- 9 min to read
- 14 July 2026
Q2 Market Updates: People Over Technology
The Technology Was Great.
The People Were Better.
After 10+ years in this industry, what keeps bringing us back to InfoComm isn't the products on the show floor. It's the people we finally get to meet in person.
One of my favorite parts of attending events like InfoComm isn't the technology, the products, or the presentations. It's the people.
Over the last 10+ years in this industry, there are people we've worked with, talked to, and even placed that we're meeting in person for the very first time. Some people you run into, and you both have that look on your face that says, "I know this person." Then one of you says a name, the other person connects the dots, and you both start laughing, because you've spent years talking, emailing, and working together without ever meeting in person.
Those moments never get old.
No matter how powerful AI becomes or how much efficiency it creates, relationships will always be the most important part of business.
The Conversations That Are Still the Best Part of the Job
InfoComm brings together thousands of AV, UC, and integration professionals from across the country. For us, the real value has never been the keynotes or the booth demos. It's the conversations that happen in between. The coffee you grab with someone you've placed in three different companies over eight years. The dinner where a client becomes a friend. The hallway introduction that turns into a partnership six months later.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to meet, grab a coffee, share a story, jump on a podcast, have dinner, or simply say hello while rushing to the next meeting on the show floor.
Coffee conversations
The best briefings happen over espresso, not in a conference room. Those thirty-minute catch-ups set the tone for everything that follows.
Podcast recordings
InfoComm is one of the few times we can record Talent Acquired in person, with guests who've been on the show floor all week and have real things to say.
First meetings in person
Years of emails, calls, and placements, and then you finally shake hands. Every time, it feels like picking up a conversation that's been running for years.
Dinners that go long
The conversations that start over dinner and end two hours later than anyone planned are always the ones that matter most. No agenda. Just people who trust each other.
Technology Helps Us Move Faster. Relationships Are Why People Want to Work Together.
What continues to be true, and what we don't see changing anytime soon, is the primacy of relationships in this industry. The AV and integration space is a tight-knit world. Reputations travel. Referrals drive business. The hiring decisions that change a company's trajectory almost always come from a conversation someone had at a show, not a job posting they found online.
AI is changing how we work. It's making sourcing faster, research more efficient, and outreach more targeted. But it hasn't changed, and won't change, the fact that people hire people they trust, buy from people they know, and build companies with people they've sat across a dinner table from.
Technology helps us move faster.
Relationships are what make people want to work together in the first place.
Hiring in AV or UC right now?
The People We Met at InfoComm Are in Our Network
The relationships built over a decade of industry presence are exactly what makes CEC's candidate network different from a cold database.
Grateful for the Opportunity to Keep Building
We're grateful for the opportunity to support our current clients, build relationships with new ones, and continue connecting with the incredible talent that makes this industry what it is.
To everyone who gave us a few minutes of their time at InfoComm, whether it was a quick hello on the show floor, a sit-down conversation, a podcast recording, or a dinner that ran later than anyone expected, thank you. Those conversations are still the best part of the job.
If we didn't get a chance to connect at InfoComm this year, or if you want to continue a conversation that started on the show floor, we'd love to hear from you. The door is always open.
Let's keep the conversation going
Whether you're hiring, looking for your next role, or just want to stay connected, reach out.
InfoComm 2026 — Common Questions
Chris Edward Consulting
The Relationships Start Here
Whether we met at InfoComm or this is our first conversation, we'd love to talk about how we can support your team or your next move.
Memories from the Trading show
Trusted by Forward-Thinking Leaders
“There is no other firm that has taken their own time to invest in learning needs and marketing industry”
— Andrew Gross | VP of Sales, Xtye
“For an employer whos looking to fit an existing role you can’t go wrong by hiring Chris”
— Eric Spadafora | Senior Vice President of Sales, GXO Logistics
“It had been nothing but a positive experience for me any my team”
— Brian Miller | National Project Manager, ADVG
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