As the custom integration industry continues to evolve beyond traditional AV installation, CEDIA Expo 2026’s education program is placing a major emphasis on AI, lighting and shading, cybersecurity, wellness, design-build collaboration, and operational maturity.
In a recent conversation with CE Pro Executive Editor Zachary Comeau, CEDIA Senior Conference Strategy Manager Evan West and Vice President of Education & Training Paul Dolenc outlined how this year’s conference programming reflects an industry that is becoming increasingly consultative, collaborative, and technically sophisticated.
Register for CEDIA Expo 2026 here!
Artificial intelligence is expected to play a central role throughout the conference curriculum. According to West, roughly 20 sessions are explicitly focused on AI, while AI-related conversations are expected to appear across nearly every educational track. Rather than treating AI as a novelty topic, CEDIA’s education team says this year’s sessions will focus heavily on practical business applications, workflow efficiencies, predictive smart home technologies, and real-world implementation strategies.
Lighting and shading will also receive expanded attention at Expo 2026 with a dedicated lighting education track. West and Dolenc described lighting as one of the most visible and experiential aspects of the modern smart home, particularly as homeowners become more interested in wellness, human-centric lighting, and seamless integration between natural and artificial light.
The conversation also highlighted growing concerns around cybersecurity and networking in connected homes, especially as more high-profile homeowners and remote workers rely on increasingly complex residential technology systems. Sessions planned for Denver will focus not only on technical best practices, but also on helping integrators better communicate cyber hygiene and network security concepts to clients.
Additional education planned for CEDIA Expo 2026 will focus on power management, recurring revenue opportunities, service contracts, and strategies for building more operationally mature integration businesses.
