At the recent Home Technology Specialists of America (HTSA) spring conference, the theming seen throughout the space was ‘relentless.’ This being the first HTSA conference I’ve had the privilege of covering since starting at CE Pro, it was certainly a strong introduction to the group.
The former content marketer and ongoing creative writer in me couldn’t help but love the directness of the messaging. Not only does it present a game plan with all the grit and determination found in the locker rooms of sports stadiums within a single word, but it’s also a perfect theme for the season.
It’s spring! We’ve weathered the winter and now we have so much ground to cover.
This quote shared during one of the general sessions captures it best.
“Gentlemen, we will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall catch excellence.”
Vince Lombardi
Among gathered vendor partners and dealers throughout the JW Marriott Casino and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada, HTSA delivered four days of educational sessions, talks, demonstrations, and networking opportunities all aimed towards the future’s hot, bleeding edge, and while present day realism did make its way into the proceedings, the news of current market shifts only worked to further temper that vison.
While it may sound like it all boils down to aggressive business tactics wolf-of-wall-street-style, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Despite the conference being decidedly business focused, HTSA wanted interactions that would be business in results only.

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From demonstrations to dinners, each room had an air of excitement and appetite for discussion and learning long into the night, and for HTSA, this wasn’t just an ideal conference setting, it was, in a way, the future of how business should be conducted.
Networking and Connection Offer ‘the Best Learning’
To kick off the show, HTSA welcomed Custom Installation & Design as well Miestro Home Integration as new members to the group before rattling off some numbers that would make any marketer blush.
Specifically, the group’s Java Notes, a weekly newsletter-type email sent out with all the latest relevant news from vendors partners within HTSA, had an 83% open rate across the group’s 100 or so members.
Traditionally, a newsletter send campaign should consider a 20% open rate to be highly successful.

When asked about it by CE Pro, Jon Robbins, Executive Director of HTSA, says it’s all thanks to culture, which itself ties into the theming around the spring conference as more of a networking-focused event in comparison to its education-heavy fall conference.
Though, to say no education is taking place as a result couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Connection is where the best learning takes place,” Robbins says, reminiscing on the many varied stories each of its members brings to the table.
After having had the ability to speak with and listen in on the many conversations happening between HTSA members, I would have to agree.
Casual conversations still offered nuances to gleam from the different markets, new approaches to businesses that had yet been heard and even some fresh perspectives from emerging leadership, all said with the off-the-cuff and approachable demeanor that you could only get in a more social setting.
Are You a Red Brain or a Green Brain?
Punctuating that exact idea, Keith Esterly, Chief Learning Architect spoke of both the Red Brain and the Green Brain in his, what is hopefully going to become a staple, Keithnote.
Brain chemistry, he stated, can have a profound impact on how people interpret any interaction, though for the crowd gathered, he mostly wanted to focus on sales and social interactions.
In a red brain, cortisol (the stress hormone) is active alongside adrenaline and norepinephrine, while in the green brain, oxytocin (the connections hormone) is joined by dopamine, serotonin and other endorphins.
The idea, Esterly states, is to work within that green space, so others can be in that space with you. We strive for the green space in friendly, social interactions, however, for sales, there can be a tendency to trigger a red brain state, as the goals and motives of the latter are often much different.

Looking at the bigger picture Esterly put it this way: When you part ways with someone, whether it’s from a social interaction or at the conclusion of a sales deal, are they better for having met you?
Funnily enough, Esterly had also made the executive decision to hold a happy hour during his topic discussion, which, aside from adding a nice incentive for people to attend, played directly into his topic, along with the rest of the conference.
This (the red and green brain, not the alcohol) he told me is a huge example of where the HTSA group is moving in terms of business approach for its members.
It’s an approach that he describes as being “beyond transactional” and in my own personal experience—having worked within the design/architecture sphere—mirrors the approach professionals in those spaces often take as well.
Of course, HTSA wouldn’t be making this move if they didn’t think the industry was heading that way as well. Quoting Esterly, he says that the members he has spoken to on the topic are “hungry for it.”
“First year we started this approach, I had about 6 events I did the whole year,” he stated. “This year, I’ve been doing one every two weeks and I’m booked into next year. And I’m not calling these guys asking if I can come out to talk—unless of course I think Hawaii needs some help.”
HTSA Spring Conference Looks Towards the Future with a Relentless Mindset
One of the first topics broached in the 2023 HTSA Spring Conference was the idea of succession, business legacy and how current HTSA members could (and should) start to chart a course as to how their business will exist beyond them.
Another topic covered was the emerging use cases of ChatGPT.
An incredibly new development, especially in the scope of technology, many are still navigating the waters when it comes to the topic of AI and AI assistants, but for the custom integration industry, manufacturers and integrators have already begun to incorporate ChatGPT into their processes.
Tom Doherty, HTSA’s director on new technologies initiatives, delivered the discussion, diving deep into the potentials the technology held for integrators at the conference.
Being the mind behind Lightapalooza, HTSA’s lighting conference for the broader integration industry, Doherty is already uniquely tapped into discussions surrounding emerging technologies within the industry.
Specifically, in speaking with CE Pro on the topic he talked about how HTSA is using their stance on emerging technologies to better inform their education and business approach for members.

“We don’t want to lead with technology (brands) in our discussions,” Doherty notes. “The industry has always been about helping homeowners enjoy their space, starting with audio and home theater. Before the product, everyone must start with a market need whether its entertainment or making something easier to use.”
Esterly echoes this sentiment, noting how for the longest time (and still to this day), integrators have led into projects with specific brands or products. Of course, there’s a good reason as to why.
Traditionally, Esterly notes, education has been led by manufacturers, and while they’re still teaching valuable skills, at the end of the day, they still want to make sure you’re selling their product. Additionally, clients have long fed into this “sell the product before the experience” mentality with integrators, albeit unintentionally.
“Clients always start off thinking it’s the gear they want to buy,” Esterly states. “However, they all have goals. They all know where they want to end up with the purchase, and that’s what we want to sell them.”
This ability to sell an experience and deliver more personalized experiences, Esterly states, is what will ultimately help define integrators against larger players like Google and Amazon—who owe much of their success to being able to identify those core needs—and likely why a more holistic approach to technology design and sales has developed within the industry.
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