Embracing Change in the Pro AV Sector: Trends, Insights, and Predictions
Future Pro-Audiovisual Trends in 2025: A Glimpse at What's Hot!
Pro AV professionals can count on a few things as the future unfolds: AI's growing importance, the prolonged presence of hybrid environments, and opportunities to make these experiences more equitable. As we approach the year'25, we reached out to industry experts from AV equipment manufacturers and integrators for their perspectives on these trends and other pressing matters.
Real Talk on Real Estate
Good design is about spaces that encourage collaboration, learning, and shopping. Julian Phillips, senior vice president of global workspace solutions and managing director of XTG at AVI-SPL, believes that AI's ability to capture rich data can contribute to providing exceptional experiences for corporate employees, students, retailers, and consumers.
"Designing spaces based on instinct alone is no longer sustainable," Phillips said. "If we want to take advantage of AI's potential to analyze rich data, we must have reliable, consistent, verifiable data sources. This means that every aspect of space and environment design must be monitored and data-driven to deliver meaningful insights."
Beyond traditional smart building analytics focusing on electricity usage and HVAC control, Phillips advocates for AI's ability to deliver observational data. This includes understanding what's happening in the space, where people are sitting, their movement patterns, presentation styles, and collaboration methods. In other words, what they're doing.
Monitoring plays a crucial role in helping organizations optimize their real estate, as Simon Watson, global head of innovation at Kinly, explains.
"Many organizations think they'll simply split their offices in half," Watson offered. "But how will this impact the productivity and efficiency of the workforce? If you don't know how your current facilities are being used, it's impossible to make informed decisions about redesigning your workspace."
Gaining a Competitive Edge
Privacy regulations and laws impose limitations on data collection, but Phillips argues that this shouldn't deter organizations from taking data seriously. With monitoring, companies can gain insights into office usage patterns, facilitating smarter decisions on space redesign and allocation.
Dave Van Hoy, president of digital media, entertainment, and broadcast engineering firm Advanced Systems Group, has observed a concentration on reducing corporate real estate, particularly in the Silicon Valley tech sector. This trend may not be positive for conferencing solutions providers, as fewer companies require AV integration services for their updated facilities. However, Van Hoy stresses the importance of diversifying revenue streams to remain competitive.
"Focusing on a single niche market exposes businesses to market fluctuations," Van Hoy said. "Diversifying geographically, by line-of-business, or both is crucial for weathering market changes."
AI Advancements in Audio and Beyond
AI is not only streamlining remote and hybrid meetings but also improving the audio experience for these gatherings. Solutions like Shure's focus on delivering great audio while deploying systems quickly.
AVI-SPL has initiated an AI Center of Excellence to explore internal use cases for AI, aiming to unlock organizational efficiencies and cost savings. Among the projects underway is the optimization of the statement of work (SOW) and contract generation process using AI-powered tools.
To achieve true meeting equity, high-quality audio and video systems, and good acoustics are essential, according to experts like Holli Hulett, co-founder and COO of Boom Collaboration. "We're not quite at the point where we can call it equity yet," Hulett said. "But we're making progress."
camera technology
John Bailey, senior VP of technology and innovation at AVI-SPL, acknowledged the advancements made in camera technology but emphasized the need for improvements in the displays used in these spaces.
"Video and virtual presence displays have much room for improvement," Bailey said. "Instead of relying solely on a single display on the wall, we need to consider the use of multiple displays, possibly even on the conference table itself. Exploring different experiences is essential."
By being open-minded about various experiences, AV professionals can create more equitable, accessible, and efficient spaces for collaborative success. As AI and other advanced technologies continue to shape the landscape of Pro AV, the focus must be on embracing change, learning, and adapting strategies that ensure a competitive edge and meet the evolving needs of professional communities.
- In the Pro AV sector, Julian Phillips from AVI-SPL suggests that investing in AI technology can provide valuable insights for real-estate businesses, helping them optimize their facilities by understanding usage patterns and making data-driven decisions.
- Dave Van Hoy, president of Advanced Systems Group, emphasizes the importance of diversifying business ventures, such as geographical locations or line-of-business, to ensure competitiveness in the ever-changing technology industry.
- John Bailey, senior VP of technology and innovation at AVI-SPL, acknowledges advancements in camera technology but highlights the need for improvements in displays for creating more equitable, accessible, and efficient collaborative spaces.
