2025 felt like one of those years too. A lot happened, a lot was learned, and not everything went exactly as planned. But just like good AV systems, the real lessons take time to surface.

So before we rush into 2026, let’s pause for a moment and look back, honestly, at what 2025 really taught us about AV, integration, and the work we do every day.

As 2025 comes to a close, I’ve been thinking less about the technology we deployed and more about what this year quietly changed in our industry.

Yes, it was a year of bigger LED walls, more immersive spaces, and smarter platforms. But behind the headlines, 2025 was really about something else: maturity. AV stopped being impressed with itself, and started being tested in the real world.

Here’s my AV Truth reflection on 2025, from projects, meetings, and site realities.

LED Grew Up and So Did Its Problems

By 2025, LED itself was no longer the challenge. The panels worked. The resolutions were stunning. The specs looked perfect on paper.

What caught teams off guard was everything around it.

Power distribution, cooling, network behavior, content workflows, these became the real risk areas. I saw projects where the LED looked incredible on day one but became a daily headache shortly after.

The lesson was simple but uncomfortable: technology maturity exposes integration weakness.

LED isn’t a product anymore. It’s a system. And systems demand thinking beyond the screen.

Immersive Spaces Stopped Being a “Wow”

A few years ago, immersive rooms were a surprise. In 2025, they became an expectation.

Clients didn’t ask if they could have immersive experiences, they asked why it wasn’t seamless. They expected fast startup, intuitive control, balanced audio, and zero confusion. When any of that was missing, the magic disappeared instantly.

What became clear this year is that immersive AV without operational thinking doesn’t scale. The best immersive projects were the most usable.

AV Finally Became a Network Conversation

If there’s one shift 2025 made unavoidable, it’s this: AV now lives on the network.

AV over IP, VLANs, QoS, IT cyber security approvals, these are no longer edge cases. They’re standard. The teams that succeeded were the ones who engaged IT early, documented clearly, and respected the network as part of the AV system.

The teams that struggled tried to solve network problems with AV thinking alone.

Documentation Quietly Saved the Day

This might be the least glamorous lesson of the year and the most valuable.

When schedules slipped, scopes shifted, or stakeholders changed, documentation became the anchor. Clear drawings, accurate rack elevation, control narratives, and schematic diagrams often did more to move projects forward than any piece of hardware.

In 2025, documentation wasn’t admin work, It was leadership.

Technology Improved, Leadership Decided Outcomes

Looking back, the biggest differentiator across projects wasn’t brand, platform, or budget. It was leadership.

Clear decisions. Ownership. Honest communication. Teams that knew when to slow down, explain, and align. Those projects survived complexity. Others didn’t.

2025 reinforced a truth I don’t think we talk about enough: great technology doesn’t compensate for weak leadership — but strong leadership can rescue imperfect systems.

One Honest Thought Before 2026

Not every trend delivered what it promised. Not every “smart” solution was actually smart on site. And that’s okay.

Progress in AV isn’t about chasing everything new. It’s about knowing what’s ready, what’s risky, and what truly adds value.

Looking Ahead

If 2025 was the year AV matured, 2026 will be the year it gets unforgiving.

Unclear scopes, analog thinking, weak integration, and poor documentation won’t survive much longer and honestly, they shouldn’t. 

That’s my AV Truth for 2025.

What’s yours?
What worked, what didn’t, and what lesson are you carrying into 2026?