InfoComm India 2023: Momentum of a New Growth Trajectory

InfoComm India 2023 – the latest edition of India’s premium tradeshow for professional audio-visual systems integration industry – organized at the Jio Wolrd Convention Centre in Mumbai recently not only appeared to up the ante of the momentum it generated in the post-pandemic time but also widen the growth trajectory by taking along the aligned and allied industry segments as well.

More number of booths, more people, more focussed programming, more variety, and, more aspirations that included upping the Made-in-India ante.

An SIA perspective:

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When the 2023 edition of InfoComm India exhibition opened its doors at its new venue – the Jio World Convention Centre (JWCC) in Mumbai late October (25-27) – the three-day annual congregation appeared making a new growth trajectory for the Indian professional audio-visual industry.

Making as it did, at the very statement sort setting that the JWCC is, for the first time, with a 19 per cent larger show floor as compared to its previous editions, the 2023 show had its own indices to project that promising trajectory for future. It was not just marked by a higher number-stats factor but also with a fair degree of what is now reckoned as transformative technology’ on show. For, it’s the AV integration expertise is being reckoned as- transforming the way people experience life and business by means of experiential technology.

For the sheer numbers sake, the show was reported to have had:

• 190 Exhibitors (up from 160 in 2022)
• 18 First timers (up from 15)
• 12,026 Visitors (up from 11,381)
• 40 Summit sessions (up from 35)

However, it was the composition of the show that made it look special and relevant with the times, the need, and the focus too. It had exhibitors from collaboration and hybrid/digital work place and learning environments, AVoIP, digital signage, command and control room solutions, and new-age projection mapping- apart from taking the ‘made-in-India’ brand statement up by a notch or two.

India in global focus

While Indian AV market had always been a fancied space for most global players, the enthusiasm appeared to be gaining larger momentum, with as many as half a dozen multinational AV brands taking to the IFI show floor and connecting with Indian AV industry makers.

Some of the prominent first timers included Japanese electronics distribution major Altex Corporation, German audio manufacturer Fohnn Audio, American collaboration display solutions major Avocor – who took the IFI show floor through their newly appointed India distributor, the Hyderabad-based Shree Info System Solutions – and German AV gear manufacturer Lindy – who demonstrated their expertise from their India Partner Green Sources.

Among the many fascinating ‘solutions’ that were on show, a few were noticeably interesting- not just for the OEMs’ choosing to debut their new system-solution offerings from the IFI event platform, but for the USPs packaged with the offerings.

• AVIT networking behemoth NETGEAR launched their newest Enterprise-Class AV M4350 Series Switches. Engineered and certified for AVoIP with dedicated service and support, the M4350 is packed with more Enterprise-class hardware, redundant power supplies, and up to 100G uplinks
• American digital signage solutions major BrightSign launched its Series 5 range of media players, brought straight from InfoComm USA. The flagship product XC5 demonstrated on the booth is claimed to be “the most powerful media player BrightSign has ever created, and only player on the market today to give 8K output.”
• American display solutions major ViewSonic launched an astonishingly delightful 135-inch all-in-one foldable LED display solution designed to offer greater convenience for transportation and installation, with a pre-assembled design, built-in motorized stand, and 360° silent wheels.
• UC solutions major Yamaha brought straight from InfoComm USA its latest Collaboration solutions CS-800 and CS-500. The all-in-one CS-800 integrates a hexa-microphone, a 4K camera, a built-in loudspeaker, and HDMI connectivity for remote conferencing while, the CS-500 comprises a microphone, camera, and HDMI output, seamlessly adapting settings for a new era of flexibility in video collaboration
• Christie Digital made their presence doubly resplendent with the launch of Griffyn 4K50-RGB and M 4K25-RGB laser projectors featuring ‘all-in’ connectivity and remote-controlled electronic colour convergence functionalities. That, in addition to two single-chip DLP projectors: the 22,500-lumen 4K22-HS projector that characterizes 4K UHD resolution, and 14,250-lumen DWU1400-GS
• Global telecom service provider Cohesive Technologies launched their newly upgraded P-Series PBX system aimed at UC and video conferencing environments, as well as Direct PMS integration solution, a new suite of hotel communications- in association with their Chinese partner Yeastar

There were, of course many more.

Made-in-India Brand up to Next Level

The Made-in-India brand that was so conspicuously visible at 2022 edition of InfoComm India came out doubly glowing this edition as well with at least three more Indian AV solutions manufacturers marking their arrival on the big stage. A & T Video Networks, Basssfx, and MTC grabbed the limelight this time with their unique AV fare, even as the other Made-in-India brands such as TrueView and Globus InfoCom, and Richa Infosystems ramped up their presence with renewed focus and product display.

Coimbatore-based distributor-turned-manufacturer A & T Video Networks – who had been making some big headlines for sometime now – showcased their recently launched video recording and streaming solution Astra Pro, besides some popular solutions from its partners.

While Marmagoa-based Basssfx brought their own audio ranges to the show floor, MTC from the Mindstec booth, took the centre stage of all by what it called ‘technology infrastructure’ said to be a very ubiquitous fare across the ProAV applications spectrum.

‘Guided’ AV Tech Fare

The event programming combo of visits by as many as 160 hosted buyers, 40-session technology summit, and a special exposure tour by the Professor and students of Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey (SNDT) Women’s University- all appeared to make the 2023 event a complete spectrum of what the organizer – InfoCommAsia – preferred to call as Transformative Technology Community.

All this action on the show floor had an accentuating connect with the technical sessions touching upon various topics on the industry dynamics.

Overall,  the InfoComm 2023 exhibition and convention, appeared to be a momentum of a new growth trajectory.

The 2024 edition of InfoComm India is slated for 3-5 September 2024, at the same venue.