Latin America. AVIXA held the first completely virtual edition of InfoComm in its history, InfoComm 2020 Connected, from June 16 to 18, where it brought together, remotely, professionals from the audiovisual industry from around the world to learn more about the recent products of the main manufacturers, participate in discussion panels and presentations on technological and market trends, in addition to interacting at a distance to form new relationships.
"When we made the decision to cancel the InfoComm 2020 show scheduled for Las Vegas, the AVIXA team was determined to bring the industry together for an immersive learning, participation and bonding experience in an online virtual event," said Rochelle Richardson, CEM, Senior Vice President of Exhibitions and Events for AVIXA.
"The enthusiasm and participation in InfoComm 2020 Connected exceeded expectations and reinforced something we already knew, that the audiovisual industry is made up of resilient individuals. Undoubtedly, our world is changing and we recognize the need to be agile and keep up with it. While we anticipate that virtual and hybrid events will be part of the conversation, we already look forward to the day when we can return to in-person events and everyone can join us for InfoComm 2021 in Orlando."
The total registrations for InfoComm 2020 Connected were 23,408 participants, 58% from the United States and a large percentage of 42% from other countries. Latin America responded in a good way, with 1,970 Latin American attendees and 132 Spaniards. The fair included 495 exhibitors, whose presentations were visited a cumulative total of 53,433 times.
The lectures and panel discussions had a high attendance rate, totaling 59,662 views. The program included 74 live broadcast sessions and 67 on-demand presentations by the different exhibiting companies. Eleven hours of live content were broadcast daily, divided into sessions that began at 6:00 a.m. and ended at 10:00 p.m. (Eastern Time), which was designed to achieve greater reach with the global audience. Popular topics included videoconferencing and collaboration; the fusion of space, technology and content; trends that emerged during the COVID-19 crisis; higher education; and the state of the industry.
On Tuesday 16, David Labuskes, CTS, CAE, RCDD, CEO of AVIXA, presented the main conference, in which he addressed the role of the AV industry in creating a post-COVID world that combines the best of face-to-face and virtual experiences. Subsequently, Labuskes was joined by Kate Wik, Chief Marketing Officer of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, who discussed the intricate security measures the city has taken to achieve the gradual reopening of its economy. The session also included Sam Taylor, Executive Vice President and COO of Almo Professional A/V, who spoke about the technological advances and macroeconomic factors that have driven the evolution of the professional audiovisual industry.
The AVIXA Women's Council held an annual breakfast on Thursday, June 18, with Sara Potecha, author of the book West Point Woman as the keynote speaker. Potecha was one of the first women to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point. She spoke about the competitive environment of the academy and the physical, educational and mental challenges she faced. His talk focused on leadership during a crisis, through character, skills and fortitude.
"Leaders are there to anticipate problems, forecast unforeseen events, and prepare for new challenges, which develops a wealth of skills for transformation and adaptation," Potecha said.
InfoComm 2020 Connected also had a place for a series of three Spanish-language sessions, in which the importance of the three fundamental elements of integrated experiences was discussed: space, technology and content. The sessions were attended by experts from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Spain and Mexico, who managed to convene more than 1,000 people interested in the subject.
"At AVIXA, we are very excited about the global character that the virtual edition of InfoComm 2020 Connected took. It was an event of many "first times", such as the fact of programming several panels in Spanish language that were very well received by Spanish-speaking professionals, "said Rodrigo Cassasus Coke, CTS, Senior Director of Development for Latin America and the Caribbean of AVIXA Latin America.
Attendees received very well the virtual networking tools available at InfoComm 2020 Connected, as during the event 1,117 meetings were scheduled with exhibitors, and 14,277 conversations were exchanged in the chat.
InfoComm 2020 Connected's virtual platform will remain active until August 21, so registrants can navigate between exhibitor presentations and watch sessions on demand. For more information, visit infocommshow.org/connected.
InfoComm 2021 will be held June 12-18 (the exhibit will be open June 16-18) at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.
