What’s Happening For the last three years, KnowledgeFest has held an event in Long Beach, Calif. But on February 18-20, 2022, the show and the Industry Awards will take place in Las Vegas, Nev. The choice was made to revitalize the awards ceremony, and to make the awards more reflective of a full year of recognition. Elias Ventura, who was awarded 20162017 Sales Pro of the Year and now works as the Mid-Atlantic territory manager for SounDigital and Ground Zero, said the move is a welcome one. “I think a change of scenery and structure is necessary, especially with all the present chaos,” he explained. “Having something to look forward to is important. Vegas is a perfect place for the show, and I think a little shift was needed.”
Oasis in the
Desert
With a focus on revitalizing the Industry Awards, the yearly ceremony has been moved from Dallas to Las Vegas. Past award winners share their perspectives on an evolving tradition. WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA
12 Mobile Electronics September.October 2021
Past Winners Work to Refresh the Industry Awards Members of the Industry Awards committee—including Ventura—meet to “make sure the process is fair, and that we move forward in a modern way of doing things,” according to Jeff Smith, director of training at AAMP Global. He added that it’s important to have different perspectives and points-of-view on the proceedings. Smith won Installer of the Year in 2009, and his previous retail store was also awarded Top 50 multiple times. AAMP Global has been the recipient of awards from the Mobile Electronics Association, including Vendor of the Year. “We’re always in the running for something,” Smith said, adding that he’d planned to be in Dallas for KnowledgeFest in August, which was canceled and rescheduled for December. He feels every manufacturer tries to do the best job they can to serve their customers. But for larger companies, he added, the Industry Awards may not necessarily be top-of-mind. “I think they move forward trying to be as helpful as possible, to be good business partners to dealers who wind up rewarding them, anyway,” Smith said. Ventura noted the shared role of committee members is similar to that of an “influencer,” adding, “Everyone has the right mentality for making [the Industry
