CEDIA has messed up my account and they have my employees as individuals not under my company. That took 2 hours for CEDIA to fix.

Now that CEDIA fixed that, the logins for my employees to sign up didn't work. That took 3 phone calls between CEDIA and the Expo people.

We finally got everything fixed, then got signed up for all of our training and sessions.

I logged in today to print everyones schedule and everything is gone. We are now not registered for the show nor any training. WTF.

This is ridiculous and I do not have the time to keep dealing with their stupidity....why am I paying for this again? I am seriously ready to cancel the trip. It is a big investment for a company to fly its employees out to their show, pay for a hotel, and put your customers back home on hold.

For a company in the technology sector, how can they not have a functioning website and proper people in place to correct these problems.

Honestly, are you shocked?  I know you're pissed (as I would be).  But from what you know about CEDIA in the decades that you've been in the business, I'm sure you said something like...."I should've expected that". 

The way I've always pictured CEDIA in my head was 1 person to handle the office work and four people to walk the checks to the bank. 

Remember that CEDIA the organization no longer owns or manages the CEDIA show.

I thought that change would have lead to some improvement....

Why do you stay a member. How does it actually benefit your company in a tangible way?

And as a manufacturer the rates have and will go up. Our 20X20 is $13,000 just for a bare concrete floor. Then add electrical, union labor at $100/hr for booth assembly, drayage, carpet, signage and on and on. You get to $25-30,000 pretty fast.

Since the new company took over, we must get between 100-200 spam emails A DAY between all of our email addresses with offers to buy CEDIA email lists. That is a huge jump from prior year.

Unfortunately, it's a necessary evil for most manufacturers.

CEDIA must be taking notes from HDMI!

Yes Jeff, it IS an unfortunate evil for manufacturers. The owners KNOW this and dont give a CRAP. Thus, your rates in two years will likly double.

Think of it this way: CEDIA never did do for us what they might have and should have. Maybe this will finally kill it.

Zektor should rent a parking lot near the show and have a cookout/product demo. Free jerky with every new dealer sign up.

I have NEVER been a CEDIA member. Decades ago when I did the math, it simply does not make since to be a member and give away perfectly good money for nothing. And I mean nothing.
They can say all they want about their lobbying to help out the industry and I call BS! I have never seen a positive result from that. Nothing that wasn't going to happen anyway that they took credit for.
They can say all they want about helping with product improvement. Again, nothing the weight of the individual dealers all yelling the same thing didn't change. When a manufacture did do something because of 'our' voice, CEDIA is quick to say they were responsible for the change. BS! No they weren't.
They can say all they want about their training. It is the manufactures and individuals in the industry that do most of the training. And it is nothing that wouldn't happen if there was ANY other Expo as well (remember EHXpo). Just CEDIA rapes people for their expo.

Yes I am very much anti-CEDIA. I see nothing they offer that is tangible, nothing but a facade to grab money.

+1

CEDIA is just a industry parasite.

As a manufacturer it is very expensive, for us it is a 30 x 50 floor space, a full 53' Tractor/trailer for shipping and 14+ people.

Still it is the best way for us as a manufacturer to present new products, meet new potential dealers and reconnect with old friends. CES is no longer valid as a "CI" show (if it ever was), ISE is too far away for US dealers (great show) and regionals just do not generate the excitement.

My personal "bigger" concern is the sale of CEPro to the CEDIA exhibition Company, I have always felt that Julie and company were a bit of a gadfly to CEDIA and helped to keep them focused, now........

Sony stopped showing at CES in the early-80s (not long after they released the CDP-101) and did regional 'mini-CES' dealer meetings at local hotels because their double booth cost a million dollars and they didn't feel it was worth the money. This was when CES was in Chicago and, having viewed the union workers demanding payment, it was a good show of their influence. It was also a show of their willingness to disappear if someone gave them cash.