The Return of Trade Shows
James King
This month’s theme is a hard one for me to write about. I have personally only been to two in-person trade shows since I have been in AV. I attended two NAB shows in New York City and those were more for what education classes they were holding and less about the show floor. I have personally been wanting to attend InfoComm for some time now but felt like I could never justify the trip during the busy time of summer projects. When information about InfoComm20 came out I decided I would see if I could get permission to go which I did. I was all set to attend my first ever InfoComm and then the pandemic happened. We are now in the time that InfoComm21 is gearing up for October 2021 and I am still not sure if I will be attending this year or not. With that said, this month’s article is going to be a little different. I would like to hear from you guys on why a person who came from IT but now handles AV equipment should be attending trade shows. This is not about the AV is/isn’t IT (see last month’s article for that). I want to hear what these shows have that would attract someone who is in the IT field.
Please post your comments on Twitter with the hashtag #AVinIT. Also, my Twitter handle is @AV_JamesKing. I look forward to hearing what you all have to say!
Meet the author: James King
James King graduated from Stockton University in 2008 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Information Systems and a Minor in Business Studies. After graduation, he started working full time for Stockton’s IT department and in 2012 was assigned to support the classrooms’ AV equipment. Since joining the AV team, he has continued his education by getting AV certifications as well as working on getting his MBA. Besides working at Stockton, he is also a member of the AVIXA Technology Managers Council, manager of the HETMA award-winning Higher Ed AV/IT Slack workgroup, the current president for Pinelands Soccer Association soccer league, co-coach of a travel soccer team, and a goalkeeper trainer.