A Day in the Life at Tech Xpo 2022
Perhaps you wanted to come to Tech Xpo but couldn’t make it or perhaps you’ve never been to an AV event and are curious to know what it’s like. Come with me as I take you through a day in the life as a digital content writer and guest at Tech Xpo 2022.
7:30am: It was a bright and early start to prepare for the day. My comfy clothes and shoes were thrown on for the three-hour drive ahead. I picked up Flo (Events Apprentice) and we were on our way to Ascot racecourse.
10:30am: We arrived at Tech Xpo! We scanned ourselves in and put out ‘exhibitor’ badges on. First, it’s time to grab a coffee and say hello to the Midwich team. We head to our stand, and it looks great – ideal for networking and meetings.
11am: I attended a Zoom keynote session on the Midwich stand. Aglaya Batchvarova (Distribution & Master Agent Channel Manager at Zoom) discussed her passion for referral agency and the opportunity of Zoom for businesses. Bradlee Allen (Team Lead, Channel Solutions Engineering – EMEA) gave us a fantastic demonstration of the platform.
I discovered a handy new feature on Zoom too! You know when you’re in a meeting and you get a call from your colleague? There are automatic replies you can send such as ‘I’ll call you back’ or ‘Can you message me’ so you can still engage with your current call without worrying.
11:30: I attended a Microsoft teams keynote session with Nicky Chapman (UK&I DPSS Lead for) Microsoft Teams & Devices. We explored the market opportunity of Microsoft Teams Rooms in the UK, the current features of the platform and how it supports today’s hybrid working. Midwich are now a strategic distribution partner of Microsoft and we’ve just launched a Microsoft Teams Room hub, so it was brilliant to gain more insight!
12pm: Let’s get creative! To show off the cool technology and to reflect the brilliant people in the industry, we knew we had to upgrade our social content. Flo and I spent time videoing the event, finding the right music and editing clips together to produce fun reels and we received brilliant feedback. You can find them all on LinkedIn here.
1pm: Jenny Hicks (Head of Technology at Midwich Group) gave an educational talk on Future Trends. This was super helpful as a content writer to know what lies ahead for the AV industry.
1:30: Lunch time! I went for the stonebaked Margherita pizza – you can’t go wrong! We also welcomed the Tour de AV riders through the gates, what an amazing achievement. They raised a whopping £25,000 for charity and they’re still accepting donations!
2pm: Now it’s time to explore the tech and have some fun. First, Flo and I headed to the BenQ stand to play some golf on the simulation. I quickly learnt that I will not be pursuing a career in golf, it’s harder than it looks. Next, we headed to Samsung for a go on the racing SIM instead – that was more promising. I beat Flo for the fastest lap, only by a second or so. There were also some epic displays on show including the Samsung Wall All-in-One display and the Absen PL2.5 Pro.
Writing about this technology is one thing but physically seeing it in action is a whole other level.
There were over 60 exhibitors at the event, all showcasing their innovative portfolios. Luckily Tech Xpo is a two-day event because there was so much to see and experience. Guests could interact with tons of products from the likes of Biamp, LG and SMART.
I grabbed some free swag from the stands too – Peerless always have the best pens.
3pm: Tech Xpo was also a brilliant opportunity to meet the rest of the Midwich group! Invision, DVS, Holdan, Nimans, Sound Technology and PSCo were all in attendance. It was my first time meeting the DVS and Nimans team and what a lovely bunch they were. We managed to play a quick game of Space Invaders on the DVS stand too.
It’s what makes live events so special – getting to catch up with the people you email frequently but never see and make new connections with exhibitors, customers and colleagues!
4pm: Time to say our goodbyes. After walking miles around Ascot, our feet were ready for the rest. We said a massive thanks to the events team and made our way home with pick and mix from the SMART stand.
We Hope to See you at our Next Event!
Have you got FOMO yet? UC Expo is right around the corner. A day dedicated to Unified Collaboration; we’ll be on stand R34 showcasing the latest cutting-edge collaboration technologies.
