27-29 Aug 2025
ICC, Sydney

Integrate 2019: That’s a wrap

Sep 4, 2019

At Integrate 2019, big ideas took centre stage on the show floor, and behind closed doors. State-of-the-art digital signage was a showstopper, with this year’s offerings truly blurring the lines between virtual and reality. The digital world is now sharper than ever, all thanks to the AV industry.

This makes for sharper selling propositions. It streamlines the point of sale process for businesses that know how to tap into digital. These technologies are set to sharpen every aspect of our lives.

Jason Sosa from Admobilize turned digital signage into a case study, showing the crowd a system that uses facial recognition to not only identify the gender and approximate age of onlookers but also their emotional state.

An engaged audience of thought leaders was one of the reasons Microsoft selected Integrate 2019 as the location to unveil the Surface Hub 2S. This is Microsoft’s hotly-anticipated all-in-one collaboration device.

Samsung also launched the QLED 8K screen with resolution you need to see to believe. This next-generation television provides images with astonishing depth and detail on some of Samsung’s largest ever screens.

As Integrate 2019 made clear, better AV technology isn’t just reflected through billboards, computers and televisions, but it’s also quickly finding its way into household appliances such as our fridges too. It seems that fridges with sensors, temperature controls and food safety notifications are just the beginning.

Beyond the visual effects of AV, there’s a utility benefit, as many speakers at Integrate Expo 2019 were quick to point out.

The Speaker Series drew crowd favourites including Gary Kayye of The rAVe Agency, a US tech branding expert with 25 years experience, and Trustologie’s Marie-Claire Ross, who quantifies the importance of trust in an organisation for C-suite leaders.

From the home to the office, broadly speaking, there were plenty of discussions about digital transformation and the workplace trends that will have the most impact on enterprises. These talks were largely centred around data security, as well as diversity and inclusion.

Even within the niche of AV and IT, smaller groups are forming to rally for change. A talk by Dr Jenine Beekhuyzen marked the halfway point for this year’s Integrate Expo. Beekhuyzen was the keynote speaker at the AVIXA Women’s Council Breakfast. She spoke about her business Tech Girl Movement which inspires young women to chase STEAM careers. Beekhuyzen has made it her life’s mission to create a pipeline of women in the tech sector based on ample evidence that diversity breeds creativity.

On that beat, the morning of the last day saw Victorian secondary school students explore the show floor. David Labuskes from AVIXA inspired the young tech leaders to “change the way people contribute to the world”.

From the junior league to the professional stage, in the afternoon of the final day the topics of standards and licensing were covered in a free Tech Talk by David Meyer, Paul Stathis, Vi Le and Peter Johnson.

This talk drilled into safety standards in technology, critical information for professional integrators.

The panelists stressed the importance of safety when connecting cabling, and how taking precautions was also important for network integrity. It’s a matter of priority considering failure to keep up with safety standards may lead to incompatibilities or obsolescence, possibly even legal implications.

Standards Australia recommended individuals and companies approached them about setting standards across the industry.

With the place where AV meets IT—or hardware meets software—seemingly ripe for regulation, this Tech Talk prompted lively debate.

In any sector, regulation often comes after the fact. It often manifests as a game of cat and mouse where regulation ultimately plays catch up to the problem. As an example, in the US, the Government is trying to regulate Big Tech with little success so far. Too often, regulation is considered too little, too late.

Nevertheless, with the sharpest minds in the industry encouraged to Think Beyond at Integrate Expo 2019, we’re banking on a brighter future for technology. In 2019, tech thought leaders have moved beyond product development to integrating human-centered design principles in all that they do.

Keen for even more Integrate – You can view highlights from in the 2019 gallery here. Integrate 2020 will be back from August 19-21 at ICC Sydney – subscribe to our newsletter for regular event and industry updates.
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