In our series of #CEDIAShares blogs, we’re talking with exhibitors about the hottest technologies and trends they’re looking to see at CEDIA Expo.
Q&A with Pete Girard, co-owner, Caster Communications.
Why exhibit at CEDIA Expo 2026?
Caster is proud to support a wide array of brands exhibiting at CEDIA Expo, including Crestron, Magnetar, The Powerhouse Alliance, Airzone, Alfred, Vanco, and Shelly. Every one of these industry leaders has their own reason for being there, but they all agree: this show is essential.
CEDIA Expo attendees are tastemakers who create the finest connected home experiences on the planet. This is where they come to discover how they grow their businesses and improve their clients’ lives. We’re here to expand horizons: make the case that our clients empower integrators to build healthier, safer, and more comfortable homes; bring the art and music their clients love to life; and make the connected home experience accessible to a wider market.
It’s also one of the best opportunities year-round to hear directly from the custom integration community. We don’t just want to talk at integrators: we want to speak to their needs. At CEDIA Expo, I get to hear how kitchen table issues have evolved for CE pros directly from the source. The conversations I’ll have next month will inform messaging and strategy for months to come.
What is the most exciting trend you expect to see at the show?
Personally, I’m very excited about the physical media renaissance. Every year at CEDIA Expo, attendees are treated to new advances, coming one step closer to eliminating the separation between an artist’s original vision and the at-home experience. Meanwhile, there’s a broad trend towards media ownership among cinephiles and audiophiles. Physical formats offer quality, consistency, control, and ritual, but when a collection spans UHD Blu-ray, SACD, DVD-Audio, and more, they can also introduce complexity.
I expect CEDIA 2026 to bring these threads together, with solutions that offer excellence and simplicity: premium media playback without limitations.
What will you focus on at the show?
My focus? The people who make this industry as wonderful as it is. After 12 years of attending CEDIA Expo, I’m going to have a lot of catching up to do with friends across the industry and press, and I know I won’t be able to resist exploring what’s new — you never know which Launchpad booth is going to transform the industry, and Caster loves to take startups to the next level. But of course, my main focus will be listening to what resonates, and using that feedback to amplify our clients’ stories, both at Expo and beyond.
For more information, visit castercomm.com.
