Forget everything you know about “backyard tech” because the era of standalone speakers and basic patio lights is over. Today, the most exciting innovations in the connected home aren’t just happening in the living room; they’re happening outside the walls. To prove it, Destination Outdoors is returning to CEDIA Expo 2026 with its most ambitious activation yet: a 22,000-square-foot immersive journey just outside the Colorado Convention Center entrance designed to show integrators exactly how the latest technology breakthroughs help connect the indoor smart home experience with the great outdoors.
Presented by Coastal Source in collaboration with Lutron, Destination Outdoors brings the connected home to life through intelligent lighting, audio, power, and control. At the heart of the experience, attendees journey through a series of connected residential spaces—from an indoor living room featuring Lutron intelligent lighting and automated shading, to a covered outdoor entertaining area, and finally into a landscape illuminated by VIA™ intelligent outdoor lighting. Developed by Coastal Source and Lutron, VIA combines Lutron’s intelligent lighting and control technology with Coastal Source’s legendary outdoor engineering to extend the intelligent lighting experience outdoors through fixtures purpose-built for life outside. Together, these technologies demonstrate how thoughtful system design creates a more unified outdoor living experience while giving integrators new ideas and confidence for future projects.
“Destination Outdoors has always been about inspiring the industry to think differently about outdoor living. This year, we’re taking that vision further through our collaboration with Lutron and their Native by Design approach by demonstrating how intelligent lighting can extend seamlessly from inside the home into the landscape,” said Franco D’Ascanio, Coastal Source founder & CEO. “When lighting, audio, power, and connectivity are designed as one cohesive experience, outdoor spaces become a true extension of the home, and that’s exactly where we see the future of outdoor living heading.”
Beyond the immersive walkthrough, Destination Outdoors gives attendees hands-on access to technologies, including Coastal Source’s award-winning 1000 Series Bollards, PowerSource®, Uni-Connect cabling, and other integrated outdoor solutions, demonstrating how thoughtful system design delivers exceptional performance, reliability, and long-term value.
“CEDIA Expo exists to give the residential systems integration community experiences that simply can’t be replicated online,” said Jason McGraw, Group Vice President and Show Director of CEDIA Expo. “Destination Outdoors exemplifies what makes the event unique by bringing leading residential technology brands together to demonstrate complete, integrated solutions in a real-world environment at an impressive scale not to be missed.”
With over 300 exhibitors, including dozens of leading lighting brands, at this year’s show, CEDIA Expo remains the beating heart of the industry. Destination Outdoors is the playground where those innovations come to life. The experience extends after hours; when the floor closes on Wednesday, head to the annual Happy Hour (5-7:30 pm) to connect with fellow pros in the industry’s favorite outdoor gathering spot.
CEDIA Expo will return to Denver from Tuesday, September 1, to Friday, September 4, 2026. To learn more about CEDIA Expo, please visit cediaexpo.com or register here. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
