InfoComm Connections is a two day event taking place this week in New York City Nov. 11th and 12th at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. InfoComm Connections is all about connecting AV professionals to some of the top companies in the industry. With this, technology managers and in-house AV pros are also offered two full days of focused education sessions on live events production, digital content creation, projection mapping, unified communications and collaboration and much more.

Here are several of the education sessions taking place during InfoComm Connections:

Unified Communications & Collaboration Workshop Presented by IMCCA – Moderated by Dr. S. Ann Earon, President, Telemanagement Resources International Inc. (November 11th 9:00 – 11:00 AM):

Unified communications & collaboration (UCC) is the umbrella term for IP enabled enterprise communications. Silos of voice, data, video and telephony can no longer exist. IT, AV, facilities management, and business groups are now working together to achieve ubiquitous communication, on any device, that allow people to communicate and collaborate from wherever they are located.

Learn the latest in UCC, what organizations are doing with it, what works, what needs improvement and what is about to change. This workshop will have a detailed overview of the UCC space, input from end users, and expert commentary. During this workshop, attendees will:

• Learn the history of UCC
• Hear how organizations have deployed UCC systems
• Discuss the future of UCC

Large-Scale Projection Mapping – several speakers (November 11th 1:30 – 3:30 PM):

Large-scale projection mapping has become the highest-possible technical show you can put on to leave your clients speechless. Even in extreme displays that can make whole building facades disappear or crumble, it all comes back to YOUR logo, product or service. From concept to 3D laser scan to execution, you’ll learn the steps and skills required to master this art form during this workshop.

Attendees will leave this session understanding the following:

• Equipment used to laser scan, how to laser scan and how to digest data captured
• Content creation process from concept to storyboard and from design to delivery
• Rudimentary basics of projection such as how to calculate lumens per square foot, how to measure light and calculate raster size
• Concept of using a d3 media server to projection map (Pre-Viz, import content and warping basics)

RU: CTS: 2 CTS-D: 2 CTS-I: 2 Max: 2

Project Management for Live Events – Moderated by Chuck Espinoza, CTS-D, CTS-I, CQT, ISF-C, Staff Instructor, InfoComm International (November 12th 1:30 – 3:30 PM):

The live events industry now includes events of all sizes — from the Oscars, the Olympics, and large concert festivals to small organizational conferences and business breakfast meetings.

During this workshop, we will discuss how to utilize construction/fixed installation project management techniques in a live event and rental/staging environment. We’ll share project management techniques specifically geared toward increasing efficiency and mitigating risk in the ever changing, time sensitive, short life cycle projects that make up the live events industry.

After the seminar, we will talk with a panel of live events professionals and discuss how they have utilized lessons learned from past projects and how those lessons affect future needs analysis, site surveys and project after-action review activities. 

RU: CTS: 1 CTS-D: 1 CTS-I: 1 Max: 1

Networked AV and Security — What You Don’t Know Will Hurt You – Speaker is Paul Zielie, CTS-D, CTS-I, Manager, Enterprise Solutions, Harman Professional (November 12th 1:30 – 3:30 PM):

URGENT: If you are a CIO, an IT director, an AV integrator, technology manager, an AV or IT consultant, network administrator, systems engineer, an AV/IT technician, or if you are reading this, then you need to be in this workshop. It’s not a lightweight topic, but the health of your organization depends on its level of security.

FACT: There are legacy networked AV systems “on the network” today that were not set up with today’s network security risks in mind, and organizations are unwittingly open to risk.

FACT: Most AV equipment, hardware, systems, and displays sold in the past three years have the ability to connect to the network. Today, even speakers and microphones have the ability to be on the network.

This workshop includes two hours packed with information, plus one hour for Q&A. Attendees will learn:

• The language needed to ask the right questions and gain enough knowledge to know when to ask more
• How to identify key stakeholders
• How to identify threats and vulnerabilities
• How to determine AV project specific security requirements
• Best practices for mitigating risk in AV installations
• The threat and risk based requirements model
• Networked AV security best practices
• How to create your AV security checklist

A leading AV and IT industry expert will help you shape the organizational security discussion, identify and engage key stakeholders and mitigate risk with AV equipment and systems already on, and coming to the network.

In this interview, Paul discusses the topic and talking points of his session at InfoComm Connections, as well as some of the other education sessions available. Towards the end, we talk about AV/IT convergence and some of his viewpoints on that subject as well.

I also recommend reading Paul Zielie’s AMX by Harman |Talk blog: Who Would Want to Hack An AV System? More Than You’d Think.

Click here for more information on event info, exhibitors and education sessions at InfoComm Connections.