InfoComm 2026: moving from systems to outcomes

Growth is uneven and tied to applications rather than product categories

Futuresource highlights strong demand in live events and immersive environments, where audiences are driving higher expectations and higher spend. At the same time, more traditional segments are normalizing after the post-pandemic surge, creating a market that is both expanding and consolidating.

Large-scale experiences, hybrid collaboration environments, and digital engagement platforms are attracting budget. Isolated hardware upgrades are not.

InfoComm will reflect that imbalance. Some parts of the show floor will feel dynamic and forward-looking. Others will feel more static.

Convergence is no longer a trend; it is the operating model

The idea that AV and IT are converging has been discussed for years. In 2026, it is no longer a point of discussion. Across multiple analysts’ perspectives, the industry is described as moving away from silos towards integrated ecosystems that combine audio, video, networking, software, and, increasingly, data.

Buyers are changing. Enterprise IT, facilities, and digital transformation teams are now directly involved in AV decisions. Their priorities are different. Interoperability, security, lifecycle management, and alignment with existing infrastructure are becoming baseline requirements.

This is one of the more important undercurrents at InfoComm. The show is still labeled “AV,” but the decision-making context has moved well beyond it.

The network has become the constraint and the opportunity

AV over IP is now the architecture for deployments, supported by standards such as Crestron DM NVX, Q-SYS, NDI, Dante, and IPMX that are being (re)designed to bridge commercial AV and broadcast workflows. At the same time, requirements around bandwidth, latency, multicast, and resilience are increasing as use cases become more demanding.

Network design is no longer a downstream consideration. It defines what is possible. It also defines risk, particularly as AV endpoints become part of the enterprise attack surface, making security a primary concern rather than a secondary one.

For vendors and integrators, this raises the bar. It is not enough to deliver AV performance in isolation. Point-to-point is dead. Solutions need to operate predictably within enterprise-grade networks.

AI is becoming operational

AI will be visible throughout InfoComm 2026, but the change lies in how it’s applied. Industry data shows a shift from ‘assistive’ features towards more autonomous system behavior. This includes automated camera operation, predictive maintenance, and real-time optimization of audio and video environments.

There are still constraints. Data availability, processing limitations, and privacy considerations are slowing adoption in some areas. And what does not help is the habit of overcharging for ‘new’ subscriptions that AV manufacturers seem to have picked up from Enterprise IT and Broadcast.

AI is moving into the operational layer of AV systems, where it influences reliability, usability, and efficiency rather than just adding features. Its impact will be measured less by what it demonstrates on a booth and more by how it reduces complexity in deployed environments. In other words: show, don’t tell.

Experience is driving design decisions

One of the clearer findings from Futuresource is that ProAV demand is increasingly tied to experiences rather than equipment. This is most visible in live events and large venues, where immersive audio, large-format displays, and integrated control systems are driving both attendance and investment. It is also visible in enterprise environments. Workplaces, campuses, and public spaces are being designed as flexible, media-enabled environments that support communication, collaboration, and engagement. This includes hybrid meeting spaces, digital signage ecosystems, and increasingly, environments that can adapt in real time.

The success of a deployment is judged by how it performs as an experience, not by the specifications of its individual components.

Standardization and interoperability are accelerating, but the jury is still out on the ‘why’

As systems become more multi-vendor and more complex, the need for interoperability becomes more urgent. There is a clear movement towards open standards and shared frameworks that allow different technologies to operate together. Whether through AV-over-IP protocols, collaboration platforms, or control systems, the direction is towards reducing fragmentation.

This is partly driven by customer demand. It is also driven by necessity.

Disconnected systems limit the value of data, constrain automation, and increase operational overhead. As one industry perspective notes, many environments still consist of multiple systems that do not “speak the same language,” which limits the effectiveness of advanced capabilities such as AI.

Sustainability and lifecycle thinking are becoming mainstream

Another area gaining momentum, albeit in waves, is sustainability. Two steps forward, one step back, driven by the geopolitical situation.

This is less about marketing and more about design choices. Lower power consumption, modular systems, and longer lifecycle planning are becoming part of procurement criteria.

For enterprise buyers, this aligns with broader ESG objectives. For vendors, it introduces new constraints around product design, manufacturing, and support.

AV is increasingly evaluated as part of long-term infrastructure, not short-term deployment

InfoComm is still a place to see technology, but it is increasingly a place to understand how that technology fits into a wider system. The most relevant conversations will not be about individual products.

Three questions demand an answer:

• How well does a solution integrate into an existing ecosystem?
• How is it managed, secured, paid, and scaled over time?
• What measurable outcome does it deliver for the organization using it?

These are not new questions, but they have become the most important ones.

Looking back over the past decade, including NETGEAR’s role in enabling AV over IP and simplified networking for AV environments, the trajectory is consistent. The industry has moved from complexity to abstraction, from hardware to software, and from installation to lifecycle.

InfoComm 2026 is another step in that direction. Infrastructure is judged less by what it promises and more by how reliably it delivers.

Come discover it at InfoComm, booth # N7011