Pushing an AV cart has never been cool. For as long as sitcoms and movies have been produced, being the kid loading up the 9mm was a bit more farcical than anyone in our business may want to admit. In the past decade, however, there has been a shift.
Our father’s AV was a bit “nerdy.” Reel-to-reel projectors and audiocassette recorders weren’t that cool – even when they were new. Today, what we implement and sell is different: it’s high tech, it’s mobile, it lights up the Vegas Strip and NFL stadiums, and can be controlled from iPhones and iPads. Our industry is about video, mobility, high-tech, and communications – all things that our youth are not only interested in, but obsessed by.
Nonetheless, we find ourselves in a conundrum. Countless integrators and manufacturers have told me that they’re struggling to find a connection with or interest from younger workers. These younger workers don’t want to be in the AV business because it isn’t cool, hip, or high-tech.
So where’s the disconnect from what I just said above? Everything about what we do is cool and high-tech. Why don’t they see this?
We Need to Tell a Better Story
One problem in driving interest from younger talent is that we don’t have a good story. Even though we are decades past the age of the “AV Geek,” we still don’t really know how to tell rising talent what we do.
The challenge with telling better stories isn’t only limiting when it comes to hiring great young talent – it also limits sales, employee development, retention and workplace cultures.
The AV industry has been talking about how we need to evolve and grow, and how we need to become more IT savvy and better at delivering services. Some of the companies in the industry have moved in this direction by expanding their services, and focusing more on mobile and cloud, all while continuing to serve their core business (which may still be presentation systems or rental and staging).
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Other companies have been more resistant to change, continuing to focus only on what they know, what they are comfortable with, and what has gotten them to this point. Those companies will struggle to survive, let alone attract great talent. The good news for late adopters is that it isn’t too late, no matter what people tell you.
We need to realize that what we do is not only cool, but important. We are an industry that brings brands closer to customers through communication, collaboration and systems integration. The signage solutions we deploy, the conference rooms we install, and the events we help facilitate are what drive many of the big companies seen as “cool.”
Don’t believe me? The next time you go to the Vegas Strip or AT&T Stadium, just ask what these places would be like without AV. Once you paint that picture, use the story to tell the next generation of workers what we do and why it doesn’t just matter – that it’s important.
When youth believe that what we do matters, they want to be part of it. Talent isn’t the issue. It’s the story we tell – and it needs to get better.
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