Associations Focus: AV Best Practices Straight from the Source
Sep 1, 2005 12:00 PM
Nearly two years ago a remarkable event occurred in the professional AV industry: Two key ICIA councils decided to collaborate on a document that would, for the first time ever, detail best practices in the AV industry. It was proposed as a companion book to the highly successful The Basics of Audio and Visual Systems Design, which was re-published in 2004. The Sound, Audiovisual, and Video Integrators (SAVVI) Council and the Independent Consultants in Audiovisual Technology (ICAT) Council were involved, with assistance from the Technology Managers/End Users Council.
In June, an even more remarkable event took place. The book, Audiovisual Best Practices: The Design and Integration Process for the AV and Construction Industries, became a reality.
INSIDE AUDIOVISUAL BEST PRACTICES
Audiovisual Best Practices begins with an overview of the industry, covering its history, its components, where it is today in terms of revenue and business opportunities, and why there is an increasingly strong need for AV professionals in new building or renovation projects.
The heart of the book details a start-to-finish approach for an AV project. Seven chapters address understanding the roles of project players, identifying project delivery options, establishing contractual relationships, analyzing needs, creating the design, managing the construction, and providing system commissioning and training. Each chapter is enhanced with best practices corresponding to that aspect of the project. In addition, charts and checklists throughout the publication provide tangible tools for everyone involved in a project.
It concludes with a discussion about the future of the AV industry, a review of its continuing impact on the consumer, and commentaries from leading industry experts.
THE IMPORTANCE OF AN AV BEST PRACTICES GUIDE
No other “low-voltage” industry has the impact of pro AV. Today, the majority of non-residential construction and renovation requires the integration of some audiovisual capabilities. The desire and need for high-quality audiovisual systems has created an industry now in excess of $19 billion in North America alone. This market expansion, both in the United States and around the world, has created a need for information that is critical to the success of AV systems integration.
Although the new publication is intended to serve the AV industry, a conscious effort is made throughout the book to address the involvement and understanding of users, owners, architects, facilities managers, project managers, and consultants for every need within the building process. The increasing involvement of AV professionals early in the project requires that all the players be informed and educated about the process and practices. The industry realizes that this is not the time to protect information behind closed doors. Only through the dissemination of documentation from the primary source — the AV industry professional — can the industry maintain the quality it seeks during its rapid growth.
Find out more by visiting www.infocomm.org/avbestpractices.
