InfoComm 2022 on June 4-10 in Las Vegas brought innovative technology, thought leadership, and numerous opportunities for networking to the pro AV industry’s biggest stage in North America.
“InfoComm 2022 reunited AV professionals for a week of continuous learning, developing business connections, and accelerating our industry forward,” said Rochelle Richardson, CEM, senior vice president of expositions and events, AVIXA, the producer of InfoComm. “We provided the forum for professionals to earn their certifications, engage in thoughtful conversations on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the entire pro AV ecosystem to come together in one place.”
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InfoComm attendees were welcomed to the show in a unique way this year. The LG CLOi Guidebots and CLOi ServeBot roamed through the Las Vegas Convention Center to greet attendees, provide copies of the InfoComm Show Daily magazine, snap photos, and share helpful information about the show. The bots standing just under five feet tall welcomed everyone with a friendly smile on its 9.2-inch LG LCD “face” display.
Also new this year were two Market Insights Lunches focused on the state of the AV industry and the outlook for digital signage. On Tues., June 7, Sean Wargo, AVIXA’s senior director of market intelligence, and Peter Hansen, economist for AVIXA, hosted a presentation on the state of the AV industry, where they provided an update on how the economic recovery is spurring growth for the industry as well as the 5-year outlook for pro AV solution and product areas. On Wed., June 8, Florian Rotberg, managing director of Invidis Consulting GmbH, and David Haynes, publisher/editor of Sixteen:Nine, presented recent trends in the digital signage space, from supply chain challenges to how digital signage has become business-critical for a vast number of industries.
InfoComm is the new home for digital signage, providing an in-person experience to see the latest products and solutions from nearly 200 exhibitors showcasing digital signage solutions and welcoming thousands of attendees from the digital signage community. The D=SIGN Conference, produced in partnership with Digital Signage Federation, hosted 13 sessions, where attendees learned about the latest trends and best practices for this solution.
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While at InfoComm, many AV professionals with their sights set on earning the leading pro AV credential took their Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) exams. A total of 119 professionals earned their CTS at the show (78 earned their CTS, 27 attained CTS-D (Design), and 14 attained CTS-I (Installation). A total of 163 exams were administered during the week of InfoComm with an overall pass rate of 73%.
The AVIXA Xchange Live booth was the destination for AVIXA TV, which streamed six live shows June 8-10. Hosted by Ben Thomas of Marketscale and Samantha Powell from AVIXA, the shows featured conversations with industry leaders on experiential AV, the next generation of AV professionals, and much more. Watch the recordings of AVIXA TV on AVIXA’s YouTube channel. The AVIXA Xchange Live booth was also the home for panel discussions on topics ranging from new educational experiences to the future of events. To view the recordings, visit AVIXA Xchange.
AVIXA’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) was elevated throughout the show. The “pass the mic” initiative encouraged speakers to include and support colleagues to present sessions at InfoComm to amplify more diverse voices and points of view. Sessions focused on DEI explored breaking language barriers using AI, assistive listening technology, creating equitable experiences for video conferencing, and more.
On Thurs., June 9, the Technology Innovation Stage featured a session on the importance of accessible technology and inclusive design and explored the benefits of diversity for organizational growth. Dr. Shelby Hill, president of Next Leader Up, kicked off the session with his keynote on how companies can be consciously inclusive. Hill then joined panelists Chris Fitzpatrick, manager, university relations and DEI, Crestron, Althea Rickets, associate vice president of corporate initiatives, Shure, and moderator Frank Padikkala, CTS, CTS-D, technical sales engineer at Audinate and AVIXA Diversity Council chair, for a thoughtful discussion on DEI issues. In addition to this session, the Technology Innovation Stage featured conversations June 8-10 on trends in IT and networked AV, digital signage, learning, and more. To watch the sessions, visit AVIXA’s YouTube channel.
The AVIXA Women’s Council Breakfast drew more than 300 attendees on Thurs., June 9. New council co-chairs Tammy Fuqua, Developer Partner Manager for QSC, and Diana Patricia Quintero, CTS, territory manager, LATAM export, Bose, opened the breakfast, announcing the council now has 1,028 members. The AVIXA Women’s Council is the first AVIXA council to reach over 1,000 members. The breakfast featured keynote speaker Melanie Spring, chief visionary of Confidancia, an agency built to help rebels start revolutions. Spring shared stories of her path to becoming unfiltered while sharing with attendees the tools to speak their truth with confidence and authenticity.
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On Fri., June 10, at the HETMA (Higher Education Technology Managers Alliance) lunch, the recipients of ten Prism Scholarships were announced. This scholarship program was created to encourage women, LGBTQIA+, Black, Latino, Asian, Indigenous, disabled persons, and others to become active leaders and role models for technology managers in the higher education space. The Prism Scholarship in Honor of Cory Schaeffer, an AV industry icon who recently announced her retirement, was awarded to Natalie Gillespie from Northwestern University.
“InfoComm was an energetic and exciting week for the pro AV industry,” said David Labuskes, CTS, CAE, RCDD, CEO of AVIXA. “While we all do our best to stay connected virtually throughout the year, there is nothing comparable to coming together in person. And we’re excited to do it again at InfoComm 2023.”
