It’s that time of year again where everyone makes ridiculous resolutions they probably won’t keep. Instead of doing all that this year, I wanted to make a resolution that would be achievable — no matter how hard it seems. So, I am studying to get my CTS! To keep me accountable, my co-workers at rAVe […]
Last week, well over 2,000 AV industry professionals tuned in live to learn, interact and earn free AVIXA CTS Renewal Units (RUs) during the Almo Professional A/V, fall E4 Evolution (E4v) three-day virtual event that is part of the award-winning E4 Experience. Almo announced the addition of an exclusive “Bonus Week” whereby all full-length educational […]
Smarter Systems has added another AVIXA Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) to the team. This certification means five team members have earned the distinct accolade in 2019. President and CEO Ned Coleman says, “Smarter Systems is dedicated to quality for our clients, and adding CTS credentialed team members is just one way to show we are […]
AVIXA announced the election results Thursday for the 2020 Certification Steering Committee. Certification holders elected new committee members Gain Foster, CTS, K2; Rakesh Kumar, CTS-D, CTS-I, Amazon; Christopher Kusek, CTS-D, CTS-I, ALL PRO SOUND; Michael Pedersen, CTS-D, CTS-I, Iowa State University; Rebecca Sullins, CTS-D, CTS-I, LMG; and Justin Watts, CTS, Apple. The AVIXA Certification Steering […]
AVIXA just announced the release of the third edition of the CTS Certified Technology Specialist Exam Guide. The guide provides a comprehensive look at the topics covered in the latest version of the CTS exam. For more than 30 years, AVIXA has administered the CTS program, which is recognized worldwide as the leading AV professional […]
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 this week recognized Aesthetix Technologies India Pvt Ltd. as the first AV Provider of Excellence (APEx) company in India. APEx is AVIXA’s recognition program for companies that set high standards for employee training and certification and meet their clients’ needs by delivering integrated experiences. With the APEx designation, Aesthetix joins an elite group of […]
Right now, a part of each of my day has been dedicated to developing my class for InfoComm 2019. I am giving a talk on “Using AV Technology to Trigger Customers’ Biological Responses” or as I refer to it, “Triggered!” Any time that you are giving a presentation, it’s extremely important to consider the audience […]
AVIXA is pleased to announce that there are now 1,000 AV professionals with a Certified Technology Specialist™ (CTS®) certification in Europe. For more than 30 years, AVIXA has administered the CTS program, which is recognized worldwide as the leading AV professional credential, helping businesses to elevate themselves and deliver value to their clients. There are […]
The SDVoE Alliance today announced it is an official AVIXA Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) Renewal Unit (RU) Provider. The online SDVoE Design Partner Program now offers AVIXA CTS RUs along with SDVoE certification. This first-of-its-kind online program, available through the SDVoE Academy, publicly recognizes experts in the creation of SDVoE systems that take advantage of […]
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 […]
I woke up Sunday morning to some interesting Twitter conversation started by fellow AV professional Chris Neto about the subject of AV education. The question revolved around whether or not certifications or formal college education is more important in qualifying someone to be successful in the field of AV. To break down the responses in […]
AVIXA just announced the election results for the 2018 Certification Steering Committee. Certified Technology Specialists elected new committee members Heather Corbin, CTS, AV Edge (a division of EDCO LLC), David Petrelle, CTS-D, CTS-I, HB Communications and Ronald Willis, CTS-D, Shen Milsom Wilke LLC. CTS holders re-elected John Lamberson, CTS, Biamp; Rodrigo Ordonez, CTS-D, K2 Audio; and Farrell Wood, CTS-D, CTS-I, Whitlock. […]
InfoComm International announced today the release of the updated standard Audio Coverage Uniformity (ACU) in Listener Areas (ANSI/INFOCOMM A102.01:2017). With advancements in technology and continual audio coverage problems, it was important to produce an updated version of the ACU standard, which was first released in 2009. Although the original ACU standard was designed for audio coverage in enclosed environments, the 2017 version expands to […]
“Yo, his palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms heavy.” With the CTS “exam season” approaching in June, chances are many people are feeling the words of Eminem’s song Lose Yourself. For good reason. Many of those preparing to take the CTS are putting a lot of time and money into the exam. If you chose […]
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 […]
InfoComm International has announced that the Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) study courses and testing will be offered at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2017, Feb. 7-10 at the Amsterdam RAI. In addition, InfoComm will host more than 80 professional development sessions at the show, including a new series of hands-on Application Labs, a selection of half-day […]
Almo Professional A/V today announced the E4 AV Tour will have stops in Boston, MA on September 23 and Dallas, Texas on October 18. Continuing the theme “Experience Your Future Now,” E4 includes all-day training (nearly all is InfoComm CTS RU approved) sessions, hands-on workshops, product and service launches and new manufacturing partners. Due to […]
By Jennifer Davis Chief Marketing Officer, Leyard Often we get obsessed with new ideas, new technologies, and new initiatives that we can forget that a key part of strategy is what you are going to say “no” to. This applies to us individually, in our companies and as an industry. So, what are five things […]
When Alan Taylor, CTS, joined UK systems integrator avsnet in early 2015, one of the first things on his mind was to get the company’s 50 or so technical and service staff CTS-certified. Taylor landed the job as senior project manager partly on his qualifications. He already had his InfoComm International AV Technologist and CTS […]
Well another InfoComm has come and gone, and another Las Vegas record was set this year with over 38,000 attendees at the 2016 show. By attendance alone, you’d have to agree that the show is as healthy as ever. The InfoComm show is an amazing place to connect with industry peers, showcase new products to […]
This was the first year that I attended at three-day class before to the InfoComm show opened to the masses. Previously, I have only attended workshops and seminars during the InfoComm show. I participated in the AV Design 1: Environment class. The reason I took this class is as prep for my retake of the […]
Every year the largest AV trade show in the United States provides more “things to see” and this year’s show in Las Vegas is no exception as it promises to be a great one – make sure you follow those well-known rules of attending the show in terms of comfortable shoes, clothing, hydration, scheduling booth visits […]
We all have many things in our lives that happen for one reason or another. Some of the greatest and most memorable moments of my life involve both my family and my career. In terms of my career the greatest times have included the first day of teaching a college class I worked so hard to […]
Recent graduate Victoria Barela, CTS, earned her CTS certification just two months after graduating from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in Live and Installed Sound. This go-getting programmer and audio enthusiast already has an internship with Illinois integrator Zdi under her belt and is currently getting her feet wet as a part-time Junior Programmer […]
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 […]
Education Evolution: March 2016 When I was growing up my parents expressed the importance of education. Throughout my entire childhood they always said, “You have to go to college, it’s important to become successful!” I always had mixed feelings about this concept — partially because I was not a good student, but also because the […]
In this post college graduate moment in life, from having finished a rewarding internship with Zdi to still engaging in the aftereffect results and opportunities of InfoComm 2015, there is certainly a lot to handle. In this jam packed instance, my best response is to absorb it like a sponge and digest as much of […]
InfoComm International, co-owner of Integrated Systems Europe, has enhanced its education programme for ISE 2016 to offer more valuable training than ever before. InfoComm’s offerings will feature sessions in three different formats to suit all interests: InfoComm Conferences, MasterClass sessions and FlashTracks. ISE attendees should sign up now to reserve their spot for in-demand courses […]
Well it’s been a couple weeks since my last piece on CTS, and I figured the cooling off period was just about over. Needless, to say, my last piece created a lot of great conversation, as well as a couple of follow up blogs from industry consultant Leonard Suskin and even rAVe founder Gary Kayye. For […]
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 […]
