I wanted to kick off 2017 with advice and insight into the AV job market. This month, gather knowledge from a 30 year recruiting veteran, Rick Best, CSAM. Rick walks us through the current job market, common mistakes that job seekers make and some other really tactical steps that an AV pro should make to […]

This month I have the privilege of having a return visit by Dusty Kraatz, owner of XI Media Productions and award-winning video producer, responsible for the world’s first live 4K video stream. While we chat briefly about 4K and the current state of technology, this episode uses 4K content as the framework to push you […]

Have you ever struggled to convince a client that “Yes, acoustics in this meeting room actually DO impact outcomes of meetings?” Well, this month our guest, consultant and expert, Andrea Sullivan of BrainStrength Systems, lends us some scientific brain data to support that argument! From optimizing AV for best learning environments to understanding that designing […]

This month I had the great luck of spending a few minutes with Jeff Loether, president of Electro-Media Design. Jeff has 25+ years of AV design experience and he shares some of the coolest ideas and inspiration. I mean, it’s cool folks. Like how experience is the creation of emotional memory and emotion is often […]

Coming from an Irish family, there is one pastime that we enjoy probably more than any other. And as the holidays approach, I know we will be doing this activity extensively over the next couple of months. No, no, I know what you’re thinking, and it’s not knocking back a cold pint or a slug […]

In the last year, I have had the great fun of advising a number of tech startups, in both a formal and informal role. It’s been so energizing and refreshing to see these companies bringing such interesting new technologies to the live events marketplace. The blend of science and creativity is really what makes this […]

If you ever loved the movie Almost Famous, you will certainly remember when the lovely Penny Lane (beautiful, young Kate Hudson) gets that gleam in her eye and proclaims, “It’s all happening.” Well, I must say, I am feeling that same sense of glee and excitement watching as the retail world becomes a tangible product […]

In our world, staging an event isn’t necessarily about putting someone on a stage for a performance, but the truth is that a large segment of our industry actually is doing exactly that. Although sometimes overlooked in the audiovisual industry, many AV professionals and much of the innovation for technology comes from the production and […]

In one week of tapping away on my smartphone apps, I have ordered a ride to the airport from someone driving nearby, reserved a ski condo for a week from a private owner, found someone to pick up my dry cleaning for $5 and secured a boarding spot for my dog in a nearby home*. […]

Several years ago, I had the great pleasure of hearing Paul Polak speak at the Sustainable Brands conference. If you aren’t familiar with Paul’s work, he is the author of Out of Poverty, and co-founder of D-Rev.org, the non-profit product development company that designs and delivers products to the billions of people living on less […]

I had the pleasure of speaking with Bob Hadsell of Draper, Inc. this month. Listen as we weave together the story of how core company values can lead to the most technologically advanced products in a marketplace. You won’t want to miss hearing this interesting preview of the exciting new products they will have on […]

Got your attention, didn’t I? Well, Mr. Hiding-pictures-of-the-high school-mullet and Ms. Fingerless-lace-gloves-still-in-the-bottom-of-the-drawer, I’m not talking about your penchant for swinging your hair in tempo to Metallica. Rather, this month is a little education on the severity of e-waste (including heavy metals) and how we must address this issue as an industry. Let’s chat first about […]

As promised last month, I am continuing the exploration of futuristic technologies that may have a major impact on the audiovisual industry. This month, I want to continue the conversation on the Internet of Things. One year ago this month, I wrote about the coming age of the Internet of Things (also commonly called the […]

Hear this: We are moving into an era where technology assumes a seamless place in our daily life, both professionally and personally. My washing machine talks to me via my phone. My cat can be located on my GPS. It is a time of wonderment and exploration as our lives increasingly resemble those of the […]

You know something I never really considered before? I never really stopped to consider the potential benefit both to and from places of worship if they were to implement greener practices. I’m sure some of you who service this market segment are shaking your heads at the no-brainer, but I’ve just recently stopped to think […]

Whether it be integrated AV, live event AV or any other arm of the pro AV market, one of the most oft-heard lamentations revolves around the difficulties in attracting and retaining talent. In February, InfoComm hosted its annual Live! event, bringing together a hundred or so of the industry’s leaders in live event production and […]

Today, I was sitting at a table of AV professionals and I heard a remark about how the weather is really actually consistent year over year, so those people in Washington should go stuff it with this whole climate change business. It was interesting to watch the reactions of those sitting at the table. There […]

As we approach the holidays and our year begins to wind down, I thought I’d have a little fun. I hope you enjoy my columns about world-changing websites such as change.org and green information on topics as varied as noise pollution, but I want to switch gears a little this month. I think we all […]

OK folks, dig your tailbone into your seat and maybe grab a cup of coffee before you delve into this month’s column. It’s going to be more technical than usual, but I’ll keep it as relevant and useful as possible. Last month, we spoke about transparency, and how that can have huge implications in a […]

Can you imagine living in a world where an 18 year old boy’s complaints lead to a meeting with senior executives of a global clothing retailer just weeks later? Or one where a woman’s initiative eradicates an ancient caste system in an Indian town? Well, imagine it — because we do. We live in a […]

If there is one thing that has captured my imagination and leaves my head in the clouds daydreaming, it’s the concept of nonliving objects that can seemingly think, react and even anticipate needs. Often termed the Internet of Things, those of us in the AV industry are more familiar with the related concept of smart […]

In each of the last two years, in the month approaching the annual InfoComm trade show, I have provided you with lists of the best questions to ask your manufacturers to help you with your sustainable procurement. In 2011, it was really my best stab at an organized list, based off of my personal experience. […]

This month I had the pleasure of chatting with Allen Weidman, InfoComm International’s Sustainability Officer and Executive Director of the STEP Foundation. Allen’s story is especially interesting and inspiring, as a professional without formal training or environmental sciences background, his passion and focus on best business practices led him to becoming a Sustainability Officer. Allen shares some of […]

This year I discovered one of those products that is a true solution to a major issue. I found an incredible collateral/material distribution system that can address the major issue of paper consumption and have a chat with the co-founder, Joshua Shannon. I also throw down this month’s challenge that revolves around paper measurement and […]

This month, listen in while Midori chats with two event production experts, Johanna Walsh and Jill Drury. They chat a little about effective tactics for successful teams when it comes to implementing green practices (besides being two beautiful and charming women!), purchasing considerations from a buyer’s perspective, as well as how Jill has worked to create a […]

In May 2012, Scott Walker and Gary Hill were invited to make a presentation to the U.S. House of Representatives’ High-Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition. From Gary’s passionate presentation about sustainability efforts at Cisco (and the AV industry as a whole), to Scott’s wide-eyed excitement at being able to represent STEP, listen to this podcast for […]

In this month’s show, Midori chats with Raymond Kent, the Managing Principal of Sustainable Technologies Group and the 2012 Green AV Award recipient. He gives an outstanding overview of a few theatrical projects where the emphasis was on sustainability, with impressive numbers and data to show for the projects. We talk a bit about the importance of […]

In the inaugural episode of the industry’s first GreenAV podcast, Gary Kayye introduces our GreenAV host, Midori Connolly. Midori shares her story of how she started her staging and meeting AV company on a GreenAV path, pushing against the industry’s  flow to pioneer new methods in staging. She also outlines benefits of using green products and green practices, and gives a preview of what she […]