Foundations, the Future, and Some Fun.

This past week, as I watched all the news, photos, and articles generated by the excitement of the 100-year celebration at the NAB Show in Vegas, I couldn’t help but feel encouraged about this coming year for WABE. I was so happy to hear about the connections and stories of WABE members meeting up and gathering at the Canadian suite while together at the NAB Show. I hope that when you’re home from your NAB journey, you all spread the word on great technology and new ideas and give us your take on where the technology has us heading.

As vendors and suppliers pack up their booths and head back to the office, they will find in their inbox an invite to a vendor meeting we are holding on Thursday, April 27, 2023, from 1:30 pm to 2:15 PM MDT.   If you didn’t get the email, please just click on the date to RSVP. This video conference is a chance to get all the info about the upcoming convention November 27–29 at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel. Exhibit booth registration will be open, and so will our Sponsorship Drive—we can’t wait to give our Best Coast Vibes at this year’s convention.

The quiet moments I had while many were at NAB gave me an opportunity to move forward on a few things I really want to accomplish this year. We are working on a 5-Year strategic plan to help focus our energy and resources in a way that can make the most impact for our membership and for our supports. My goal, even if it is ambitious, is to roll out the framework this fall at our AGM in Vancouver. This plan will give us a foundation to grow from in the coming years. (Now that I’ve said it out loud to all of you, there is no turning back. Gulp.)

This last month we had two WABE members in Edmonton (Darcie Harris and Syed Abbas) take time to volunteer to talk to students at NAIT’s (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology’s) 1st & 2nd-year Wireless Systems Engineering Technology networking event. Sometimes we forget about the small connections we make in our careers and the many suggestions or interactions that just might catalyze a career working with media and entertainment technology. They showed up with a banner and some tools and just talked to students about their experience. From their feedback, I could tell this was as rewarding for them as it was for the curious students they talked to. This is exactly the kind of simple outreach and connection we need to maintain in our industry if we want smart, motivated, and young employees to join in. I can’t thank these two enough for putting their hands up and saying yes on behalf of WABE.

Years ago, the WABE conference rotated between all the major cities in western Canada and, for a variety of reasons, settled on the remaining three large markets Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton. The first WABE I ever attended was the last one ever held in Winnipeg at the Airplane Museum. Looking back, volunteering to be hypnotized in front of an industry of future peers and colleagues may not have been the smartest career move, but it did make the experience unforgettable. In the spirit of sticking our necks out there, Rob Brown and I have decided to hold an informal WABE Monday Meetup May 15^th from 6 pm to 10 pm at Saddlery on Market in Downtown Winnipeg at 114 Market Avenue. We are welcoming anyone working with media technology in Winnipeg to join us for this informal networking event. The Saddlery on Market offers a great menu till 8 pm and a cash bar; we hope to welcome WABE friends old and new to join us for this casual meetup. Shop talk will be encouraged at this event, and I hope to hear NAB news first-hand from those who ventured to Vegas. We welcome team leaders or vendors from across the country to join us if your schedule permits as a way to connect with your staff, long-time friends, and clients. If it’s not in May in Winnipeg, then it will be November in Vancouver—I can’t wait to meet up with all of you at the WABE annual convention!

Best Regards,

Tessa Potter

WABE President