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Greg Guthrie, CTS, made the most of the downturn in live events to brush up on his credentials.

Following a 15-year career as a concert promoter and DJ and ready for a change of pace, Florida native Greg Guthrie, CTS®, discovered the world of AV and immediately saw a way to marry his events experience with his interest in technology. In his first AV tech job for the Wyndham Hotel in Orlando, he quickly became aware of the need for additional training and education, to fill in the gaps in his knowledge. Like so many of us, life and work took over and it would be several years before he finally got to studying for his CTS — in the middle of a pandemic.

Greg Guthrie, CTS

“COVID-19 changed everything,” says Guthrie, who is now Director of Audio Visual and Creative Services at The Alfond Inn at Rollins, working for AV events producer AVmedia for the last six years. “All of a sudden meetings were being canceled, people were getting furloughed, and while I was lucky to have kept my job, I was furloughed for a couple of months, so I had the extra time to read articles, learn more about AV, and finally study for the CTS.”

Guthrie took advantage of AVIXA®’s free classes, an offer that ran from March through June in response to the pandemic.

“I jumped on it and took the CTS Prep class online and read everything I could, was able to get a discount to take the test, and took at passed it at the Pearson Vue center. It was a great feeling to complete it and finish it, and do something I had wanted to do for so long.”

Keeping his mind busy during an uncertain time was a secondary bonus, he admits. And having the certification almost certainly helped when it came to being one of the first in line to go back to working full-time.

“I like to think that working for and obtaining my CTS showed character. It certainly proved that I’m more knowledgeable than I was before.”

He is convinced that when live events ramp back up again, the benefits of having those three letters after his name will be many and varied.

“As a professional, I want to make sure I’m doing things the proper way, adhering to the standards, and giving the client accurate information,” he says. “I definitely have more confidence now in the way I approach problems and the work that I’m doing. I know what the standards are and the correct way to do things. Even if I don’t have all of the knowledge, I know how to find the information quickly. That kind of confidence helps me do my job better.”

Since late summer, Guthrie has resumed his role at The Alfond Inn even though events are smaller and less frequent than before. Being part of a larger company — with offices in Orlando and Phoenix, AVmedia provides a gamut of production services for large, international clients as well as smaller local venues, such as boutique hotels like The Alfond — he is able to work on the production services division or even in the warehouse when required. When life gets back to normal, he is excited about using his skills in larger events again.

“I love working in event production. There’s never a dull day and there are always new challenges to face. It’s very rewarding when things go right. You can’t ever know everything but you can keep on learning. I get the biggest buzz when I see happy clients, especially when I know the technical parts of the event were flawless. You can’t beat that feeling!”