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 2020.
Q&A with Jeffrey Singer, Executive Director, Residential Marketing, Crestron. 
RESI: Why should attendees connect with you virtually at CEDIA Expo?
JEFFREY SINGER: Crestron was excited to announce our return to CEDIA Expo this year, after participating more as a member rather than on the trade show floor. But 2020 has included many twists and turns, and we’re excited to participate in this year’s Virtual CEDIA Expo.
Demand for home technology is on the rise, especially now, as homeowners are planning renovations, enhancements, and home improvements in the new remote and at-home lifestyle the pandemic has created. At Virtual CEDIA Expo, dealers new to Crestron can discover us and our latest advancements, and our existing dealers will also be able to see what’s new. We’re planning virtual tours and a booth experience to showcase our newest experiences plus some new products we’re anxious to announce.
Adjusting to a virtual event has its advantages, with an opportunity to create new experiences for our dealers. Our automation technology is best experienced in a home environment. We’re also planning live and recorded experiences at CEDIA Expo that could possibly be available to dealers later in the year. And, without the constraints of the booth environment and walls, and having to account for traffic, building codes, and fire hazards, we can create different room scenes and demonstrations. Instead of navigating a crowded booth, dealers can pop in to check out Crestron any time throughout the show and get an up-close look—we’re especially excited to get to know new dealers as they discover Crestron Home and new products on the way. The virtual venue will also give dealers more time and opportunity to connect with the Crestron team, as well as to hear from them in panels and video demos.
RESI: What’s the one product you’re introducing that attendees should see and why?
JS: Among some new products coming from Crestron at virtual CEDIA Expo, dealers will be able to discover Crestron Home, and new enhancements to our premium smart home interface. It offers ease and speed of deployment with no programming needed, giving dealers the ability to deliver the world class user experience their clients expect with less work.
In the last few months as the pandemic changed the way we live, work, learn, and socialize, Crestron merged our enterprise expertise and with our home automation leadership to create Crestron HomeTime. It’s the premium video conferencing, home control, and unified communications experience that we envisioned and created in collaboration with Logitech and Zoom. We’re going to have some partners involved with our virtual CEDIA booth experience—stay tuned—and HomeTime is a key new experience that dealers should check out.
On top of the growing demand for smart home systems, HomeTime is an entirely new category for the smart home. Video conferencing is common in Crestron systems found in offices and corporate facilities around the world, and now homeowners, families, and executives can have HD audio and video conferencing in their living room or home office. Through the Crestron system, it’s easy to join Zoom meetings with a one-touch button on the Crestron remote or in the mobile app, so anyone in the family can collaborate with colleagues, learn remotely, or socialize via video. The ability to incorporate this new need into the Crestron smart home experience is a big opportunity for dealers, and we’re excited to show them all the innovative features HomeTime has to offer.
