Earlier this month members and sponsors of the AV Alliance met in Dubai for our annual Get Together, which came after two years of hiatus due to the global pandemic.
Traditionally the AV Alliance brings together its members and technology partners twice a year: for their Annual General Meeting and a more informal Get Together, each time in a different location around the world and hosted by a local member company. Since early 2020, when it became clear that in-person meetings would need to be put on hold not just for the event industry but also for the AV Alliance, we have begun meeting more frequently over Zoom and thus managed to create an even stronger foundation for our global network to build personal and business relationships on.
Fast forward to November 4-7, 2021 and the long-awaited Get Together, over 50 of our members and partners gathered in Dubai for an action-packed few days of meetings and social functions, including an organized visit to the world-famous Expo 2020 that has just opened in October after also being postponed by a year. The Fairmont The Palm provided the perfect location and care for both our event and our guests during these few days.
General Manager Artur Kovacs and Chairman Peter Muller on the meeting day of November 5
The meeting, among many features, served as the first official opportunity to introduce in person not only our General Manager Artur Kovacs, but also most of the newly elected AV Alliance Board, represented in Simon Ackermann‘s (Habegger) absence by Chairman Peter Müller (Special Effects), Matt Emerson (CEAVCO), Martin Blanchard (Expert’Ease) and Alexander Ostermaier (Neumann&Müller). We also had the opportunity to meet our newer members and technology partner Theatrixx Technologies in person, as well as many local representatives of our sponsors in the UAE. Having heard updates from our AV service provider network in terms of business opportunities and positive developments from their respective countries, as well as inspiring stories and great successes in 2021, we are confident that the event industry has begun to bounce back from last year’s devastating restrictions and lack of live events.
All technical support for the meeting day of the Get Together was supplied by our local member company, Neumann&Müller Middle East. In addition, their team generously provided us with guided tours of the Expo 2020 site and a glimpse into the immense work that they have carried out for a number of pavilions. One of our German members, sld mediatec also organized an exclusive tour of the German pavilion for our participants, showcasing a number of stunning AV solutions and technologies that they had created for the exhibition.
Many of our technology partners have also contributed with their products and solutions to bringing the Expo 2020 to life and creating a visual and auditory experience unlike anything we have seen before.
AV Alliance 2021
The AV Alliance Get Together is an informal, lighthearted gathering full of social elements that are designed to strengthen the bonds within our global family of members and sponsors. Dubai’s tourist-friendly Covid-protocols, beautiful weather, and exceptional cuisine, as well as ample time for networking and socializing made it an event that the AV Alliance will remember for a long time to come.
The Annual General Meeting of the network will take place in Bangkok in March 2022, hosted by our local member company Creative Rock.