INNOVATOR PROFILES
75
JESSIE BAILEY Job title Strategic partner manager Company Electrosonic
How did you get into AV? I started my career in this sector by total fluke. I was hunting for a new role after working in construction, focusing on sales and purchasing. A member of Electrosonic’s people and culture team found my CV and got in touch with me for a project coordinator role back in 2019, and I knew within weeks of being here that I’d found the industry I would stay in for the rest of my career! What are you currently working on? My career journey at Electrosonic has jumped around: I moved from project coordinator to project manager, and I’ve now found the role I’m most suited to, in strategic partnerships. I work with architects, content creators, project management companies and many others to build the perfect teams for experiential projects. My focus is AV design, and I’m currently working on opportunities for museums, sports stadiums, theme parks, executive
briefing centres and many more across the EMEA region. Favourite project? This has to be the Mobility Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. It was one of the first projects I worked on when I joined Electrosonic, and I put my heart and soul into it. There were bumps along the road: we had to mothball the entire Pavilion system due to Covid-19, but it eventually opened to the public in 2021. I had the privilege later that year to join the project team in collecting the AV Award for venue project of the year. What do you think the future holds for the AV industry? With technology evolving so rapidly, the AV industry is only going to expand and become more critical than ever for storytelling. Whether it’s for a brand, museum or theme park, we’re seeing how the world is using tech to tell their stories and bring those experiences to
life. I’m so excited to see what the next 30 years of my career will bring! What advice would you give to someone starting a career in AV tech? There’s no better time to be starting a career in AV tech! Follow your heart and find your passion, try different roles and see where your skillset best fits. Always remember it isn’t the tech itself; it’s how you use it! You could be involved in bringing the world’s best experiences to life, and that in itself is so rewarding.
VYTAS KASNIUNAS Job title Vice president of strategic partnerships Company Utelogy
How did you get into AV? I’ve been involved in the industry for over a decade. It started in 2014 when I was working for an IT service integrator and managed service provider, and we were building a new office with a conference room. The purpose of this space was to demonstrate the latest meeting room collaboration tech at that time. In working through both the design and implementation, we decided to acquire the AV integrator that would have won the bid to do the work. In doing this, we expanded our service catalogue to include next-gen, network-based AV solutions. What are you currently working on? I am currently the vice president of strategic partnerships at Utelogy Corporation, a leading SaaS company offering a groundbreaking, market- defining management and automation platform for collaboration meeting rooms. My role involves working closely with our largest reseller and managed service provider partners to transform the management of extensive AV estates, often comprising hundreds or thousands of meeting rooms. By
leveraging Utelogy’s innovative platform, I help our partners streamline operations, improve system reliability and deliver unparalleled value to their customers in the ever-evolving collaboration space. Favourite project? It wasn’t a project in the traditional sense, but I spent a large part of my career on it. I’m referring to time I put into launching, building and growing an MSP business from $0 to over $35m in ARR across a ten-year period, from 2010 to 2020. My current favourite project is with Utelogy, transforming the MSP landscape using self-healing tech and smart automations. What do you think the future holds for the AV industry? The future lies in AV’s integration into the broader communication and collaboration ecosystem. Technologies for both audio and video are no longer stand-alone solutions, but are essential components of a seamless user experience, that enable people to connect effortlessly from anywhere. As the lines between AV and IT continue to
blur, the focus is shifting toward delivering adaptable, device-agnostic solutions that support both fixed and mobile environments. This evolution will require AV providers to innovate continuously, ensuring technologies remain integral to dynamic, hybrid work and communication landscapes, while prioritising user-centric, flexible and scalable systems. What advice would you give to someone starting a career in AV tech? Technology is always changing and evolving – the pace is accelerating and will continue to do so. Look in the direction of change, focus and embrace the future that’s coming towards us.
Powered by FlippingBook