More than 700 guests, including Crestron dealers, consultants, architects, lighting designers, media, and government officials took part in the three hour event. A buffet lunch was served, followed by a press conference, ribbon cutting, and group tours of the 8,000 square foot suite’s atrium-style grand salon, multimedia presentation room, digital boardroom, Theo Kalomirakis Home Theatre and expansive design studio. From all over the world, nearly 1,000 virtual visitors took part, watching live streaming video of the event from their computers.

“This marks an open invitation to our dealers to use this beautiful and functional space as an awesome sales tool,” said Vincent Bruno, Crestron Director of Marketing. “There is no better way to understand how effective and accessible our technology is, and how touchpanels and other interfaces can make the user experience simple, intuitive and enjoyable.”

Ron Callis, Jr., President of Firefly Design Group flew from Florida to attend the grand opening event, “The new Experience Center is an amazing testament to Crestron’s commitment to this industry. I can’t imagine a consultant or integrator that would bring a potential client to this facility and not close the deal.”

Prior to the start of the event, Bergen County (NJ) Executive Dennis McNerney presented a Certificate of Commendation to Crestron Founder and President George Feldstein. At 2pm ET, Mr. Feldstein addressed the audience, expressing his appreciation for everyone’s time and participation, and his positive outlook, commenting, “During these hard economic times, Crestron has actually been hiring. We’ve continued to grow because we believe in America and we’re optimistic about the economy.”

“During a troubled time [Crestron] is a bright spot, and this is the kind of new technology that can used to meet the demands for green energy and energy efficiency,” stated David Socolow, Commissioner, NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development. “We believe that this will be the kind of company that will lead New Jersey out of this recession.”

The centre is a compelling destination location for dealers and clients, and one of the highlights of a complete tour of the Crestron campus, a small city dedicated to innovation, engineering and client support. In addition to the Experience Center, tours will also be available in the 100,000 square foot Research Center, where more than 350 engineers are developing the products and technologies of tomorrow; the 150,000 square foot manufacturing plant; the 50,000 square foot pre-production facility, and the 50,000 square foot worldwide distribution center. These appointment-only tours will provide a compelling, in-depth look into the world of Crestron, to fully understand and appreciate the level of commitment, investment and expertise of Crestron, and why it’s the global leader in digital HD technology and control solutions.

Jerold L. (Jerry) Zaro, Chief, Governor’s Office of Economic Growth, warmly congratulated Mr. Feldstein, Crestron Executive Vice President Randy Klein, and all the employees at Crestron “for this magnificent achievement.” He continued, “Crestron has made a statement here today. Over the last 40 years, Crestron has grown from humble beginnings to dominance in advanced control and automated systems, representing a true success story for New Jersey and for the United States as well,” said Jerry Zaro, Chief of Governor Corzine’s Office of Economic Growth. “It is encouraging that industry leaders such as Crestron continue to remain committed to growing their businesses here.”