Well, now that AV week is over, I thought it would behoove me (am I using that word correctly in this context?) to write a post about my favorite part of AV week – the first annual Women in AV Webinar sponsored by InfoComm.

Being the AV noob that I am, it was awesome to be able to participate in the webinar and learn a little something from some prettyflippin’ awesome veteran AV women.

The panelists, Erin Bolton, Laureen Jones, Deborah Britton, Jennifer Willard, and moderator Gina Sansivero, all made for a really awesome hour. These five women have earned award after award and have really made a mark on the AV industry – so, having the opportunity to hear a little bit about where they came from, how they got to where they are, and what advice they have for women in our industry was really inspiring. At least for a noob like me. 😉

I’m not going to rehash the whole 60 minutes for you, but I will highlight just a couple of things that really caught my attention.

A major overarching theme throughout the webinar: No matter what obstacle you face [in this industry] – be it large or small – the AV women are incredibly supportive.

For me, this was a biggie.

Often, depending on the industry and/or setting, women can come off as un-supportive and judgmental. I can say this because I, too, am a woman and have experienced this firsthand, and have been guilty of it myself. I am not condoning it whatsoever, but the truth is, women when put in the right situation, can be catty. We all know it. It’s that competitive estrogen running through our bodies that elevate our emotional reaction to stuff. So, if we feel threatened, we aren’t necessarily as likely to lend a hand.

We’re territorial.

And if you’re a woman reading this, saying, “WHAT? NO WE’RE NOT!”

You’re lying to yourself.

Now, I’m not making hasty generalizations and stating that this cattiness and/or defensiveness is 100% across the board, but it does happen.

So, back to the topic at hand (because this is [not] a post about the biology of women in the workplace or something like that).

To know that women in the AV industry are supportive, look out for one another, and want to see each other succeed and grow was incredibly comforting. When you’re like me and in an industry that is totally new and you’re trying to learn as fast as you can and gain as much information as you can, it’s really helpful to know that there’s a whole group of people that are right there alongside you.

I also loved the supportive chatter that was happening via Twitter during the webinar.

The other thing that really stuck out to me was this quote by panelist Erin Bolton:
“Never consider an industry because of its demographics.”

The topic was how many women may be hesitant to join the AV industry because it is so male-dominated. Erin hit the subject right on the money. I would NEVER consider an industry because of it’s demographics, I consider an industry because it’s an industry that I am excited about, passionate about, and want to grow in.

I don’t want to go off on another tangential digression about gender and the workplace – so I won’t right now, that’s a post for another day.

Now, since this was the first Women in AV webinar, I thought it might be good to offer my two cents / suggestions for topics I’d love to see covered at the next one… which I hope isn’t next year! 😉

Possible topics to cover:
-First steps when you’re new in the industry (who to talk to, resources, places to go, who’s who, what’s what, etc.)
-How to deal when you’re the only woman on a sales call
-Having confidence when presenting in front of a large room full of men
-Having confidence when dealing with a lot of men (in general)
-How to negotiate (sales contracts, marketing, budgets, salaries, etc.)
-Dealing with sexual harassment

I’m sure there are some others. What do you think? Did you attend the webinar? If so, what are your thoughts? Do you have some suggestions for future topics to cover? If you didn’t attend the webinar, do you have any ideas from an outsiders perspective?

Share your thoughts, ideas, comments, concerns, etc. below.

All for now.