New Avixa CEO: Marco Pardi Succeeds David Labuskes

Marco Pardi will become chief executive of the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association (Avixa), the professional AV trade group, succeeding David Labuskes, who retires at the end of 2026, invidis reports. Labuskes stays in the role through the end of the year, with Pardi assuming leadership on January 1, 2027.

Pardi studied economics at the University of California, Berkeley, and has led B2B technology event teams for more than 25 years. Most recently he served as president of the Tech Events portfolio at Informa, the events and information services company, overseeing events, digital marketing services and training for the IT and health care sectors. He managed more than 200 employees across North America, Europe and Asia, with brands including The AI Summit, Data Center World and Network X.

Pardi said he feels "both humbled and privileged" to take the role and is confident the industry can keep growing globally. The CEO search lasted 12 months and drew more than 100 candidates worldwide. A committee chaired by Mradul Sharma, vice chair of the Avixa board, reviewed applications with support from executive search firm Korn Ferry.

Tobias Lang, chair of the Avixa board and CEO of Lang AG, said the search committee was impressed by Pardi's experience leading large and diverse talent pools, his record of value-based revenue growth, his service to technology-driven industries, his international reach and his enthusiasm for the role.

Labuskes led the association for 14 years. During his tenure, Infocomm International rebranded as Avixa, the group rebuilt core activities after the Covid-19 pandemic, and it introduced the Audiovisual Network Professional accreditation, the monthly Pro AV Business Index and the Avixa TV video platform.