1. Collab wars

The race to build bigger, better and smarter collaboration technology hasn’t slowed down in the last year. It seems every second press release I receive is for a camera or a video bar, or a presentation tool of some sort. The ubiquity of such technology means that there are new players entering the arena all of the time – players that might have played primarily in the consumer space before now. As more of these guys enter the space, I expect we’ll see more ‘entry-level’ offerings from traditional manufacturers in this space, which, in turn, will hopefully create brand loyalty.

2. Get in loser, we’re going shopping

Retail was one of those industries that both suffered and prospered during the pandemic. On the one hand, the brick-and-mortar stores pulled the shutters, but on the other, most stores shifted the entirety of their focus to offering goods and services online. In one sense, it took the personal experience out of our shopping but hey, it was convenient and landed on our doorstep in jig time.

The focus now is on bringing those shoppers back to the bricks and mortar, and technology will play a big role in that. As costs come down for LEDs and other technology, expect digital signage and interactive technology (especially wearables) to enhance even the most straightforward of shopping trips.

3. New power generation

Going green is something that a lot of manufacturers have started to address in various sustainability efforts, while universities across the world are looking at new ways to harness power – two that spring to mind are an algae-powered battery, and an indoor solar cell that can harness power from indoor laps fluorescent lamps and LEDs.

With the IoT predicted to grow massively in the coming years, the question of how to keep all of these products running is becoming ever more pertinent, particularly in Europe where power cuts are all but promised as other world events play out. Interestingly, the 8K Association recently highlighted new EU legislation coming down the line that will set power limits so low that 8K TVs won’t meet the regulations. Interesting times ahead…

4. Not back by popular demand

When a similar point was my first prediction of last year, I hadn’t thought it would still be quite so relevant at this stage of the year, but it seems that most integrators and distributors have been battling supply chain challenges again this year, with stock gone off the shelves before it even hits the warehouse.

As a result, people are turning to alternate solutions in order to fulfil orders and complete jobs – whether they’re different protocols like NDI, or opting for software-based solutions, it will be interesting to see how many of these temporary or short-term solutions become a more permanent option, as supply chain issues continue to level out. As previously unavailable solutions come back into circulation, it may be that the world has moved on from some of them.

5. An empty staff room

There’s been a heck of a lot of terminology in this space over the past 12 months – we started with the Great Resignation, coming off the back of probably a lot of existential soul-searching during lockdowns, and people re-evaluating their situation. The most recent terms are ‘quiet quitting’ (zero fun, if you’re going to do it, do it loud!) and even ‘quiet firing’ which is just another term for being passive-aggressive, but I digress…

Staffing challenges have persisted in the AV industry this year, and while there have been positive steps in the right direction (CEDIA is doing Trojan work in this space), there needs to be mainstream recognition of the industry as an essential service, and not just an offshoot of electrical work or similar.