Volume 17, Issue 24 — June 28, 2019

RavePro — Volume 17, Issue 24 — June 28, 2019

June 28, 2019 | Volume: 17 | Issue: 24

Although I don’t agree with all of new rAVe BlogSquad writer Andrew Davis’ prophecy (first column below) about the future of the ProAV market — you’ll see another piece from him online on our website soon too — I love it! I LOVE it when someone will risk backlash and say what he/she thinks — and, best of all, he’s trying to HELP us. Andrew is explaining how we all need to prepare for the inevitable shift in market dynamics — even if it takes longer than he thinks!

This is, as you know, our second post-InfoComm ProAV issue and, like the first, it’s packed with new AV gear launched at the big event earlier this month. And, we have another 1,600 or so new product releases and videos on our website — all from InfoComm here.

Oh, this issue also includes part two of Anthony Coppedge’s AV Industry EOL, the next installment of Chris Gillespie’s conference room series and an InfoComm 2019 review from one of my favorite #AVtweeps, Mark Coxon. I hope you’ll read all four columns today!

As we head into the second-half of 2019, I want to both thank you for your continued support and also let you know that we are LITERALLY doubling our social media capacity this summer. The feedback you’ve provided as we’ve researched our social media future has been very helpful and we heard you loud and clear. You want more. So, we’re gonna give it to you.

We are busily training new rAVe’ers to help with this initiative and we’ve nearly doubled our office space to do it. And, we have a few BIG surprises planned for later this year. Yes, our social media presence is big (we’re proud to have contributed to over 40% of the total InfoComm 2019 show impressions on all platforms) — but it’s going to get a LOT bigger AND we’re going to make our social team more accessible to you — to help you make better product decisions, better technology decisions and to CONNECT you to each other (and subject matter experts) when you need help (hint, hint). That’s all for now, but we want to be way more than just the number-one AV publication.

So, if you’re not connected with us on social media already, do — just ask by clicking follow or connect on any and/or all these social platforms:

rAVe’s LinkedIn Company Account: https://www.linkedin.com/company/1287658/admin/
Our LinkedIn Group (it already has over 40,100 #AVtweeps): https://www.linkedin.com/groups/164320/
rAVe Editor Sara Abrons’ LinkedIn Account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saraabrons/
rAVe Associate Editor Jacob Blount’s LinkedIn Account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobblount/
My personal LinkedIn Account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gkayye/
rAVe’s Twitter Account: twitter.com/rAVePubs
rAVe’s Instagram Account: instagram.com/rAVePubs

Please trust me; before the end of the year, you’ll want to follow us on social. Remember, you can unfollow anytime — but we don't think you will 😉

-Gary Kayye

COLUMNS

+ Software Is Eating AV [Andrew Davis]

In 10 years or less, what was once the AV industry is going to be a be a footnote in the history of business technology, somewhere among the overhead projector and the fax machine. This hardware-centric industry we call home, this perpetual contest of who sells both the biggest and smallest piece of electronics will make way for software-defined AV (SDAV). It is inevitable. If you are already rolling your eyes, please do yourself a favor and pay close attention to what happens next.

+ AV Industry EOL: Planned Obsolescence (Part Two) [Anthony Coppedge]

Even the IT industry, with many patterns and best practices, does not set a minimum standard for end-of-life (EOL) for IT gear. However, the IT industry does have a history of creating practical frameworks for creating sustainable Service Level Agreements (SLAs) such as ITIL and ISO/IEC 20000. It follows, then, that the AV industry could do the same, a point I've made before.

+ Conference Space Stakeholders — Trying to Please Everyone [Christopher Gillespie]

For the most part, when we design a space, we do so in order to create something for the users to use. What we don't pay near enough attention to is all the other folks who will have to touch, interface or collect data about this space. And depending on the size/age of your organization, these other folks may not be a part of the equation. But eventually all of us will hit a wall where suddenly the business realizes just how much money is invested in these spaces and will want a far more comprehensive accounting than we are able to provide. So it is critical that we try to understand who these other stakeholders are and incorporate their needs to ensure long-term success.

+ My (Belated) InfoComm Review [Mark Coxon]

Even with all the things I missed, I still got tremendous value out of the show. I was able to teach on a topic I am passionate about, the "why" behind AV and how it works on a human level. I was able to do a fireside chat-style workshop where we made some very personal connections. I was able to meet some people in real life that I only knew online and form deeper relationships with them. I was able to meet with people on the strategy level to discuss ways to drive business and develop new business models.