Recession not over for consumer electronics, either

Although there were a handful of optimistic reports about business conditions coming out of the Las Vegas Market and High Point premarket, suffice it to say that nobody in the home furnishings industry is celebrating the end of the recession just yet.

But clearly, we’re not alone. Even the consumer electronics business, with all of its high definition TVs and other cool gadgets, is feeling the pinch, too.

The latest example is the CEDIA Expo, which wrapped up its 20th annual run Sept. 13. (I’ve covered the show several times, but couldn’t go this year because of a recession-strapped travel budget.)

CEDIA, which stands for Custom Electronic Design & Installation Assn., said about 20,000 attended this year’s event – a 12% drop from 2008.

That’s well below the show’s go-go days earlier this decade when attendance climbed steadily from 19,500 in 2002 to 29,000 in 2007. But the numbers were still quite respectable, especially when you consider the event is a niche product targeted at home theater retailers – many of whom also sell furniture.

“In a time when many companies are tightening their operations, the CEDIA Expo continues to be the one industry event that professionals make a commitment to attend in order to obtain the tools and product knowledge to help further their business success,” said Ken Erdmann, the group’s chairman.

It sounds like Erdmann and his colleagues aren’t celebrating a return to good times yet, either.

For complete coverage of the expo, visit our sister publication, TWICE.