“The AVcon” is the accompanying exhibition to LEaT con in Hamburg and addresses the permanent installation market. From October 22nd to 24th, 2024, the Hamburg Messe Hall B6 was the ideal meeting point for the entire ProAV industry.
The entire spectrum of AV system integration was presented in the AVcon area of the LEaT con networking trade fair. The focus was on hardware and software solutions in modern working environments and media installations for companies, institutions and in the educational sector. The AVcon sees itself as a platform for expanding your personal network and wants to promote the exchange of knowledge and experience.
At the same time, the exhibition and lecture event is affiliated with the very successful LEaT con, the event for “Live Entertainment and Technology”. This combination enables a view of complementary sectors in one place and promotes synergies for the exhibitors and, in particular, for the visitors.
So it was not surprising that numerous manufacturers and distributors used this combination and presented themselves individually in the various areas of LEaT con/AVcon.
AV Stage with a three-day lecture program on market-relevant topics (Image: MH Vogel)
Premiere AVcon
“The AVcon” was successfully established at the beginning of the year. The previous format under the name “Human x Work Conference” focused on products, solutions and lecture topics relating to the modern workspace and the world of work in 2022 and 2023.
In the aftermath of the pandemic with all its changes, there was increased interest in exhibiting the broadest possible range of ProAV products and solutions. The concept of the newly created AVcon therefore covers all relevant product groups and areas of application in the AV installation market in a needs-oriented manner.
The AV Stage topic clusters
The corresponding lecture program complemented the exhibition and gave participants the opportunity to deepen their knowledge. This was made possible by the three topic clusters with their relevant solutions and current questions on hardware and software products on the one hand and, on the other hand, on central formats and standards of the AV installation market. If that didn’t seem comprehensive enough, you had the opportunity to take advantage of the even more extensive program on the various neighboring stages of LEaT con.
Workspace & Conferencing
The changes in the world of work with new concepts under the heading of New Work require future-oriented technologies and tools. Prof. Hohmann (TU Kaiserslautern) provided information about the use of workplace management systems and Friedhelm Rook from Barco reported on the product advantages of the ClickShare video bar for “ultra-fast, efficient meetings”. And Sven Hausen, Associate Partner of the management consultancy Campana & Schott, highlighted how organizations are getting ready for the new AI-supported type of collaboration under the motto “Embrace AI”.
OFF over IP
AV-over-IP systems can be optimally adapted to the specific requirements of customers and flexibly scaled. A variety of formats and protocols are available here. Jean Lapierre from Matrox discussed the IPMX format, which offers many advantages and solutions to problems for the ProAV industry, and Claudio Becker-Foss gave an overview of network-based audio formats and their integration capabilities using reference examples. Holger Wiesenberg from Audinate, in turn, gave the audience an overview of the Dante ecosystem as a complete solution for audio, video, management and monitoring in AV-over-IP systems. Finally, structured network cabling based on PoE was the topic of Sebastian Oeynhausen. He addressed the question: “Active line arrays with beam steering and structured cabling (PoE) – does that go together?”
Technology
Innovative AV technology creates space for inspiring and creative concepts as well as tailor-made implementations. Hubertus Beckmann (Lang AG) presented the development of transparent LED displays. Amit Chatterjee (Samsung) gave an insight into the CMS “VXT” from Samsung. Maurice Camplair (Crestron) was concerned with the classification of AI in the industry: “A look at AI and its application in event and media technology”. Dirk Zimmermann (Mipro) spoke about: “Inclusion: Implementation of hearing support in accordance with standards and the law”. Thorsten Rhode from Amadeus Acoustics showed how “Active Acoustics in listed venues” works.
A look at 2025
AVcon elicited a very positive response; the combination with LEaT con proved to be particularly beneficial and brought together the key industry topics in one place. So it is not surprising that the plan for 2025 already includes expansion to two halls, namely the directly adjacent halls A1 and A2 of the Hamburg Messe. This offers the opportunity to expand the AVcon exhibition and to present the range of products and solutions from all areas of the AV world more comprehensively. This remains essentially a networking event and with a variety of lectures as well as the successful synergy with LEaT con.
