Crystal ball gazing in this industry has, traditionally, focused on the ‘stuff’ we’re using. But CEDIA’s new white paper will look at the integrator and the experience they’re selling. David Meyer tells us more.

Looking at CEDIA’s back catalogue of white papers, there have been two Integrator of… (the future) publications, each looking five years forward. The first was The Integrator of 2015, published in 2010. The second was five years later, looking to 2020.

Where both those papers were focused on market trends and technology, CEDIA’s latest landmark paper, the Integrator of 2027 shifts the lens of change from technology to the integrator him/herself. It proposes a fundamental shift in thinking.

The reason CEDIA moved the paper away from market trends is because such reporting tends to reference averages and medians. But there is no ‘average’ integrator. The market functions at all levels, and the smallest of jobs and companies are just as relevant and important as the biggest ones. For that, CEDIA’s Size and Scope surveys are far more informative.

That’s what I love most about this industry — the incredible diversity of talent, experience, and scope. I’m constantly in awe at the remarkable projects that integrators first imagine and then create. Whether you’ve been working in the industry for two years or 30+ years, each of us has a unique perspective and depth of knowledge.

Speaking personally, I can’t profess to fully appreciate the challenges that integrators face day-to-day with end users as my experience is more vicarious than hands-on. But fortunately for me, being so deeply embedded in the CEDIA community puts me close to a great many extraordinary peers (and friends) who are generous in sharing and from whom I can learn. My close involvement in the development of this paper has made me reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going, and how integrators continue to evolve.

Back in my retail days I managed a specialist home cinema store in suburban Melbourne. Then, it was all about the products, and brands were important. We sold ‘things’ that could be put together to make stand-alone systems. “Smart” hadn’t happened yet — hey, we marvelled at the simplicity afforded by being able to program macros into a handheld remote!

Most of the 20 years since then I’ve spent in product engineering, manufacturing, and distribution, before joining CEDIA full-time. During that time, technologies have become far more capable, diverse, and complex. But so too have consumers and their needs. Our industry’s focus shifted to integration and interoperability of multiple subsystems; the “works with” era.

Connectivity became king, both at technological and societal levels. And then there’s the juxtaposition of the Big Tech companies, somehow managing to create both threat and opportunity at the same time. Either way it means change.

Your own story and experience is likely very different, but what we have in common is that we’re all swept along together. If you’re an integrator, it takes a conscious decision and determination to move towards the front of the train, to be at the forefront of these changes that can bring some incredible opportunities. In a nutshell, it’s for you that CEDIA’s Technology Advisory Council developed this paper.

In case you’re not familiar, the Technology Advisory Council was originally founded by CEDIA Fellow Rich Green and Mr Test-pattern-jacket, Michael Heiss. It’s entirely volunteer based, a veritable think tank that monitors technological and societal developments for the purpose of providing expert industry foresight.

A key takeaway from the paper is that the focus for integrators will continue to shift away from products and very much more towards the users’ needs. It cites the Integrator of 2027 as being responsible for curating hyper-personalized experiences for clients through technology “to improve the human condition”. That requires empathy and asking the right questions.

I think one of the most thought-provoking quotes comes from Peter Aylet, partner at Officina Acustica and Chair of CEDIA/CTA R10 and RP22. He says: “questions are asked during the customer interview, but most of the time integrators go on to very competently answer the wrong questions.” So, what are the right questions?

The Integrator of 2027 is an important paper not only for integrators, but also those who work with integrators, such as design and build professionals. Check it out, it’s FREE for members and non-members alike from https://landing.cedia.net/IO27/io27.html