Last month, CEDIA (the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association) returned to India to host a five-day event. The Association...
Last month, CEDIA (the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association) returned to India to host a five-day event. The Association was welcomed by around 50 attendees, all enjoying a combination of manufacturer product training, CEDIA education and networking sessions. The success of this event places India as CEDIA’s fourth largest market, with 53 companies now reaping the benefits of CEDIA membership.
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The Association was welcomed by around 50 attendees.[/caption]
CEDIA has visited India twice before, and has always been impressed with the skillset of the local home technology professionals. With technology constantly evolving, CEDIA was keen to return to the country to ensure that these companies receive the training and support that they require. CEDIA was able to create a full five-day programme, thanks to the support of the event sponsors, including Christie, ELAN Home Systems, Lutron, Stylica Recliners, California Audio Technology, raylogic, RBH, SCREEN RESEARCH, Steinway Lyngdorf, Trescent Lifestyles and Touch Lite Automation.
“We were delighted to host our third training and networking event in New Delhi†explains Matt Nimmons, Operations Director CEDIA EMEA. “Membership is growing at a rapid pace in India, so to have the opportunity to meet these companies, and provide them with useful and informative training sessions is invaluable.â€
The event began with manufacturer product training, where up to 40 integrators sat in on each session. These courses allowed some of the event sponsors to educate the audience on new products and developments within the market. The strongly attended courses created a great atmosphere for further discussions and debates around the chosen topics.
Following the manufacturer product training, the Association turned its attention to CEDIA education, as it hosted a number of sessions, including the Home Cinema Design Workshop, Residential Networking and Introduction to Lighting Fundamentals. Local CEDIA members, Sawan Nichani, founder of MACBEE, Harshal Parikh, CEO and founder of Trescent Lifestyle and Dr. Harshal Niawe owner of AV Solutions supported two international members Guy Singleton, Managing Director of Imagine This, and Geoff Meads, Managing Director of Presto AV to host the training courses.
Rashmi Mehta, Director at Aventia Automation, comments: “Attending the CEDIA event was both knowledgeable and fun. Instructors Guy and Geoff were knowledgeable, experienced and witty. It was indeed enlightening to hear them and share their experiences. The CEDIA training gave us a range of knowledge from the basic to the most advanced technologies and also got to meet professionals from the industry and share our experiences and knowledge. We would definitely return to a future CEDIA event.
CEDIA also hosted a Connect with CEDIA networking event, which saw around 50 individuals join the CEDIA team to discuss recent developments within the industry. Sponsored by Touch Lite Automation, the evening event provided new, prospective and existing members the opportunity to network with CEDIA representatives and industry peers.
Vineet Jain from ELAN comments: “The CEDIA training event was a brilliant platform for us to meet integrators and professionals, and we were thrilled with the success of ELAN’s session. More CEDIA events would definitely be welcomed in India for both distributors and home technology professionals.†Prabhjyot Singh at Lutron India agrees: “It was a pleasure to be a part of the growing CEDIA community in India. Lutron is more than happy to be a part of the change and professional approach CEDIA brings to the industry.â€
Bhupendra from Stylica Recliners adds: “We were extremely happy to be a sponsor and look forward to becoming a partner in upcoming events in India. We benefitted greatly from meeting a range of AV consultants and integrators all in one place and received a good response and attendance in our training sessions. We would recommend sponsoring a CEDIA event to anyone interested, it was both an enjoyable and worthwhile experience.â€
Since December 2013, CEDIA has travelled to the region to host three training and networking events. The Association believes that these events have contributed to a steady membership growth in the country. CEDIA looks forward to returning to India in the near future.
 www.cedia.co.uk