It’s an annual tradition, the AVNation “Best of” Awards, and Chi Hang Lo is up for AV Professional of the Year, along with UCLA’s Classroom Modernization Pilot, and HETMA for Best Technical Support! Take a listen as Joe Way sits down with Chi to discuss this honor and why you should #VoteForChi.
Joe Way drops a special Friday episode to spotlight the AV Nation Awards (Readers’ Choice “Best of 2025”) and rally the higher ed community around three finalists: Chi Hang Lo for AV Professional of the Year, UCLA’s Classroom Modernization Pilot for Project of the Year, and HETMA for Best Technical Support. Chi joins to share what the nomination represents, why the UCLA pilot is different, and how the higher ed community lifts each other up through collaboration, shared evaluation, and real-world support. The episode closes with a clear call: go vote, support the people and projects pushing the industry forward, and keep building a better future together.
Featured Guest
Chi Hang Lo — Manager, AV/IT Solutions (UCLA)
Leads a team designing and delivering scalable AV + IT solutions that support UCLA’s learning environments and broader smart campus vision.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode
1) Why this episode, and why now
- A bonus Friday release to interrupt the usual schedule and highlight the AV Nation Awards as a uniquely people-driven recognition.
- Joe frames Readers’ Choice as a rare moment for the industry to advocate for the people, projects, and platformsthat matter most to the community.
2) The three higher ed finalists
- Chi Hang Lo — AV Professional of the Year finalist
- UCLA — Project of the Year finalist for the Classroom Modernization Pilot
- HETMA (HACMR) — Technical Support finalist
Joe emphasizes how significant it is to see higher ed represented across multiple major categories in the finals.
3) The UCLA Classroom Modernization Pilot: what makes it special
Chi explains why the pilot stands out as more than a refresh—it’s a different way of thinking:
- Moving from traditional room-by-room AV to a cloud-first, scalable control approach designed for enterprise scale (think: up to 1,000 spaces).
- Leveraging web technologies, REST APIs, and integrations to enable flexibility, interoperability, and future growth.
- Building for adaptability so the system isn’t locked to one manufacturer ecosystem—prioritizing integration-first design and long-term scalability.
- Aiming toward a platform approach: “AV as a platform” that can support more than AV control.
4) The “why” behind going cloud-first
Joe asks the question everyone asks: why not just keep doing “simple” AV? Chi’s answer points to:
- Preparing the team—and the campus—for the future skill sets needed in modern learning environments.
- Meeting expanding demands: conferencing, capture, collaboration, active learning, and rapid shifts in pedagogy.
- Treating AV as part of a broader AV/IT solutions ecosystem, not a standalone technical island.
5) Smart campus, not just AV
The conversation expands into the broader vision:
- AV systems already contain meaningful data (occupancy, environmental signals, usage patterns)—the opportunity is connecting it to the rest of campus.
- Collaboration across departments (facilities, security, events, transportation, IT, and more) becomes possible when you build a platform that can integrate.
- Chi shares work toward data aggregation and dashboards, including collaboration with a Data Lake approach to create better operational insight and decision-making.
6) The team behind the pilot
Chi introduces the core members of his team and their contributions:
- Project coordination and process leadership (including agile/scrum-style development support)
- Technical design and 2D/3D modeling workflows, standards-based design language for facilities alignment
- Software/automation engineering, signal distribution/recording, and architecture to connect devices to the cloud
- Partnerships with manufacturers to improve firmware/APIs and enable deeper integration at scale
Joe underscores how innovation required close collaboration between UCLA, solution providers, and manufacturers—engineering alongside engineering.
7) Career growth: from technical expert to leader
Joe shifts the conversation to professional development: what changes when you move from “doing” to “leading.”
Chi shares leadership themes that have guided him:
- Staying humble, collaborative, and relationship-driven
- Balancing strong technical conviction with empathy and communication
- Creating opportunities for the next generation by helping people navigate common roadblocks (communication, attitude, relationship dynamics)
- Treating the industry like a community—because you’ll keep working with the same people for years
8) The HETMA/HACMR community impact
Chi shares how community support—especially collaborative technology evaluation and shared learning—helps smaller institutions gain access, influence, and manufacturer attention they might not get alone. Joe reinforces the higher ed ethos: we’re collaborators, not competitors.
Memorable Moments / Quotes (paraphrased)
- The awards matter because the people choose—it’s advocacy, not just adjudication.
- The pilot isn’t just “AV”—it’s building infrastructure for a smart campus platform.
- The real work is turning AV data into insight and integration that improves the campus experience.
Calls to Action
- Vote for Chi Hang Lo — AV Professional of the Year
- Vote for UCLA’s Classroom Modernization Pilot — Project of the Year
- Vote for HETMA — Technical Support
- And vote for the products, people, and projects you believe represent the best of 2025.
Where to Connect
- Chi-Heng Lo — (Include links in your post/show notes to Chi’s LinkedIn and X/Twitter as referenced in the episode)
- HETMA / HACMR — (Include community link as applicable)
