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The CEDIA Awards: A 2020 Preview

Ed Wenck | Sep 08, 2020

CEDIA Awards 2020–Web header-1045x410

Like a lot of things scheduled for 2020, the annual CEDIA Awards events have turned into a virtual experience. The association will be holding three events in a single day – October 8 – covering three regions of the globe: Asia Pacific, Americas, and EMEA.

In addition to watching us announce the winners – regionally and globally – you’ll hear from a variety of industry thought leaders from around the world on what they’ve learned throughout their careers. You’ll hear from several CEDIA member firms who pitched in to help their local communities during the pandemic. And you’ll hear from some of the nominees on what simply being shortlisted means to them. Oh – and we’ve got outtakes, too, because EVERYBODY LOVES OUTTAKES.

There’s one more thing: Just because the celebration’s online doesn’t make the Awards any less of a party. To that end, we’ve created several CEDIA-themed cocktails that’ll be poured by our guest bartenders as they show you their favorite recipes. If you register in advance for the show – which is free, by the way – you’ll have access to more info (including our cocktail menu) and you’ll be able to join our pre-party happy hour online, too.

Register here.

The Drinks

So what do we mean by “CEDIA-themed drinks,” anyway? Here are two examples of recipes that wound up on the cutting room floor to give you a flavor of what you’ll see during the show:

The Hidden Subwoofer

Sweet at first, it’ll sneak up on ya and deliver a boom.

Take two ounces of a nice gin, a few splashes of simple syrup, and about a half ounce of fresh squeezed lemon, and shake over ice. Strain this loveliness into a flute, then top with a brut champagne. After all, we’re celebrating, right?

Those who know cocktails know that this is also a French 75, since it was said to have had the knockout punch of a gun of that provenance and caliber in World War 1.

The Rusty Connection

Anyone who’s handled a retro-fit or dealt with old coaxial cable will like this one: the Rusty Connection! It’s not a Rusty Nail because this isn’t an awards show for carpenters.

Use a rocks glass for this one. Over ice, pour two ounces of your favorite Scotch. Since you’re going to be adding another ingredient to this, you’re fine with a blended scotch – save the pricey single malt for when the reference-grade cinema is finished.

Now add about a half-ounce of Drambuie and stir. Unlike a bad firmware update, this drink is easy to fix: Too sweet for you? Add more Scotch. Too dry? Another splash of Drambuie.

Now, sit back, relax, and let somebody else test your system.

See you at the show!

ASIA PACIFIC Awards
Sydney (Australia - New South Wales) 18:00 AEDT
Auckland (New Zealand - Auckland) 20:00 NZDT
Shanghai (China - Shanghai Municipality) 15:00 CST

EMEA Awards
London (United Kingdom - England) 17:00 BST
Mumbai (India - Maharashtra) 21:30 IST

AMERICAS Awards
San Diego (USA - California) 15:00 PDT
Indianapolis (USA - Indiana) 18:00 EDT
Mexico City (Mexico - Ciudad de México) 17:00 CDT