Regional Reflections - Kate Butcher

2nd February 2021. The Peerless-AV team would initially have been waking up in sunny Barcelona, gearing up ready to welcome visitors to our booth on the first day of Integrated Systems Europe 2021. Instead many of us are working from home, home-schooling our children and wondering when life will return to normal, as the world battles with the Coronavirus pandemic. However, we're staying positive and looking forward to the new revised dates of 1 - 4 June 2021, when hopefully the AV industry can come together again.

So today we talk to Key Account Manager for the UK Pro Sales Team, Kate Butcher, about her thoughts on ISE and what she feels is missing from current virtual day to day working life:

• With what would have been ISE coming up, are you missing the face-to-face interaction that virtual events just can’t beat?

Of Course, I am missing the day to day in person interactions with my customers, let alone the opportunity to present all the great products Peerless-AV has to offer in such a vibrant and exciting setting. Although I can see the merit in virtual events, in my opinion, it’s the personal touch which allows Peerless-AV to stand out against our competition and what a better way to do that then in person at a show.

• What do you most miss about ISE and tradeshows?

What will be greatly missed is the chance to showcase new and exciting products to new and existing customers, to be able to engage and discuss projects in person. I will also miss the legendary Peerless-AV ISE evening party, which I see as a great way to thank our loyal partners for their support. I feel the socialising aspect of the job is very human and is what is missing in my day to day work of VC calls and emails.

• Which particular event were you most disappointed didn’t happen in 2020?

I am actually  most disappointed the AV Awards didn’t go ahead. I missed the opportunity to celebrate our Manufacturer of the Year award with my team and stand on that stage with the biggest smiles on our faces. The Peerless-AV team is like a family. We support each other at our lows and we love to celebrate our triumphs.

• Looking forward with positivity, what are you looking forward to in 2021? 

I really hope we are able to start getting back to normal in terms of customer facing engagement. This is the most enjoyable part of my job. I appreciate this will still take a while to get back to normal but hopefully I will be able to have a working lunch or a Christmas drink with my customers this year.