AVIXA Foundation
Explore Your Career in the Audiovisual Industry
Think back to the last time you had an ah-mazing experience. Maybe you were cheering for your team or dancing in a club. Maybe you were inspired at a spiritual service. Or maybe you were throwing your arms in the air, screaming with pure joy on a roller coaster.
There’s a good chance that the audiovisual (AV) industry is threaded into your memory. That’s because AV creates those exceptional communication experiences—and you could be a part of making those experiences happen.
You might find a career in AV if you:
- Love to learn something new every day
- See the beauty and creativity in projects
- Tackle challenges with enthusiasm
- Are in a band or work as a DJ (Love of music draws a lot of people to AV!)
- Enjoy a changing landscape
- Ooh and ah at technology
- Embrace your inner geek
- Roll up your sleeves for hands-on work
- Want to make a difference in the world
Want to go down an AV path? You might be eligible for a scholarship.
Student Membership
An AVIXA student membership provides you with tools, resources and cool perks you need to expand your expertise and start a career in the AV industry.
The Facts
AV professionals are in the experience business — combining content, space and technology to craft an event, communicate a message, elicit a response, create an understanding, give people a reason to cheer or move them to tears.
So that is awesome … but what would you actually be doing all day?
Well, that all depends. In the AV world, there are lots of different kinds of jobs – and new ones are being created every day.
A Few Job Titles You Could Have:
- Designer – Find creative ways to bring experiences to life in classrooms, board rooms, stadiums, concerts, and more.
- Project Manager – Keep all the parts of the AV experience moving on time and on budget.
- Installer – Set up AV systems with hands-on problem-solving.
- Live Events Professional – Be the wizard behind the scenes who wows the crowd at big events (like Adele concerts or the Super Bowl).
- Technology Manager – Manage the day-to-day AV experiences, ensuring that students learn or business partners can collaborate in Hong Kong and Paris.
“AV is a fabulously welcoming industry for women, possibly the most welcoming of the STEM subjects.”
Dawn Meade, MBA, CTS
AVIXA has teamed up with organizations to help grow the next AV generation. Latoya Lewis, Founder & Executive Director of EnventU believes in giving students opportunities to explore and find their hidden passion in the AV industry. Learn more about EnventU's vision to help underserved teens discover potential careers in the AV industry.
The AV industry is growing.
According to the AVIXA 2017 AV Industry Outlook and Trends Analysis (IOTA) report, the audio and visual technology industry is currently a $178 billion dollar market and expected to exceed the $200 billion mark by 2020.
Now that you know more about the options in the industry, you can probably guess this answer: It varies. But, in general, there are lots of good jobs in AV.
Median Salaries*
- General Manager/Vice President or Area Manager: $111,025
- Director or Manager of Sales: $100,000
- Branch/Regional Manager: $99,500
- Account Executive: $90,000
- Chief Engineer: $80,000
- Design Engineer: $72,500
- Control Systems Programmer: $68,000
- Sales Engineer: $66,959
- Installation Network Technician: $55,000
- Rental and Staging Technician: $55,000
- Customer Service Representative: $53,160
- Inventory Control Manager: $45,500
- Junior Staging Technician: $40,000
- Junior Installation Technician: $36,400
*See full titles and salary list in the 2019 AVIXA Pro-AV Channel Employment Report.
The possibilities are endless. You could work in the AV trade with a manufacturer or in almost any other industry in an AV role, like at an ad agency that creates content for digital signage.
Here’s a starter list to spark your own vision:
- AV integration company
- Manufacturing company
- Fortune 500 company
- Tech company
- School or university
- Hospital
- Hotel
- Museum
- Government office
- Sports stadium
Here’s the fun part: lots of ways.
Though a few study programs are developed around AV careers, there are creative ways to find your entry … and your passion. Students study everything from engineering to interactive media and video and all ranges of communications.
If you are serious about your career, you could even earn industry-recognized credentials before you begin your job search. That would really make you stand out.
We can help you get to where you want to be.
Contact us to have a one-on-one conversation about how you can start your training.
“Working in AV is a lot of fun. It’s like putting together a big puzzle, except it actually does something when you’re done.”
Jesse Scarborough, CTS-D
We hope to welcome you to the AV community! Your future in AV starts here.
Still have questions? Explore our AV Careers Brochure.
Toolkit
This toolkit is your go-to for talking points, facts, and communication pieces like email templates and posters.
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The AVIXA Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization operated for the public good on behalf of AVIXA™, the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association, producer of InfoComm trade shows around the world, and the international trade association representing the audiovisual industry.