WHEN EDUCOMM ATTENDEES TAKE a break from their workshops and presentations next month in Anaheim, Calif., they'll have a chance to see the latest advances in A/V technology and maybe a peak into the future by visiting the adjacent InfoComm 2007 exhibit floor.
Just like the IT surge of the last five years, A/V technology has become ubiquitous in the university environment. A/V equipment has advanced well beyond the "gee whiz" stage to become a vital educational tool. The total United States and Canada A/V market size is estimated at close to $20 billion, and education accounts for about a third of that. According to InfoComm International, the nonprofit trade association for the audiovisual communications industry, more than 80 percent of higher education classrooms are outfitted with A/V equipment today, and that number continues to grow.
Market Drivers
The higher education construction boom is accompanied by strong A/V product and service buying. New construction and major renovations account for 75 percent of the education market, while upgrades account for the rest.
The strong buying activity is reflected in the fact that, according to InfoComm's 2005 market survey, more than 90 percent of respondents indicated they manage more than 15 A/V spaces.
Who's buying it all? The largest buyers of A/V products and services are four-year public institutions located in the North Central and South Atlantic regions, with 300 to 400 classrooms. Not surprisingly, that's where much of the construction is taking place as well. That's a lot of projectors, whiteboards, and accessories.
Randy Lemke, executive director of InfoComm, says the A/V market is strong and, despite a decline in state funding, the higher ed buying market remains healthy.
"Four or five years ago, higher education was really buying A/V in a big way," says Lemke. "We thought there would be a dramatic drop off of purchasing, but it didn't come to that at all. If you talk to our members, higher education has continued on the same pace, if not a faster pace, as two years ago."
'We thought there would be a dramatic drop off of purchasing, but it didn't come to that at all.' -Randy Lemke, InfoComm International
Lemke attributes that pace to the continual investment in A/V technology. Higher ed has long been a driving force in A/V development, he says.
Indeed, at many institutions, A/V and IT installations have become a matter of pride, proudly pointed out to prospective students. Survey after survey of today's tech-savvy generation shows that students expect their schools to be on the leading edge in technology.
"A/V and IT technology is no longer seen as 'nice to have'; it's no longer seen as just a cost. It has become competitive," Lemke says, adding that he saw this first hand as his daughter visited colleges. "People are really competing as they talk with prospective students about what they have for A/V and IT technology."
The Tipping Point
The key to the continued purchasing and investment is that as with computers A/V technology has finally crested the learning curve that kept so many people from using it in the past.
"I think there are more professors who embrace it in a big way. Not too long ago you had those early adopters people who wanted to try new technology. They would try anything no matter how bad it was, and how good it could be, because they were into technology."
They were the beta testers, the ones who found the bugs and suggested design improvements to the manufacturers.
"They were great to work with," says Lemke. "That's how we learned a lot of things about how to use technology in higher education."
As a result, the equipment has become more mainstream and easier to use, IT staffs are better able to support the technology, and educators are finding new ways to incorporate A/V into their teaching.
A professor who knows how to use Building A's small classroom equipment will also know how to use Building B's small classroom equipment.
"The other thing that has dramatically changed is the location of information," says Lemke. "It used to be that the information was always in a building the library mostly. You could do some online searches, but you were still dealing with print. Now all the data that's on the internet on content servers is instantly available to people in their classrooms, so professors can draw from all those resources and, with A/V technology, show them to people."
