In this Business of AV column, Joe Way, PhD, CTS, argues that HETMA's growing events calendar — roughly 25 in-person gatherings and 30 virtual sessions a year, up from a single two-hour banquet six years ago — is itself the organization's advocacy strategy, not a departure from it. Way explains that by building and curating its own events, from the Education Summit to regional roadshows, HETMA gives institutional AV leaders control of the agenda instead of ceding it to manufacturer-driven trade shows.

This Tech Manager Spotlight profiles Shaun Hayes, Senior AV Administrator at Utah Tech University, who oversees AV technology across more than 300 spaces on two campuses serving roughly 13,000 students. With nearly 20 years in the industry, Hayes previously led a $2.5 million classroom upgrade at Arapahoe Community College and, since joining Utah Tech in 2020, has overseen a full AV technology replacement across 170-plus classrooms in 18 months.

This Prism Spotlight follows Brittney Grant, an AV specialist at Aims Community College in Colorado who supports AV systems and events, including commencement, across the college's four campuses. Grant first learned about the HETMA/AVIXA Prism Scholarship at a HETMA monthly member meeting and nearly talked herself out of applying before deciding, in her words, that "if you don't ask or apply, the answer is always no."

The AV Life Podcast hosts Tim Van Woeart (HETMA Programs Chair), Brandy Johnson, and Nancy Blanchard debate whether classroom technology helps or hinders learning, using New Jersey's bell-to-bell student cellphone ban as a jumping-off point to discuss phones, AirPods, and social media distraction in class. The panel also weighs laptop and Chromebook policies and argues for keeping traditional skills like cursive writing, financial literacy, and hands-on trades in the curriculum alongside digital tools.