The first Fast Forward Friday sees a co-ordinated focus on recruitment, skills and career development across today’s content programme.
Among the events of the day, Fast Forward Friday features the return of AV Career Day, an invitation-only initiative organised by AVIXA and CEDIA that enables students to learn about career paths in the AV industry and take part in ‘speed dating’ with prospective employers.
“CEDIA is excited to support AV Career Day at ISE,” said Paul Dolenc, VP of Education & Training at CEDIA. “This initiative is significant in bringing greater awareness to the challenges presented by the global workforce shortage in the smart home industry. We have a great programme for the day featuring contributions from CEDIA members in Spain, South Africa, UAE, and Argentina who will be showcasing the incredible work of CEDIA members and highlighting the skills and career paths available within the sector. We’re looking forward to the day and the opportunity it provides for us to inspire the next generation and build the workforce of the future.”
“Events like Fast Forward Friday are pivotal to the future of our industry, because they help open doors for next-generation creative and technology enthusiasts to our business,” added Joseph Valerio, Programme Director, AVIXA. “AVIXA and its charitable AVIXA Foundation are proud to again host students from across Europe at our annual hiring mixer. Jobseekers get a unique chance to match with employers looking for great talent. Employers get a direct line to talent acquisition. After several successful hiring matches in previous years, the 2025 edition will surely be an impactful one.”
In addition to AV Career Day, Fast Forward Friday also includes a host of events and content sessions tackling this crucial topic.
The Impulsa Talentum Foundation will welcome industry luminaries to the Audiovisual Forum in Room CC5.3 to talk about their career journeys. Sessions include ‘Ethical Leadership to Guide Talent Development’ with Dr Isabella D Bunn, research fellow in governance and global ethics, University of Oxford, and ‘Identifying & Nurturing Talent to Design Career Paths for the Future’ with Ralph Wolff, president of The Quality Assurance Commons for Higher and Postsecondary Education.
The Live Events Stage (6B100) will host a day of learning, networking and inspiration run by Production Futures, with the aim of equipping visitors with the technical skills and contacts to move confidently into the next phase of their career. Sessions include a Training Focus on audio with Eloise Newing, Assistant Director, Electric Cat Productions, and a session on skills for the future.
In room CC5.1, Universitat Pompeu Fabra will host the Future of Content Workshop, consisting of two 90-minute discussions — one in English (10:30) and one in Catalan (12:30) — about the future of broadcast TV content in the age of streaming subscriptions.
Also today, the Catalan AV Cluster will present the winning projects from its Talent and Technology Week, and the winners of ISE’s first-ever Hackathon will be announced on the Pitching Stage in Congress Square.
Finally, AVIXA Xchange LIVE will host a day of sessions around AV career opportunities, presented by frame:work, a community organisation for ‘live pixel people.’
