Commercial Integrator January 2021 - 17

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME, the people we
interviewed for the purposes of helping us
look ahead to 2020 and what was likely to
happen across the AV landscape almost
universally saw it as another year of growth
for many in the space, without a hint of
recession or trouble ahead.
So you might want to grab a grain of
salt before you dive too far into this year's
look ahead to 2021, but we're hoping that
there won't be a surprise that's as jarring
and all-encompassing as the coronavirus
pandemic within the next 12 months.
What does look like it's on the horizon
is a continuation of the phenomenon that
packed fi ve years of tech innovation into
the fi nal nine months of the year. Things
will look a lot diff erent than they did two
years ago, but AV is uniquely poised to
answer the call in many of the transitions
that lay ahead.
" Every call last year was talking about
growth, record backlog and how they
couldn't keep up with the demand, " says
NSCA executive director Chuck Wilson.
" Now we're thinking fi rst and foremost
about the survival of each and every one of
our member companies. "
NSCA has been helping members with
fi nancial health checks and making sure
employment levels match demand, he says.
The average company expects a 20 percent
drop in revenue and about the same reduction
in effi ciency, says Wilson.
Aſt er predictions of another robust year
ahead in 2020, AVIXA CEO David Labuskes
" certainly received a lesson this year that
there are no certainties, " he says with a smile.
For 2021, he expects people to be " back out
in the world by the middle of 2021.
" This is like the end of Season 1 of
some new blockbuster series and we've
got a number of diff erent plot points that
are going to resolve when 2021 hits, "
says Labuskes. Those " unresolved plot
points " include the economy, presidential
election, possible stimulus package and
coronavirus vaccine.
" From a technological perspective, I
think we're going to enter a time frame of
unprecedented growth and innovation, " he
says. " We will bring lessons from this time
frame forward with us and have diff erent
behavior. It's going to be an extraordinarily
commercialintegrator.com
Company Profi les
How do you classify your fi rm?
1.7%
Other
6.8%
Consultant/specifi er
Integrator/installer/contractor
What is your gender?
91.5%
What is your age?
18.6%
Female
81.4%
Male
71 or
Older
3.4%
61-70
16.9%
51-60
37.3%
31-40
18.6%
22.0%
41-50
22-30
1.7%
How many employees does your company have?
1.7% 501-1,000
37.3%
25 or Less
10.2% 10.2% 6.8%
25.4%
26-50 51-75 76-100 101-500
8.5%
1,001
or More
What is your total (projected)
revenue for 2020?
$50 Million to
$100 Million
11.9%
20.3%
6.8%
$25 Million to
$50 Million
$10 Million to
$25 Million
Less Than
$5 Million
40.7%
10.2% 10.2%
$5 Million to
$10 Million
40.7%
Down More
Than 5%
11.9%
18.6% Same
Down Less
Than 5%
3.4%
Up Less
Than 5%
More Than
$100 Million
25.4%
Up More
Than 5%
How does your 2020 revenue
compare to your 2019 revenue?
JANUARY 2021 Commercial Integrator
17
http://www.commercialintegrator.com
Commercial Integrator January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Integrator January 2021
