Avid, based in Burlington, Mass., will present Avid Connect, the inaugural event of the Avid Customer Association, from April 4-6, 2014 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, just prior to the NAB show. George Bodenheimer, Executive Chairman of ESPN, and former Co-Chairman of Disney Media Networks, will deliver the keynote address on the morning of April 6 following an industry leader panel discussion.
On Saturday, April 5 the company will reveal the next phases of Avid Everywhere, its vision for the future of the media industry, and will present a technology demo. A full roster of educational breakout sessions to further elaborate on Avid Everywhere for the broadcast, video and audio communities will take place on the afternoon of Saturday, April 5.
The Avid Customer Association (ACA) was announced in September 2013 as a comprehensive initiative designed to provide essential strategic leadership to the media industry, collaborate with key industry leaders and visionaries, and deepen relationships between the company and its customers. The multifaceted program will engage its network of broadcast, creative and media customers to address the most important issues facing the media industry today.
“We are overwhelmed by the enthusiasm we’ve seen for this initiative and the interest in our inaugural event, Avid Connect,” says Louis Hernandez, Jr., president and CEO of Avid. “The Avid Customer Association and Avid Connect form the framework to facilitate strategic collaboration across the industry. While we have always placed great importance on staying in close touch with our customers, the ACA allows us to work together on a more strategic level, as the full community comes together to set a path forward for the industry. I’m looking forward to an amazing couple of days preceding NAB.”
Avid reports that hundreds of customers have registered to attend Avid Connect, with participants representing more than 40 countries and the most senior and professional ranks of Avid’s broadcast, audio, and video customer base. While there are still available spots to participate in Avid Connect, space is quickly filling at this limited capacity event.
Avid named David Mash, Senior VP for Innovation, Strategy and Technology at Berklee College of Music, as Chairman of the company’s Executive Board of Directors. Richard Friedel, EVP and General Manager at Fox Networks, and Dr. Andreas Bereczky, EVP of Technology and Production at ZDF German Television, will serve as Vice Chairmen of this association run by and for Avid’s preeminent customer community of media industry professionals.
The growing list of Avid Connect and ACA sponsors currently includes channel partners and technology providers such as Aspera, Nugen Audio, G-Technology, AVI, BlueFish444, Front Porch Digital, HB Communications, Key Code Media, MelroseMAC, Oracle, root6, SGL, Tekserve, and Telestream.
For more information about the Avid Customer Association and Avid Connect, including a complete agenda and registration details, visit www.avidcustomerassociation.com.
Find a complete roster of the ACA Executive Board of Directors and the Advisory Councils at www.avidcustomerassociation.com/mission.html.
