I spend some time on Twitter, and yesterday I noticed a lot of online chatter happening around a panel rAVe put together for LAVNCH WEEK 2.0. Kudos to the staff at rAVe for curating the speakers, because to my knowledge, the people on the panel and the groups they represent had never been assembled together […]

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I felt like I needed a break from thinking about and talking about the impact of COVID-19 and the quarantine measures that we are taking — personally and professionally. That said, the topic is at least a little inescapable. For my dealers who’ve still been open […]

In my biweekly blog series, I am highlighting some of the incredible people who work for the Audio Video Industry. In this post, we are profiling Mark Skazenski. Here is a brief introduction.  Mark Skazenski is Vice President Sales Business Development at Loxone US. 1.Describe your journey in the AV industry? How did it start? […]

Last week was InfoComm week, one of the most anticipated events each year for the ProAV market. After purchasing floor space, building exhibits, flying in staff, and entertaining customers, many companies spend 6 or even 7 figures showcasing their products and services at InfoComm. Based on the enormous outlay, these companies naturally look to maximize […]

2020 is the year of remote everything. It has been a work from home, webinar heavy, travel light year for the whole country and, of course, for us in the AV industry as well. As such, our biggest events of the year have all been canceled or shifted into the ether. Many have been clamoring […]

In the last article, I gave an overview of what ITIL/ITSM are and how a similar methodology could be beneficial in the AV world. In this follow-up, I want to discuss the five volumes or books of ITIL and how they can translate to AV. A repeat of the disclaimer: I am in no way […]

Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” This quote is reasonably relevant today, as we have all taken a beating from COVID-19. Most successful firms had developed strategies years ago and have been consistently and successfully following them. However, what we’ve experienced the past several months — […]

In my biweekly blog series, I am highlighting some of the incredible people who work for the Audio Video Industry. In this post, we are profiling Joe Way. Here is a brief introduction.  Joe Way is Director, USC Learning Environments ♦ Host, Higher Ed AV ♦ Author, Producing Worship ♦ CoFounder, HETMA ♦ Writer/Speaker. 1.Describe […]

Things are weird right now. As I’ve said in other columns, business is still being conducted, just differently. And, I’m sorry to say, at a slower tempo. Some things still need to get done, though. And one of those things is tech support and troubleshooting, whether it’s for an existing installation or a new install […]

Technology seems to be able to do nearly everything — unless the government steps in and says, “No, it can’t.” And, that’s precisely what happened with the concept of facial recognition. Everyone’s experienced it. Everyone’s probably used it, too, if they have a Facebook account or use Apple devices — facial recognition is a giant […]

Last week, AVIXA (the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association) held an important and data-driven webinar based on consolidated findings from the past 12 weeks of its Impact Survey — a weekly assessment of proAV industry trends, attitudes and perceptions in light of the pandemic. The “COVID-19 Impacts to Pro AV Businesses Webinar,” available to AVIXA […]

By Michael Timmes National Systems Contractors Association The COVID-19 pandemic should have you reexamining your HR policies about remote work, sick time, benefits, and more. As integration companies battle through a COVID-19-depleted market, there is much uncertainty about what the future of the integration industry holds. One feeling, however, has been consistent throughout NSCA’s countless […]

Think you know the HOW market? Think again. Audio, video and lighting are used in creative and unpredictable ways in churches of all sizes and venues. From church cafes to portable church setups in movie theatres to mega-sized megachurches — the use of AVL is everywhere. However, the church market’s embrace of AV for most […]

By Tom LeBlanc National Systems Contractors Association Integration firms looking beyond the COVID-19 crisis will serve customers with a new set of priorities for meeting room technology. As integration companies battle through a COVID-19-depleted market, there is much uncertainty about what the future of the integration industry holds. One feeling, however, has been consistent throughout NSCA’s […]

Business-As-Usual is all but done; Design Thinking is here to replace it during the “new normal” of a post-COVID world. As of this article’s writing for rAVe, one of the most recent common phrases in the English-speaking lexicon has to be ‘new normal” during the COVID-19 pandemic. The term is a hopeful euphemism to cope with […]

By Cory Allen Almo Professional A/V As the powerful Joe Rogan says, “we are living in strange times.” Who could have anticipated a virus would shake up our world to the degree it has? We have all been forced to adapt to a new way of living in such a short period. Through that adaption, […]

It’s June of 2020, and colleges and universities have finished their crazy spring semesters. Most are pivoting, rooted in planning for the fall semester of 2020. A few themes seem to be emerging that will begin to shape what this next school year looks like, and therefore how the AV market will play a role. […]

By Tom LeBlanc National Systems Contractors Association Integration firms looking beyond the COVID-19 crisis need to strategize for a corporate client base with re-prioritized technology demands. As integration companies battle through a COVID-19-depleted market, there is much uncertainty about what the future of the integration industry holds. One feeling, however, has been consistent throughout NSCA’s […]

Well, change continues apace. I am a bit late in getting this article to rAVe, mostly because I am involved in my first national show since the coronavirus crisis began. And, believe me, things have changed. Now, a lot of people have predicted the decline of the rental and staging portion of the industry due […]

As with many events in the world right now, Almo Professional A/V canceled its E4 Experience(s) that was supposed to happen this spring. Instead, the distributor held an totally online version — calling it the E4 Evolution or E4v. I wrote a sneak preview about it a couple of weeks ago. But in case you […]

Responsiveness and Reliability As any regular reader of my columns will know, one of my significant beliefs is critical to any relationship between a manufacturer and consultants/specifiers. It’s about two things: responsiveness and reliability. Therefore, I present the following story as an illustration of precisely what NOT to do if you are a manufacturer. Take […]

Over the years, I’ve noticed an odd trend with companies and products. Simply stated, everyone and everything gets pigeonholed. As users, we tend to focus on the same companies when it comes to certain types of products. Even within categories of products, we tend to use the same ones all the time and rarely reach […]

By Rakesh Kumar Mangal, CTS-D, CTS-I, EAVA I am writing this article to collectively respond to various questions and queries I receive on LinkedIn and various other platforms related to AVIXA CTS Certifications. Before starting any further, you should create a login on the AVIXA website if you have not done so already. How did I […]

If you’re still working, as I am, you’ve already discovered that you need to work differently — in a few different ways. As the Zen expression goes, “this understanding applies to all things.” Face-to-face meetings are a thing of the past, one of which we did “before.” To be completely honest, the two things I […]

Practically no one, and no community, has escaped the impact of COVID-19 on life and work. Underneath it all, we’re all just itching to know how long this will go on. On Thursday, T1V hosted a webinar to dig into these realities and tensions. To help, it enlisted one of the world’s leading physicians to […]

It’s a given: This scenario will play out in almost any size house-of-worship project. I have lost track of the number of times (at least a hundred over the last decade) a HOW client has asked about the possibility of a large-screen projection installation in the middle of a beautiful, naturally lit sanctuary — in […]

By Jeff Hastings BrightSign Our industry is more diverse than it’s ever been. The IHS Markit Digital Signage Industry Market Tracker presents separate data in eight vertical markets, and many of these verticals are themselves very diverse. “Retail” extends from corner shops to Harrods to large supermarket chains. Hospitality spans everything from fast food outlets […]

In 1966, architect Cedric Price famously said, “Technology is the answer, but what was the question?” Could we be living in a time where this statement was ever more true than today? Take a stroll through LinkedIn and you will see a plethora of technology posts, all proclaiming that the solution to your problems is […]

In my biweekly blog series, I am highlighting some of the incredible people who work for the Audio Video Industry. In this post, we are profiling Shaun Trudell. Here is a brief introduction.  Shaun Trudell, CTS is the President/Owner at Automation Arts. 1. Describe your journey in the AV industry? How did it start? My […]

Like so many trade shows this year, broadcast mega-event NAB Show, originally planned for April in Las Vegas, could not happen due to COVID-19. In its place, NAB organized its virtual NAB Show Express. I registered and attended part of the online event to soak up some industry education and see what the showcase would […]

If you’re reading anything online about business right now, it is likely pontificating about what businesses will look like when the world goes back to work. It’s all about the new normal, the post-COVID-19 workplace shuffle and the pandemic pivot — all of which sound like they could be performed on “Dancing with the Stars,” […]

By Adam Cox Futuresource Consulting It is not an exaggeration to say that the world as we know it will be forever changed once we emerge from the all-engulfing COVID-19, with one of the major shifts being how we choose to work effectively in the workplace moving forward. Ultimately, collaboration technology is at the center […]