From the HETMA booth at ISE in Barcelona, this special episode flips the mic to the people who usually stay off camera. The plus ones. Spouses and friends who helped run booth life, kept the vibe light, and somehow learned just enough AV language to survive a week on the show floor. Erica Fleming hosts a roundtable with Amy Murphy, Andrea Myers, Jay Matz, and Jessi Taylor calling in from JFK on the way home. 

It is funny, honest, and weirdly insightful. They talk about how they explain their partners’ jobs to normal humans, what they tell attendees who walk up asking for beer, and what it feels like to be part of a community you are adjacent to but still proud of. Then it turns into travel talk, food talk, and a rapid fire tour of Barcelona highlights, with a side quest into what McDonald’s is doing differently in Spain and Portugal. 

Topics Discussed
• Who the plus ones are and how they ended up running booth life at ISE 
• Trying to describe what AV people do without knowing anyone’s exact job title 
• Classroom tech and support work, from help desk to designing simulation spaces 
• What you say when someone walks up to the booth and just stares at you 
• A plain language attempt at AV over IP and spanning tree issues 
• HDMI vs HDBaseT vs ST2110, and why everyone chooses HDMI 
• Favorite Barcelona moments, including the Banksy Museum and city history 
• Sagrada Familia reactions and the insane craftsmanship at scale 
• Driving in Barcelona, fear levels, and two hour dinners 
• Fast food anthropology: McDonald’s, KFC, Starbucks, and the international menu surprises 



Connect with the Guests
Erica Fleming
Amy Murphy
Andrea Myers
Jason Matz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-matz-1717836a/
Jessi Taylor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessi-taylor-66407b145/


This show is a production of Higher Ed AV Media. Visit www.HigherEdAV.com for fresh content every day!