As a record number of women were elected to political and judicial appointments across the country, women in AV are building their own presence. Though the scale is local and regional, the AVIXA Women’s Council is taking off quickly through an organic and decentralized mix of ideas and networking that just keeps growing. Rather than waiting to formalize, the women (and allied men) are jumping in, individually and collectively, and relying on action and relationships to create more opportunity for women in our industry.
As Contemporary Research’s Christy Ricketts reports, a Crestron sponsored event for the Dallas/Ft. Worth group on November 1, grew to 27 people, the largest yet for this emerging region.
The meeting was held at Crestron’s Plano offices in the first-floor conference room. Serena Cuna provided refreshments, giftbags and raffle prizes.
“We started the meeting at 3:50 with an introduction to the AVIXA Women’s Council and the local events we try to provide,” Ricketts reports. “Srinivas Vunnava, New Product Development at Crestron, was the main speaker and touched on new technologies Crestron is developing such as occupancy sensors, new advances in lighting and innovations in privacy automations that can enhance all types of meetings spaces.
Catherine Bell, Creston’s Regional Sales Manager, also spoke on industry trends and the changes she has experienced over her 30-year AV career. Everyone was very excited to have time to network and meet new people. Many of the new attendees were excited to know that AVIXA was hosting local events and provided opportunities to network locally.
The next Dallas/Ft. Worth event is being planned for March 2019.
Meanwhile, tonight, Nov. 8th, NEC is hosting the inaugural Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association (AVIXA) Women Chicago Metro Group’s Fall Ball. The free event has kicked off as I post this, at NEC Display’s new state-of-the-art headquarters and Briefing Center, located at 3250 Lacey Road in Downers Grove, Illinois.
The 2018 Fall Ball will create a forum for Chicago-area women in the AV and tech industry to discuss industry trends and share professional development opportunities, according to Jennifer Cheh, NEC Display Vice President of Marketing and member of AVIXA.
“At the Fall Ball, we’ll come together to set a vision for our regional Chicago group to provide much-needed support for the women in our industry,” Cheh said. “The AVIXA Women Chicago Metro Group’s inaugural event will give female AV professionals an opportunity to learn, network and build lasting relationships with their peers.”
AVIXA Women’s Council Local Groups meet regularly in a physical location, with additional groups around the world still forming. While the events are geared toward women, men are also welcome to attend and support fellow professionals in the industry.
“We need to empower and uplift each other, and hosting quarterly events like these helps us keep the conversation going all year long,” Cheh said. “We’re thrilled to host this inaugural event, and we especially thank our fellow sponsors who are helping to make the Fall Ball a success.”
Besides NEC Display, the AVIXA Women Chicago Metro Group Fall Ball is sponsored by Crimson AV, Peerless-AV, Shure, and Netrix, LLC.
This is how change is made.
