“My Take” on the HETMA Conference: Britt’s Stream o’ Consciousness
By Britt Yenser
Lately, when presented with professional development opportunities, I find myself asking, “Do I really want to sit through another webinar?” This question didn’t cross my mind when I registered for the HETMA Virtual Conference. I knew this conference was a master class on virtual events: engaging, thought-provoking, and fun! I don’t know how I knew that, as I had never attended a HETMA Virtual Conference before. I suppose I just assumed– how could a conference put together by AV Tweeps for AV Tweeps be anything other than phenomenal? And, obviously, this conference delivered!
The theme of this year’s conference was “Now What?” and each session delivered on its promise to ask that pivotal question. Our world is ever-changing, and professionals from around the globe gathered to discuss new best practices and the challenges we face. Refreshingly, no one brought up supply chain issues. We instead tackled issues like managing a changing workforce, meeting our community’s needs in sustainable ways, and challenging the status quo through Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.
I can’t help but notice that as I’ve typed out my thoughts, my language changed from “I” to “We.” Throughout the conference, I very much felt a part of it. Not just in terms of being engaged with the content, but by feeling like I was with “my people.” If you talk to anyone in Higher Education, they will likely tell you that the Spring Semester is a sprint to the finish line. Despite our collective stress and heavy workload, we were all invested in learning from each other and answering that broad and challenging question, “Now What?”
COVID has changed the way the world operates, generational shifts are changing our student employees, the demand for AV is changing our workloads, and the industry as a whole still hasn’t changed enough to be inviting to women and BIPOC– Now What?
We can’t possibly have a definitive answer to where we go from here, but we did work together to generate some great starting points. We can care, both about our work and about others. We can collect, analyze, and tell the story of our data. We can create tiers of service within our departments that clearly explain our roles, responsibilities, and vision. We can find the right technology to fit our community’s needs, supply chain be darned! And, most importantly, we can always improve.
After three days of speaking on panels, listening to my colleagues from around the world, and taking part in the history-making, longest-ever HETMA Happy Hour, I do have my own personal answer to the question: “Now What?”:
We keep moving forward, together.
