Associations Focus: Making Great Strides
Feb 1, 2007 12:02 PM
CEDIA, NSCA and InfoComm go further to offer their members quality education.
CEDIA
February is a busy month for CEDIA. In addition to CEDIA University’s CU On the Road event, certification exams, boot camps, and workshops scheduled, CEDIA will travel to Latin America to provide core curriculum and offer manufacturer product training. Also, CEDIA will exhibit at the International Builder’s Show (IBS) in February.
As CEDIA continues to improve the quality and standards of the education offered in the United States, those same efforts are being put in place in Latin America.
CEDIA University Travels to Latin America
Techsoluciones is scheduled for Feb. 15-16, in Mexico City at the Four Seasons Hotel. CEDIA will commence 2007 education events in Latin America by participating in a seminar hosted by Mexico City distributor Tecso.
CEDIA veteran volunteer Frank White and former CEDIA President Mitchell Klein will be the keynote speakers for Techsoluciones. In addition to the keynotes, Techsoluciones will present a two-day event for integrators and electronic systems technicians to obtain manufacturer product training, as well as technical education. The conference also teaches sales techniques and offers great networking opportunities for industry professionals. The first day of Techsoluciones, Tecso offers manufacturer product training. On day two, CEDIA will administer technical courses from CEDIA University’s core curriculum.
For more information regarding CEDIA in Latin America, please contact Branden Camp at bcamp@cedia.org.
To complement the day of education, the conference will offer a tour of the Intelligent Building Services Showcase, where attendees can participate in interactive applications demonstrating IP-enabled automation, monitoring, and detection, among other things.
The International Builder Show (IBS)
IBS has been labeled “The Big Show.” The show features more than 1.5 million square feet filled with latest and most advanced building products on the market. CEDIA will be a part of the enormous event in sunny Orlando, Fla., Feb. 7-10.
IBS has more than 1,800 leading suppliers representing 300 industry categories. CEDIA will have the opportunity to interact with single-family homebuilders, multi-family builders/developers, dealers and distributors, commercial builders, remodelers, architects, engineers, realtors, subcontractors, land developers, and construction industry professionals.
The show provides the opportunity to reach out to our builders because of the high demand of high-end entertainment, whole-house automation, and home networking. CEDIA can help builders acquire new skills and stay abreast of rapidly evolving technologies. So, if warm weather and viewing the latest and greatest in building products interest you, visit CEDIA’s booth (no. W4577) at the Orange County Convention Center during IBS.
For more information regarding CEDIA’s participation at IBS, please contact Courtney Vogel at cvogel@cedia.org or call (800) 669-5329, ext. 140. For questions regarding IBS, visit www.bigbuilder.com.
February 2007 Calendar
Jan. 31-Feb. 3
CU On the Road
Monster Cable – San Francisco
Feb. 5
Review & Exam
AVAD – Tampa, Fla.
Feb. 7-10
CEDIA Management Conference
Jacksonville, Fla.
Feb. 7-10
International Builders Show (IBS)
Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 15-16
Techsoluciones
Mexico City, Mexico
Feb. 19
Intensive Home Theater Acoustics Workshop
CEDIA Training Facility – Indianapolis
Feb. 20-22
EST Advanced Residential Boot Camp
CEDIA Training Facility – Indianapolis
Feb. 23
Installer Level II Exam
CEDIA Training Facility – Indianapolis
Feb. 27–March 1
EST Basic Residential Boot Camp
CEDIA Training Facility – Indianapolis
Associations Focus: Making Great Strides
Feb 1, 2007 12:02 PM
CEDIA, NSCA and InfoComm go further to offer their members quality education.
NSCA
Expo Gets Into Mechanics of Digital Signage
Digital signage will be more than just a concept at the NSCA Expo this year—it will be a demonstration that will inform attendees on the inner workings of this much-discussed area of business growth. This year, NSCA has partnered with Washington-based Digital Signage Group (TDSG) to create an educational experience at the Digital Signage Showcase on the expo show floor.
“Our goal at this year’s expo is to provide systems integrators with a complete working knowledge of the products and services they’ll need to provide to participate fully in the digital signage market,” says TDSG executive vice president Jill Miller.
“The showcase will present several demonstrations of real-world digital signage applications,” adds Nancy Brooks Gregson, NSCA director of audience development and technology showcases. “Areas of opportunity like corporate communications, healthcare, and interactive way-finding, along with other small and medium-scale systems will be represented. Every component of the digital signage system setup will be visible to attendees in order to present a clear picture of how this technology operates.”
TDSG staff will be on hand to answer attendee questions and help them get the most out of the Digital Signage Showcase experience. NSCA will also offer seven classes in the showcase, with industry leaders like Brad Gleeson from Planar and Lyle Bunn from Alchemy conducting sessions.
NSCA Expo 2007 will be held in Orlando, Fla., on March 15-17. For details on registration, please visit www.nscaexpo.org.
Industry Firsts in Expo Education
This year, NSCA Expo will make great strides in education and training. The learning agenda will jump from 350 hours of classroom instruction to more than 550 hours of learning opportunities, and the new and unique aspects of NSCA training are almost too numerous to count.
There are four new seminars focused on the hottest topics in the industry. The sessions are free, and include “Harnessing Convergence,” taught by John and Jeanne Stiernberg of Stiernberg Consulting; McGraw Hill Construction’s “How Technology is Dramatically Changing the Design and Construction Industry,” Church Production’s “Working in the World of Worship,” and a special NSCA SystemsPlus session on “Health Insurance That Pays You Back.”
This year will also see a significant increase in offerings for the NSCA University Certificate of Completion Program (CCP). The university’s six colleges have each been augmented with new classes.
Hands-on learning is a major focus at NSCA, and reflecting this objective is the return of the popular “Cable Termination Workshop,” led by Dennis Olson of Extron Electronics. Due to demand, NSCA has expanded this course from a four-hour course to an eight-hour course. Be sure to sign up for NSCA Expo courses now. After March 1, pricing will change to on-site registration rates. Visit www.nscaexpo.org for more information.
Education Foundation Events at Expo
Industry members will gather together to advance industry education at numerous NSCA Education Foundation fundraising events at the NSCA Expo. First is the 11th Annual Jason Perlman Memorial Golf Tournament on March 14 at the MetroWest Golf Club. Sponsors of this event include Middle Atlantic Products, AMX AutoPatch Group, Sound & Video Contractor, QSC Audio Products, Herman Procurement & Logistics, Shure, and Belden CDT Electronics Division.
On March 16 the industry’s favorite band, the Drunk Unkles, will play a concert sponsored by AMX, FSR, Christie Digital, Ace Communications, NEC, and Liberty Wire and Cable.
Several Expo Education Foundation fundraising events continue this year, including the “Bid for Education” Silent Auction, Atlas Sound’s NSCA Education Foundation Raffle, and the Putting Challenge sponsored by Bosch Communications Systems.
For details on these events or the NSCA Foundation, visit www.nscafoundation.org or contact Melissa Henderson at 800-446-6722 or mhenderson@nsca.org.
NSCA Calendar of Events
Feb. 9 – C-SI review begins for expo exam
March 13-14 – Pre-expo education, Orlando, Fla.
March 15-17 – NSCA Expo
March 14 – NSCA Education Foundation 11th Annual Jason Perlman Golf Tournament
March 16 – Drunk Unkles Concert
Associations Focus: Making Great Strides
Feb 1, 2007 12:02 PM
CEDIA, NSCA and InfoComm go further to offer their members quality education.
InfoComm International
Making Sense of InfoComm’s Two New ANSI-ISO Programs
At the end of last year, InfoComm International announced two exciting new developments regarding the promotion of industry quality. Both involve the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Standards Organization (ISO). These two new programs are part of a larger effort to align the association and the industry with world-class organizations. Our affiliation with ANSI, ISO, Project Management Institute, and others gives our programs recognition and credibility that extends beyond the industry, to our customers and the public.
What are ANSI and ISO?
ANSI is a private, non-profit membership organization focused on meeting the standards and conformity assessment requirements of its diverse constituency. It serves as a neutral, unbiased forum for the development of consensus agreements on technical, political, and policy issues, and is a representative of U.S. interests to national, regional, and international bodies.
ANSI is also the U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a network of national standards institutes from 157 countries that acts as a consensus builder, striving to reach solutions that meet both the requirements of business and the broader needs of society, including consumers and users. InfoComm’s commitment to working with these organizations will give the AV industry standing with other industries that use AV services and products.
Program 1: ANSI-ISO 17024 Accreditation of the CTS Program
In October 2006, InfoComm announced that it is applying for ANSI accreditation for its Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) certifications under ISO 17024. This is a program to assure the public and the CTS certification holders that InfoComm is applying best practices to the administration of the CTS program. Certification is a very important issue to the CTS holder, the company he or she works for, and the customer, and InfoComm wants to assure all stakeholders that its program is of the highest quality—measuring the actual skills and knowledge needed in the industry.
Accreditation by ANSI will signify that InfoComm’s procedures meet ANSI’s essential requirements for openness, balance, consensus, and due process in accordance with the ISO 17024 standard. Currently, InfoComm’s certification is the only AV industry certification program recognized by the National Certification Commission and the U.S. Veteran’s Administration.
Benefits of ANSI-ISO 17024 Accreditation
ANSI’s accreditation will promote the unique qualifications and expertise InfoComm’s certifications provide by ensuring the integrity of the certifications, enhancing consumer and public confidence in the certifications and the people who hold them, and facilitating recognition of the CTS program across geographical borders and industries. As the only certification program in the industry to be ANSI accredited, it will give CTS holders and their companies an edge up on competitors from other industries as well as those within our industry that do not train and certify their personnel to these high national and international standards.
For instance, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is now requiring its contractors who perform certain Information Assurance functions to be certified by credentialing bodies that have been independently accredited by a third party, such as ANSI.
Program 2: ANSI-ISO Performance Standards
In December 2006, InfoComm announced its intent to seek accreditation through ANSI to become a recognized standards-setting body. These standards will be developed as international standards, and as warranted, will be presented for adoption by the International Standards Organization (ISO).
Grassroots Legislative Network:CEDIA’s public-policy efforts are designed to support CEDIA members and ensure that their abilities to own and operate their business are not impeded.
The AV standards InfoComm intends to develop will focus on the physical measurements of systems performance, such as sound pressure levels and contrast ratios. The emphasis will be on system performance, not on individual product or technology standards. With these standards, designers can specify the output performance of systems and subsystems for customers, so that when the facility is put in use, system performance can be verified against these standards.
InfoComm will lead this activity, but the standards created will benefit the whole industry and its customers. These standards will be developed through a disciplined ANSI process to reach consensus among everyone involved with AV systems. Through rigorous debate and compromise, the industry will be able to establish standards that will guide designers, installers, and customers for years to come.
Benefits of Developing ANSI-ISO Standards
InfoComm’s plan to become an ANSI-recognized standards-setting body represents a dramatic next step in the association’s advancement of industry quality improvement programs. Standards are important for many reasons—they define a profession, allow a profession to regulate itself and the activities of its members, and help express the profession’s responsibility to the public. This new program will provide the industry with performance standards that AV companies can build their systems to meet, while giving the industry’s customers clear industry standards on which they can rely.
Who will be Responsible for these Programs?
InfoComm is, as always, committed to these programs being member- and industry-driven. Each program will have a committee of industry members that will guide these activities. ANSI requires such participation by industry members, and the association has established committees and procedures to always keep the focus on industry participation.
As InfoComm proceeds with these programs, there will be many types of opportunities for participation ranging from committee membership to participation in short information-gathering teleconferences. Look for future calls for volunteers.
