297: Catch Up from April: HETMA Roadshow Toronto Review | The AV Life Podcast
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Recorded April 1, 2025
In this catch-up episode, Tim Van Woeart and Nancy Blanchard (now with PPDS Professional Display Solutions) reconnect to share updates, swap stories, and dive into Nancy’s on-the-ground review of the recent HETMA Roadshow in Toronto. From wild weather shifts to standout campus tours, they explore what made this stop unique — including the impressive sustainable “Timberlost” building project at George Brown College and how the event drew strong local higher ed participation.
The conversation blends personal updates with professional insights, covering how roadshows meet a critical need for local vendor–campus connections, the value of competitive two-minute vendor pitches, and what makes certain campus locations and builds truly memorable. Tim and Nancy also veer into Disney trip planning, conference travel quirks, and what’s next for HETMA Roadshows. Whether you’re in higher ed tech, AV, or just love hearing about industry events with a human touch, this is a fun, wide-ranging catch-up with plenty of nuggets for event planners and tech managers alike.
Topics Discussed
- Nancy’s Canada travels, family updates, and weather extremes
- The HETMA Roadshow Toronto: turnout, vendor list, and local higher ed engagement
- Highlights from the “Timberlost” sustainable building tour at George Brown College
- Competitive vendor “speed pitch” format and why it works
- Why roadshows meet an important regional need for AV/IT engagement
- Comparing campus design choices: concrete vs carpet from an acoustic perspective
- Disney World trip overlaps and conference travel stories
- Travel limitations for Canadian attendees due to exchange rates and current events
- Volunteer-driven nature of HETMA and how to get involved
- Upcoming HETMA Roadshow dates and InfoComm 2025 plans
The AV Life is a Higher Ed AV Media production. More at https://higheredav.com.
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