Like a fine, aged wine, InfoComm’s AV Executive Conference continues to get better and better with each year, according to two veteran attendees who have yet to miss an installment of this top industry leadership gathering.
“I look forward to going every year because the content gets better, and I love reconnecting with friends and colleagues,” said Matt Emerson, president, CEAVCO Audio Visual. “I get as much from the conversations that take place during breaks and at meals as I do from the content.”
And the programming has resonated quite thoroughly for him. “There are speakers that they’ve had in the past whom I still think about,” he said, while “some of the elements of the program we have thoroughly woven into our conversations with clients and the way we talk internally.”
The caliber of the speakers has continuously improved as well, he said. “They continue to bring content that is applicable to any executive regardless of the segment of the industry that they serve.”
For Steve Greenblatt, president, Control Concepts, it’s not a question of if or who’s attending, or who the speakers are, or what the format is; it has become a staple annual event for him “because I know that it’s going to be good.”
While the first two AVECs seemed like an extension of previous leadership events that moved from technical conversations to those more about business and where the industry is going, “Now it has more evolved into topical discussions where there’s a theme to it,” Greenblatt observed.
“I definitely think that it’s on an upward swing, so I definitely expect this year to be better than last year’s, which I thought was the best one.”
The pre-posted attendee list provides the opportunity to reach out to other people and encourage them to go, and also to plan whom to seek introductions to. Both Greenblatt and Emerson serve on InfoComm’s Leadership Search Committee, so beyond the networking and programming, they also look to identify those with potential to groom as future industry leaders.
Overall, Emerson is enthused to see how AVEC has been gaining momentum. “I’m really excited that InfoComm has chosen to create this event and create this opportunity to bring the industry together.”
Greenblatt encourages people to go and check it out, especially those craving business discussions. “And also, it’s important that we attend something like this to help to make our industry stronger.”
