D-Tools Podcast #25: 'What's the Buzz' About... InfoComm 2026 & RESIDE

With InfoComm 2026 just around the corner (June 13–19 at the Las Vegas Convention Center), D-Tools sat down with AVIXA's Jenn Heinold on the latest episode of the "What's the Buzz" podcast to get the inside track on what system integrators can expect. Heinold, who joined AVIXA in December 2024 after 15 years running the largest satellite technology show in the world, brought both fresh eyes and deep event industry expertise to the conversation.

D-Tools will be exhibiting in the Work Hall at Booth C9012. On Thursday, June 18 at 2:00 p.m., there will be a D-Tools happy hour, a Plinko game, prize giveaways, and live demos of the latest innovations in D-Tools Cloud and D-Tools System Integrator (SI).

Show Floor Layout Built Around Work and Play

The biggest change integrators will notice at InfoComm 2026 is a completely reimagined show floor layout. AVIXA has organized the Central Hall and North Hall at the LVCC around a simple but powerful concept drawn straight from its tagline, "Together we change the way people experience the world."

Heinold explained, "We sat down and thought about how could we organize our solutions on the show floor to make it a more seamless and frictionless experience. We thought about how people experience the world and came up with work and play."

• ​Central Hall becomes the “Work Hall,” home to digital signage, conferencing and collaboration, EdTech, and retail solutions.
• ​North Hall becomes the “Play Hall,” featuring audio, lighting, staging, live event, and broadcast solutions.

The idea is to help attendees navigate more intuitively and spend their time with the exhibitors and content that matter most to their business.

AVIXA's newly launched InfoComm mobile app this year includes turn-by-turn navigation between booths, a welcome addition for attendees moving between the two halls. Visit www.infocommshow.org for full event details.

Activation Hubs Showcase Built-Out Environments

A major new feature for integrators is the introduction of Activation Hubs—fully built-out, functional environments on the show floor designed to showcase complete, integrated solutions rather than individual products.

• ​The Work Hall will feature a fully functional workplace environment and a retail operation.
• ​In the Play Hall, attendees will find the AVIXA TV Studio and "The Pitch,” a fan experience zone that will also broadcast FIFA World Cup matches, which happen to be taking place during InfoComm week.

Keynotes: Microsoft, Cisco, and the AV/IT/AI Convergence

Two major keynotes anchor the education program this year:

• ​Wednesday, June 17: Ilia Bookshine, Corporate Vice President of Teams, Calling, Meetings and Devices at Microsoft, will explore the future of AI-powered collaboration and connected workplaces.
• ​Thursday, June 18: Espen Lubar, Vice President and General Manager of Collaboration Devices at Cisco, will speak on powering the modern workplace with connected intelligence.

Heinold noted, "You're seeing that convergence of AV, IT, and AI really play a big part in our keynote programming this year," adding that this is a theme that will resonate deeply with integrators navigating an increasingly blended technology landscape.

AI Accelerator Program and Education

On Tuesday, before the show floor opens, AVIXA is launching a brand-new AI Accelerator Program.

Heinold explains, "It's not meant to be philosophical or about where AI is going. It's really about how does AI impact AV today? How can we apply it? How can we be more productive? It's actually got workshops and breakouts—it's much more hands-on, which I think is really important when you're talking about new technology."

Two show floor stages round out the education offering:

• ​Vision Stage in the Work Hall: covering display and retail tech, collaboration, and the future of work.
• ​Spotlight Stage in the Play Hall: focused on media production, storytelling, and live event execution.

RESIDE: Bridging Commercial and Residential Integration

Heinold also shared details on a major AVIXA announcement: RESIDE is a new residential-focused trade show that will co-locate with InfoComm 2027 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, alongside the recently acquired Lightapalooza lighting-focused event.

"We will have three shows under one roof," Heinold said. "It'll be one badge that'll get you into all three events, so we'll really encourage networking among the commercial side and the residential side."

The show is being developed in partnership with HTSA and ProSource. Heinold explains, "What AVIXA brings to the table is the platform of InfoComm and our educational and event operational excellence. What ProSource and HTSA bring to the table is this amazing custom integration community that they know so well."

Details on educational programming for RESIDE are still being developed and will be announced as 2027 approaches.

Listen to the full conversation with Jenn Heinold on the D-Tools "What's the Buzz" podcast, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and the D-Tools YouTube channel.