It’s been a VERY busy few weeks for everyone with InfoComm12 having just roared through our industry, and, us through Las Vegas.  This is the first weekend many of us have off in likely months.  And, with summer officially starting last week, it’s no surprise to see social media especially quiet.  I hope everyone’s enjoying your weekend and staying cool and dry and getting a chance to put your feet up!!

These past weeks have been equal parts exhilarating and reflection.  As an professional, I am so honored and proud to be part of AV and always have been.  I’ve been blessed to have been educated in broadcast production since high school and AV is all I ever known how to do.  But, InfoComm12 was extra special because it was the first time we attended as the Women in AV group.

The show was an enormous success and as an industry we came together to support each other through events, networking, and just plain hustling to tell everyone about us.  It took EVERYONE to make this happen and I’ve written about the before and after and what an amazing group of people that makes up our industry. Thank you again for all you did to make our first InfoComm so incredible for Women in AV!

Today is equally important, if not more, as it is goes to the heart of why our Women in AV group does and needs to exist.  You see, today marks the one-year anniversary of when I started the Women in AV.  And, it’s so fitting its the week after InfoComm.  I remember coming back from Orlando in 2011 saying I wish we had a women’s group. Especially, in a male-dominated industry.  It’s so important for us ladies to have an opportunity to support each other, share our experiences, and encourage each other and more women to be involved in AV.  I know WAVE is not the first group that’s ever existed, but, for some reason the timing and stars were aligned for our group to take off!!

And, boy did we ever!!  There have been countless times the last year I’ve found myself thinking, “is this really happening”? Did we REALLY have 200+ women attend our first InfoComm Women in AV webinar? How the fabulous goodness did a women in our industry learn about our group from the United Emirates, Hong Kong, Argentina, and India?  And, pinch me now, did our luncheon and expert mentoring panel just sell-out over a month before InfoComm12 has even arrived?!  Are we going to be Tweetingup with DrunkUnkles?  How unbelievable is this?!?

The Women in AV is a testament that if you want and dream of something, you have everything you need to make it happen.  There is nothing standing in our way often times, except ourselves.  And, having good, trustworthy people around you really does make impossible just a word.  There is no group that exemplifies that more than us.

If you’ve ever read my blogs, you probably notice how I thank rAVe [Publications], and, especially founder Gary Kayye.  Here’s what most people don’t know.  Prior to the Women in AV, I had never written a blog in my life, I am terribly shy to begin with, and was incredibly self-conscious about why of all the amazing women in our industry I should be the one founding our group.  Sure, running an organization is not a problem.  But, this was different.  It was putting myself out there in front of our industry where I was not an expert, had no experience to draw from, nor did I understand I actually had someone to support me.  Between that and the responsibility I felt for our group to be a success, there was many times this past year I felt scared about the consequences of my decisions.  So much I felt was riding on each one.

But, Gary has been the one person that has pushed me through it all when he had no obligation to.  He gave me reassurance when I felt uncertain and took matters into his own hands when I wanted to quit on getting our URL’s back.  Let alone, all the other things he and his team have done for our group since we started and women in our industry for such a long time! He’s been my mentor and without him so many of the things we’ve achieved would not have happened.  So, I am eternally grateful because as I said we won’t succeed without good people around us.  AND, it bugs me he’s never willing to take credit for any of it! J

My point is I’ve lived the dream I wish for every woman in our industry, those who have pioneered the path for us and those we will help who come after us.  Everyday we are out there working and showing up, we are creating what it means to be a Woman in AV.  But we are no longer doing it alone.  We may be the only one in the room and we certainly have a long way to go before we achieve our goal of equal numbers.  But, it’s thrilling and amazing to sit back and think about what we accomplished this past year together and the support we have from both women AND men.  And, we now have each other wherever we find ourselves to be; sisters, friends, and colleagues out there supporting each other we never knew we had.

In the history on any technology industry, I dare anyone to tell me who’s done a better job in one year than we all have?

Happy anniversary to the Women in AV, what will we get ourselves up to this year!?!

Here’s some reminders of a few things we achieved:

Women in AV LinkedIn Group Founded: June 23, 2011

Calling all Women in AV: Our Group Is Here!!  (Our 1st rAVe Pubs Blog Post)

AV Week: Women in AV Webinar  (Our 1st InfoComm hosted webinar recording)

Post-Women in AV Webinar Thoughts  (Molly Stillman shares her thoughts as a Young WAVE)

WOW, What a WAVE!!!  (Our 1st  Industry-Wide WAVE Tweetup)

#InfoComm12 was #WAVEmazing   (Our 1st WAVE InfoComm and the amazing people who made it happen)

#WAVECast: Women in AV Podcasts  (Our three rAVePubs/AVNationTV podcasts about the unique experiences of Women in AV in different sectors of the industry)

www.womeninav.com  (Our website launched in June 2012, wahoo!!)