In our blog, we have already written about
sound art exhibitions , where sound objects (in which sound is the main form and way of creative expression) were placed in the museum space, thus being equated (at least for formal reasons) with art.
There are also more instrumental exhibitions related to sound - audio and video equipment expositions, where manufacturers
present their latest developments. Interestingly, audio and video in the format of technology exhibitions often go “in a pair” - unlike art exhibitions.
Today we decided to start introducing you to the largest events of this type.
/ photo from our reportage from the exhibition Munich High End Show 2018In 1948, Columbia Records introduced a new LP sound recording format. Records began to enter the mass market in the early 1950s. Then, in 1950, 53 audio equipment manufacturers rented several rooms at the New Yorker Hotel and held the first Audio Show.
Newspapers wrote about him as an event, where dozens of people listened to something with strained faces and
spoke "in the alien language decibels, kilohertz and intermodulation."
Nowadays, dozens of exhibitions of audio and video equipment of different levels (from different manufacturers, for solving different tasks and for different audiences) take place every year. Some exhibitions are open to the general public and demonstrate not only professional equipment, but also equipment for home use. Others are aimed at communicating professionals, searching for partners or specialists for specific projects. The organizers of such exhibitions are often the professionals themselves, for example, AES (
Audio Engineering Society ).
Large exhibitions usually take place once a year and at about the same time and in the same place. But there are exceptions - for example, the Swedish LLB Expo takes place every two years, and the AES Convention changes the city and even the host country (this year the community gathered in Milan, and will
meet again in October in New York). Such events become a gathering place for thematic communities, whose members are united by a common cause, but share the distance.
High end show
The thirty-seventh annual exhibition High End Show has just finished in Munich - one of the largest and most popular international high-end audio equipment exhibitions. In addition to the actual exhibition (which attracts more than 600 companies representing their audio and video systems, and 20,000 visitors), the High End Show has a rich lecture program - experts from leading companies in the industry talk about the latest trends, setting the context for what can be seen, heard and "feel" on the stands.
Such mass events for the general public often move away from the format of a purely technological exhibition and approach the show. For example, the exhibition even has a brand ambassador - this year the most famous contemporary Norwegian singer Kari Bremnes has become one. Thus, the exhibition organizers bring the exhibition program closer to a mass audience.
/ photo from our reportage from the exhibition Munich High End Show 2018In
our experience, the Munich High End Show is one of the most atmospheric and interesting exhibitions in the world. This year, our booth was presented in Munich, where we showed the latest models of Old School and Penaudio, ICE cinema speakers and Cerasonar speakers.
Rocky mountain audio fest
One of the largest B2C audio trade shows in North America. This year it will be held for the fifteenth time - as usual, in October in Denver. More than 400 companies from the USA, Europe, Australia and Asia present their expositions there. Here, visitors can chat directly with company representatives and engineers and test new products on the market (many bring their own players, discs and records to compare the sound of different audio equipment with their help).
The main "trick" Rocky Mountain Audio Fest - headphones and personal audio. The festival also has a rich seminar program where they discuss quite topical issues for both industry and ordinary consumers. For example, last year there
was a seminar on affordability: “How cheap audio equipment can cost.”
AXPONA
Another American exhibition of audio equipment (unlike Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, here the focus is slightly more biased towards professional equipment). At the exhibition, seminars, master classes and live concerts are held, brands organize presentations and “auditions” of their latest developments. In April, the ninth AXPONA took place, which gathered a record number of visitors for this event - 8 thousand people and 400 manufacturers and retailers.
Hi-Fi & Hi-End Show
The largest exhibition of audio and video equipment in Russia and the CIS countries - every year it is visited by more than 20 thousand people (the exhibition is open both to professional audiences and to the general public). It has been held annually since 1996 in Moscow. Here you can find almost all the latest high-end equipment: from acoustic stereos and projectors for home theaters to headphones, players and everything related to the theme of vinyl.
/ photos from our report from Moscow Hi-End Show 2016At the exhibition, you can listen to and experience all those technological innovations that brands represent throughout the year in the media, and also see for themselves how current trends in Hi-Fi come to life - for example, last year a lot of streaming equipment and systems were presented. All-In-One. The organizers also noted the audience’s request for portable audio.
Exhibitions of audio and video equipment are important reference events in the industry. On them, engineers and brand representatives go beyond the region, the country and the industry, are inspired by new ideas from different areas and communicate with the audience, which sets the context for the newest rentals.
In the following materials on the exhibition of audio and video equipment, we will continue to acquaint you with the largest events and share our own experience of participation in them. Our other materials on the topic can be found in the "World Hi-Fi" - thematic magazine about audio: