Visionary has announced the PacketAV Duet Wallplate Encoder with Bluetooth (DuetE-WP-BT) as a recipient of NSCA’s seventh annual Excellence in Product Innovation awards. The Excellence in Product Innovation (EPI) awards are NOT pay-for-play awards and recognize products that have a profound impact on systems integrators. Visionary’s PacketAV Duet Wallplate Encoder with Bluetooth was honored as […]

On Feb. 24 and 25, rAVe attended NSCA’s 2021 BLCv, or Business & Leadership Conference (virtual), the 23rd iteration of the legacy event offering industry education and purposeful discussion. The audience and purpose of the National Systems Contractors Association’s event, as opposed to other NSCA events like the annual Pivot to Profit (P2P) conference, was […]

NSCA announced the winners of its seventh annual Excellence in Product Innovation awards, a recognition program for products that have a profound impact on systems integrators. Any manufacturer that produces low-voltage products for installation by integrators in the commercial space is eligible to apply for this award. The awards were announced on Feb. 25 at […]

“Stepping up when it counts.” That was the tagline for NSCA’s 2021 Business & Leadership Conference (BLC or, this year, BLCv: the “v” for “virtual”). This was the 23rd iteration of the legacy event offering industry education and purposeful discussion. NSCA’s BLC attracts hundreds of executives annually to learn from other leaders, discover new ways […]

NSCA announced the winners of the 2021 Stepping Up Awards. The Stepping Up Awards temporarily step in for NSCA’s annual Excellence in Business Awards, which typically honor systems integration firms and their efforts to implement new strategies to navigate the constantly changing industry. “However, the past year hasn’t been typical,” said NSCA Director of Industry […]

NSCA’s membership is at an all-time high, as is engagement. Why? Well, according to this videocast with NSCA’s executive director, Chuck Wilson, and rAVe founder, Gary Kayye, when the economy is tough, communication, collaboration and transparent dialogue from within the industry community is critical. NSCA has built its reputation on providing systems integrators with business […]

NSCA’s executive director sent out a letter today that I felt compelled to share. He’s making a great case as to why you should join the 2021 NSCA BLC – Business and Leadership Conference. I hope you will join him as NSCA does some great work fo the systems integrator community: Dear NSCA Members: NSCA […]

NSCA released an updated Financial Analysis of the Industry report for 2021, providing information that systems integrators can use to benchmark and compare expenses, profits, sales and other data against industry peers of similar size and business focus. The latest Financial Analysis of the Industry report details the industry’s performance based on data collected from […]

NSCA has announced topics and sessions for the 23rd annual Business & Leadership Conference (BLC), to be held virtually on Feb. 24-25, 2021. NSCA’s BLC is a platform for executive-level education and discussion. The 23rd annual BLC is particularly crucial for the integration community, which is battling through once-unpredictable market challenges, according to the organization. […]

On Tuesday, I attended the first-ever virtual iteration of NSCA’s Pivot to Profit event — P2Pv. The National Systems Contractors Association (or NSCA, as I mentioned earlier) puts on Pivot to Profit every year, but this time around the show looked a little different. In a great way. My recap from Tuesday’s event is here, […]

This week, I was excited to cover my first virtual event on the first official day of fall (Yes! Fall officially began Sept. 22!) on what’s finally a beautiful (not deathly hot) North Carolina day. This show was one that I’d never attended, and one that would be all-brand-new to me — designed specifically for […]

Gary was joined by NSCA Executive Director Chuck Wilson to talk about the upcoming P2P (Pivot to Profit) — or, this year, called P2Pv, as the event is virtual — September 22-23. This is THE leading business transformation event aimed at AV and IT, and the 2020 focus is helping low-voltage integrators recover from and reboot beyond the COVID-19 crisis. Using […]

On this episode of Rants and rAVes, Gary was joined by NSCA executive director Chuck Wilson to talk about the P2Pv (“v” for virtual) event on September 22-23, open ONLY to AV integrators and designers. Unlike most virtual events (so far) in 2020, NSCA’s Pivot to Profit (P2Pv) event was specifically designed by integrators FOR integrators. The […]

The author of “Leadership Isn’t for Cowards” — who was a big hit at the NSCA 2020 Business & Leadership Conference — will kick off the Pivot to Profit Virtual event in September with an updated message about leading in turbulent times. When Mike Staver addressed integrators for the first time, it was just before […]

NSCA has updated its biannual Electronic Systems Outlook report for summer 2020. It includes construction outlook information based on actual data from Q1 and Q2 of 2020 and a forecast outlook for the remainder of 2020, 2021 and beyond. Knowing that new construction is the best indicator of the future business climate for integrators, NSCA […]

National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA) has selected THE rAVe Agency’s LAVNCH platform to present its 2020 Pivot to Profit Virtual (2020 P2Pv) conference, Sept. 22-23. An event designed for the integration market, 2020 P2Pv is a two-day virtual conference combining keynote presentations, breakout sessions and “Tool-Kit Talks” with manufacturers and industry influencers. “Accelerating change to […]

NSCA has announced the election of a new president to its executive committee and many other leadership changes and the addition of two new officers to its board of directors for 2020-21. Mike Boettcher, CEO-PA at New Era Technology and current NSCA vice president, assumed the role of NSCA board of directors president on July […]

ProAV is at a crossroads today. And it’s not just because so many of us are working from home and don’t know what the commercial/business space will look like in three months, even with well-researched predictions. Big innovations in ProAV were happening long before COVID-19, but the pandemic has expedited — expedited like the first […]

I can’t believe it’s already the middle of June. More specifically, I can’t believe it’s already June 18, because that means LAVNCH WEEK 2.0 is only FOUR days away. You didn’t know there was a LAVNCH WEEK 2.0? Where ya been? This week, we’ve been previewing some of the great presenter content planned for LAVNCH […]

Chuck Wilson is the executive director of the National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA), and he’ll be debating the future of commercial integration with Gary Kayye live on ProAV Day of LAVNCH WEEK 2.0. I wanted to hear what Chuck had planned for this LAVNCH & Learn session/debate, so I reached out to get a teaser […]

By Michael Timmes National Systems Contractors Association The COVID-19 pandemic should have you reexamining your HR policies about remote work, sick time, benefits, and more. As integration companies battle through a COVID-19-depleted market, there is much uncertainty about what the future of the integration industry holds. One feeling, however, has been consistent throughout NSCA’s countless […]

NSCA, the leading not-for-profit association representing the commercial low-voltage electronic systems industry, has announced the winners of the 2020 Excellence in Business awards in six categories: Customer Experience: AV Solutions, Baton Rouge, Louisiana Talent Development: Hillman AV Inc., Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada Differentiating Strategies: CEC (Communications Engineering Company), Cedar Rapids, Iowa Employee Engagement: HB Communications, North […]

NSCA has announced three award honorees for 2020. Recipients will be honored during the 22nd annual Business & Leadership Conference (BLC) held Feb. 26-28, 2020, in Irving, Texas. The 2020 Per Haugen Lifetime Achievement Award went to Michael Hester — a former NSCA president who also served on the NSCA board of directors. Hester’s career […]

NSCA’s Electronic Systems Outlook report has been updated for winter 2019 and includes information based upon actual data from January through November 2019, as well as forecasted information for 2020. NSCA partners with FMI to provide this report, which offers the newest, most relevant indicators of business opportunities for integrators. By tracking new construction starts […]

NSCA has just released a new white paper: “Mergers & Acquisitions — Don’t Grow Your Business into the Ground.” Over the past few years, the systems integration industry has seen an active climate of mergers and acquisitions. Approximately 30 NSCA integrator members have been acquired in the last year alone. Although a successful acquisition or […]

NSCA just opened its 2020 Excellence in Business Awards entry period. Submissions will be accepted through Jan. 17, 2020; there are no entry fees. Winners will receive recognition in various NSCA and industry publications, blogs, social media channels and newsletters, as well as recognition at NSCA’s 22nd annual Business & Leadership Conference on Feb. 26-28, […]

NSCA just announced the speakers for the 22nd annual Business & Leadership Conference (BLC), to be held on Feb. 26-28, 2020, at the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Irving, Texas. This event, a platform for executive-level education and networking, brings hundreds of people together annually to share stories, learn from other leaders and hear […]

NSCA has just released its 2019 Compensation & Benefits Report, which is based on data gathered from nearly 600 systems integrators across North America. In its sixth iteration, the report tracks and benchmarks compensation and benefits data for a variety of key positions within the industry, including technical, non-technical and C-suite roles. Systems integration firms […]

GreatAmerica Financial Services Corporation and Solutions360 said today that they’ve partnered with NSCA in hopes of helping AV system integrators to ease into AVaaS (AV as a Service). Using Solutions360’s Q360 is designed to add monthly payments to AV quotes and proposals theoretically making it easier for their customers to choose a monthly payment option. […]

NSCA has announced the agenda for Pivot to Profit on Sept. 24-25 at Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel in Irving, Tex. The event kicks off with a discussion — Balancing Innovation with Unprecedented Regulations — led by Cisco Technical Leader Jason Potterf. While it might be too early to write a business plan around emerging applications […]

NSCA’s Electronic Systems Outlook report has been updated for Summer 2019 and includes construction outlook information based on actual data from Q1 and Q2 of 2019, as well as a forecasted outlook for the remainder of 2019 and beyond. This report was initially created as a response to integrators asking about market conditions and trends […]

The NSCA Education Foundation is excited to announce the Drunk Unkles’ first NSCA Education Foundation Charity Concert of 2019, scheduled for Wednesday, June 12, at B.B. King’s in Orlando. Now in their 14th year of supporting the NSCA Education Foundation, the Drunk Unkles have generated more than $1 million for the industry through this annual […]