Many of us (if not all of us) who work in AV-based technologies have a co-dependent relationship with the built environment. Suppose you’re unclear of what the built environment is, I’ll sum it up quickly. In that case, it references the designed architecture and sculpted living environment that surrounds us and has been built by […]
THIS IS A PROMOTED POST Episodes 6 and 7 of SDVoE LIVE! packed as much punch as both the debut episodes and mid-season ones. These next two episodes got a little more specific, bringing in additional industry experts and case studies to help better our understanding of SDVoE and AV-over-IP in the context of the […]
Integrated Systems Events released a new statement Monday via Managing Director Mike Blackman, regarding the planned ISE 2021 event in June. In case you don’t have the time to read it, I’ll summarize — and then tell you our plans. First, the summary: ISE had previously announced to all exhibitors that the organization would make […]
“Stepping up when it counts.” That was the tagline for NSCA’s 2021 Business & Leadership Conference (BLC or, this year, BLCv: the “v” for “virtual”). This was the 23rd iteration of the legacy event offering industry education and purposeful discussion. NSCA’s BLC attracts hundreds of executives annually to learn from other leaders, discover new ways […]
By Zee Hakimoglu Chair & CEO, ClearOne Over the last 12 months, the ideas of “work from home” and “distributed workforce” have evolved from novel ideas for office workers into necessary structures intended to protect the safety and health of employees while enabling continued business operations. As a result, organizations around the world are poised […]
“This means I’m going to have a very difficult conversation,” I once heard the project manager say. She had found out from the project team that a change was needed. Clearly, she dreaded the change order. It’s been said that no customer wants to be presented with a change order, and I’ve seen AV installers […]
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 […]
If you attended rAVe’s LAVNCH WEEK 3.0 last week, you may have caught the keynote by Kevin Carroll. Kevin is a storyteller, a speaker and an author. His book, “Rules of the Red Rubber Ball,” is a highly visual explanation of the power of play in life and work. If you missed Kevin’s keynote, it’s […]
Uniguest announced the acquisition of Florida-based Janus Displays. The Janus Displays acquisition complements other recent acquisitions by Uniguest, strengthening its position for engagement technology including IPTV, digital signage, mobile apps, secure kiosks and room-booking solutions. Prior to the acquisition, Uniguest operated more than 18,000 managed accounts, over 100,000 managed assets, and 350,000+ licensed assets in […]
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 […]
The final hurrah of LAVNCH WEEK 3.0 was New Tech LAVNCH Day: a day dedicated entirely to something we’re all (still) desperately missing without trade shows — new product launches. This day looked a little different from the other two LAVNCH WEEK 3.0 days (ProAV Day and End User Day), so this wrap-up story will […]
Registration opened Thursday for Integrated Systems Europe 2021, making its debut at Fira de Barcelona, Gran Vía this June. Coming at a time of anticipation from an industry that is keen to “get back to work” in the second half of the year, it will incorporate both live and online content. Integrated Systems Events Managing […]
Have you seen the movie “Groundhog Day”? You know, the one where Bill Murray is forced to repeat one day over and over? Well, here it is a quarter past Groundhog’s Day 2021, and I don’t think any of us expected that we’d still be conducting our lives — business and otherwise — online. But […]
About 10 years ago, I had the pleasure of being introduced (virtually) to best-selling author and creative catalyst Kevin Carroll when I was but a third-year at my alma mater. Never did I imagine I’d be so lucky as to meet him again. Luck was on my side Tuesday because the keynote speaker for LAVNCH […]
As I hope you’ve now heard, LAVNCH WEEK 3.0 — three full days of exceptional AV, UCC and Digital Signage-focused education slash content slash thought leadership offering AVIXA CTS RUs — is happening next week. Taking place Feb. 9-11, LAVNCH WEEK 3.0 (what we sometimes like to shorten to LW3 when character counts are tight) […]
Start planning your InfoComm 2021 as the show will happen, according to rAVe Founder Gary Kayye. Just today, the organizers of InfoComm, AVIXA, announced that the organization is shifting the show dates from June to Oct. 27-29 through a written statement from AVIXA’s CEO, Dave Labuskes. We’ve posted that entire statement, below, but Gary also […]
I can remember a time, long ago, when people with shared interests used to meet in large gatherings. They would travel from far and wide and journey to a single location in order to sell their wares, share stories, renew old friendships and make new connections. By day, these travelers would converge to discuss their […]
THIS IS A PROMOTED POST I don’t really know what I expected from the SDVoE LIVE! Holiday Special, but I can tell you that I definitely did not expect to see Justin Kennington come right out of the gate in a vest and red velvet slippers. Matt Dodd said Kennington looked like Rupert Bear. No […]
If you follow my Selling AV podcast here on rAVe, then this blog will be right up your alley. I haven’t done a point/counterpoint article in quite a while, but today I came across a blog shared by the NSCA about the importance of having a sales script, and honestly, I couldn’t disagree more. Full […]
Welcome to my 21st annual Kayye’s Krystal Ball! I love writing this annual predictions article — it’s both humbling and rewarding. It requires me to stop and research anything new, evaluate the potential impact it will have and then articulate it in a way that matters to readers. If you’re a regular reader of my […]
Simply stated, mid-September 2021. Decimated by COVID-19, most that are still standing have turned to virtual events. But, in those cases, you are trading dollars for dimes. Live events will not make any sort of significant recovery in 2021, I am sad to say. I miss them as much as anyone. But until we have […]
What do new products, leading ProAV, Digital Signage and UCC manufacturers, industry experts and #avIRL (more on this in a minute) all have in common? They’re all part of LAVNCH WEEK 4.0. LAVNCH WEEK 4.0 is scheduled to take place May 25-27, 2021. LAVNCH WEEK 4.0 will feature three themed days — ProAV Day, Digital […]
I really hope everyone is doing the best they can to get through these challenging times. Allow me to share my professional experiences, which include working over the past 35 years in the following industries: film/video production, data storage and backup, network and telecom, video managed services; AV design and integration, and digital signage. Although […]
Collaboration. It’s not what you think it is … Whenever I hear someone in the AV industry mention collaboration, I am reminded of the words of the legendary Inigo Montoya in my favorite movie. “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” I was looking at job […]
THIS IS A PROMOTED POST The first major AV, UCC and digital signage event of the year was a virtual one. But a virtual format didn’t prevent us from digging in and getting some answers on the uncertainty that lies ahead. Th!nk AV, a three-part thought-leadership event, came to us from Sony, a company who […]
Skype, FaceTime and now Zoom. Each of the past several iterations of videoconferencing have a few things in common. First, they became part of the consumer lexicon, becoming verbs, in fact. Second, they became popular because of their use by, and availability to the general consumer. Only Zoom, however, grew at what can be described […]
Some of my closest #AVtweeps know that back last summer, I volunteered to be one of the 43,448 people within the global trial to get injected with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine (aka: BNT162b2 0.3 ml). Yes, I received the actual vaccine rather than the placebo (21,720 people in the study received BNT162b2 and 21,728 received […]
“But they sent the wrong color. Did you know that this job has an open ceiling plan? We have to have gray or it will stand out.” The cable on-site was blue, and we needed 1,000 feet of gray right now or the schedule and budget would go off the rails. I called the cable […]
Sony Electronics is hosting a three-part thought-leadership symposium, Th!nk AV, beginning in January. The webinar series will occur across three days: Jan. 19 at 11:30 a.m. EST, Jan. 26 at 1 p.m. EST and Feb. 2 at 1:00 p.m. EST. Gary Kayye, co-founder and director of THE rAVe Agency, will serve as moderator for the […]
Several years ago, I won an award. I was so happy and proud that I was emotional upon hearing the news. I felt that I’d represented my industry, my colleagues, my company, and myself well enough to have even been considered. My colleagues at my company were happy for me, and my manager asked that […]
In the weird/unpredictable/unprecedented (did I get all the cliches in there?) times we are in, a question has stayed at the forefront of all of our minds: What the heck are our jobs going to make us do when COVID-19 is no longer a thing? For the past (almost) year, we’ve said “new normal” this […]
We are all excited 2021 is here! 🌅🎆🎇 We’ve got some big plans. But we need your direction to help us plan accordingly. Simply put, if you’ll take this 60-second survey, we’ll enter you into a drawing for a $500 Amazon or Apple (you choose) gift card AND, we’ll do you one better; if you […]
