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DAY TWO EDITION 2020 | WWW.ISEUROPE.ORG L-R: June Sarpong, Chris Hope, co-founder and executive director, The Loop Lab, Robin R Hamerlinck and Sarah Joyce
Trailblazing inclusion in the AV industry Broadcaster and campaigner June Sarpong OBE was the keynote speaker at an AVIXA Diversity Council Forum on the Main Stage yesterday. She spoke about the benefits of diversity and inclusion, and how we all win when we work out ways to include everybody, creating a framework where anyone, regardless of their background, can fulfil their potential. Encouraging inclusion and promoting human cultural and systemic diversity in all forms within the commercial AV industry through the utilisation of professional networking, educational opportunities, leadership, development and community is the main priority of the AVIXA Diversity Council. “I believe when you have equal opportunity, coupled with self belief, anything is possible,” said Sarpong, who became the first ever director of creative diversity at the BBC in October 2019. “So, as leaders, what you have to be asking yourselves is are you creating the kind of environment in your workplaces? Do your colleagues and employees have access to equal opportunity, but also, are you creating the kind of culture that means that they can truly believe in themselves. I believe when you are able to do that, the results are extraordinary.”
“I think what’s really interesting about the AV industry is that actually – when it comes to social mobility – you’re far ahead of many other industries,” Sarpong continued. “If you look at the general makeup of your sound person, there is a real increased proportion of those from working-class backgrounds. But how can you expand that to include other under-represented groups? How can you go into communities that have been forgotten and inform them that this is a place for them?” In the panel session that followed, Sarah Joyce, chief global officer at AVIXA, said that she is seeing colleges and private universities recognising the importance of bringing young talent into the industry: “Recognising diversity is everything,” she said. “It is not just gender, sexuality, race. It’s about embracing everyone to offer them opportunities within society.” Robin R Hamerlinck, senior vice president of IT & CIO at Shure, added: “When you talk to people you learn about their challenges really quickly, and you also learn how to create the kind of workplace where you can integrate those challenges.”
Mixed reality technologies in focus at XR Summit ISE 2020 The accelerating rate of change in virtual and augmented reality, as well as immersive audio, was reflected in the latest XR Summit ISE, which took place yesterday at the Hotel Okura. There was considerable discussion of the creative and practical implications of XR at this year’s The Elumenati’s Hilary McVicker discussed pushing creative boundaries with XR event. In the first keynote, ‘Immersive XR: Pushing creative boundaries’, The Elumenati VP sales and marketing Hilary McVicker pondered the capacity of spatial XR to provide “a social, collaborative way to experience immersive content”. Drawing on specific use cases across entertainment, enterprise and education, McVicker explored the practical challenges of deploying XR “at scale” and the potential of group experiences in spatial XR to “bridge the physical and digital worlds”. Taking a more firmly practical angle, advisXR founder and advisor Jan Pflueger used his keynote to consider the integration of VR and AR into corporate culture. There is now an enhanced “general awareness” of the role that an AR ecosystem can play continued on page 3
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