UK - Rise AV, the advocacy group championing gender diversity and professional development in the AV sector, has announced the delegates and mentors for its first-ever Elevate Programme. This six-week initiative is designed to ‘accelerate the growth of high-potential women in the AV sector, equipping them with the skills, support, and confidence to step into leadership roles and thrive’. The event will welcome 25 ‘outstanding women from across the AV sector’.
The programme includes:
Interactive Learning Day: Covering leadership authenticity, communication, conflict resolution, motivation, and finance fundamentals.
Industry Challenges: Small-group challenges tackling real business problems, supported by experienced mentors.
Final Event: Presentations, coaching, and opportunities to sharpen collaboration and impact.
Toolkit: The delegates will develop practical resources that they can apply immediately in their role.
Part of the programme will see the delegates split into Active Learning Sets (ALS) for the Real Life Challenges (RLC). Each group will be supported by a ‘Jedi’ - a senior AV leader who brings decades of experience and insight. Their role is to provide guidance and help participants navigate the challenges of leadership with clarity and resilience.
“Elevate is a major step forward for the AV industry. It is so much more than upskilling. It’s about unlocking potential, building confidence, and showing women in AV that they are truly valued,” said Rachael Hamilton, managing director at Rise AV. “We’re incredibly proud to launch this programme, it is one incredibly close to my heart. I don’t want anyone to suffer in silence and feel like they are in constant survival mode, like I did when I was progressing up the career ladder, and programmes like this are a step closer to achieving this.”
Rise AV extends its thanks to global headline sponsor, QSC; gold sponsors, Audiologic, Diversified, Midwich and Sennheiser; silver sponsors, Aura, AV User Group, Shure, Epson, iiyama, Yorktel and Northamber; and bronze sponsors, Faye Bennett Consultancy Services, LTSMG, Unicol, Nuvias UC, Uniguest, Peerless AV, Project AV, Hewshott, Exertis, Kinly, proAV and Woop Jobs!.
The Elevate Programme launches on 3 November and will run for five weeks, culminating in a final showcase event.
