Hi gang, hope y’all are doing well and everyone is gearing up for InfoComm. I am in final countdown mode myself and cannot wait to get to the humidity capital of North America and see everyone as well as the latest and greatest of the AV world. One of the most often asked questions that I keep getting asked recently is “What are you looking forward to the most at InfoComm?”. In the past, I would have said that I was looking forward to seeing the tech, walking the show floor, going to the after-show events, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I am still very much looking forward to that and it is still a huge reason that I am going, but this year it is a bit different.
The thing that I am most looking forward to is seeing the Higher Ed vertical being showcased like never before. When I take a step back, it is almost astounding the number of activities that will be taking place that is both Higher Ed focused and led by Higher Ed professionals. There have been panel discussions and presentations before, but this year (in case you have not heard) we have a presence on the show floor itself. Let’s think about that for a second. It was not all that long ago that it was a struggle for “end users” to even get invited for booth tours and now we will be shoulder to shoulder with everyone else with our own events and programming.
Higher Ed is also now leading the education summit on Tuesday, giving show floor tours, hosting podcasts on the show floor, and hosting our own recognition banquet. I say all of this with an immense amount of pride to be associated with this vertical and to recognize that a lot of hard work from many dedicated individuals made this happen. But there is always room for more. As the saying goes, more hands make less work, and now is the time for more hands. There is still plenty of opportunity to get involved and I am urging you to do that.
Want to start a podcast, go for it. Write an article for Higher Ed AV? Get after it. Our vertical is primed to continue to grab the spotlight and carry the conversation so there has never been a better time to jump in and get involved. There are so many opportunities right now to get involved I genuinely hope that people take advantage. Safe travels everyone and please remember to hydrate and stretch. Those 20k step days will catch up to you if you aren’t ready for them.