Written by

Brant Grzeskowiak

Marketing & Communications

No matter how many years of experience in the event technology industry, attending the National Association of Broadcasters show (NAB) allows you to absorb knowledge through a “firehose.” While attending NAB, I saw new technology, shared thoughts, participated in workshops, and made many new connections.

I have only been in the event tech world for less than two years, so almost everything was new from my perspective. However, what I found most exciting and gained the most knowledge about differed from the high-dollar items or even items more prominent in size than a book. These seemingly “small” items are crucial to making a show work up to the “Burgundy Standard.” They are the bidirectional devices that allow our video team to simultaneously convert SDI to HDMI and vice versa, even when using different standards, and they support resolutions up to 1080p. What I found most important about these devices is how rare yet vital they are to a show. You don’t want to hinge on the success of your show on pieces of equipment that can quickly fail you, and in the upcoming year, these devices will be a crucial piece for any show’s success.

Sharing your input with vendors was a significant part of our trip to NAB. For my inaugural trip to NAB, I went with Ben MacKinney, our Sr. Asset Manager, who was a rockstar. Vendors wanted to know what Ben thought about the latest tech we purchased and what he wanted from them in the future. I was proud to be part of the Alford team, as every company we do business with sought our and our roadies’ feedback on their gear.

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I suggest anyone attending NAB for the first time sign up for as many workshops as possible. These workshops put you in a classroom-like setting where you can ask questions and get hands-on experience. As someone who learns best by hands-on experience and being able to ask questions, I found this to be a tremendous help.

I made many new connections, and Ben had an opportunity to reconnect with vendors. These relationships are vital, allowing us to understand each other better and what we need to do to improve our working relationship. I met with Dan Meehan, the Senior Key Account Manager with Panasonic Connect, and asked him why Panasonic attends NAB. “As an icon of the live broadcast industries, this is the best way to reach the masses and showcase the new technology. However, this is the best way to get feedback from loyal customers, especially in the event and staging companies like Alford Media.” 

To wrap up my first NAB recap, I am taking a quote from our Video Manager, Daryl Barnard, who attended NAB after their first show since COVID. “LIVE IS BACK!” I am here to say it isn’t going anywhere.