Signing off in style

What were your main aims upon joining AVIXA?

From the outset, it seemed apparent to me that the greatest opportunities to serve our industry existed beyond the US. Over the years, I’ve worked hard as part of a team dedicated towards driving the relevance of AVIXA’s global presence and ability to serve the entire industry.

Describe AVIXA as it was when you joined in terms of membership, training, tradeshows and other events

At the time I joined, it was InfoComm International; membership, training and tradeshows were all there. Across the board, AVIXA is three times the organisation we were at the beginning of my time as CEO. This is reflective of the hard work of the team and industry volunteers in delivering value to the industry at a global scale. Our tradeshows serve every region in the world, while our education, certifications and events form the foundation of a career in pro AV.

How have you grown the membership and increased global footprint?

The successes we’ve experienced have been the result of thousands of hours of work by the very talented team at AVIXA. A key shift to be acknowledged is that our “membership” and “global footprint” are two very different things. Membership is a product or package that we offer to individuals and enterprises. That will continue to evolve but the demographic forces and assumptions that defined it in 2013 are very different today. Global footprint, on the other hand, is a description of AVIXA’s reach. This would be measured by examining metrics like audience size, digital views, impressions, web visitors and attendance at face-toface events. With this definition of a “footprint” you’re comparing about 5,000 members in 2013 to tens of millions today. This growth occurred deliberately with the recognition that the first point of contact in this world is digital, and engagement for our community includes a multitude of steps and pathways dependent upon who’s taking that journey. A young engineer from India has a very different path of engagement with AVIXA from a private fund equity manager in New York looking to invest within our industry. AVIXA delivers value to both.

In which territories have you made the biggest impact over the past decade, and how has AVIXA helped to support and grow those markets?

I am proud of the work that AVIXA has done around the world, and we’ve had real and visible impact in all the regions. A lot of this answer depends on the definition of impact. You could compare the AVIXA board of directors in 2013 to the makeup today for a snapshot of the change. We have transformed from an US-centric organisation to a truly global one. This has had an impact in Europe with certification adoption, tradeshow attendance, industry awareness and many other metrics. In Asia, our work in India has had enormous impact. This started a few years before my tenure but intensified with our first InfoComm India in 2013 during my first year as CEO. Since then, we’ve seen a massive growth in the industry and a birth of identity for the AV profession within that country, and we’re nowhere near the end of that growth. We are poised to reinvigorate our presence in the Middle East, both physically with an event and with industry-convening resources. Obviously, the current situation in that region directs our focus and priorities towards a fervent hope for peace, resolution and the safety of all the people affected by the current hostilities.

How has the industry evolved since you joined in 2012 and what part has AVIXA played in that?

There have been groundbreaking changes in our industry since 2012. At that time, we were struggling with our value and communicating that value as an industry. Addressing this was at the genesis of our talk about exceptional experiences and the need to connect human beings through experience. The pandemic years saw a generational change in the role of AV from “nice to have” to “mission critical”, creating massive changes across the industry. AVIXA continues to serve a critical function in enabling the industry to meet the moment in this type of environment. Our presence convenes all the parts of the industry ecosystem both physically and virtually. Our standards, education and events deliver value because they either enhance the expertise of the AV professionals that create our industry’s value or deliver value by facilitating the connection between a buyer and a seller. And they do that 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, worldwide. On the one hand, today’s AV industry is exactly the same as it was in 2012 – the industry that connects people to people with the use of technology. On the other hand, it is almost unrecognisable. Its pure growth has been extraordinary. The technological capabilities of today were dreams at that time, and the importance of the services we deliver can be seen in nearly every business or venue in the universe. I believe AVIXA served well as a catalyst for this transformation.

What are you the proudest of having accomplished during your time at AVIXA?

I’m proud of the community that we have continued to nurture, in particular its breadth and diversity. I’m proud of the thousands of students and new professionals we’ve introduced into the industry. I’m proud of the team that delivers on AVIXA’s mission, their unequalled passion for this industry and the commitment of their talent towards its success.

What do you see for the future, both for the association and for the AV industry at large?

I see amazing success ahead. There are so many more ways that AVIXA can evolve to serve our industry, and the industry itself will continue to have unfathomable opportunities created by both demand for better “fill in the blank” from us and the technological advances that, when paired with our innovative DNA, will be able to deliver on those demands. I can’t wait to see where the next 15 years take this industry and AVIXA, and I’ll be cheering you all on as your biggest fan.