In June, 2022, when SAVe, Sustainability in AV, was formally launched at InfoComm in Las Vegas, little did we suspect that mere months later we would be presenting on a global stage at ISE 2023 in Barcelona.

But that’s the power of an idea whose time has come (or, in our industry’s case, an idea that’s long overdue).

Thanks to generous support from ISE, which has designated SAVe as its official Sustainability Partner, along with event sponsors QSC, Legrand AV and Salamander Designs, SAVe was able to send a full delegation to Barcelona, where we exhibited, presented, and introduced ourselves to a global audience at the world’s largest AV industry gathering. 

It’s hard to overstate the scale of ISE 2023, but perhaps most amazing for the SAVe team was ISE’s “all-in” support for our mission, which included giving SAVe prime display and meeting space in the ISE Impact Lounge, centrally located in ISE’s Congress Square, the hub within the vast Fira Gran Via complex. 

Two questions you might ask.

Why did we go to Barcelona, when we’re still establishing ourselves as the first U.S.-based industry-wide organization to bring the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals to our industry? Because sustainability can only be achieved as a global effort. ISE 2023 provided a singular opportunity for SAVe to bring stakeholders together in our industry to take concerted action to achieve the SDGs on every continent, in every nation. 

And how much progress did we make toward achieving our goals for ISE 2023?  

An astounding amount. 

Missions accomplished.

Our principal objective was to provide education and to put out a call to call to action on advancing the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in our industry. One measure of success in this regard is the number of industry leaders we signed up who want to take meaningful action. Individuals and organizations from across our industry – and across the world – expressed keen interest in partnering with us on a number of fronts, from volunteering on specific initiatives like SAVe: A Second Life and SAVe Certification, to becoming SAVe Ambassadors. Another indicator of success is the amount of media coverage we received. See our blog page for links to the various articles. We’ll post them all as they are published. 

In addition, SAVe made critical initial connections to prospective sponsors and partner organizations. And not least, we solidified our relationship with ISE, its parent organizations AVIXA and CEDIA, and laid the foundation for continued collaboration. 

In the coming months, we’ll have much more news to report on these and other fronts. For now, we’re busy absorbing and responding to all the contacts we made and potential avenues for partnership that we identified. 

The road ahead

Look, we’re clear-eyed about the challenges that our industry (and our planet) face as we strive to achieve sustainability. But after spending a week meeting with many of our industry’s brightest, most impassioned and committed people and organizations, it’s impossible not to be energized about our prospects for success. 

The vast majority of people we interacted with understood the challenges we face and were favorably disposed toward taking action. And among them were scores of attendees – many of them industry leaders – who had already done their homework and indeed made it a personal priority to meet with and learn more about SAVe. 

We have momentum. We have the numbers. And in the 2030 SDGs we have a blueprint to make a real difference for the future of our industry, communities and planet. SAVe, in partnership with other committed organizations like ISE, HETMA, EDGE, CVSA and others, helps fill in the other pieces of the puzzle by providing leadership, resources and inspiration to take concerted action in those areas where we can have the most impact. 

What we need now are volunteers!

We need more people to join as volunteers who share our vision, understand the urgency of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and are ready to make a commitment to turn strategy into reality. 

Join us on this journey – and discover just how much of an impact you can have in securing a sustainable future for us all.