38 » CEDIA EXPO 2026 SHOW DAILY « DAY ONE EDITION
Get Hired Early, Get Paid for Your Expertise By Grant Morgan For too long, integrators have had to fight against being brought into projects as a last step or afterthought. Fortunately, Josh Christian, CEO of Home Technology Association (HTA), brought strategies and tips to help integrators turn their expertise into paid early involvement in his Tuesday morning CEDIA education session, “How to Get Hired Early: How to Be Seen as an Early-Stage Design Team Member Instead of a Contractor.” “Reframe who you are,” Christian encouraged. “Don’t say you’re the ‘AV guy,’ and stop leaning into the stereotype when you’re talking about your services, especially to trade partners.” Rather than lead with audio, video, and controls, Christian advised leading with lighting, shading, energy management, and wellness. “Every client is
going to have technology,” he explained, “but lead off with the things they care about. That will help break out of the stereotype.” The session focused on ways integrators could proactively establish themselves as an essential member of the design team, changing the common perception of being simply a subcontractor to being acknowledged as a vital design consultant. “Architects and designers bring in other consultants on a project, and you deserve a seat at the table,” said Christian. “You are a consultant. When you charge for your design early, that frames you as a consultant. Consultants don’t do things for free. Consultants charge, and trade partners are used to that.” Addressing the need for early and continued collaboration, Christian encouraged session attendees to create a mindset of reaching out and bringing them [designers] into this conversation. “Taking the time
Josh Christian
to slow down and have that mindset makes you so valuable,” he said. Christian also shared resources available to integrators through HTA, with two particularly helpful tools designed to reduce friction and bridge gaps earlier in the process: the Project Technology Assessment and the HTA Budget Calculator.
Pickeleball Meet-Up Connects Expo Attendees If you notice anyone walking around the show floor with a navy badge ribbon that reads, “CEDIA Pickleball 2026,” you’ll know they participated in our third annual meet-up! What better way to kick off three days of wandering inside the Denver Convention Center than getting together with some industry colleagues on the pickleball courts? And this year’s event garnered players from across the U.S. and U.K. A kind of hybrid between tennis and ping pong, pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America for the past five years. Not only is it a fun way to get some exercise, it’s one of the most social sports around, offering a great opportunity to mix and mingle. On Monday, nearly 50 CEDIA professionals— including dealers, manufacturers, installers, public relations, media, and CEDIA employees—got together at 3rd Shot Pickleball in Wheat Ridge (about 15 minutes from downtown Denver) for four hours of pickleball action. “For the second year, we rented out the entire club, 13 courts,” said organizer John Sciacca from Residential Systems, “which allowed us to accommodate more players and have spectators hang out, network, and watch the play. Everyone who came out to play and watch seemed to have a great time, and it was terrific to see this event continue to pick up steam.” Players were divided into advanced, intermediate, and beginner skill groups, and competed in a round robin format across eight matches. Participants had a different partner and opponents for each game,
Nearly 50 CEDIA professionals attended Monday’s pickleball meet-up. giving the maximum opportunity to meet and mix it up with industry peers. “Beyond the competition, it was a wonderful reminder of how strong our community is when we come together, and I’m grateful to all of our sponsors for helping make it possible, all in support of the CEDIA Foundation and its mission,” said Capecelatro. The competition was fierce, with multiple players tying in each bracket requiring scorecard playoffs to determine the winners. Congratulations to Kellen Fleener, co-owner and founder of ODSY, who took gold in the advanced group. Jimmy Lindell of Origin Acoustics took silver, and Sciacca grabbed bronze. PG Gall from Crestron won the intermediate bracket, with Cameron Cox of Everflow Solutions
taking second and Tommy Brand of Phantom Sound grabbing third for the second straight year. Matt Scarborough of Kaleidescape won gold in the beginner bracket, with Veronica Esbona of TIG Global PR nabbing second, and James Smith of Innovation & Tech Today taking bronze. Thanks to the generosity of sponsors—including Caster Communications, CEDIA, Crestron, Daisy, Hegel, Hunter Douglas, IC Realtime, Josh.ai, L-Acoustics, Level Up Automation, Lutron, Origin Acoustics, Somfy, Sonos, Stealth Acoustics, Theory Audio, and TIG Global PR—there were giveaways and prizes, including a T-shirt and microfiber sports towel. The event raised enough money to donate more than $5,000 to support the CEDIA Foundation, which provides scholarships and grants to fund industry education, certification, and career development.