and control panels. Walking the show floor, it was easy to get pulled into a demo with surround sound, immersive lighting, and 20-foot video walls. And while the innovation was impressive (and sometimes downright dazzling), it reinforced a truth that leaders in higher ed, corporate, and government tech teams already feel:

Great AV isn’t just about hardware anymore. It’s about strategy.

Hardware Alone Can’t Fix a Fragmented AV Ecosystem

One of the biggest risks coming out of events like InfoComm is chasing what we call "the shiny object syndrome."

You see a room system with touchless everything, AI-powered camera tracking, or ultra-low latency displays and you think, we need that. But if you’re not asking, How does this fit into our standards? Our user workflows? Our global support model? then you’re not building a system. You’re buying a box.

Modern AV needs to function like an ecosystem. It needs to be:

• Repeatable and scalable
• Easy to monitor and support remotely
• Secure and upgradable
• Designed with user experience in mind

The conversations that matter most now are about how to design and manage AV environments... not just what gear to buy.

From Project Thinking to Platform Thinking

InfoComm reinforced something we've been saying for a while: AV can't be treated like a string of isolated projects. As organizations scale, AV strategy must shift toward platform thinking.

That means standardizing room types, aligning vendors, integrating monitoring and management tools, and developing a long-term lifecycle plan.

In our pre-show blog Your AV Standards Checklist for InfoComm, we encouraged teams to ask better questions. Questions like:

• Does this solution integrate with what we already use?

• Can it be rolled out across 50 rooms or just one?

• How easy is it to support, upgrade, and monitor remotely?

These questions still apply... even more now that the lights have dimmed and you're back at your desk.

The Shift Toward Service and Support

InfoComm also confirmed a growing trend: AVaaS, lifecycle support, and experience-focused services are taking center stage.

Whether it's remote monitoring, enterprise-wide AV program management, or standardization-as-a-service, organizations are no longer just buying tech—they're investing in ongoing reliability.

Because let’s be honest: It’s no longer acceptable for AV systems to be inconsistent, unmonitored, or undocumented. From missed meetings to frustrated users and IT burnout, the cost of a poorly integrated system is too high.

The modern expectation is this: AV should just work. And when it doesn’t, support should be one click (not one truck roll) away.

User Experience Is Now the Barometer of AV Success

All of this converges around one central theme: User experience is the new ROI.

AV solutions have to be easy to use, consistent across spaces, and supported by standards that ensure reliability. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when AV is part of the strategy from day one, not an afterthought during installation.

If your systems require user training manuals the size of a phone book, it might be time to re-evaluate.

Where to Go From Here

Whether you attended InfoComm or are just catching the highlights, the biggest takeaway is this:

AV is no longer just about hardware. It’s about ecosystems. It’s about experience. And it’s about planning.

So before you act on that new piece of gear you saw at the show, pause and ask:

• Does it align with our standards?

• Is our AV strategy documented?

• Are we approaching AV as a platform, not just a project?

If the answer is no, you're not alone and you're not too late.

Let’s Talk AV Strategy

We believe the future of AV lies in strategy, standardization, and service... and we’d love to help you get there.

Get in touch to start a conversation about where your AV ecosystem is today, and where it could go tomorrow.