Recorded on September 15, 2026
This week on The AV Life Podcast, hosts Tim Van Woeart, Murphy Daly, and James King continue the value of regional and national AV trade shows, with Joe Way joining later in the discussion. They explore how limited budgets, travel time, and return on investment require manufacturers, integrators, and end users to attend events more strategically. The group agrees that trade-show floors remain useful for discovery, but longer conversations over meals, in meeting spaces, and during follow-up visits often lead to a clearer understanding of project needs and solutions. Murphy proposes virtual project-management office hours to include professionals—such as project and warehouse managers—who rarely attend shows. The hosts also discuss the need for technically informed project management, training opportunities tied to CTS renewal, evolving regional-show formats, and the cancellation of the Seattle CAVLO event. The episode closes with HETMA Golf Classic/AV Expo and Higher Ed AV Awards updates.
Topics discussed:
- Return on investment for regional and national AV trade shows
- Prioritizing events amid limited manufacturer budgets and staffing
- The value of meaningful follow-up conversations beyond the show floor
- Purposeful, targeted trade-show attendance
- Different trade-show goals for technical staff, managers, and presenters
- Access barriers for project managers and warehouse managers
- Virtual project-management office hours and community-building
- The importance of AV knowledge in project management
- CTS renewal credits and vendor training opportunities
- Trade-show design, including space for deeper conversations
- Regional roadshows and the Seattle CAVLO cancellation
- HETMA AV Expo, Golf Classic, and earlier Higher Ed AV Awards nominations
The AV Life is a Higher Ed AV Media production. More at higheredav.com.
