All those professionals working in varying parts of the industry helps to create a wonderful place where consistent conversation and debate can push the collective forward. Manufacturers send out their representatives to visit industry leaders to get feedback on the direction of product development, the status of currently in use products, and insight as to how they can better serve the marketplace.
With this kind of opportunity to continually raise our voices, concerns, and issues about what we need and what we see, there is no excuse for missing out on being the part of the conversation. Even without a representative in front of us, more and more companies are increasing, and improving, their social media interaction. A note on facebook, a quick tweet, or a blog discussing industry issues does not go unheard. Not all companies are created equal in regards to their responsiveness, but putting the information out there helps to create or continue the conversation within the community itself, and that’s the much more important part in the long run. The support from the other professionals in this industry, be it advice on resolving a technological problem, encouragement as someone works through business struggles, or through the exchange of progressive ideas on new ways to explore the circumstances is fundamental in moving this industry forward.
I had been reluctant to start writing on a blog or website because I looked at the population of professionals that had more experience than I did, a broader background than I had, or were just more technologically inclined than I am and couldn’t conceive of anyone wanting to hear what it was I had to say. I have never been more wrong in hiding within my own insecurity. Many people don’t agree with my opinions on a variety of topics that I have written about, but so many of those people have started a conversation which has led to the opportunity to address the issues on a larger scale and allowed more people to get involved.
We are 500,000 strong and we all have a unique perspective to share. It could be due to the intense focus on a particular vertical market. Maybe it’s based on how things are done in a specific region. Or it could just be that as we came up in the industry we were instructed to do something in a specific way and have never questioned why. That’s half a million people with the possibility to input and share their skills, talents, and backgrounds.
So I ask now: who, but you, will raise your voices to push this industry forward? Who, but you, will share a new concept of how a task could be accomplished? Who, but you will share an experience with a particular product? Who, but you, can advise and inspire the next generation of AV professionals?
With so many ways to share information with a common group of people there are fewer and fewer excuses for not doing so. You don’t have to start and maintain a website or blog, but you can. You don’t have to maintain a presence on Twitter, interacting with the other #avtweeps, but you can. You don’t have to start a YouTube channel to share your knowledge through vlogging, but you can. These are things that you can do that may require a little more effort, but if you simply want to share an experience or start a discussion I’ve come to find that the dozens of groups focusing on AV on LinkedIn are a perfect forum. Ten minutes of your time to ask a question or voice a concern and you have potentially thousands of people able to respond, and that’s just a digital way. There’s still the old adage “think globally, act locally” which, in this circumstance, roughly translates to working with younger industry professionals, or even perhaps taking the time to speak with groups of students to get them interested in what we do.
We are beginning to see some of the most knowledgeable people in our industry head off into retirement. There is often talk about who the next generation of AV professionals will be and concern over how to get people more interested in our industry. We never know what story, information, insight, or experience will inspire someone. As a global community of industry professionals we are here to support, educate, and interact with one another. All too often we can get buried in projects and lost to our own work making it seem as though we are on an island, but we are not alone in our experiences. There are those with a love of technology and a mind for creative problem solving looking for their calling in life. It isn’t a personal responsibility to share unless you wish it to be, but be aware you have the opportunity and tools at your disposal. Next month is InfoComm’s AV Month; 31 days to celebrate the industry and share with the world what we love. There is no better time to begin sharing what you have with the rest of the community.
In the end, who, but you, can share your knowledge, start a new conversation, and potentially sew the seeds for the next brilliant minds of AV? Who, but you?
