CE Pro September 2022 - 46

CEDIA EXPO PREVIEW
Q&A
- and it has been for years - which is why it was no surprise
this topic came up frequently during my 90-day listening tour.
While workforce development had already on my radar, it really
came to the forefront after these conversations, and efforts
to boost these initiatives have already been put into action.
One of our long-term strategies is to increase awareness of
the smart home industry to designers, architects, builders -
even homeowners. Coming from a communications background,
I feel uniquely positioned to tell our story, and I look
forward to seeing how it develops.
Lastly, advocacy is a key priority (see sidebar), and we're
always keeping a pulse on regulatory challenges and changes
that could potentially put integrators out of business. CEDIA is
doing the hard work state-by-state and internationally to ensure
we protect the regulatory environment for our members.
What does the future of the smart home/professional
installation look like over the next year? Next five years?
It's funny, because I know CEDIA is more than 30 years old,
but having come from the outside, I see the industry as very
CEDIA Advocacy Plays Vital Industry Role
As the custom installation world becomes more entrenched
in areas such as lighting fixtures and Power of Ethernet (PoE),
battlegrounds are developing between the worlds of low-voltage
electronics and high-voltage electrical. The natural evolution
of the technology has led integrators to expand into these
growing areas, while electricians in many cases look to " protect
their turf " by working to have local and state municipalities
pass potentially restrictive laws against CE pros.
That's when CEDIA's often-unheralded role of advocacy for
the industry becomes so important. At the upcoming CEDIA
Expo 2022 in Dallas, CEDIA will be holding its first-ever Advocacy
Town Hall open to all attendees. At this breakfast event
on Thursday, September 29, attendees are asked to come
ready to share information and find out how they can work
together with CEDIA to advocate for the industry.
" We'll be convening all of our members and non-members
- everybody who's attending CEDIA Expo - to learn about
the important issues that are happening that affect their
business day to day, " says CEDIA global president and CEO
Daryl Friedman. " Many people don't even realize it, but the
government relations and the regulations that happen in their
local jurisdiction, and at the state and federal level impact your
business. In the worst-case situation, if CEDIA wasn't here, it
could actually shut down their business. "
The goal of the Advocacy Town Hall is to express to integrators
why and how they can get involved. It's one thing for
legislators to hear from the association, but it has increased
credence when their local constituents - in this case custom
installation companies- are also in their ear.
" The government can decide whether you have a robust
business or whether you have no business, " adds Friedman. " We
want all of the people in this community - the integrators and
manufacturers - to be part of that campaign with us. "
Darren Reaman, CEDIA's director of government affairs,
explains the format for the Advocacy Town Hall will be a panel
discussion with integrators who have been actively working at
the municipal level on licensing and permitting issues.
Will Breaux, business development manager at iconic.
46 | CE Pro September 2022
The association works behind the scenes to continue having
integrators' backs on the legislative front.
systems in Houston, along with Leon Soohoo, president and
CEO of Paradyme in Sacramento, Calif., will join Reaman and
Friedman for the discussion. The breakfast starts at 7:30 a.m.,
with the presentation kicking off at 8 a.m.
CEDIA maintains a system using keywords to identify and
track potential legislation, but Reaman says having local integrators
involved is crucial.
" An important part is hearing from our local members of
what they're hearing, " he notes. " So if you hear something,
please get in touch with me and we can work through the
process. The sooner we can hear about it, the more time we
have to hopefully have a positive outcome for our members in
that jurisdiction and the industry as a whole. "
At the Advocacy Town Hall there will be terminals where
integrators can input their address and the software will automatically
send an advocacy message that dealer's state reps.
" It is a very quick and easy way to write your legislator and
get on the record as being somebody who cares about this
industry. As their constituent, you're the boss of that person;
you vote them into office, you can vote them out of office. All
politics are local, " concludes Friedman.
cepro.com
ANDREA IZZOTTI/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
http://www.cepro.com
CE Pro September 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CE Pro September 2022
