Expanding, Educating, Exciting
Apr 1, 2002 12:00 PM,
CHUCK WILSON
AS THE TECHNOLOGIES IN OUR INDUSTRY HAVE CONTINUED TO CONVERGE over the past years, the NSCA Systems Integration Expo has grown to include virtually all of them. The parallel development is no accident, of course. The volunteers and staff behind the scenes of NSCA have worked hard to build a show and an association that is truly representative of our industry.
The current trend in the industry is to respond to more. Customers want more of everything — more integration, more technology and more professional support — and they increasingly rely on systems integrators’ expertise. If you’ve been successful selling intercom systems, you may now find yourself responding to requests for CCTV, shades and lighting, networking, and so on. Meeting those customer needs improves your bottom line, so you don’t want to miss any opportunities. But how will you become knowledgeable in these other disciplines? The NSCA Systems Integration Expo.
Today’s Expo has more than 500 product exhibits for audio, video, security/life safety, telecommunications, data networking and more. We have more than 50 first-time exhibitors this year; to highlight an increasingly diverse exhibit floor, the NSCA added three new Technology Showcases: Stage and Lighting Technology sponsored by Primedia (publisher of S&VC, Lighting Dimensions, Entertainment Design and Video Systems, and producer of LDI 2002); Tele/Data Technology sponsored by PennWell (publisher of Cabling Installation and Cabling Contractor magazines and producer of Cabling Installation Expo); and e-Buildings Technology sponsored by UEMedia (publisher of Systems Contractor News).
Amid the product exhibits, 30 free sessions will be held on a stage set up in the center of each showcase during the afternoons of April 25 and 26. Focusing on the technologies and their applications, the brief seminars will offer information about the exhibited products. They’re a great addition to the planned 400 hours of education.
Over the years the NSCA has developed a reputation for offering only the highest-quality programs with expert instructors from across the industry. This year is no exception. Beginning April 23 and continuing through the last day of Expo, Expo education will give attendees opportunities to broaden and strengthen their skills. Many new courses have been added, too. The programming is divided into beginning, intermediate and advanced levels, and into nine tracks including Audio, Connectivity, Convergence, Video, Security, Integrated Systems Applications, Business and Sales, and Lighting Control. Pre-Expo education allows attendees to participate in training intensives on the two days before Expo. Once the exhibit floor opens, the classes are shorter, allowing for more time to be spent with exhibitors and their products. Pre-Expo education runs April 23-24 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Expo education runs April 25-27, 8 a.m. to noon.
Several timely sessions, such as the MasterFormat Expansion Forum on April 26, should draw large crowds. Please see the NSCA Update on page 33 for more information, and pick up the NSCA Show Guide on site for everything you need to know about Expo. The 2002 NSCA Systems Integration Expo is April 25-27 in Denver’s Colorado Convention Center. I hope to see you there.
Chuck Wilson is the executive director of the NSCA. For more information about the NSCA Systems Integration Expo, visit nscaexpo.org or call 800/446-NSCA.
