Ellipsys Commercial Technology Group held its first-ever in-person event in Scottsdale, Arizona, last week, bringing together over two dozen commercial integration industry professionals for a unique and intimate networking and education opportunity. Anticipation around the Ellipsys Catalyst event had been building for the better part of the past year as the group prepared for it’s inaugural event, and to say the payoff was worth the wait would be a vast understatement.
“It was inspiring to see our members – most of whom have never met before – come together and open up and share so openly about their businesses and their challenges,” says Ellipsys Executive Director Chris Whitley. “That level of connection and collaboration is exactly what we set out to achieve when we launched this group a little over a year ago. This first-ever Catalyst event is really just the beginning for what we know will grow into a significant movement for our members.”
The two-day event featured numerous roundtable discussions on some of the hottest topics impacting the commercial integration industry today, including the impacts of artificial intelligence, labor challenges, future business and technology trends, and more. Members had multiple opportunities to engage directly with with key vendor partners in attendance to discuss business challenges, emerging market trends, innovative product solutions and more, while building impactful relationships.
“The part of it that I enjoyed the most is the diversity of the voices at this event,” says Dan Abrams, practice director of digital workplace and security at Aspire Technology Partners, a Red Bank, New Jersey-based company. “So many of the members don’t come from specifically the traditional AV background. You’re hearing different opinions, different experiences, different levels of growth and challenge within the industry, and it’s always exciting to have the opportunity to learn from other people. And with new challenges come new things to learn about and new opportunities to tackle.”
In addition, Ellipsys Catalyst featured two impactful keynote presentations that delivered actionable advice and data to the group’s members. Tim Costello, a demographics expert and founder of Built for the Future, shared detailed demographics data that painted a picture of the opportunities and challenges facing the commercial integration world, while Dan Ferrisi, group editor of Commercial Integrator and Sales & Security Integration for Emerald, dove into state of the industry data, highlighting the product and project trends shaping the commercial industry today.
By the end of the event, members and vendor partners departed with a renewed sense of community and a longer list of trusted colleagues to tap into when needed.
“I grew up on the residential side of the business, and one thing I realized when I got into the commercial side with my company is that there wasn’t the same sense of community,” says Heather Sidorowicz, ower of Southtown Audio Video in Buffalo, New York. “After a day and a half here at the Ellipsys Catalyst event, I do have a community now. I have a bunch of new friends that I can call across the country and ask, ‘How are you doing this? How are you solving this problem?’ And that is priceless.”Ellipsys will look to keep the momentum from the Catalyst event rolling into the final months of the year. The group already has a target of May 2025 for the next edition of its event, to be hosted in Indianapolis.