SCTE’s TechExpo will pack the tech, but stress the ‘experience’

The biggest North American “cable” show left – SCTE’s TechExpo – gets underway next week in Atlanta, where the show will once again focus on what’s on the horizon for the access network – including DOCSIS 4.0 and the industry’s ongoing pursuit of PON – and how the rising role of virtualization and AI continue to shift the discussion toward network and service reliability and resilience rather than just mere speeds and feeds.

Janelle Morse, SCTE’s vice president of engagement and strategy, recently joined the Signal Strength podcast to provide a preview and direction of this year’s show, some of its expected prevailing themes, and where the show will be hosted in the years to come.

Focus on convergence and the customer experience

The agenda is not just about cable and DOCSIS, but will extend to cover other areas that operators are focused on, including fiber, mobile and AI.

Alongside the core technical elements of those, the broader discussion will steer toward what Morse calls the “convergence-powered experience.” Of note, the show has an “Experience” track that will include panels focused on areas such as the connected home.

“It’s really becoming [about] the intelligent layer across the network and how it is helping operators predict their issues, optimize performance and move towards a truly self-healing network,” she explained.

That will also tie into areas such as the autonomous network along with a range of content-focused tech panels in the show’s “StreamTech” track.

Attendance on track with expectations amid broader industry consolidation

Heading into Atlanta, Morse said TechExpo is expecting participation from more than 1,500 companies and more than 250 exhibitors. Notably, the entire show, including the keynotes, breakout sessions and booths, will fit on to the floor (check the floor map here).

What’s not known – and hasn’t been disclosed for years by SCTE – is how many attendees will be on hand in what’s clearly a consolidating industry as suppliers combine (with more combos expected) and amid recent operator M&A, including the recently closed Charter Communications-Cox Communications merger.

According to Light Reading’s checks with industry sources, registrations were in the neighborhood of 5,000 a couple of weeks ago, a number that is likely to rise as various operators, vendors and other industry watchers make last-minute plans to come to the show.

And the latest numbers are apparently higher than that. In a post-podcast email exchange, Morse declined to provide specific numbers, but stressed that “the estimate you referenced understates where registration currently stands. We’re very pleased with the turnout for Atlanta and continue to see strong registration as we head into the event. TechExpo26 will bring together thousands of attendees from across the broadband ecosystem, along with more than 250 exhibitors.”

SCTE last reported show registration figures in 2017, when the event, then held in Denver, pulled in about 8,800. In 2016 in Philadelphia, the show (then known as Cable-Tec Expo) drew more than 10,000 attendees. It also was about this time that NCTA announced it was sunsetting its annual trade show.

Of course, consolidation and other factors have impacted other industry trade shows. The recent IBC show in Amsterdam, for example, saw attendance dip by about 6% from last year’s.

Denver and Philly on tap

As for TechExpo, this year’s show will be the last to be held in Atlanta, at least for the foreseeable future. Morse said the 2027 show will be held in Denver, which remains a sizable cable industry hub, then heads to Philadelphia, Comcast’s headquarters city, in 2028.

“The plan is to alternate between those two cities,” she said.

Here’s a snapshot of the discussion: