Renee Benson is a seasoned veteran of the A/V industry with over 15 years experience as a Regional Account Manager in the Midwest. Over the years, Renee has worked as a reseller, distribution and manufacturing rep, most recently with Sharp NEC Display Solutions.
As a Client Success Manager at Diversified, a leading global technology solutions provider, I oversee the delivery of cutting-edge audiovisual (AV) services to clients across Canada. With over 12 years of experience in customer-focused and operational roles, I bring a strategic approach to client relationships, ensuring both satisfaction and long-term success. My expertise spans strategic planning, cross-functional team leadership, and optimizing operational performance. I am passionate about leveraging technology to drive business transformation and enhance the customer experience. In addition to my role, I am a strong advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and I actively support initiatives that promote these values both in the workplace and the AV industry. Some of my recent honours include being named Service Delivery of the Year, Top 100 Women in Events, 40 Under 40 by Commercial Integrator and BizBash, and Outstanding Volunteer of the Year by Meeting Professionals International Toronto.
Senior Director of Development for AVIXA in EMEA with over 20 years experience in AV and IT industries. Started off in sound engineering in the late 90s then pursued a career in IT. After working in web development I returned to AV and have not looked back! I do at times pine to work more directly with the amazing technology available today to help create great AV experiences but I do get to see them being shared and celebrated! I look forward to seeing many of those examples on the Xchange!
Andy was a deeply committed tech-head who had played with a broad range of AV technologies since well before there was something called AV. He hungered to know how and why things work, and stumbled on the fact that he had a talent for explaining what he'd learned, so he taught and wrote about all kinds of technologies, in books, magazines, manuals, seminars, and online. He worked in AV, broadcast, live production, IT, publishing, consulting, and events. In the early 2020s he wrote the new editions of the CTS, CTS-I, and CTS-D Exam Guides. The most fun part of what he did was the research into developing technologies to see how they could fit into the future of AV and IT. Most recently, he became heavily involved in initiatives to improve the sustainability of the technologies we use in the audiovisual industries.
Vale Andy Ciddor — AV.technology
