Diversified announced that Paul Lidsky has been appointed CEO, expanding his leadership role beyond chairman of the board, a position he has held since 2023. The company said Lidsky will guide the next stage of its growth, focusing on global market expansion and service delivery improvements. “Paul is a highly respected leader with deep expertise […]

Biamp announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire assets of ClearOne, Inc., including intellectual property and brands. The acquisition enhances Biamp’s portfolio with advanced signal-processing designs and patents that have helped shape the professional audio conferencing industry. For more than 20 years, ClearOne engineers contributed to the development of core technologies in DSP, […]

Integrated Systems Events (ISE) has announced a new strategic partnership with EduTech Cluster and Fira de Barcelona to co-host the 12th edition of EdTech Congress Barcelona, taking place Feb. 4–5, 2026, at the Palau de Congressos in Barcelona. The two-day event will run alongside ISE 2026 and continue its mission to explore how technology can […]

THIS IS A PROMOTED POST In AV, you probably hear the saying all the time: “You can have a meeting with no camera, but you can’t have a meeting with no audio.” We live and breathe this saying at this point. In education settings, while it may not be repeated as often, it’s the same […]

I assume that many, if not most, rAVe readers have at least some sales background, even if that’s not their main job role today. Then again, if I were a career technician writing for rAVe, I’d assume most readers were technicians, so that’s probably just my confirmation bias talking. There’s some social baggage that comes […]

THIS IS A PROMOTED POST Barco ClickShare has released “Reimagining the Meeting Experience,” a new report created in partnership with WORKTECH Academy that explores how meeting culture, technology and design intersect in the hybrid era. The study defines four distinct meeting types — Collaborate, Create, Compete and Control — each requiring a different mix of […]

I sat down with Simon Holley, vice president of sales for the Americas at Sennheiser, about the company’s extended TeamConnect Bar M rebate program — a limited-time offer that gives customers a $300 rebate when purchasing the TC Bar M through an authorized U.S. reseller. We discussed why Sennheiser chose to extend the program through […]

I’ve talked before about taking the long game with prospective clients. As was drilled into me long ago, people are ready to buy when they’re ready — or more specifically, when you’ve built trust and demonstrated value. It’s your job to listen, find solutions, and, along the way, check all their boxes for them. Business […]

  AI trailblazer Sol Rashidi has been announced as a keynote speaker for Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2026, where she will challenge attendees to look beyond the hype of artificial intelligence. Rashidi, recognized as the world’s first Chief AI Officer, will take the stage at 1 p.m. on Feb. 4, 2026, in Barcelona. Her keynote […]

THIS IS A PROMOTED POST Audio is no longer an afterthought in AV installs — and for that, we’re all grateful. As much as I’d like to say everyone just came to their senses one day, the real trend driving audio’s rise is our obsession with immersive experiences. What used to feel futuristic is now […]

Nureva Inc. has been granted a new U.S. patent for its Microphone Mist technology, the proprietary platform that powers all Nureva audio systems. The patent, issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), recognizes Nureva’s novel approach to combining in-room voice amplification with full-room microphone pickup for hybrid collaboration and learning spaces. The […]

From Cafeteria LANs to Center Stage: A Player’s Journey The first time they sit down on stage, the lights are blinding, the crowd is buzzing, and every camera is pointed their way. The monitor flickers, the countdown starts, and the dream of going pro suddenly feels real. But this moment doesn’t happen overnight. It doesn’t […]

Steph Beckett to lead rAVe [PUBS], advancing editorial strategy, multimedia coverage and trusted industry insights rAVe [PUBS], the audiovisual industry’s premier digital media hub and trusted source for all things AV/IT, unified communications and digital signage, announces the promotion of Steph Beckett to Executive Editor of rAVe [PUBS]. Beckett, who previously served as Managing Editor, […]

Business people like to talk about “doing due diligence,” but in my experience, actual, intensive due diligence is more often honored in the breach than the observance. It’s human nature, when presented with a deal or opportunity that seems too good to be true, to engage in wishful thinking. Sure, it seems too good to […]

The October Temperature Check survey is now closed. Keep an eye out for next month’s survey!  Esports used to be “something the kids were into.” Now it’s a global business with universities building arenas, brands hosting tournaments and integrators racing to keep up. We want to know: Are you in the game, on the sidelines […]

Cisco announced a suite of artificial intelligence-driven collaboration tools on Tuesday at WebexOne 2025, including new device software and integrations designed to help organizations automate meeting tasks and simplify IT management. The company introduced RoomOS 26, an updated operating system for Cisco collaboration devices built on NVIDIA chipsets. For integrators, the software brings new features […]

Women in AV/IT (WAVIT) announced the expansion of its board of directors with the appointment of Cheryl Walton and Rachael Hinds. Both bring extensive AV/IT industry experience and a commitment to advancing representation for women in the field. “We’re lucky to have Cheryl and Rachael as the newest additions to the WAVIT board,” said Althea […]

Logitech introduced two new headsets designed to help office workers cut through distractions: the Zone Wireless 2 ES and the Zone Wired 2. Both models feature hybrid active noise cancellation that automatically adjusts to the environment, along with dual AI-powered microphones that filter out background sounds such as conversations, keyboard noise and foot traffic. “Uninterrupted […]

Looking Glass, a company known for holographic and light field innovation, has introduced a new display technology: the Hololuminescent Display (HLD). The razor-thin displays are designed to transform standard video into lifelike 3D holograms while working with existing digital signage, CMS, and video infrastructure. Advertisers, marketers and retailers are often challenged by the difficulty of […]

If you’re old enough (like me), you might remember when the television wasn’t just a screen — it was the hearth of the home. The biggest piece of furniture in the living room. The reason dinner got moved to the coffee table. The source of our news, our entertainment and our collective rituals. We planned […]

The National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA) has announced its 2025-26 board of directors and Education Foundation leadership, with several officers continuing their service and new members stepping into key roles. Dale Bottcher, chief revenue officer at AVI-SPL, will continue as NSCA president. Christina De Bono, president of ClearTech Media, remains vice president. Shedan Maghzi, strategic […]

A space tells its secrets through its shortcuts. On a college campus, it’s the dirt trail cutting diagonally across the lawn, a “desire path” worn in by thousands of students ignoring the official sidewalk. I’ve written about desire paths in technology before. In a conference room, they look like handheld remotes pulled out of a […]

This month’s Temperature Check Survey is now closed. Keep an eye out for next month’s survey! Higher education has always been a proving ground for AV technology — from lecture halls that need crystal-clear audio to hybrid classrooms that demand seamless collaboration tools. This month, we want your perspective on where colleges and universities are […]

By Simon Dudley Excession Events We all like to think the best product wins. It’s comforting. It appeals to our sense of fairness. It reassures engineers that all their hard work pays off and tells salespeople that if they just keep pointing out superior features, eventually the customer will see the light. Lovely theory. Pity […]

They say good help is hard to find. Great help is even harder, but it’s worth the effort. A rubric I was taught early in my career was to evaluate people for a role based on three axes: attitude, skills and knowledge. That makes for an easy-to-remember acronym: ASK. And hey, it even forms a […]

In this episode of Rants & rAVes, Steph Beckett sits down with Greg O’Rourke to preview the upcoming E4 Experience in Santa Clara on Sept. 10 — the first E4 to debut under the newly rebranded Almo Pro AV name. Greg shares what this change means for the company and for attendees, while also highlighting […]

By Mark Corbin Vanco International Look, it’s tough out there. Economic uncertainty surrounding tariffs and their ripple effects have caused a lot of typically reliable ProAV big spenders — like enterprise corporate projects — to delay capital projects and hedge on spending. A lot of big projects are seeing delays as customers wait for clarity […]

The global professional audiovisual industry is projected to grow from $332 billion in 2025 to $402 billion in 2030, according to AVIXA’s latest Industry Outlook and Trends Analysis (IOTA). While the industry reached $321 billion in 2024 — slightly below the earlier forecast of $325 billion — AVIXA said the market remains resilient, with steady […]

Something I learned early on was the necessity of communicating with clients in the way that works best for them. Some prefer email, while others prefer phone calls or texts. Whatever works. Once, long ago, I had a dealer who preferred to communicate by fax machine. The fact that I didn’t have a fax machine […]

Xyte, maker of cloud-based support tools for AV, recently published its midyear 2025 AV Cloud Data Report. I encourage you to read it — it offers some interesting insight into how the AV industry views the cloud. Before I go further, I should put my cards on the table. I’m a strong supporter of cloud-based […]

Yorktel, a New Jersey-based audiovisual systems integrator and managed services provider, said Tuesday it has signed an agreement to merge with Kinly, an AV and unified communications integration firm headquartered in Amsterdam. The deal will combine the companies’ operations, workforces and client bases, creating a firm with more than 1,600 employees in 27 locations serving […]

AVIXA’s InfoComm show used to be the launchpad for every new ProAV product. For decades, brands would either wait until the early summer show to unveil their newest gear or drop their press releases days before the doors opened. Somewhere in the last decade, that shifted to ISE — the European counterpart to InfoComm, co-owned […]