Q2 Market Updates: People Over Technology

Q2 Newsletter Featured post
Chris Edwards
InfoComm 2026 · Las Vegas

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.

Industries we serve Audio Visual Unified Communications Physical Security Building Technologies Integration

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.


What made InfoComm 2026
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.


What hasn't changed
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.

10+
Years of relationships built in the AV and integration industry
1st
Time meeting many long-term collaborators, clients, and placed candidates in person
Always
Relationships over technology, the one thing InfoComm consistently reinforces every year

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.


Thank you
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.

Get in Touch ↗

Frequently asked questions
InfoComm 2026 — Common Questions
InfoComm 2026 took place June 13 to 19, 2026, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The biggest takeaway was that relationships, not technology, remain the most important part of business. After 10+ years in the AV industry, the most valuable part of attending was meeting longtime collaborators in person and connecting with new clients and talent.
No. AI and technology help businesses move faster and create efficiency, but relationships are what make people want to work together in the first place. Even as AI grows more powerful, trust and personal connection remain central to doing business in AV, integration, and talent acquisition.

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.

Specialist since 2016 AV · UC · Security · Building Tech U.S. nationwide InfoComm 2026

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

Connect with Us

CEC is a talent strategy consultant helping growing companies design competitive, values-aligned hiring frameworks that attract top talent. With 10+ years of experience, CEC has worked with fast-growing startups and established teams alike.

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