Volume 19, Issue 12 — March 24, 2021

rAVe ProAV Edition — Volume 19, Issue 12

March 24, 2021 | Volume: 19 | Issue: 12

It’s exciting to see so many #AVtweeps posting their vaccine cards. It makes me (and I am sure all of you) feel confident we are going to see the end of this sometime in the summer. That said, here are a few things that I’ve noticed that you should be aware of as, directly or indirectly, they affect us all:

1. Although it’s not public information yet, I do know that both Coachella and Stagecoach will be canceled for 2021. A lot of stagers saw these concerts — set for the summer — as kick-offs to a #WeAreOpen movement in live events. But, as I mentioned in my Kayye’s Krystal Ball in January, it appears that large live events won’t restart until October. The Olympics haven’t been canceled yet — they will be, though — but, the Tokyo Olympic Committee has decided to not allow international fans — only people living in Japan can attend the venues. But, it won’t matter; I still believe it will be canceled.

2. ISE is happening — but, as four smaller shows — all over Europe. The first is in Barcelona and ISE is giving exhibitors free “booth construction” if they commit to all four stops — set for 1-2 June in Barcelona, 8-9 June in Munich, 15-16 June in Amsterdam and 23-24 June in London. We will be there to cover them all — and we will provide both hybrid and live coverage!

3. In what I think is a bit of a deceptive announcement, Warner Bros announced that, starting 2022, they will go back to releasing movies in theaters again, rather than exclusively on their HBO MAX app — like they have been doing with all their 2021 movies. You may recall that, back in December, I wrote a column about how this move by Warner Bros will kick off the eventual death of the movie theater as we have known it. And, when Warner released the story this morning, I got a few emails calling me out. But I suspect the senders of said emails didn’t read the story closely. Although they are sending movies, starting in 2022, to movie theaters first, they will come to HBO MAX only 30 days later. This is down from 120-160-days prior to COVID. So if you really want to see a movie in a theater, it’s exclusively there for 30 days but, after that, you can see it on HBO MAX. Oh, and Universal and Disney said basically the same thing — all movies will appear in theaters first but, in both cases, within 45 days, they will be available in your home on their respective apps. So I still think the movie theater is doomed in many ways. Don’t get me wrong, I AM one of those who does love theaters and WILL go to movies there but, that demographic, like me, is getting older and dying off.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we enjoy writing it! Please, ALWAYS, feel free to reach out to me directly via LinkedIn or via email — anytime!

— Gary Kayye

COLUMNS

+ SecuringAV: The Christmas Morning Bombing in Nashville [Paul Konikowski]

The explosion in Nashville, Tennessee, Dec. 25, 2020, suggests that at least some extremists separate technology from the people who make the technology happen. Early that morning, around 6:30 a.m., an RV camper full of explosives was detonated in the downtown portion of the city, causing significant damage to an AT&T telecommunications hub.

+ FUD — Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt [Michael Katz]

I thought this general term, “FUD,” used in two different connotations would be highly relevant and appropriate to many people (domestic and international), especially within the past year. I want to point out that I am not in the medical field and that these are my own opinions based on my professional (well over 30 years) and personal (well over 30 years) experiences.

+ Almo Spring E4v: Digital Signage, Distance Learning and Decorating with Tech [Leah McCann]

Through its third full E4v, but its first in 2021, distributor Almo Professional A/V proved, once again, that it would give the AV and IT industries the forward-thinking education and content it needed. Our wrap-up for day three is here.