It’s Wednesday and I’m at my desk in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and even though the dust has finally settled I still can’t believe it.  The industry’s largest U.S. tradeshow is over.

This year was my first InfoComm.  To be completely honest, I didn’t start getting my feet wet in the waters of AV until about seven months ago, in December of 2011. I thought it was cool, but I wasn’t sold.

In February of 2012, I went to my first industry tradeshow, Integrated Systems Europe.  The place was colossal.  I got lost five times a day.  I also saw a lot of awesome technology, but when it was all said and done, I was still left wanting more. March was the Digital Signage Expo, which was a smaller show (in a cozy sort of way).  Still, it wasn’t all I thought it’d be.

Two Sundays ago when I boarded my flight for Las Vegas, I knew I was slowly approaching a fork in the road.  I would either go to InfoComm and become a true AV Geek or realize my future career in technology would have to take a turn towards consumer electronics or something of that sort.  To be honest, I was worried.  I wanted to love AV, but there was something missing.

In the weeks leading up to the show every time we would say “InfoComm” in the office, Gary’s ears would perk up and he’d start building up the hype for the event.  But even Gary, the best salesperson I’ve ever meet, couldn’t sell me totally, although I would have never told him that prior to the show.

The verdict? I’m one of you now, an AV Geek.

The funny part is that InfoComm’s show floor wasn’t as big as ISE’s. There weren’t as many people at Infocomm as there were at ISE. I went to fewer parties at InfoComm than I did at ISE. Many of the manufacturers showed either the same products or even fewer products than they did at ISE.

Then why did I like it more?

It was the people and the camaraderie.  I saw old friends reunite, laugh and have fun together again. I saw people make new friends, not just business connections. When I went to booths to shoot product videos, people seemed happier and more willing to show off their booths. When I asked for interviews, attendees were actually friendly and willing to talk to me.

Did anyone see the NEC booth on Friday?  There was a flash mob there, and people didn’t get annoyed or upset — it was actually the opposite.  Attendees actually joined in. It was actually fun!  Yes, fun!

Isn’t that what working in any area of tech is supposed to be about?

Yes, the fact that you get paid to do it is cool, but being in technology isn’t like other professions. Lawyers don’t become lawyers because it sounds fun. People don’t become accountants and bankers because they love sitting at desks crunching numbers all day.

But most people who work in technology decided to do so because they love technology and want to spend every day of their lives building, telling and selling technology.

So here’s my proposition AV Geeks everywhere — treat every day like an InfoComm show day. Our industry will continue to grow in ways that we never thought were possible, not even when we were looking into Kayye’s Krystal Ball.