It may speak to the popularity and growing demand for certification that, at press time, there’s a link on the InfoComm 2015 CTS Testing web page that links to “Explore why nearly 10,000 of your peers think CTS is important.”
Well, that’s not “nearly” the case any longer. On April 28 InfoComm got to fire off a celebratory Tweet celebrating that the organization had reached 10,000 Certified Technology Specialist holders worldwide, and added a #10kstrong hashtag.
During InfoComm, exams will be held June 15-19 for CTS, CTS-D and CTS-I designations. Three-day preparatory courses for each certification will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday June 13, in which attendees will learn about the exam format; work collaboratively; learn test-taking strategies; and review areas such as creating, operating and servicing AV solutions and conducting management activities.
Additionally, on Tuesday June 16 at 8:30 a.m. there is a more condensed CTS Testing Drill session to help techs get ready.
“There’s an increased emphasis on being hands-on,” says InfoComm vice president of communications Betsy Jaffe. “We have many more lab classes and much more advanced education.”
There are also more installation-based classes, she says, offerings that haven’t been at InfoComm’s flagship show in several years. That means more opportunities to train installers, says Jaffe. In keeping with InfoComm’s goal of creating exceptional experiences, all classes will have hosts to make sure students have everything they need to succeed. The lineup includes many new classes and many new speakers, says Jaffe.
On Friday June 19, InfoComm wants to gather top techs for its first-ever networking breakfast specifically for CTS, CTS-D, and CTS-I holders. Get to know fellow certification holders, discuss business trends, and share best practices.
With education’s importance in mind, here’s a small sampling of the wide-ranging sessions being held during the week:
Solutions Summit: Digital Signage
Tuesday June 16, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
This is a full-day conference dedicated to all things digital signage. Along with a keynote on “Driving Customer Experience Transformation” by The Temkin Group’s Bruce Temkin, there are in-depth presentations “The Real Future, Take the Plunge: Experiential Agencies” panel discussion; “Modern Integration with Mobile: Keep Your Phone in Your Pocket”; “Localized Content: One Giant Step Forward to Bring on the ‘Wow’ Moment”; and “What Does This All Mean to Me?” attendee roundtable.
Network Architecture for Video and Collaboration
Wednesday June 17, 8 – 10 a.m.
As video becomes pervasive and is viewed on more devices, new demands are placed on the network. This session will educate on the value and cost savings of taking an architectural approach to an enterprise video, including troubleshooting, deployment, quality of experience, device flexibility and optimized delivery.
Streaming AV: A Wave of Opportunities
Wednesday June 17, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Video and audio over IP technologies are at the core of today’s AV/IT integration, and take many shapes and forms, from encoding and decoding appliances, through multi-user collaboration systems, enterprise video platforms, and wireless devices. Review the risks, opportunities and potential rewards of implementing real-time AV streaming.
Troubleshooting Audio Systems
Thursday June 18, 8 – 10 a.m.
Brush up your best practices for identifying and repairing common live/installed audio system issues. Learn a procedure to break down problems into manageable chunks and zero in on root causes.
Next Generation Learning: Video, Telepresence and Telecommunications in the Classroom
Thursday June 18, 12:30 – 2 p.m.
The future of learning has arrived at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. Explore three cloud-based visual collaboration solutions they recently deployed.
AVIT Security Needs Analysis
Friday June 19, 8 – 10 a.m.
An expert in AV security will walk step-by-step through what you need to know for security installations, from identifying stakeholders through designing to requirements. Plus, you will examine threat modeling, risk analysis, mitigation and tradeoffs.
