The upcoming InfoComm Asia summit and trade show promises to be an unmissable event for anyone involved in the Pro AV industry. Scheduled to take place in Bangkok from 17 – 19 July, InfoComm Asia 2024 offers a unique platform where different industries converge to explore the latest in Pro AV technologies and their applications.
Bringing together over 7,000 attendees, it connects AV manufacturers to the Asia Pacific market. With over 180 exhibitors, delegates can expect to connect with leading brands showcasing innovative solutions. The event is set to showcase future technology by exploring state-of-the-art ideas and innovations. InfoComm Asia encourages visitors to build connections and network with industry leaders through immersion in cutting-edge technology and insights from global professionals.
June Ko, the executive director of InfoComm Asia, speaks to blooloop ahead of InfoComm Asia 2024. She explains some of the highlights of an event tailored to the diverse needs of various sectors.
Insights from a background in attractions
Ko’s background in the attractions industry with IAAPA has equipped her with a keen understanding of how pro AV can enhance live events and attractions. At IAAPA, she focused on the attractions market, which overlaps significantly with tourism, museums, live events, and even hotels. This diverse experience positions her well to lead InfoComm Asia, which cuts across numerous industries utilising similar hardware and software.
“We have three expos in the region, and all of them cover so many different industries,” Ko says. “While professional audio visual is our own small industry, it goes into everything. It’s in enterprise security and defence, hospitals, and live events; it’s in everything you can think of. We cover about 20 vertical markets, so there is much to discover.”
“Although my prior job at IAAPA was quite niche, covering the attractions market, it also encompassed a lot of tourism and leisure sectors. This experience helps me understand how Pro AV can uplift various industries. Especially as live events make a strong comeback post-COVID.”
Cross-industry learning and innovation
This resurgence of live events has been a significant catalyst for the rapid adoption and innovation in Pro AV technologies.
“Everyone is eager to host new concerts and events,” Ko says. “This demand has accelerated the integration of Pro AV technologies in various venues and sectors.” Companies like Google and Microsoft have also retrofitted their buildings with the capacity to use advanced Pro-AV systems, highlighting the broad applications of these technologies in the corporate world as video conferences and collaborative virtual work become the norm.
One of the unique aspects of InfoComm Asia is its ability to foster cross-industry learning. Exhibitors and attendees alike benefit from seeing how different sectors apply and innovate with Pro AV technologies. For instance, AI, digital signage, AR, and VR, commonly used in attractions, are now being adopted in healthcare and education, significantly advancing these fields.
InfoComm Asia 2024 aims to bridge the gap between different verticals, providing a platform for learning and collaboration.
“Our show helps industries share how they apply and use Pro AV technologies, sparking creativity and innovation,” Ko says. “We help so many different verticals come together. It is interesting for them to think about how they can take technology used in one industry and apply it to their own.”
One example is the use of AR and VR technology. While this is a big trend in the attractions sector, it is also having a significant impact in the healthcare industry:
“Now they can try different things with AR and VR. So, it’s been beneficial for students, for instance, to practice surgery and can advance new techniques much quicker. It’s interesting how the tech is applied in different capacities for different industries.”
Tailored education sessions at InfoComm Asia 2024
Unlike her previous role, which focused exclusively on attractions, Ko now oversees educational programs spanning multiple booming industries. This year’s event will include sessions on live events, sports, and the use of Pro AV in various creative and technical capacities.
Notably, InfoComm Asia will team up with the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) to explore how storytelling, audio, and visual technologies can create immersive experiences.
“We’re teaming up with the TEA to do a session about storytelling and how to bring audio-visual hardware and software together with the creative minds of the attractions world. There’s so much creative energy in the use of sound and lighting in those attractions. I wanted to invite the TEA team to be part of InfoComm Asia. With all the creative minds in their sector, it would be a shame not to share it with other industries because they can learn much from what they’re doing.”
Evi Sari, TEA international board member and VP of location-based entertainment at WildBrain CPLG, says:
“For over 30 years, the Themed Entertainment Association has represented creators, developers, designers, and producers for compelling places and experiences worldwide. As the boundaries between physical and digital worlds increasingly blur in today’s landscape, consumer demand for immersive storytelling is reaching new heights.
“TEA’s collaboration with InfoComm Asia is at the forefront of this trend, merging innovative technology with creative storytelling, highlighting Pro AV’s essential role in crafting immersive experiences to captivate audiences like never before.”
Meaningful networking
For Ko, one of the joys of organising events like InfoComm Asia is the opportunity to bring people together meaningfully.
“I love to see it when people come together, and they actually learn or make a connection. And so, we try to make these smaller spaces, for instance, roundtables and smaller discussion groups, specific to their needs.”
“You might specifically be talking about an application of AI in sound, and those people will come together, and you can experience that discussion and passion within a 20-person group or 30-person group. Of course, the magic happens on the show floor, too, but we try to consider how to include everyone.”
Expanding horizons on the show floor at InfoComm Asia 2024
Speaking about some of the trends that attendees could see on the trade show floor at InfoComm Asia 2024, Ko identifies artificial intelligence (AI) as an area to watch.
“I think the use of AI is going to be important. When you see the products on the show floor, it is the LCD screens, the transparent screens, the 3D screens, and then it’s the audio, the mixers and speakers, and all those things. But all of those don’t mean too much without great content. All of the data you need, analysis, and understanding about how to create experiences has just flown off the charts because of AI. I think it’s pushed it very quickly.”
“Everything comes together so well at Infocomm Asia because we gather all of those tech people, the system integrators and the engineers, and bring them together with the designer and the creatives; that’s where the magic happens. When you come to the show floor, you’ll see all these new designs and the incredible things that our exhibitors have been creating.
“The exhibitors are very much partners. Many brands will come together, even if they are competitors, and design an end-user product, so when attraction leaders come in, and they want to put something experiential into their space, they can see an end product at our show.
“Our exhibitors know that the end user capacity is growing every year, and they need to be able to show things that make sense to the end user. At last year’s show, we already had a close to 40% end-user audience, and this year, with the show that we completed in China, we also saw more than 40% end users coming in, which means they want to learn, they want to see the new technology.”
The importance of a dedicated Asian event
While InfoComm US caters to a mature market, InfoComm Asia 2024 addresses the burgeoning needs of the Asia Pacific region.
“Asia is still experiencing significant growth in Pro AV, as highlighted by AVIXA’s research,” says Ko.
The show in Asia is not just about showcasing technology but also about tailoring it to the unique needs of this diverse region, which includes countries like Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, and Korea. While InfoComm, held this year in Las Vegas, is aimed at the more mature US market, Infocomm Asia is a younger show aimed squarely at the emerging Asia Pacific market.
“We have three events in the region: InfoComm India, InfoComm China and InfoComm Asia, and we split it that way because India and China are huge economies on their own; they need a dedicated national show. This helps us and our exhibitors and visitors find a space that’s easy for them to get to visa-free, easy to understand, and easy to access.
“This year is the fourth edition of InfoComm Asia, and we’ve grown over 43% year on year in terms of space, which speaks to the growth of the region but also to the fact that exhibitors and visitors want to see some of the solutions being applied in Asia, too.”
Challenges and opportunities
One of the challenges InfoComm Asia faces is the collision of vertical markets, particularly the integration of broadcasting and media with traditional Pro AV sectors. “Broadcast and media are looking to our space as their home,” Ko says. The challenge lies in creating a cohesive space where different verticals can interact and learn from each other.
“We’re trying to create a space that makes sense for different vertical markets. When it comes to broadcasting and media, it does make sense because many people don’t watch the news anymore at home; they’re streaming or watching YouTube videos or other forms of media. We are looking at incorporating that vertical more into our space so that live events and other areas can also learn from them.”
“Again, it’s nice to see how different sectors can learn and crossover with each other. But the challenge is, how do we get all these different verticals together and have them speak with the same audio-visual language? We must think hard about how we reach out to different vertical markets and how they’re relevant to our existing attendee base. But I think that is a good challenge that ultimately allows the event to continue to grow and improve.”
Networking and community building at InfoComm Asia 2024
Ko is particularly passionate about supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs). “SMEs often don’t get enough love at trade shows,” she says. InfoComm Asia aims to change this by creating programs that help SMEs network, pitch their ideas to investors, and find new partners. “We want to give them a space to shine and attract new investors and partners,” Ko adds.
This year’s InfoComm Asia will also emphasise networking opportunities, including club lounges, mixers, and small discussion groups.
“We want to create spaces where people can belong, regardless of industry or background,” Ko says. The goal is to foster quality connections that extend beyond the event itself.
“We’re trying different things. This year, we’re including small networking events such as presidents’ luncheons, where we will invite about 100 major associations in Thailand and the region related to all these different verticals. When we pull together all of these associations, their presidents and representatives, we can hear firsthand what their members need and their concerns, and then think about how we make a space that’s not only about Infocomm but also about them.”
Exciting summit content
The summit will feature topics such as the future of Pro AV, smart cities, and the use of Pro AV in security and defence. Notable speakers include experts from Scotland Yard, who will discuss the application of Pro AV in security.
“We’ve invested in bringing in top-notch speakers to share their experiences,” Ko says.
The summit offers in-depth insights into Pro AV technology, entertainment, sustainability, and narrative applications. It has 52 sessions organized into 15 tracks.
Keynote speaker David Labuskes, CTS, CAE, RCDD, executive director and CEO of AVIXA, will share insights into which markets and industries are primed for growth at InfoComm Asia 2024, building AVIXA’s most recent research showing that APAC is the centre of growth for the Pro AV market at 6.6% CAGR from 2022 to 2027. The APAC region’s annual revenue is forecast to surge to US$134,644 million by 2027, a 38% increase from 2022.
Attendees can also enjoy Hollywood Sound Design Secrets Unveiled with Stephen Thomas Cavit, an Emmy Award-winning composer known for his work on Ghostbusters and Jumanji. This will explore the creative and technical elements of immersive audio experiences. Another highlight will be All About AI – Future of Workplace Collaboration & Engagement, a panel discussion on the future of AI in the workplace.
The summit will offer entertainment industry sessions, such as the keynote address, Designing Iconic Experiences with Ray Winkler, CEO and design director of STUFISH Entertainment Architects and the creative energy behind the ABBA Arena and many other spectacular live shows. Meanwhile, Timothy Shen, chair of Safari Asia Ltd., will deliver the keynote for the esports track, Esports Landscape in Asia.
In partnership with the TEA, Evi Sari will chair a panel discussion on the Art and Science of Storytelling for Guests.
Looking ahead
Ko envisions InfoComm Asia as a platform that continues to grow and adapt to the industry’s needs. “We want to show how Pro AV is changing the world and touching everyone in their daily lives.”
The focus will be on creating opportunities for learning, innovation, and collaboration, ensuring that InfoComm Asia remains at the forefront of the Pro AV industry.
InfoComm Asia 2024 is set to be a dynamic event that showcases the latest in Pro AV technologies and fosters a sense of community and collaboration across diverse industries. Whether attendees work in attractions, healthcare, education, or live events, InfoComm Asia promises to provide valuable insights and opportunities for growth and innovation.
InfoComm Asia will be held from July 17 to 19, 2024, at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok, Thailand. To register, please click here.
