Volume 19, Issue 7 — February 17, 2021

rAVe ProAV Edition — Volume 19, Issue 7

February 17, 2021 | Volume: 19 | Issue: 7

As you likely know, we just completed LAVNCH WEEK 3.0 (LW3) and we set an engagement record with the LAVNCH platform — with over 60% of the attendees actively engaged in instant messaging, group conversations, polling AND Q&A of the presenters. I am proud to say that LAVNCH has solved the biggest complaint in virtual events — loss of personal interaction. We invented LAVNCH NETWORKING to flat-out encourage it, and it’s working! People are talking again, meeting new colleagues and interacting with each other. I am proud of what the LAVNCH team has done and, because of them, you’ll be seeing global events from Epson, Newline, Barco, NSCA, NEC, Samsung and we’ve even opened up registration for May’s LAVNCH WEEK 4.0 (LW4) — we think this will be an event where you will see 30-40 NEW PRODUCTS launched due to the move of InfoComm to October. So, register here, now: https://lavnch.com/lavnch-week/lavnch-week-four/

Oh, and if you want to watch ANY of the content from last week’s LW3, just click here: https://lavnch.com/lavnch-week/lavnch-week-three/; for a written version, check out the summary from Leah McCann below in this issue!

And, if you have a virtual event coming up — or want to schedule one — consider LAVNCH, as our NETWORKING widget WILL SOLVE your potential engagement problem. You can request a demo of the LAVNCH Platform here: https://calendly.com/ravekirsten/lavnch-week-demo-clone?month=2021-02

Speaking of this issue, you’ll see new products from LAVNCH WEEK 3.0 below, including the new Sony 100” LCD, Extron’s new PoleVault system for schools, Planar’s new 4K Touch-based displays and the new Pexip Health product.

Finally, miss playing music with your friends because of COVID? Well, below, you’ll see an article I wrote about how to configure Zoom’s audio setting for a perfect-sounding live multisite music jam session — thanks to my longtime buddy, Brian Huff …

Enjoy,

— Gary Kayye

COLUMNS

+ Securing AV: The SolarWinds Attack of 2020 (Actually 2019) [Paul Konikowski]

While most Americans are still processing the recent attack on the United States Capitol building, many cybersecurity researchers and professionals believe the real war began online back in 2020. Some are calling it the “cyberpandemic” as forewarned just six months before at the 2020 World Economic Forum.

+ Lessons From the SolarWinds Hack [Scott Tiner]

In mid-December, news broke about a massive cyber breach that occurred through SolarWinds software. There is a chance (I hope not) that many in the AV community briefly looked at this, decided it was an IT issue and moved on. If you did, I think that was a mistake — and want to tell you why.

+ Crew Call: It’s a Jungle in Here [Joel Rollins]

Every environment has its own homegrown bugs, and videoconferencing is no different. Whether you are running the meeting, or simply sitting still, hoping your RAF (Resting Attentive Face) has convinced the meeting organizer you are paying attention, it’s a good idea to know the creatures that are waiting for you in the virtual meeting biosphere.

+ RISE Spotlight: Live Events Experiences, Reinvented [Bob Snyder]

Oh, how much we all miss live events. No matter how much you miss live events, you can’t possibly miss them as much as the people whose entire livelihood is based on live events. The latest thought-leading RISE series by ISE, turned its “Spotlight” on live event experiences and the “reinvention” that will mark their return.