SSI Parent Company Emerald to Acquire AV-iQ
The combined resources, databases and content will provide for an unmatched resource within the A/V industry in both the commercial and residential spaces.
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. — SSI parent company Emerald Holding (NYSE: EEX) announces an agreement to acquire AV-iQ, effective Nov. 1.
AV-iQ provides a central database to serve the commercial A/V community with a platform for integrators and end users to research, plan and connect with A/V brands and their channel partners.
Ray Lyons, vice president and publisher of Emerald’s Connected Brands Group, states, “We started down the path of a partnership, but as we explored the opportunity more it became apparent that the benefits for each brand and the respective channels were greater if we were working with our combined internal teams and other resources.”
The acquisition further expands Emerald’s commitment to the A/V market, adding a new resource to the current portfolio that includes Commercial Integrator, TechDecisions, CE Pro, Designwell, CEDIA and Total Tech Summit.
Work is in progress to launch a residentially focused version of AV-iQ in January 2022. The combined resources, databases and content will provide for an unmatched resource within the A/V industry in both the commercial and residential spaces.
From a single portal, av-iq.com, users can find everything they need — from detailed product information to news, videos, case studies and now webinars and training content. Registered users of AV-iQ enjoy a common format that allows for detailed product comparison and project list creation to inform their decisions.
From this central database, AV-iQ has been able to create custom catalogs and provide data feeds to integrators across the industry, so their customers and teams have access to preferred brands directly on the integrator’s own website.
Mark Loftus, owner of AV-iQ, states, “The exciting part about this marriage is that it happened very organically. It started several months ago with a simple conversation about cross-marketing that evolved into the idea that we could create a residential version of AV-iQ together, while also strengthening the current commercial AV-iQ.”
He continues, “In the days since our alliance was announced we’ve been working on executing on that vision and it became even more apparent that we’re aligned on what AV-iQ is, and more importantly, what it can be. This shared vision brought us to the realization that we should jump in with both feet forward and have Emerald take full ownership and put all its resources behind this brand.”
Emerald is a leader in building dynamic, market-driven business-to-business platforms that integrate live events with a broad array of industry insights, digital tools and data-focused solutions to create uniquely rich experiences. The company, based here, operates more than 140 events each year.
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