The AVIXA Women's Council, a global community for supporting and empowering women in the AV industry, will host its annual breakfast event at InfoComm 2019, on Thurs., June 13, with keynote speaker Christine Schyvinck, president and CEO of Shure Incorporated. At the breakfast, Schyvinck will discuss attracting and retaining women in the audiovisual and technology industries.
"Women in the audiovisual industry and more broadly, technology, have been a life-long interest to me," said Schyvinck. "Being a mechanical engineering student in the 1980s, I was joined by a small number of women in lecture halls. And I thought now, three decades later, things would have changed a lot. We've made progress but not enough. Our industry needs to have more discussions about reaching women at a younger age—about junior high age—to show them what a career in technology looks like. At the Women Council's breakfast, I'll talk about how to get young women engaged in the AV industry, and I'll also talk about diversity overall in the workplace—why it's important and how it delivers results and satisfaction."
As the highest-ranking officer at Shure, Schyvinck is one of a few women to hold an executive position in the pro audio industry. She has led critical initiatives for the company, including reducing product costs without sacrificing quality, executing international manufacturing and sourcing strategies, delivering innovative technologies to the market, and globalizing sales and marketing operations.
"The popularity for our breakfast has surged year after year, so it's important we deliver a compelling event," said Brandy Alvarado, Women's Council chair and marketing and business development manager for rp Visual Solutions. "It's a great opportunity to bring people together from around the world to share ideas about how we can encourage more women to join the industry and support them throughout their careers. We're thrilled to have Christine as our keynote speaker. She is an excellent role model and mentor for women."
The annual Women's Council breakfast at InfoComm attracts more than 250 attendees. In addition to the keynote presentation this year, the event will focus on the initiatives and accomplishments of the council's 34 local groups worldwide and the career empowerment program. Registration for the AVIXA Women's Council Breakfast is available when registering for InfoComm 2019 at infocommshow.org.
In addition, the Women's Council is offering 20 scholarships, sponsored by Shure, for admittance to the event. Applications will be accepted March 15 – April 15. Applications will be available at avixa.org/womenscouncil.
