AVIXA announces new CEO

Pardi will take the reins from January 1, 2027, and joins AVIXA from the international events, digital media, and information services provider Informa, where he was President of the tech events portfolio. In this role, he led a team of more than 200 professionals in multiple locations across North America, Europe, and Asia, stewarding brands including The AI Summit, Channel Partners Expo, Contact Centre Expo, Data Centre World, HIMSS Global Conference, IWCE, Network X, and Service & Support World Expo.

“It is an honour to be leading AVIXA,” comments Pardi. “Very few non-profit organisations in the tech space have the brand reputation, global reach, and programmatic diversity of this association. As the professional AV industry has broadened in scope, appeal, and value, AVIXA has kept pace with these developments, fully embracing the convergence with IT and related disciplines without compromising the passion and commitment which sit at the core of its identity. AVIXA doesn’t just provide connections and information; it enables AV companies to be more successful and helps AV people be the best at what they do.”

He added: “I feel both humbled and privileged to be assuming the role of and enhance our community’s influence at a time of tremendous technological change and opportunity. To lead AVIXA is to lead an industry that changes the way people experience the world, and I cannot wait to get started.”

Tobias Lang, Chair of the Board, AVIXA, commented: “The search committee was impressed by Marco’s experience of leading large and diverse talent pools, his consistent track record of revenue growth based on value, his background serving technology-driven industries, his ability to operate internationally, and above all by his sheer enthusiasm for the role and for the Association. It’s clear that Marco sees this as an opportunity not just to develop a business, but to represent our industry and advocate for the outcomes it delivers to the wider world. We are confident he will take both AVIXA and the community it serves to the next level of impact, innovation, and growth.”

During his 14-year term as CEO, Labuskes oversaw the rebranding of the association from InfoComm International to AVIXA; the rebuilding of core association activities after the COVID-19 pandemic; modernisation of the association’s governance and leadership search capabilities; and the introduction of multiple new programmatic offerings including the Audiovisual Network Professional (ANP) accreditation, the monthly Pro AV Business Index, the AVIXA TV online video creation and distribution platform, and just recently, the ‘Broadcast AV: Glass to Glass’ training course designed to help AV professionals navigate the convergence of their traditional skillsets with those of enterprise broadcasting, live event production, and media asset management.