The Post-Buzzword Shift in AV Distribution: InfoComm Insights with Quinn Klarer

Go Beyond the Booth: What AV Pros Should Really Be Looking for at InfoComm 2026

Name: Quinn Klarer

Title: Product Manager

Years attending InfoComm: 5-ish

What should AV professionals understand about AV-over-IP before they walk the InfoComm show floor? 

AV-over-IP isn't new; it's a mature technology that has been around for a long time, and at this point, it's less of a trend and more of a standard that every AV professional should have learned.

What I find more interesting is what comes next. There will be a shift in how we distribute and manage AV over a network. Cloud and AI seem to be the buzzwords people start to point toward, but what that looks like in practice can be kind of hard to wrap your head around (at least for me). When we do make that shift, what will we be willing to change in the long term when it comes to standards? Latency? Quality? Control? I’m not sure our industry has fully wrestled with it yet, but I’m excited to talk to people at InfoComm who have begun asking those questions. 

Where do you see the industry heading in terms of no-code, low-code, and custom-programmed AV control? 

Some people find it easier to code a solution than to drag in a module that has everything pre-done. Coding yourself makes you understand exactly how it’s going to function, and it's fun, but it comes at a cost in time. In terms of where we are going, I think AI has helped bridge the gap between coding and no-code. The in-between low-code thing does not really seem to want to exist in that context; perhaps I am wrong. People will always have a preferred workflow, so we will be headed in both code and no-code directions…somehow. 

What advice would you give to someone attending InfoComm for the first time? 

I would say be yourself. If you are someone who just wants to walk up to a booth and start pressing buttons and see what happens, do it. If you want to have a deep technical conversation, bring it up and ask if there is someone who specializes in what you are interested in. If you just want swag, ask for it and go, no big deal. 

What conversations are you most looking forward to having with consultants, integrators, partners, or customers at InfoComm 2026? 

I love talking about other manufacturers' products with customers. InfoComm is such a cool time to see new products from all over, and while I will have my own take on things as a manufacturer, getting a wide range of takes on how 'this new speaker from this company could work with this new amp from this company, and this thing does that but not this, and why didn't they do x, y, z' is really valuable. Talking about your own products is awesome, and I am very excited about Cognio, but getting the perspective of designers and installers on a range of products and solutions is pretty fun too.

What keeps you excited about working in pro AV right now?

I stay excited because of the people. The people in our industry want new and exciting technology; they want manufacturers to compete and produce exciting and innovative products. People in the AV industry are open about what they want and don’t want, and it’s exciting to work with them to come up with unique solutions.

Meet with Symetrix at InfoComm 2026

Bio: Quinn Klarer has worked in the AV industry, doing everything from post-production to radio broadcast engineering. He first fell in love with AV when he landed his first AV job setting up live events at hotels in Chicago, which consisted mainly of hanging out in an alley, waiting on the equipment truck to arrive. His passion has never waned.