AV Events

Ben Barnard is Regional Manager for AVIXA UK & Ireland and aspires to support the AV community through education, certification, training and providing the industry with access to the resources that are most beneficial to their businesses and professional development. Ben has been working closely with various industry groups over his time at AVIXA and is always keen to learn more about what's relevant and important to the various segments of our community.

Mina has supported video conferencing for education in the UK for over 15 years. She is currently the chair of the National VC Education Group (NVCEG) working for the London Borough of Redbridge as Online Safety and Video Conference lead for schools. She Co-ordinates the Global VC Development Group (GVCEG). As an education consultant working in the East of London, she completed her MSc in Technology Enhanced Learning, focusing on video conferencing technology implementation across a whole school. As the founder and Executive Director of Video Conferencing for Global Learning delivering English classes to children across the globe, VCfGL, won an AV Award in 2017 for Breakthrough Company of the Year, for their remote teaching to children in South America. NVCEG won an honorable mention in the 2024 Learning Impact Europe awards.

Mike Pedersen, the Audiovisual Experience Manager at Iowa State University since the summer of 2018, brings over 30 years of experience in the engineering industry with a focus on the professional audiovisual (AV) sector for the past 25 years. Leading the Audiovisual Experience Team (AVXT) at Iowa State, Mike oversees the maintenance of AV systems in over 200 university classrooms and provides consulting, installation, and repair services across campus. The AVXT won the 2023 Higher Ed AV Team of the Year with Higher Ed AV Media. Recognized as an expert in the field, he holds both Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) certifications in Design (CTS-D) and Installation (CTS-I), a distinction shared by only approximately 800 individuals worldwide. He is routinely a presenter and educator at conferences including InfoComm, ETC, MCUAV, NW/MET, and the HETMA Virtual Conference. In 2018, AVIXA named him CTS Holder of the Year, and he was inducted into the Higher Ed AV Hall of Fame in 2025. Mike currently serves on the Membership Committee and Certification Renewal Committee with AVIXA, and he previously served as an elected member of the Certification Steering Committee and chair of the Technology Mangers Council. He also currently serves on the board of directors with the Educational Technology Collaborative (ETC) as well as the Membership Committee and Program Committee. He has previously served extensively with HETMA including the original steering committee and later as the 1-year at large board member. Before joining Iowa State, he spent almost 19 years at Mechdyne Corporation, contributing to various roles including engineering manager, R&D, and pre-sales engineering. Outside of his professional endeavors, Mike actively volunteers in STEM education, having previously serving on the governor's North Central Iowa Regional STEM Advisory Board. A 1994 graduate of Iowa State University, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering with distinction and a minor in History and is working toward a Master of Engineering in Engineering Management degree.