AWE announces online Smart Home Academy at AWE Expo 2026

AWE is launching a new online training programme for integrators called the AWE Smart Home Academy, designed to help the CI and electrical retail sectors keep pace with rapid changes in consumer expectations and smart‑home technology.

Debuting this summer, the Academy will open with courses covering audio and video, lighting and networking, developed by AWE with support from major brands.

Speaking at the opening of AWE Expo 2026, Managing Director Stuart Tickle said the market is evolving rather than shrinking, with strong demand for premium experiences and a growing focus on how technology can positively influence health. He emphasised the need for integrators to blend technology seamlessly into home design.

The AWE Smart Home Academy has been developed by the AWE team, with support from brands. The focus will be squarely on CI and the electrical retail industry.

“It's going to launch with courses on audio and video, lighting and networking,” explained Mal Fisher, AWE CTO.

The times they are a-changin, said Tickle, and the industry needs to keep pace with consumer expectations and technological advancements.

“Competition is intense, overheads are higher, margins are under pressure,but the market isn't disappearing, it's changing. There's still demand for premium experiences, and we believe our role is to help our customers capture those opportunities.”

One key trend, Tickle noted, is a shift from convenience and energy efficiency to the positive impact of CI on well-being.

This year’s AWE Expo is expected to host 140 integrators and industry professionals over three days, and will showcase an array of new technologies, covering all aspects of display, audio and control.

“Every room in the AWE show apartment has had some element of upgrades, some more than others,” Tickle told Inside CI. “This investment represents the biggest evolution of our demo facility since we moved into this building.”

The newly upgraded main showroom is dominated by a spectacular 165-inch Sony CLED display, and now features RAY Lighting and Stealth Acoustics audio, alongside a Hisense 116-inch 4K RGB LED TV, the latest wireless LG OLED wallpaper screen and a 65-inch Sony Bravia 9 II True RGB TV.

Attendees will also experience a variety of audio solutions from Denon, Marantz and Bowers & Wilkins in the Music Room, while the reimagined Media Room now throws the spotlight on the latest invisible speaker innovations from Stealth Acoustics.

Home cinema specialists are also in for a treat. The AWE Reference cinema has been retuned using Dirac Active Room Treatment (ART), and there’s an intriguing projector shootout between three top models - the Epson EH-QB1000, Optoma UHZ78LV and Sony Bravia 7VPL-XW5100.

Which projector wins? You’ll need to attend the 2026 AWE Expo to find out. More details here.