Middle Atlantic Products has launched the company’s AV Academy to train the
consultant and contractor community on today’s most innovative AV technologies.
Held during this year’s AV month in October, the inaugural initiative offered a mix
of weekly webinars and on-premises training that certified participants for
InfoComm, NSCA, AIA, and BICSI credits. Delivered to hundreds of registrants, the
first-time event resulted in participants earning more than 350 certificates between
the weekly webinars and onsite training sessions, which were also streamed to a
live audience.

“The pace of AV is creating some incredible opportunities for today’s integrators,
but unfortunately, these benefits are often poorly understood,” said Michael
Sidarous, northeast regional integration manager for AVI-SPL. “With AV Academy,
Middle Atlantic has carved out a unique learning path by letting integrators,
architects, consultants, and contractors earn credits for solutions and trends that
will form the new best practices for our installations.”

Held during AV Month, Middle Atlantic’s inaugural AV Academy offered weekly online
seminars that led up to the onsite education track at the company’s Fairfield, N.J.
headquarters. Subjects included outlining industry-changing technologies,
understanding digital video formats, and deploying different connectivity options.
For the education program’s on-premises component, Legrand’s Technology
Evangelist, Joe Cornwall, CTS-D presented sessions on integrating mobile devices
into fixed AV systems in addition to a digital video course that explained what to
expect from new technologies and their impact on AV systems. Other sessions
presented by Middle Atlantic speakers included a track on unconventional ways to
conceal equipment as well as the capabilities of next-generation rack equipment.
Streamed live to over 200 viewers, the education sessions were followed by a
networking event at the end of the day.

The onsite event also included a factory tour of Middle Atlantic’s 425,000-square-
foot facility. Promoting U.S.-based manufacturing, the state-of-the-art location has
been in operation for over eight years and enables the company to more efficiently
meet customer needs. Added Sidarous, “It was amazing to see firsthand how Middle
Atlantic’s solutions are created; the factory tour was a unique experience that
perfectly capped a very informative day. I’m already looking forward to next year’s
event.”

“We felt that launching Middle Atlantic’s AV Academy during AV Month would help
today’s industry professionals fully leverage the promise of exciting new
technologies and learn more about the hot topics affecting our marketplace,” said
Dan Tarkoff, Middle Atlantic’s vice president of customer experience. “The
enthusiasm for our program points to the rising need for dynamic training and
continuous education in an industry on the cusp of some very important changes.
We look forward to continuing this successful relationship with our partners as we
roll out new courses and programs in the future.”

A natural extension of InfoComm International’s AV outreach program, AV Month
has given companies tangible ways to become advocates for the industry by
reaching out to end users, potential customers and employees. For live coverage of
Middle Atlantic’s inaugural AV Academy, please visit AV Nation.

More information on Middle Atlantic’s industry-certified training programs is
available at www.middleatlantic.com.

Middle Atlantic Products has been part of the Legrand group since Legrand acquired
it in 2011.