On Oct. 25-27, professionals from the home automation, home theater and security industries met at the Hilton Hotel for the Electronic House Fall Expo 2000. The event was sponsored by the Home Automation and Networking Association (HANA), CEPro, SmartAMERICA, Panja, Home Director and INETCAM. More than 80 manufacturers and distributors unveiled their latest high-tech home networking, home control and digital entertainment products and services.
Kicking off the event were three keynote presentations made during the conference. George De Marco, president of Greater Alarm Co. in Irvine, Calif., delivered the first keynote speech entitled, “Angling Into the Connected Home.” De Marco focused on the challenges and opportunities of the “connected home.” Tom Hite, chief technology officer of Panja of Richardson, Texas, spoke about “Integrating Content and Control in the Broadband Era.” The final keynote address, entitled “Alphabet Soup for the Integrator’s Soul – An Update on Home Networking and Control Standards,” was comprised of panelists from key manufacturing firms.
Attendees could also select from a plethora of workshops and conferences to enhance their technical and business knowledge. Some of the featured workshops and conferences were “Home Theater Design and Installation,” “Dealer Business Management and Operations Techniques and Procedures,” “The Custom Installation Sales and Profits Paradigm,” and “Working With Telcos and Cable Operators.”
In the evening, attendees were greeted with a cocktail reception that included speaker Mark Schmidt, vice president of Home Director, who discussed “The Digital Divide.” The Security Industry Association (SIA), SmartAMERICA and X-10 Pro Inc. hosted its own gathering for the Home Automation Interest Group, with an impressive hors d’oeuvre buffet and open bar. The party was highlighted by Gerald Rooks of X-10 Pro, who introduced Duane Paulson, vice president of marketing and corporate communications for Interlogix, as HANA’s president-elect.
