Commercial Integrator March 2023 - 26

TECH MANAGERS Going Inside HETMA
ground between Commercial Integrator
Expo and the HETMA community.
Most excitingly, at its booth on the
show fl oor, the organization will create a
HETMA Approved classroom, which will be
populated with HETMA Approved program
products. " I really think that's going to be
a fi rst-of-its-kind booth, " Hatchett says,
calling it a full ecosystem that will illustrate
how things work together. " We'll really give
all these folks a glimpse into what we're
looking for in our environment...what we're
looking for their products to do for us, " he
adds. The show-fl oor element, combined
with HETMA-run education, will give
expo attendees a real feel for highereducation
environments' needs. And that
kind of information is essential, Hatchett
says, as integrators and vendors aren't
always in fully functioning higher-education
spaces every day. " Let us tell you what
works, " he adds. " Let us tell you what
doesn't work. Then, let's work together to
help make you money, essentially. "
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Although some integrators may still wish
technology managers didn't have a seat
at the table, it seems unlikely that reality
will ever revert to the old ways. " Before,
we were completely dependent on the
integrator to tell us what we needed, what
we were going to do, and how this was
going to get installed, " Monday recalls.
With the rise of organizations like HETMA,
and technology managers coming to be
recognized as certifi ed professionals, that
has changed. But it's not about displacing
integrators or eliminating their utility; rather,
it's about more robust collaboration to
deliver outstanding outcomes. " By having
those more educated conversations with
integrators and with manufacturers, we're
able to shape our rooms and our environments
a lot better, " Monday adds. " More to
what we need them to be. "
Way seconds that sentiment, declaring
that, with HETMA's rise, his relationship
with USC's partner integrators has actually
improved. " Now, we can have diff erent
conversations, " he explains. " Now, we
can sit down and have solutions conversations. "
By demonstrating their equal
status in both ability and understanding of
craſt , HETMA members are perceived not
as a " threat " to integrators but, rather, as
trusted collaborators.
Make no mistake: Many members understand
some integrators' skittishness about
their new level of power and infl uence. Aſt er
all, HETMA has members who have worked
both on the integrator side and in higher ed.
" We come at it from a very diverse perspective
and with a very deep knowledge
base, " Hatchett says. But there's nothing
to fear from having stakeholders who are
absolutely committed to ensuring instructors,
students and campus visitors have the
most incredible experiences; rather, it's an
opportunity to leverage complementary skill
sets and overlapping areas of expertise.
" Is it what you would have seen fi ve years
ago? " Way asks. " No. I actually think it's
much better now. " CI
26
Commercial Integrator MARCH 2023
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Commercial Integrator March 2023

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