For Ed Blair, it’s difficult to point to a single favorite memory from CEDIA Expo.
After attending the event for decades, the Lutron president and vice chairman says the memories tend to blur together: celebrating the retirement of longtime colleagues, reconnecting with customers he’s known for years and watching the custom integration industry evolve alongside the show itself.
“There’s so many memories,” Blair said during a recent interview with CE Pro, but one stands out.
In the wake of the supply chain disruptions that followed the COVID-19 pandemic, Lutron found itself facing challenges unlike any in its history. Like many manufacturers, the company struggled to secure parts and fulfill orders, leaving customers frustrated and projects delayed.
Ed Blair, Lutron president and vice chairman
Rather than avoid the issue, Blair used a CEDIA Expo keynote to address it head-on.
“Without any notes, I had the chance to stand up there and tell our customers the truth, tell them what we were doing about it, and be very honest with them,” he said.
The positive response from dealers reinforced something Blair says has always made CEDIA Expo valuable: the relationships that exist between manufacturers and the integration community.
“It really taught me a lot about the commitment we get from our customers, what they think about us and how it’s important to be really open and transparent with them,” Blair said.
That relationship is one reason Lutron is increasing its investment in CEDIA Expo 2026, expanding its training opportunities, bringing nearly 100 employees to the show and encouraging the industry to continue supporting what Blair sees as a critical gathering point for manufacturers, integrators and design professionals alike.
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A 35-Year Commitment
When Lutron returns to Denver in September, it will be the company’s 35th year exhibiting at the industry’s largest U.S. tradeshow as CEDIA members. That consistency reflects the company’s long-term view of both the custom integration channel, and the role industry events play in supporting it.
“For Lutron, the custom integrator channel is super strategic,” Blair explains. “The ability of that channel to take the products and technology Lutron makes and bring them to life for our end customers is very important to our future.”
According to Blair, CEDIA Expo provides a combination of education, networking and product experiences that is difficult to replicate elsewhere.
“CEDIA Expo is the one place that brings together the right people and the right environments — the show floor, the educational sessions, the events — all the spaces that make real connections possible,” he says.
More Than a Trade Show
For Lutron, those connections extend well beyond sales conversations. Blair says the company views the event as an opportunity for employees across departments to engage directly with customers and better understand the challenges integrators face in the field.
Those interactions are one reason the company plans to increase the number of employees it brings to Denver this year, including trainers, engineers, sales personnel and marketing staff. The company is also expanding its educational efforts at the event with more training sessions.
“We’re doubling our number of training sessions,” Blair says, adding that Lutron will continue offering its hands-on Lutron Lab, which allows attendees to interact with new products and technologies and the engineers who develop them.
Education, Product Launches and Connections
For Blair, the value of Expo goes beyond product launches.
“It’s the combination of education, launching new products, and connecting with people,” Blair says.
Lutron also sees the show as a way for integrators to strengthen relationships throughout the organization.
“Those kinds of connections you just don’t get on a Teams call,” Blair says.
The company expects its expanded presence to create more opportunities for dealers to interact directly with Lutron trainers, engineers and executives.
Why Lutron Is Investing More This Year
Lutron’s increased commitment comes as some manufacturers have reduced their presence at trade shows or shifted resources to regional events and proprietary dealer gatherings. Blair acknowledged that companies face difficult decisions as event calendars become increasingly crowded.
“The calendar is getting more and more crowded,” he says. “People do have to make decisions.”
Still, Blair believes the industry benefits from maintaining a strong central gathering place.
“We decided to increase our spend, increase our presence, increase our commitment with people, and really try to make sure that the industry understands that Lutron is committed to CEDIA Expo. Period,” Blair says. “
A Bigger Presence on the Show Floor
Image: CEDIA Expo/Emerald
Lutron’s expanded commitment to CEDIA Expo 2026 will extend beyond education and networking opportunities. Blair said the company is planning a significantly enhanced presence on the show floor, including a new booth experience designed to give attendees a more immersive look at how lighting, shading and control technologies work together throughout the home.
The booth will build on Lutron’s longstanding emphasis on experiential demonstrations, allowing attendees to see firsthand how natural and electric light can be coordinated to create different moods and environments throughout the day. According to Blair, those types of demonstrations often create the most memorable moments for integrators exploring new categories and technologies.
Lutron also plans to highlight its latest lighting, shading and outdoor solutions at the show, including products within its Coastal Via lineup. Blair noted that the company has spent the past year refining those offerings to ensure they meet the performance and reliability standards dealers have come to expect from the brand.
Beyond its main booth, Lutron will also participate in Destination Outdoors, CEDIA Expo’s dedicated outdoor technology showcase. The company sees the outdoor category as a growing opportunity for integrators as homeowners continue to invest in exterior living spaces that incorporate lighting, shading, audio and control technologies.
For Blair, those demonstrations reinforce one of the core reasons Lutron continues to support the event: providing integrators with opportunities to experience products in person rather than through brochures, videos or virtual presentations.
“There’s just no comparing that in-person experience,” Blair said.
Supporting the Industry Ecosystem
Blair says the decision to increase CEDIA Expo investment was driven in part by concerns about attendance trends and what could happen if the industry loses a major annual gathering point.
“It’s important not to lose the one space that brings the whole industry together,” he says. “Once you lose it, it’s really hard to get that central show back. And until it’s gone, you don’t realize all the value it had to the industry.”
Drawing from his experience in the commercial lighting market, Blair says he has seen how fragmentation among events can weaken participation and reduce opportunities for collaboration.
The result, he says, can be an industry that lacks a central destination for education, networking and business development.
Creating “Aha” Moments
Another key reason Lutron continues to invest heavily in Expo is the experiential nature of many of the technologies showcased there.
Lighting and shading systems, Blair says, are difficult to fully appreciate through videos, webinars or product brochures.
“For us, it’s that feeling you get when you experience beautiful light, when you experience daylight control, and when you have this harmonization and experience that make people feel great,” he says.
Blair recalled his first experience with Ketra technology before Lutron acquired the company.
“When I felt it, I went, wow. Our customers are going to love that,” he says.
The company hopes to recreate similar moments for attendees visiting its booth in Denver.
“I’ve seen people have what I’d like to call these aha moments,” Blair says. “Until you’re in the middle of that, you really can’t get a full appreciation for what you’re going to experience.”
Helping Integrators Grow Their Businesses
Beyond product demonstrations, Blair sees CEDIA Expo as a catalyst for business growth and education, particularly as lighting becomes a larger part of many integration firms’ businesses.
“Education is one of the most important things,” he says. “Where else can you go and get some of your key people into four, five, six critical training sessions in one visit?”
He also pointed to lighting as an example of how CEDIA Expo can expose integrators to new business opportunities and revenue streams.
“And then these inspirational moments when you see something new and it triggers something. You say to yourself, ‘You know what? I could be in that business,’” Blair says. “I could really transform what I maybe thought my business was six, nine, 12 months ago.’”
According to Blair, many of the integrators finding success with lighting today first encountered those opportunities through industry education and hands-on experiences like what is available at CEDIA Expo every year.
An Investment in the Future
For dealers still weighing whether to attend CEDIA Expo 2026, Blair acknowledged that this year’s schedule may create challenges. However, he believes the long-term benefits outweigh the inconvenience.
“It’s a critical moment once a year to invest in your business, and to invest in the development of your people,” he says.
And even for attendees who arrive with a specific agenda, Blair believes the show’s greatest value often comes from unexpected discoveries and conversations.
“People I’ve known for a long time say, ‘I didn’t anticipate seeing this’ or ‘I didn’t anticipate learning that,'” he says. “Even if you’re not sure what you’re going to see, you’re going to see something that will trigger inspiration.”