USAV hosted the inaugural USAV Leadership Conference (ULC) in Dallas, TX at the Four Seasons Resort and Club, April 28-30.
- Top engineering and sales leaders from USAV affiliates gathered for the event to make connections, discover new strategies for improving individual performance, and derive fresh ideas for accelerating USAV Integrators' success.
- "When we developed the concept for the ULC our goal was to encourage a collaborative atmosphere that reached beyond operating executives and into the functional roles within USAV Integrator companies," said USAV CEO K.C. Schwarz. "A focus on teamwork through the entire organization it what really differentiates USAV from other associations. We believe that transformation can take place when lines of communication are opened across the board."
- The conference program integrated a series of technical training sessions and interactive activities to encourage strategic thinking and teamwork among attendees. Attendees walked away with InfoComm Renewal Units and valuable insight from sessions, including general sessions:
- - "Using Trends & Industry Insights to Help Grow Your Business," a panel moderated by Steve Durkee, President of Commercial Products, Milestone AV Technologies.
- - "AV-iQ Program: Summary of Major Additions," presented by John Fuchs, Senior VP - InfoComm iQ.
- - "The Digital Systems Project Profitability Metrics: The Definitive Guide to Achieving Maximum Profits in Digital AV," presented by Max Kopsho, InfoComm 2010 Educator of the Year and Director of Group Sales and Consultant Relations at Kramer Electronics.
- - "Value Engineering Digital Systems: Is Cutting Cost with HDMI an Option?" presented Cameron Smith, General Manager - Intelix, Liberty AV Solutions.
- Attendees also connected with key representatives from USAV's Preferred Manufacturer Partners (PMPs) during an open Forum session. This time allowed the attendees to touch base with PMPs directly to identify areas where they can work together more efficiently and learn about products and services that can help them better serve clients.
- PMP in attendance were: Signature Sponsor, Milestone AV Technologies - Chief and Da-Lite; Summit Sponsors, Almo Professional A/V, Kramer Electronics, Liberty AV Solutions, Media Vision USA, Mitsubishi, NEC Display Solutions, Panasonic, ScanSource Communications, and Stampede; Peak Sponsor, Draper; and Foothill Sponsors, Herman and Middle Atlantic Products. (Foothill Sponsors FSR and Shure were unable to attend the event.)
- "The ULC was the best conference I have attended since I have been in the ProAV industry. Every training session and function was perfectly planned to build a special comradery between all of us in attendance," said Unified AV Systems chief technology officer Scott Wood. "I walked away with several great ideas and a whole bunch of new friends in the industry."
