Higher Ed AV Podcast with Joe Way

Live from the HETMA Roadshow at the University at BuffaloPart 4Higher Ed AV PodcastLive from the HETMA Roadshow at the University at Buffalo Part 4 Higher Ed AV Podcast The HETMA Roadshow at the University at Buffalo may have officially been a three-part series, but there was too much good content to leave behind. In this bonus Part Four of the Higher Ed AV Podcast, Joe Way heads off campus and into the Roadshow happy hour for one final round of conversations from Buffalo. Recorded from a local Buffalo brewery, the episode captures the more relaxed side of the HETMA Roadshow experience, where the formal education sessions, campus tours, and vendor showcase give way to wings, drinks, and the conversations that happen when the higher ed AV community simply gets a chance to spend time together. It is another reminder that some of the most valuable moments at industry events happen after the scheduled programming ends.Throughout the Buffalo series, manufacturers, integrators, technology managers, institutional leaders, and HETMA members have shared ideas about everything from learning spaces and support models to collaboration, standardization, accessibility, and the evolving role of AV on campus. Part Four brings that experience full circle by focusing on the relationships behind all of it.Consider this the unofficial after-hours conclusion to the HETMA Roadshow Buffalo series: more people, more conversations, some authentic Buffalo wings, and one last opportunity to experience the community that makes these Roadshows special.

Live from the HETMA Roadshow at the University at BuffaloPart 3Higher Ed AV PodcastThe HETMA Roadshow at the University at Buffalo wraps up with Part Three of this special Higher Ed AV Podcast series, bringing together even more voices from across the higher education technology community. As the day moves through lunch, the vendor showcase, education sessions, an esports tour, and toward the closing happy hour, Joe Way continues capturing candid conversations with HETMA leaders, longtime members, industry partners, integrators, and higher ed professionals. The result is a final look at what makes the Roadshow experience so valuable: a day built around learning, relationships, shared challenges, and the opportunity to experience another campus firsthand.HETMA Chair Erin Maher-Moran opens the episode by reflecting on the Roadshow format and why events designed by end users feel different from traditional industry gatherings. The conversation expands beyond AV alone, touching on facilities, IT, registrars, learning management systems, instructional design, and the many other groups now involved in creating the modern student experience. Former University at Buffalo leader and FLEXspace co-founder Lisa Stephens continues that theme, describing the importance of community, collaboration, faculty engagement, and serving as a connector between pedagogy and technology. She also provides an update on the future of FLEXspace and the opportunity to return the platform to its original purpose of helping institutions learn from one another and make better-informed investments.The episode also features conversations with industry partners who reinforce the importance of listening to end users before designing solutions. WolfVision’s Marta Skopa discusses simplifying collaboration and presentation workflows so technology becomes nearly invisible to faculty and students, while Southtown Audio Video’s Heather Sidorowicz explains why successful integration begins with understanding the institution rather than simply selecting a product. Former higher ed AV leader Steve Borho offers the perspective of someone who has moved from the university side into integration, sharing how events like the Roadshow help industry professionals stay connected to the real challenges institutions are facing and bring better-informed solutions back to their customers.Throughout Part Three, one theme continues to surface: higher ed AV works best as an ecosystem of collaboration. Andrew Vogel discusses the importance of building relationships across departments, understanding capacity, and learning from institutions that may solve similar problems in completely different ways. From classroom design and faculty workflows to leadership, FLEXspace, regional partnerships, and even the shared experience of Buffalo wings after the show, the Roadshow demonstrates how much value comes from simply getting people into the same room. Part Three closes the Buffalo series with a reminder that the technology matters, but the relationships, trust, shared knowledge, and willingness to learn from one another are what ultimately move higher education forward.

Live from the HETMA Roadshow at the University at BuffaloPart 2Higher Ed AV Podcast The HETMA Roadshow at the University at Buffalo continues in Part Two of this special Higher Ed AV Podcast series, with more conversations from the show floor about the technology, partnerships, and people shaping today’s higher education AV environment. As attendees move between vendor exhibits, education sessions, campus tours, and lunch, Joe Way sits down with manufacturers, HETMA partners, and the University at Buffalo team to hear what they are learning from the event and the challenges institutions are working to solve. The conversations reinforce what makes the Roadshow model different: direct access to peers and industry partners in an environment built around collaboration rather than simply selling products.The episode begins with Waves, where Derek Smith discusses voice regeneration and the potential for advanced audio processing to improve lecture capture, podcasts, streaming, and other educational content. The conversation explores how better voice intelligibility can improve the student listening experience and why audio quality becomes even more important as institutions address accessibility and digital learning requirements. Biamp’s Carrie Linda Martin continues the discussion around campus-wide technology management, remote monitoring, firmware management, voice lift, training, and designing solutions around the actual needs of each learning space rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.Other partners demonstrate how sometimes the biggest technology improvements come from solving seemingly simple operational problems. CableEasy discusses eliminating missing cables, reducing service calls, protecting connection points, and even creating more flexible spaces through dependable physical connectivity. Extron’s Bernie Farkas talks about the continued importance of support, training, standardization, AV-over-IP, and providing institutions with multiple technology paths depending on their infrastructure and organizational needs. ScreenBeam’s Nancy Blanchard adds another perspective around wireless presentation, security, remote management, and helping faculty move beyond the front of the classroom while giving support teams greater visibility into thousands of deployed devices.At the center of Part Two is a conversation with University at Buffalo Principal Technology Architect John Pfeffer, who provides a deeper look at the collaborative philosophy behind the campus. John explains how UB has maintained classroom technology standards since 1993 and how its Renew initiative brings AV, facilities, planning, the registrar, and other stakeholders together so classroom improvements happen as part of one coordinated strategy. From standardized learning spaces and collaborative planning to the relationships being built throughout the Roadshow itself, Part Two demonstrates that successful higher ed technology is ultimately about more than individual products. It requires strong standards, trusted partnerships, shared knowledge, and a community willing to work together to create better experiences for faculty and students.This one has a slightly stronger technology-and-strategy angle than Part One, which fits the conversations really well.

Live from the HETMA Roadshow at the University at BuffaloPart 1Higher Ed AV PodcastThe HETMA Roadshow rolls into the University at Buffalo for a special live edition of the Higher Ed AV Podcast. In Part One of this three-part series, Joe Way captures the energy of the event as attendees, HETMA leaders, and industry partners come together for campus tours, education, technology demonstrations, and the kind of relationship-building that makes the Roadshow experience unique. With nearly 100 registrations and an impressive host campus, Buffalo provides the perfect setting to showcase what happens when the higher ed AV community comes together locally.Joe first sits down with HETMA leaders Dustin and Eric to talk about everything that happens behind the scenes to make a Roadshow successful. From hotels, catering, shipping, parking, and programming to coordinating tours and vendor participation, these events require far more planning than attendees may ever realize. They also discuss HETMA's continued growth, the goal of expanding the Roadshow program across the United States and internationally, and the challenge of growing into a larger, more professional organization without losing the grassroots community spirit that has always made HETMA special.Throughout the day, Joe also catches up with several of HETMA's manufacturer partners, including GUDE Systems, Epiphan Video, WyreStorm, Audio-Technica, and Huddly. The conversations cover smart power management, lecture capture, AV-over-IP, commercial audio, AI-powered cameras, multi-camera production, cloud management, and the growing importance of simple, reliable technology in the classroom. More importantly, the partners explain why regional events matter: they give manufacturers direct access to the people actually designing, supporting, and operating higher education systems while giving end users a chance to build meaningful relationships with the people behind the products.The episode also highlights the broader purpose behind the HETMA Roadshows. Annie Foster shares how regional gatherings create valuable opportunities for professionals, particularly those from smaller or rural institutions, to find mentorship, exchange ideas, and build connections without the overwhelming scale of a major trade show. SUNY Online's Mads Katz adds another perspective, showing how AV, learning management systems, hybrid education, lecture capture, accessibility, and instructional design continue to converge. Part One from Buffalo ultimately shows that the Roadshow is about much more than technology. It is about bringing the higher ed AV community together, creating access to expertise, and building the relationships that make the entire industry stronger.I can also tighten this into a more podcast-platform-friendly version with a little more punch and less detail if you want.

Higher Ed AV PodcastEpisode 362Practical AI for AV with Dan LitvinAI may be the biggest buzzword in technology, but what does it actually mean for audiovisual professionals and the spaces they support? In this episode of the Higher Ed AV Podcast, Joe Way welcomes Dan Litvin, co-founder and president of PureTek Group and co-founder of unRAVL, for a practical conversation about moving AI beyond the hype and into real-world AV workflows.Dan explains how AI-powered control can make technology feel more human by allowing systems to adapt to the people using them, not forcing users to adapt to rigid programming. They explore personalized room experiences, natural-language control, open APIs, proactive system monitoring, automated audio and camera operation, and the convergence of AV with lighting, HVAC, security, scheduling, and other campus platforms.The conversation also challenges higher education AV professionals to think beyond individual rooms and traditional support models. By using AI to create smarter, more flexible spaces, AV teams can improve the user experience, reduce operating costs, support sustainability, generate revenue, and demonstrate measurable institutional value. The future of AV leadership will not simply be about managing technology, it will be about using technology to solve the larger problems facing the institution.Also in this episode:Why “making technology more human” does not mean removing humansHow AI can personalize one room for dozens of different users and use casesUsing AI as a translation layer between traditionally disconnected systemsThe importance of open APIs and interoperable technology ecosystemsMoving from reactive support calls to proactive system managementAI-assisted audio leveling, camera tracking, and room controlTurning campus AV spaces into revenue-generating assetsWhy AV professionals must become managers, strategists, and business leadersDan’s journey from engineering and yoga instruction to human-centered technologyWhy AI should eliminate tedious work and give people more time for what mattersConnect with Dan Litvin:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-litvin-27959247/PureTek Group: https://puretekgroup.comunRAVL AI: https://unravl.net