Earlier this month, I logged into my AVIXA training portal. I uploaded several certificates for CTS RUs that I had earned over the last three years. Some of those RUs came from moderating technical webinars or teaching workshops or courses for AVIXA. Others came from events like LAVNCH WEEK right here on rAVe. Still more […]

As someone who has been in AV for years and spent the time to get all of my AV certifications through AVIXA (CTS-D and CTS-I), I appreciate tools that help with designing systems. Through my years in AV, I’ve been blessed to work with some amazing engineers that developed their own calculators and spreadsheets for […]

As a manager, I’m often faced with the question of what requirements we should put into a job description when we are ready to hire a person. Experience is always the easiest one to figure out. You think about how senior the position is and then you base years of experience or type of experiences […]

AVIXA has announced the release of its newest standard, Rack Building for Audiovisual Systems (F502.01:2018), which details the requirements for integrating AV systems into racks by providing a process for consistent assembly, mounting, and cable management. This standard covers the fundamental elements of building a reliable AV equipment rack, including: Assembly of AV equipment racks, […]

I just finished up teaching CTS prep for Avixa during the three-day classes before the InfoComm show. Not only was this a fun and a rewarding experience… I also came away with a new challenge. Several of my fellow instructors encouraged me to step up my certification game and get both my CTS-D and my […]

If you are an AV industry professional in the commercial AV space, odds are you are familiar with InfoComm’s CTS certifications.  There are 3 varieties currently, being the CTS General, the CTS-D for Design, and the CTS-I for installation.  Many times a consultant or an end user may require that the integrator working on their […]

A couple years ago I posted about getting my CTS certification.  I think I was on an endorphin high at the InfoComm 2014 show, because I even threw down a challenge hours later to see who wanted to pursue the elusive dual certification: CTS-D and CTS-I. The excitement died down a little, and not only did […]

I am about to admit something that many people do not like to admit – I failed at something. Yes, I know, everyone fails at something at some point. We just never want to talk about it because it makes us feel like we have no value. But I prefer to look at failure as […]

There’s been some chatter around here lately on the CTS certification. Mark Coxon used his skepticism on renewal rates as a vehicle to question the value of the certification. Gary Kayye told us what CTS means to him. This lead me to contemplate what I thought of the certification, about renewal, and about where we […]

Meet Colin Hasted, CTS-D, System Specialist, Pure Audio Visual Ltd, the first person to pass the CTS-D exam at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2015 in Amsterdam. Colin’s background was mainly in audio, and he decided to pursue the CTS-D and prepare for the exam to widen his knowledge base and fill in some blanks along […]

Alright, so it’s official. I finally lifted my 12 year boycott on getting my CTS, bit the bullet, and took the test. Then I waited in nervous anticipation for my score, and by some glitch in the system software, I passed! Given that it’s been 12 years, I felt an explanation as to why I […]

By Mario J. Maltese, CTS-D, CTS-I, CQT This is the third in a multi-part series from the Association for Quality in Audio Visual Technology (AQAV) and its push for everyone in AV to adopt the AV9000 standard for quality management. Read the first article here and the second article here. What is “AV9000 compliant” — and how can I […]

Want your CTS-D? Well, there’s a sure-fire way to do it quickly and be certified for AV systems design via InfoComm this April. Here’s what AV Design Bootcamp graduates are saying about the famous nine back-to-back days of hands-on training: “I believe that Design Bootcamp was integral to my education in learning how to be […]

Looking for another reason to make the trip to Amsterdam for Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), Feb. 1-3 at the RAI? You could sit for the CTS, CTS-D or CTS-I exams! Just steps away from the show floor and education classrooms, but hurry — the limited exam seats are first-come, first-served. To find out how to […]

By Greg Bronson, CTS-D One of my Jr./Sr. High School math class teachers was also one of our school football coaches. At that time, his teams were very successful and, I suspect, learned a lot about football. I wish I could say the same about math class. I do have to say, though; prior to […]