CEDIA has led global activations for Smart Home Day, bringing together smart home technology integrators and design and build professionals through educational webinars, networking opportunities and industry resources.

The initiative focused on encouraging greater collaboration between the technology and design sectors, highlighting the role of integrated technology in shaping modern homes.

CEDIA global president and chief executive Daryl Friedman says the department had brought a renewed focus to the relationship between technology and residential design.

“Smart Home Day 2026 was particularly special as it was CEDIA’s first with a dedicated design and build department in place. With that, we brought a fresh focus to the intersection of technology and design,” he says.

The program included a webinar hosted by the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) and Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS), Home Theatres and Media Rooms: A Design-Forward Approach, as well as a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) webinar Designing the Connected Home.

CEDIA also provided members with a campaign toolkit containing customisable social media graphics and captions, logos, advertisements and a press release template. Additional resources included articles exploring the relationship between technology and design, alongside an inspiration gallery featuring CEDIA Award-winning homes.

Members were encouraged to organise their own activities, including showroom events, networking with design and build professionals and social media campaigns.

CEDIA Design and Build director Andrea Harvey says the event provided an opportunity to strengthen connections between designers and technology professionals.

“As a designer who now has the privilege of working within the CEDIA channel on a daily basis, every day feels a little like Smart Home Day to me. But I know that’s not the case for every designer,” Andrea says.

“Having a dedicated day on the calendar makes design and tech collaboration impossible to ignore and gives us an opportunity to bring more people into the conversation.”