The Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA), Indianapolis, announced new additions and changes to this year’s CEDIA EXPO.The new offerings provide electronic systems contractors (ESCs) with access to the information they need to remain relevant in the rapidly diversifying industry, with a strong focus on both business and technical education, CEDIA said in a press release.

CEDIA has added more opportunities for peer-to-peer business discussion with the introduction of two roundtable series. One roundtable series will be broken out into small and mid-size business owner discussions. These moderated sessions will give ESCs an opportunity to discuss common concerns in a non-competitive environment. The second roundtable series will offer six different topics that ESCs identified as “hot topics” such as HDMI, hiring sales staff, and retrofit technologies. Additional information about the roundtables can be found here.

CEDIA has also expanded technical education offerings centered around IP and networking. Three new advanced IP and Networking courses have been added to the roster: EST353 Advanced Wireless Networking, EST423 Remote System Access; Methods, Security, and Best Practices, and EST443 Tailoring Network Performance with VLANS and QoS. Lab space has been expanded and a total of eight half-day courses will be available, each of which will be offered twice in addition to a full-day workshop.

In addition to expanding course offerings; CEDIA has created a new Networking and IP credential. The CEDIA Residential Networking Specialist credential tests the technical body of knowledge expected for an individual with approximately two years of networking experience in the residential field. The new credential covers major areas such as network configuration, design practices, and infrastructure. Additional information on this new credential can be found at www.cedia.org/RNScred.

CEDIA will continue to offer the Members Only Education Pass, allowing attendees to take as many CEDIA University courses as they can fit into their schedule for a flat rate. One important change to this year’s CEDIA EXPO is how early-bird pricing will work. This year CEDIA is offering two early-bird specials :  attendees who register before July 13 receive 40 percent off registration fees, and attendees who register before August 20 will get 20 percent off their registration fees. This discount is applied to show floor access, a la carte education and the Members Only Education Pass. The early bird discounts cannot be applied to certification exams or the Registered Outreach Instructor Course. Attendees who register before July 13 will be entered to win a complimentary hotel upgrade to the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

CEDIA EXPO 2012 will be held Sept. 5-8 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. Registration will open May 30 at www.cedia.org/expo.