If there was any doubt when that picture was taken, it was back in 1994 at what they called “the largest CEDIA Expo yet.” About 3,000 folks traveled to Dallas, just as your blog team did a generation later. We’re all here in Dallas now, reporting on the much, much larger Expo. 
Back then, the news of the expo was distributed by mail, using a printed newsletter. (Keep in mind these were really tech-forward people!) Luckily, someone kept that newsletter and scanned it so we have something to laugh at. You can find it here, at CEDIA’s web site.
Back then, the news of the show was all about audio and video accessories — high definition TV was still years in the future and DVD still wasn’t even a thing! Most people didn’t have e-mail yet, although it was coming quickly. At that time CEDIA Expo was a place to go where you didn’t have to think about being “connected” … just as well because I remember the basement of what they called the “Infomart” and there was -zero- cell service. Not that you relied on your cell phone back then either at 30 cents a minute.
Later today I’ll be publishing my review of this year’s show, and I expect it to be “just a little” different than it was back then. Hopefully the cell service has gotten better too.
