Avid Connect 2016 To Focus on the Future

Meetings, demos, and panels will emphasize industry challenges and opportunities

Fans and customers of Avid will once again have a chance to get an early jump on NAB Show activities at the company’s annual Avid Customer Association “Avid Connect” meeting April 16-17 at the Wynn Las Vegas. More than 1,100 people are expected to attend the event, which offers two full days of closed-door committee meetings, general sessions, breakout sessions (including one on sports), networking, technology demonstrations, and more.

Avid Connect is designed to give Avid’s top customers a chance to get a jump-start on their NAB Show experience.

“We made a lot of changes this year. The theme for this year’s event is The Future in Motion, and we will be talking about the pressures and opportunities facing the industry and how Avid can help,” says Jeff Rosica, SVP/chief sales and marketing officer, Avid. “It will be future-leaning and a great opportunity for our client base to get up close with Avid and give input and collaborate with us.”

Session tracks will cover starting a career, product roadmaps, how to get the most out of the various Avid systems and tools, and even gaming. And, for those in sports production, SVG Chief Editor Jason Dachman will moderate a panel featuring Andy Beale of BT Sport, Darryll Jefferson of NBC Sports, Fabrice Lorenceau of LiveLike, and Adde Granberg of Swedish Television at 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. on April 16.

“There is a lot of talk around sports,” says Rosica, “and we will dig into a number of topics for those in sports, like workflows and graphics and postproduction environments.”

Attendees will also have a chance to check out a Tech Pavilion, where third-party partners connected to the Avid ecosystem will be on hand to show how their products integrate with Avid’s and discuss how the products can help Avid customers get the most out of the ecosystem.

The event, however, is not completely technical. Increasingly, customers send financial and chief operating types to help make sure that the ROI on a product purchase aligns with the customer’s business.

“It’s not just technology for technology’s sake,” says Rosica. “We’re helping solve business problems.”

Customers who sign up (for free) to become a member of the Avid Customer Association are eligible to sign up for the event, which is priced at $495 through April 10 and $595 afterward. For more information, click here.