Along with the SCN Top 50 Systems Integrators 2024 list, we polled a selection of leading firms on current Pro AV industry trends.
What do you expect to be the biggest challenges for your company in 2025?
Jeff Stoebner, CEO, AVI Systems
In 2025, we anticipate that our biggest challenges will revolve around managing our rapid growth and ensuring that we have the necessary infrastructure and support systems in place to scale effectively. Since 2022, AVI Systems has experienced significant expansion, both organically and through acquisitions. As we continue to grow, it will be crucial to maintain our unique ESOP culture, which has been a cornerstone of our success. This means investing in robust systems and processes that can support a larger organization while preserving the values and principles that define our company. We also need to focus on employee development and retention to ensure we have the talent and leadership required to navigate this period of growth successfully.
And we must plan to scale our workforce to meet our customers' demands. As the value of our services grow, our ability to scale our workforce nationally and internationally will present unique challenges. Our customers' operational successes often depend on our ability to get to the local site quickly and efficiently.
Continuing on this theme, another challenge is to handle more incidents through remote remediation. Through our practice of ITIL and agile-based processes, we are constantly improving our remote resolution capabilities. Our manufacturing partners have also taken a big step in developing their cloud management tools. It is now up to the integration channel to be able to provide an offer that includes remote management and remediation of our customer's audiovisual estate without relying quite as heavily on an onsite dispatch.
[Top Integrators 2024: Hottest Trends in 2025]
Ashish Maru, Director of AV Technology, Red Thread
In 2025, we expect that keeping pace with rapid technological advancements and meeting the evolving demands of clients will be our biggest challenges. Additionally, cybersecurity concerns will also require significant attention and resources.
Thomas Berry, CEO, Verrex
As CEO, I foresee our most significant challenges being continuing to incorporate AI solutions into viable corporate initiatives and solutions, navigating the coming recession and severe real estate reckoning, keeping quality talent in the organization and continuing to top grade with new DEI talent, and hitting the budget!
David Riberi, President and CEO, LightWerks
In 2025, we anticipate that staying ahead of rapid technological advancements and managing supply chain fluctuations will be key challenges. Additionally, as clients seek more customized and intelligent AV solutions, we will need to balance personalization with scalability. At LightWerks, we’re committed to evolving alongside the industry, investing in training and new technologies to meet these demands head-on.
Joe Gillis, VP of Sales, New Era Technology
We anticipate that sustaining growth will be challenging, given economic fluctuations in some vertical markets and ongoing industry labor constraints. Addressing these requires creativity and flexibility to meet evolving customer needs effectively.
[Top Integrators 2024: Growing Markets]
Andrea Nicholson, Chief Strategy Officer, American Sound
American Sound has two simple goals: Be the best company to work with and the best company to work for. In the past two years, we have more than doubled in size in revenue, headcount, and physical locations. As we strategically grow into new markets, we have three challenges—when is the right time, where is the right location, and how will we be successful. We want to ensure our growth continues to complement our clients, provide opportunities for our employees, and allow us to deliver consistent, high-quality outcomes across multiple markets.
The tech in our industry is capable of amazing things, so much so that traditional design approaches are no longer relevant. The line of demarcation between the AV integrator and interior designer is gone (never should have been there in the first place). Technology and the environment should hold a synergistic relationship, all the while providing enterprise-grade reliability.
