Tuesday 11 February sees the AVIXA Diversity Council hold an event on the Main Stage (stand 14-B190), beginning at 16:00. The Council supports inclusion in the AV industry, and its aim is to help people make connections and work together to create a diverse workforce that represents the society we live in. The keynote speaker is June Sarpong MBE, a TV broadcaster, panellist, author and diversity advocate.
At 15:30 on Wednesday 12 February, the Main Stage is the venue for the AVIXA Women’s Council Forum, held in partnership with WAVE. This will feature an opening address by Sarah Joyce, AVIXA Chief Global Officer, and a keynote from the Hon. Mrs Àngels Chacón, Minister for Business & Knowledge in the Catalan Government.
The Forum will provide plenty of discussion points for inspiring, supporting and empowering women who work in the technology and AV industries. It will conclude with a networking reception.
Mrs Chacón comments: “Companies have amazing potential to transform society at all levels: unquestionably, we must create new female role models. That is why it is so important to have areas where female talent is shown, such as the one promoted with the AVIXA Women’s Council event.”
On Friday 14 February at 14:30, a panel discussion on the Main Stage will address the important topic of ‘Recruiting New Talent’. The AV industry’s future prosperity depends on attracting talented people, but are we doing enough to ensure this happens? This session will present research highlighting the scale of the issue, and showcase ways in which AV companies can engage with schools, military veterans and workforce agencies to build more pipelines into AV jobs. The panel will be chaired by Joseph Valerio, Program Director at the AVIXA Foundation, and will feature speakers from AVIXA, CEDIA, AV Magazine, plus industry practitioners.
Recent years have seen a growing interest in how technology can be harnessed to have a positive rather than a negative effect on human health and wellbeing inside buildings. Within workplaces and homes, technologies that monitor air quality and adjust ventilation, increase levels of natural light, mimic the outdoor world and work in sync with our circadian rhythms all have a part to play in making us feel healthier and more engaged.
Two free talks at ISE 2020 will explore these themes. On Tuesday 11 February at 15:30 on the CEDIA stand (1-E20), Mike Maniscalco, President of consultancy Pytheas, will look at some of the different aspects of ‘Health & Wellness’ and discuss the opportunities they present in the smart home and beyond.
And on Thursday 13 February at 14:00, interior designer and renowned well-being expert Cinzia Moretti and Jeff Hayward of Wildwood PR will share their insights into ‘Wellness and Biophilia’ and how residential integrators can provide solutions that make for a better, more ‘human’ indoor experience.
Finally, the AV industry has always been a provider of solutions for energy management, but the importance of minimising energy consumption only rises with each successive year. Fortunately, something that is also increasing is the sophistication of the technology available, and the granularity of the control that it can achieve, particularly in the context of the Internet of Things. Solutions for monitoring and optimising energy consumption are one of the pillars of smart buildings; examples of the state of the art will be presented during Monday’s Smart Building Conference and Tuesday’s Smart Workplace Track, both at the Hotel Okura. And on the show floor, the Smart Building Technology Zone in Hall 9 features over 60 companies with solutions encompassing air conditioning, lighting and shutter control, security systems, heating, ventilation, monitoring, alarming, water control, energy management, metering and more – including ISE 2020 Presenting Show Partner KNX.
