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Pro AV news, trends, and expert voices for the AV industry

Pro AV Today, hosted by Ben Thomas, covers the latest developments in professional audio-visual technology, including new products, industry trends, and the people driving change across the AV sector. The show gives AV professionals, integrators, and technology buyers a consistent source of expert-driven news and analysis. Published on MarketScale, it reaches a targeted B2B audience across the professional AV industry.

194 episodesHosted by Ben Thomas
Channel Brief·Pro AV Today · 194 episodes
Updated Jun 22, 2026

Infrastructure convergence is reshaping how AV, IT, and energy interconnect

Pro AV Today argues that silos between AV, IT, security, and energy are collapsing. Real deployments, market projections, and workforce gaps prove the convergence is already live.

Pro AV Today's core argument is that the AV industry is no longer a standalone vertical but has become embedded in broader IT, security, healthcare, and energy infrastructure systems. The channel proves this through concrete deployment stories (HP and Google's spatial conferencing, healthcare AV easing nurse burnout, portable AV for mission-critical response), market projections ($422 billion Pro AV market by 2029), and recurring labor crises that force integrators to hire IT-trained staff and adopt IT practices at scale.

Drawn from Real-World IT Practices Are Streamlining AV De… and 4 more

Less specs, more real problem-solving. This year felt different.

InfoComm 2026 episode

By the numbers

72%

AV integrators cite talent shortages as biggest profitability threat

$422B

Pro AV market projection by 2029

9%

estimated U.S. electricity usage by data centers by 2030

26%

growth in U.S. data center inventory in 2023

What the channel argues

InsightAV systems are now core IT infrastructure as cloud, hybrid work, and network-centric workflows become standard.
DataData center capacity is expected to triple by 2030, driven by AI and hyperscale demand.
DataSeventy-two percent of AV integrators report talent shortages as their most pressing challenge to profitability.
DataPro AV market projected to reach $422 billion by 2029, requiring scalable, flexible service models.
DataRural connectivity gap persists as nearly 28% of rural Americans still lack adequate fixed broadband.
DataData centers could consume 9% of U.S. electricity by 2030, up from 4% in 2023.

What you'll learn

Why IT practices and security frameworks are now non-negotiable for AV deployments and integrators must hire and train differently.
How power, permitting, and workforce constraints are the real bottlenecks in data center and infrastructure buildouts, not technology.
Why Gen Z and Gen Z B2B buyers expect brand authenticity and seamless experiences, forcing legacy marketers to rethink storytelling.
How portable, mission-critical AV systems must operate in connectivity-poor environments using hybrid 5G and satellite connectivity.
Why federal funding ($42.5B BEAD) and collaborative planning are reshaping rural fiber deployment and creating new business opportunities.

What to do about it

Audit your AV talent pipeline now: expand recruitment beyond traditional AV circles to IT, security, and adjacent technical fields, and build mentorship programs to improve retention.
Map your infrastructure dependencies on power, permitting, and skilled labor before planning expansion: this is where 80% of project delays actually originate.
Rewrite B2B marketing to emphasize authenticity, seamless integration, and measurable outcomes over product specs; Gen Z will make up 30% of the workforce by 2030.

Who and what shows up

AVIXA

Industry association

Provided market projections ($402B by 2028, $422B by 2029) and labor data that ground the channel's growth and workforce crisis narratives.

Field Nation

Labor and workforce platform

Supplied the 72% statistic showing talent shortages as integrators' biggest profitability threat, anchoring the recurring workforce crisis argument.

Bureau of Labor Statistics

U.S. government statistical agency

Documented hospital employment dropped 100,000 between Feb 2020 and Sep 2021, grounding healthcare AV's relevance to workforce crisis.

Keysight Technologies

Technology company

Noted that mission-critical communications depend on low-latency, mobile-ready platforms, validating portable AV systems as essential infrastructure.

CBRE

Real estate and data center research firm

Reported U.S. data center inventory grew 26% in 2023 and capacity constraints will continue through 2025 due to AI workload surge.

Questions this channel answers

Q

How are AV integrators adapting to the convergence with IT?

By hiring IT-trained staff, adopting IT security practices, and scaling flexible service models like LinkLab to meet network-centric deployment demands without adding local headcount.

Real-World IT Practices Are Streamlining AV Deployments …
Q

What is the biggest constraint on data center and infrastructure buildout?

Power supply, permitting complexity, and skilled labor shortages are holding back deployment more than technology itself; capacity constraints are expected to continue through 2025.

Understanding the Infrastructure of Data Centers
Q

How are AV and audio technologies being applied in healthcare?

Remote patient monitoring, integrated communication platforms, and immersive audio solutions help address nursing shortages and burnout by improving care team efficiency and patient outcomes.

AV’s Expanding Role in Healthcare: How AV Tech Is Easing…
Q

What is changing in B2B marketing and buyer expectations?

Gen Z, expected to make up 30% of the workforce by 2030, demands brand authenticity, seamless experiences, and socially conscious messaging rather than product specifications alone.

Marketing to a New Generation of B2B Buyers
Q

Why do portable AV systems matter for mission-critical response?

They must perform reliably in unstable, connectivity-poor environments using hybrid 5G and satellite connectivity where traditional infrastructure is damaged or unavailable.

AV Anywhere: Portable AV Systems Are Now Essential for M…
Topics:AV and IT convergenceData center infrastructure and power demandWorkforce shortages and talent pipelineRural fiber and broadband deploymentSecurity and AI in grid modernizationImmersive conferencing and spatial audioHealthcare technology and patient outcomes
Themes:Convergence: AV, IT, security, and energy are no longer separate domainsConstraint-driven growth: power, permitting, and labor are bigger bottlenecks than technologyBuyer behavior shift: community trust and seamless experience matter more than specs

Industry context

Cybersecurity and network functionality are increasingly inseparable in commercial AV and IT/OT environments, requiring integrators and IT leaders to align access control, encryption, and device authentication practices.

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