Mexico City | At Infocomm Latin America, Forté Chairman and CEO Jeff Stoebner shared his vision for the future of the AV and digital signage industry: success will belong to agile, globally connected integrators. And Forté – formerly AVI Systems – is positioning itself at the forefront of this transformation through strategic acquisitions and a strong international network.
Forté: The New Reality – Consolidation and Scale
Forté has been on a fast track for nearly a year. The company’s rebranding (invidis article) from AVI Systems to Forté marked more than a name change – it signaled a shift toward distinctive global branding, essential for serving enterprise customers at scale.
As a founding member of GPA, the global ProAV partner network, Forté is part of an alliance of more than 50 ProAV integrators worldwide, each exclusively representing a single region. This structure enables GPA members to act locally while delivering global reach – a model Stoebner strongly advocates as local partners are more successful in acquiring customers in their markets than global organizations.
Consolidation and scale – the new reality
Industry consolidation is accelerating, particularly in North America and Europe, where large integrators dominate. Minneapolis-based Forté is leveraging its capital strength to acquire GPA members only when they choose to sell. This approach preserves GPA’s unique global network.
“Managing small businesses successfully today is much harder than managing large companies. Large organisations like Forté learn the most from enterprise customers, and only large companies can afford experienced – and expensive – specialists.” An unfair advantage smaller players are not able to compensate.
“Beyond scale, the breadth of expertise is evolving. AV knowledge alone is no longer enough. Integrators must combine AV with IT capabilities and forge partnerships with tech giants like Cisco and Microsoft. According to Forté the future of the industry lies in large providers that will lead the market,” Stoebner asserts.
Agility in a rapidly changing market size and global reach are critical, but speed and agility are equally vital. Constantly shifting tariffs and disruptive technologies like AI are rewriting the rules of the game. Integrators must adapt quickly to remain competitive.
