I am a production and AVL expert dedicated to bringing creative visions and concepts to life. I left my production home of 16 years in November 2021 and am currently building my own consulting business while keeping my options open for the right opportunity.  Since 1994, I have had the opportunity - both as a freelancer, small business owner, and an executive team leader - to work in delivering solutions on a scale that most people rarely see while up against timelines that seem impossible. My diverse, well-rounded background allows me to understand almost any organization or project's technical, creative, time management, and team building needs. I pride myself on the ability to creatively overcome challenges while creating an enjoyable experience for both my team and our clients along the way. I believe the job of a true leader is about more than creating and executing a strategic vision or strategy. It is about being a trusted team member, mentor, and leader. It is about creating a culture of earned respect and mutual trust where everyone believes they are a vital member of the team. It is about a firm commitment to the complete satisfaction of every customer, stakeholder, and employee.

I started as a technician in the early days of HB Live and have garnered invaluable and intimate expertise in the audiovisual event production industry over the course of my 30+ years career managing thousands of events at HB Live. Under my leadership, our teams actively pursue innovative solutions to even the most challenging problems through purposeful collaboration with our clients and affiliates with the sole purpose of providing an event that leaves a lasting impression.

Long time AV industry member, lover of tech, and wizard.

I’m Douglas Hoag, Principal Consultant and owner of DCH Technology Consulting, based in Chicago, IL. With more than 15 years in the audiovisual industry, I specialize in consulting, design, and owner’s representative services for complex built environments. My work spans courtrooms, council chambers, emergency operations centers, police stations, and corporate experience spaces, where technology must seamlessly support both in-person and hybrid collaboration. At DCH Technology Consulting, I take a human-centered design approach—balancing AVIXA, SMPTE, AES, ANSI, and AIA best practices with real-world workflows. My background includes global technology standardization efforts with Fortune 500 clients as well as civic projects requiring coordination between state and county stakeholders. I focus on creating cohesive, intuitive systems that support transparency, equitable conferencing, and future-ready infrastructure through solutions like AVoverIP, broadcast integration, and smart workflow design. I’m passionate about helping architects, owners, and technology teams bring their vision to life with audiovisual systems that feel intentional, intuitive, and built to last.

A higher education technology leader well versed in AV, broadcasting, live and recorded video production, and teaching. Experienced in the study of virtual environments, video games, and accessibility. Don is the current President of the Educational Technology Collaborative (ETC, etcollaborative.org), The mission of ETC is to provide leadership and a forum for information exchange to the providers of media content, academic technology, and support for quality teaching and learning at institutions of higher education. Don is also the Director of UCF’s nationally recognized Office of Instructional Resources, which is responsible for AV design, consultation, integration and engineering, project management, end-user support and training, and planning for the university.

I'm passionate about the Pro AV market and excited to assist AVIXA members and the broader community to engage in more business and support for the overall growth of the industry.

AV, Bacon, sports, and watermelon in no particular order. 

Works for Queen Elizabeth II Centre, Westminster, London in the Studio Visual and Event IT department.