Anil Chopra – the Founder-Director of PALM Expo tradeshow, PALM Technology publication and Certified AV Specialist (CAVS) programme – is aiming ambitiously big. Making his tradeshow platform and the media reach as the backend support he is embarking upon a massive initiative to make the CAVS as the frontal face of his ambition: Carve out India’s very own AV identity.
In a free-wheeling chat with SIAsia during the recent CAVS programme in Bengaluru, the man with a master plan – that he looked like – unveiled his passion, mission, and vision.
Here is an excerpt of the ensuing endeavour:
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Simply said, the CAVS programme originated out of the realization of need and opportunity for providing a ‘desi’ format of the international-flavoured audio-visual expertise to Indian AV enthusiasts who couldn’t otherwise access and afford the haloed global certifications.
Launched five years ago in Mumbai, as an offshoot academic initiative of PALM Expo, the CAVS essentially has its curriculum formulated by Indian AV experts, and focussed on providing AV education covering the three essentials of AV- audio, video and IT integration. Unlike the scores of company- specific programmes that are common on market, this CAVS aimed at imparting agnostic skills to the participants so that the professionals can handle any technology coming to place.
Understandably, it drew participants majorly from the industry fraternity, and trained around 300 professionals , it expanded to Ahmedabad last year, and recently to Bengaluru. It has active plans on ground to expand to Hyderabad, and expand further across the country.
With India’s booming AV markets across education, smart cities, transport, and security, CAVS seeks to bridge knowledge gaps and equip professionals for the evolving industry. Here is exactly where the big picture is taking shape.
The goal is truly ambitious: 12 cities/CAVS programmes annually, training roughly 100,000 professionals per year, and incorporating AV education into universities. With India’s AV market booming—from smart cities to education—CAVS aims at bridging knowledge gaps and equip professionals for the evolving landscape.
That’s not the complete picture though. It has a much larger picture shaping up.
Putting all the three organs of his competence – PALM Expo, PALM Technology and the CAVS – to effective campaign, Chopra wants to champion the cause of indigenous AV manufacturing to reduce dependency on foreign imports. He wants to launch a clarion call for a decisive shift from merely adopting technology to producing AV equipment in India, aligning with the Make-in-India initiative.
Through training, media advocacy, and industry collaboration, CAVS’s objective now is not just a certification programme- it’s a movement toward India’s AV self-sufficiency and global leadership.
To read the full interview with Anil Chopra, click to read the April issue of SI Asia: https://www.spinworkz.com/SIA/2025/sia_2025_04.pdf
