The AV Resource – Join Now to Unify Our Industry

All of us working in the broader ‘AV Industry’ (see below for full definition) should join The AV Resource for free. Now. Here’s why:

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a major problem in our industry – we don’t know who we are, how many of us there are, or how much we contribute to the economy. In good times, this information is a nice-to-have. Right now, it’s a must-have, because you can’t lobby government for assistance if you can’t give them data. We lose all credibility in an MP’s office if we ask them to extend JobKeeper for our industry and when they ask us how many businesses and people that would entail, our answer is “We don’t know exactly, but we reckon…”

While organisations like Save Victorian Events and Save NSW Events have done a creditable job collating data under emergency conditions to help lobbying efforts, it still doesn’t capture the whole industry, and is by definition not national in scope. While our industry is represented by numerous peak bodies and associations, none of them cover the industry universally, or everyone that works in it.

Advertisement

Late last year, I was contacted by Nickolas Pinchbeck, a Sydney based tech with experience across almost every aspect of our industry, from theatre, to broadcast, to integration. He’d launched The AV Resource, a website initially dedicated to connecting AV professionals with job opportunities and to each other, for support.

As the project has developed, so has the scope. I believe The AV Resource is our best hope to unify our industry, create strength in numbers, and arm us with data, giving us the power to flex our considerable muscle with government.

In Nick’s own words, “As an industry, we don’t have a complete picture of who contributes to it. Without this knowledge and a clear collaborated vision of who we are, the industry is put at a disadvantage when reaching out to the government and the public for support. Here at The AV Resource, we’re focusing on ways the audio visual, events, integration and technology industry can increase its strength and visibility, while being confronted with the pandemic’s ongoing negative impact.”

Advertisement

Nick and I agree that, while not perfect, the designation ‘AV’ can be used to cover a huge range of professionals and business activities that would not necessarily use that term to describe themselves.

What is The AV Industry?

“Most people think of it the AV industry as two main sections; live events, and installation,” outlines Nick. “However, we see it as live entertainment, events, video production, broadcast, media, theatrical, installation, film, television production, recording studios, manufacturing, supply/distribution, venues, onsite support/service, consulting, design, education, residential/home automation and many more. Our opinion is that the AV industry is a large group of subdivisions and anyone who works with audio, video, lighting, or technology in some way or another is part of the industry. We all have similar challenges and solutions so why not work together?”

I urge everyone who is involved in any of these activities to sign up at The AV Resource and create their profile. As the resource develops, its has the potential to not just connect all of us, but also provide the basis to create a powerful peak body to represent us in Canberra.

“We need to stand together as a whole, regardless of what area we work in,” agrees Nick. “Some areas of the industry have slightly recovered, some have not, and others may have harder times to come. We are all connected as an industry and we shouldn’t be leaving anyone behind.”