AV Canada Positively not rocky

AV Magazine

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Beyond the World Cup, several large-scale initiatives are poised to drive AV investment across Canada.

 

In Canada, the ProAV climate is healthy, but it’s changing fast.

“Cautiously active” is how Amy Zhou, Magewell’s sales director puts it. “There's genuine activity out there, but the macro environment is creating real hesitation around capital spending.”

Similarly judging the market as “active but cautious” Cameron Wilkison, MD, d&b audiotechnik (Canada) says, “Demand remains strong across key sectors, but increased price sensitivity and longer sales cycles are slowing project conversion.”

Mike Gleason, CRO Americas, Utelogy Corporation agrees but adds “the winners are shifting from traditional ‘install-and-exit’ integrators toward providers who can deliver ongoing visibility, analytics, and business outcomes.”

The prospects for future growth, he suggests, are to “embrace AV/IT under one framework to drive room standardisation, uptime assurance, usage analytics and enterprise-wide reporting.”

Andy Zuk, Kramer’s regional sales manager describes the climate as “very positive” since organisations “are recognising that visual communication, collaboration technology, and content management are no longer ‘nice to have’ investments. They are core to how people work, learn, gather, and engage.”

Calling the outlook “exceptionally strong,” Ron Rundell, Matrox Video director of sales for the Americas says momentum is driven by the convergence of broadcast and ProAV.

“The traditional boundaries between these domains are rapidly dissolving, with organisations now expecting near broadcast quality video, low-latency transport, and highly reliable distribution systems as standard. This shift is elevating the baseline for performance across virtually every commercial deployment.”

Many of the challenges affecting the AV industry are consistent across the whole of North America. Issues such as tariffs and supply chain constraints, “particularly component shortages like RAM”, remain top concerns for businesses on both sides of the border, notes Kurt Burmester, regional sales for Riedel Communications.

Recent trade tensions have prompted Canada to “accelerate domestic infrastructure investment, which benefits the AV sector,” notes Renkus-Heinz CRO, Jonathan Phillips. He reports the Canadian market being less reliant on the house of worship vertical, where US spending is significant. “Specifications hold, margins respect engineering, and the consultant community is technically rigorous,” he adds.

While business on both sides of the border is relationship driven, Canada is smaller, more regional, and “slower to adopt new technologies,” says Wilkison who also observes a growing ‘Canada First’ mindset benefiting domestic manufacturers.

One of these is Matrox, headquartered in Dorval and celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. “Canada’s AV culture is defined by a strong sense of engineering excellence, and long-term industry commitment,” says Rundell There is a deep-rooted pride in homegrown innovation among organisations that have not only contributed to Canadian AV identity but have also shaped global standards and expectations.”

One of the most exciting developments is the emergence of the Professional Audio-Visual Society of Canada, which is focused on elevating Canadian AV professionals through networking, education, mentorship, and advocacy.

“That kind of industry-building effort is a very positive step forward because it brings manufacturers, consultants, integrators, and other AV professionals together around the shared goal of strengthening the Canadian AV community,” says Zuk.

He describes a collaborative spirit emerging across manufacturers, integrators, and end users. “This openness is fostering innovation, especially around interoperability and hybrid system design,” he says. “The result is a dynamic environment where legacy expertise meets forward looking technology strategies, creating a uniquely balanced and progressive Pro AV ecosystem.”

 

FIFA World Cup

Canada is host to 13 matches of the FIFA World Cup spread between BC Place Vancouver and BMO Field (renamed Toronto Stadium for the tournament). It will be national showcase for Canadian AV both inside and beyond the stadia.

“The greatest impact will be across host cities, where fan zones, activations, media, transport, and hospitality will drive demand for AV, broadcast, and control systems,” says Wilkison.

Sports and live entertainment venues in general are moving “beyond basic infrastructure, with demand for better intelligibility, premium experiences, and multi-use flexibility driving AV investment,” he says.

BMO Field, home to Toronto FC and the Toronto Argonauts, underwent a U$157.9m renovation to meet FIFA standards, including a temporary seating expansion of 17,756 seats, bringing total capacity to 45,736 for the tournament.  Permanent improvements include new LED videoboards, upgraded lighting and audio systems, enhanced Wi-Fi, expanded hospitality areas and improved accessibility throughout the venue.

D&b recently installed a new loudspeaker system with ArrayProcessing there. “The objective was to deliver exceptional intelligibility and consistent coverage within a complex stadium environment,”  Wilkison explains.

Inside the venues, large-format displays, content distribution, audio, control, and signal management all contribute to the way fans experience the event.

“A stadium is no longer just a place to watch a match,” says Zuk. “It’s a fully produced environment where visual and audio moments help build energy, guide attention, and make fans feel part of something larger.”

Outside the stadiums “the fan festivals might actually be the more important story,” says Zhou. City parks and plazas are transformed into broadcast-quality environments with LED screens, distributed audio and synchronised lighting.

She says, “Many Canadian venue operators, city administrators and corporate sponsors will come away with a new sense of what's possible, and that changes the conversations they have when they're planning their next project.”

Vancouver’s FIFA Fan Festival will include live match broadcasts, entertainment, cultural programming, and interactive activities. “For the AV industry, the World Cup is a chance to show how technology can elevate not only the game itself, but the entire experience around it,” Zuk underlines.

Riedel has supported both venues with system supply and builds but Burmester says arenas across the country - particularly those tied to national hockey teams - have seen increased upgrades and modernisation projects.

“These initiatives are focused on enhancing fan engagement, improving in-venue production capabilities, and future-proofing facilities for a wide range of events. At the same time, integrators continue to lead in delivering advanced infrastructure and innovative solutions, reinforcing Canada’s position as a key market for large-scale productions.”

 

National activity

The major urban centers are naturally active but the need for better AV is not limited to Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, or Ottawa.

Zuk says, “We are seeing demand across the country rather than in one isolated region. The drivers are national: organisations are rethinking facilities after the pandemic, employers are trying to make offices more attractive and effective, and education continues to invest in better learning environments.”

Public transport is a good example. As cities invest in transportation infrastructure, there’s a growing need for digital signage, wayfinding, passenger information, public announcements, operations centers, and real-time communication.  Announced in 2024, the CAN$30 billion (US22bn) Public Transit Fund investment is the largest such investment in Canadian history and builds on the previous decade’s projects such as the Millennium Broadway Subway extension in Vancouver.

Construction is also nearing completion of a light-rail transit line from Mississauga to Toronto. When complete, 37,000 more people will be a 10-minute walk away from the nearly 32-kilometre Eglinton light-rail line.

Vancouver continues to stand out as a hotspot for AV innovation and investment, driven by its role as a major international gateway and technology hub. A prime example is at Vancouver International Airport where a new Main Digital Airport Command Centre is being developed.

 

This represents more than a single project, it signals the beginning of broader adoption of advanced AV-over-IP endpoints throughout the airport’s infrastructure,” says Rundell of KVM extender solutions used in the Centre. “The emphasis on scalability, network efficiency, and operational resilience makes Vancouver a leading example of how AV is being leveraged in next-generation transportation environments.”

 

Phillips identifies continued heritage venue modernisation, university capital builds, transit and airport expansion programs across Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary, and a growing performing arts refurbishment pipeline. Smart city deployments in Ontario are also accelerating, he says.

Networked environments

One vertical evolving quickly in Canada is education. Colleges and universities are competing not only on academic programs, but also on the quality of the student experience.

“That is driving investment in AV systems that support better communication, stronger audio, more flexible content sharing, and more dynamic teaching environments,” reports Zuk. “We are seeing more interest in AVoIP, networked audio, and scalable classroom technologies that make it easier to deliver consistent experiences across multiple rooms and campuses. Canadian institutions are recognising that classroom AV is not just about displays or projectors; it is about creating a complete learning environment.”

Phillips says Renkus-Heinz beam-steered solutions are increasingly specified where ceiling and pendant options are precluded by design intent. The University of Toronto Scarborough, recently equipped six lecture theatres equipped with this technology delivered with local distributor Contact Distribution and integrator Global USS.

Gleason says financial institutions are adopting cloud management platforms “because AV failure in banking is a business risk, not just a support issue. “Executive spaces, trading environments, and client-facing rooms must work every time. The platforms helps banks reduce downtime, lower support costs, improve governance, and gain enterprise-wide visibility across complex global estates.

He also spies digital signage growth across the country. “But the challenge is managing it at scale.  Deploying an management and automation platform helps organisations proactively monitor, support, and optimise digital signage environments so they stay online, measurable, and business-aligned.”

Rundell reports investment by federal and provincial government, particularly around secure communications and command-and-control environments.  A recent deployment took place at the House of Commons, where the Digital Media and Connected Systems team selected Matrox and Evertz devices to build an interoperable ST 2110-based ecosystem

“The deciding factor in this project was interoperability,” Rundell says. “This highlights a broader trend within government and enterprise sectors of the prioritisation of open, standards-based architectures that provide long-term flexibility and scalability.”

Overall, it’s apparent that AV in Canada is becoming more connected and professionalised. The industry is growing, and with that growth comes an important focus on talent, education, mentorship, and long-term industry development.

“AV is being recognised as an essential industry, not just a technical support function,” Zuk says.  “Whether its enabling collaboration, improving learning, creating immersive fan experiences, or helping organisations communicate more effectively, AV is increasingly at the centre of how people experience spaces.”