Congratulations to InfoComm Award Winners

Each year, InfoComm recognizes outstanding AV professionals for their contributions, leadership and commitment to excellence. In 2016, the InfoComm Awards Committee, a panel of volunteers, received nominations from across the industry and named winners for the Adele De Berri Pioneers of AV, Mackey Barron Distinguished Achievement, CTS Holder of the Year, Educator of the Year, Women in AV and Young AV Professionals Awards. The Harald Thiel Volunteer of the Year Award is bestowed by InfoComm staff. Congratulations to the winners.

Left: Lauren Koske; Right: Sarabeth Mullins

InfoComm Names 2016 Michael Vergauwen Scholarship Winners

The International Communications Industries Foundation, a non-profit charitable and educational organization created by InfoComm International to support the audiovisual industry, is pleased to announce two recipients of the 2016 Michael Vergauwen Scholarship. Lauren Koske, a junior from the University of Central Missouri, and Sarabeth Mullins, a junior from Biola University in California, will both receive $5,000 to support their education in the audiovisual field. Read the news.

Science and Engineering Festival Recap

Think STEM education doesn't get enough love? Tell that to the 365,000 people who attended the USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C., last month. InfoComm is a proud sponsor of the festival and its booth attracted thousands of students, parents and teachers interested in the science of AV. Check out the pictures, then watch our video shot on the show floor. The future of pro AV looks bright.

Live, Loud & Local in Las Vegas

InfoComm 2016's popular Tech Tours may be sold out, but you can still see high-end AV in action at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Join InfoComm and your peers June 8 for Live, Loud & Local. Hear from the Cosmopolitan's tech team, and then get a behind-the-scenes look at the newest systems in the resort's hottest venues. You'll wrap up the evening with a networking reception.

Running the Show at the Live Events Council

Wallace Johnson, CTS, Vice President of Business Development at MertzCrew and the newly elected Chair of InfoComm's Live Events Council, recently talked to us about this new role and his AV career to date. "The live events segment of the industry is very much about on-the-job training," he says. "You have to learn how to adjust to the atmosphere you work in." Read more and get involved.

Not Too Late: AV Transport Education

InfoComm's new virtual classroom course about AV transport methods is in session. But that doesn't mean you can't still sign up today. The course runs through May and includes industry experts exploring everything from HDBaseT to Dante, AVB/TSN to AES67, and H.265 to CobraNet. Not sure whether to join? Read what instructors Paul Zielie, CTS-D, CTS-I, and Joe Cornwall, CTS-D, CTS-I, have to say about the course and its importance to AV professionals.

Last Chance: IoT Insights Conference Next Week

Don't miss out. May 9 in Santa Clara, Calif., is the inaugural IoT Insights conference about the role of the Internet of Things in pro-AV solutions. The daylong event will include panel discussions, real-world case studies and a keynote address by Gary Hall, CTS-D, CTS-I, Chief Technology Officer for Federal Defense at Cisco Systems. Register today.

More IoT Insights at the Big Show

Your next chance to learn about the Internet of Things in pro AV will be (when else?) at InfoComm 2016 in Las Vegas. Join other AV professionals and technologists Tuesday, June 7, and put the IoT in context. "There is a huge untapped potential for the AV industry to dramatically transform collaborative communications by leveraging IoT technologies, but the high-value opportunities aren't going to be obvious right away," says Andrew Milne, CEO of Tidebreak (pictured). "Any AV professional who is serious about IoT will need to build a strong grounding in the basics, as well as develop their awareness of possibilities for the future." Learn more.

Sneak Peek: CTS-D Exam Guide

Attention all AV designers. Whether you're studying for your CTS-D exam or just want an authoritative reference guide for being the best AV designer you can be, InfoComm and McGraw-Hill Education have released the new CTS-D Certified Technology Specialist-Design Exam Guide. It is a complete study system for those who learn well with books. Fit this self-paced prep into your schedule anytime, anywhere.

Find out more.

AV Standards: Past, Present and Future

RTS Solutionz Vice President of Engineering Joy Caspar, CTS, has been working in AV since back when the industry was "a wild mess." In 2009, she became the first woman on InfoComm's Standards Steering Committee and was integral in the development of ANSI/INFOCOMM 2M-2010: Standard Guide for Audiovisual Design and Coordination Processes. "The way that AV touches and is touched by other technologies is both exciting and challenging," she says. Read her story.