By Jim Mayo

We wanted to send you a quick thank-you follow up note for all of you who visited the Samsung booth at CEDIA EXPO 2019. We had a tremendous show and I wanted to very briefly highlight some of the major announcements and product showcases for those who were not able to make it to Denver.

One of the major WOW factors dealers told us they enjoyed in the booth was our giant 8K Wall of TVs that loomed large in the center of the booth. Everyone was captivated by the images and videos rotating in this large-scale digital display. Imagine 16 Samsung 8K TVs of various sizes artistically mounted on a wall, separated by mere inches – all synced with incredible scenes that created an immersive experience. It literally stopped people in their tracks!

Seth Kaplan, President, LK and Associates: “With Samsung being the biggest brand in the industry, and CEDIA Expo being the biggest show, this was the place to show off the new goods they are bringing to market. We’re a rep company for Samsung and obviously we can’t just bring all of the big screen products around in the field. So being able to walk our dealers through the booth to get hands-on experience with products and have the Samsung trainers available to explain new feature sets – well, this is the place to be this week.”

Another of the highlights in the Samsung booth was our display area showcasing the control system manufacturers we’re partnering with – AMX, Control4, Crestron, RTI, Savant, URC – as well as two new exciting vendors who are on the cutting edge of voice and face recognition, ELAN and Josh.ai

John Yodzis, President and CEO of Dow Electronics: “As a customer or a distributor, being here at CEDIA and having brands here focused on our needs represents dedication to the channel in my view. And loyalty to my business. Anyone can focus on a product, but to focus on a channel and individual dealer needs is what separates the top tier vendors from the rest.”

We also received tremendous feedback on the new 98” QLED 8K TV, as well as The Wall Lux. In fact, around the booth there was lots of traffic not only discussing 8K and big screen sales, but also groups were constantly checking out the Gaming and Smart Things stations.

I think dealers who visited the Samsung booth really came away impressed with our commitment to 8K technology and the range of products we are now offering. I heard many, many dealers say that selling 8K differentiates them in the marketplace, as they bring the latest technology to their clients.

Ainslie Fukuda, VP Purchasing & Marketing, Wave Electronics: “Samsung has some very cool, innovative products pretty much every year. But more importantly, really innovative products for the CEDIA channel. If you think of the CEDIA channel dealer, they are on the front line pushing innovation and technology into the home. As a distributor for Samsung, I get to talk with the dealers and share ideas and information, so this show is at the top of our list.”

And please take just a minute or two to watch our CEDIA EXPO 2019 Samsung Booth Tour video! There’s a lot to see and we know you’ll enjoy everything on display.

As you can see, there was a lot going on in the Samsung booth as we continue to work with the CI channel to help drive business to your door. In our next full issue of Samsung Connections, we’ll be rolling out a complete review of our newest design centers and presenting an up-close look at our newest distribution and representative partners. Until then, we wish you continued success.