Re-Tales #3: The Risks and Rewards of Audio Shows

Several audio shows have been canceled or postponed since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in early 2020: Munich, AXPONA, RMAF, Montreal, and the 2021 Florida Audio Expo, among others. The next scheduled show is the Finest Audio Show, slated for January 9–10 in Zurich. The next one in the Americas is the inaugural Seattle Audio Fest, planned for July 30–August 1. AXPONA, America’s biggest show, near Chicago, was recently postponed for the second time until late August. Depending on how the pandemic evolves, it’s possible those shows will not be able to take place as planned, either (footnote 1).

Audio shows play an important role in the hi-fi industry, helping manufacturers find distributors, distributors and manufacturers find dealers, and dealers find customers. They’re also fun. In a pandemic, though, they’re risky: People—often older people, at increased risk from COVID-19—come from all over the country and the world, sitting near strangers on airplanes and sharing recirculated air, to congregate in other enclosed spaces sharing more recirculated air. They then climb back on those airplanes and fly home, potentially carrying the virus back to their families and communities.

Once the pandemic is brought under control, shows will surely start back up, in some form—that much seems clear. But it could take months or years for things return to what we used to think of as normal.

How much do shows matter? And what does the future hold for shows? I spoke with dealers and distributors about audio shows, their importance to the industry, how they are adapting, and about possible ways forward.

Nearly everyone I spoke with agreed that audio shows are the best way to introduce new products, particularly at the higher end. Ozan Turan, president of High End by Oz, a dealer and distributor based in Los Angeles, believes that audio shows are critical for customers, dealers, and critics—everyone in the industry really—to experience new products. He cites a European brand that received unprecedented attention from press and customers after he introduced it at a show. Without a show, that wouldn’t have happened, he said.

“You can always find something [at a show] that will blow you away,” Turan said. “The shows must go on.” Arturo Manzano, of LA-based distributor Axiss Audio, agreed that shows have always been important, especially when introducing new equipment. “With the COVID thing right now, I’ve intensified my contact with dealers,” he said. “I’ve been sending them promo information on my new products so they can stay up-to-date.”

Those dealers also participate in shows, but for them, shows are a very different value proposition. For all their benefits, they’re costly, labor-intensive, and time-consuming. Some dealers had already become more selective about which shows they exhibit at even before the pandemic.

Doug White, president of Philadelphia-area dealership The Voice That Is, says that shows are important for distributors, manufacturers, and the industry at large, but “the return on investment for dealers can be questionable,” especially for the big national shows. He and Aaron Sherrick, founder of Now Listen Here in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, both stressed the importance of regional shows, which make shipping and travel easier and cheaper for local dealers. A couple of East Coast dealers I spoke to told me they probably will exhibit at just one show in 2021 and perhaps attend one other, pandemic permitting. Even after the pandemic, they expect to stick to that pattern as they explore other marketing approaches.

White has already tried some atypical approaches to marketing, including a planned sponsorship deal with the Berks Jazz Fest on its 30th anniversary: He had planned to host a listening experience at a hotel to coincide with the Pennsylvania live-music festival in April 2020, but it, too, was canceled. Sherrick also tried something new, recently, and it worked out well. He held a free, reservation-only listening event—he called it a “microshow”—at the Hyatt House in Philadelphia’s King of Prussia suburb in late September. Jeff Joseph of Joseph Audio and Mat Weisfeld, president of VPI Industries, were on hand to demonstrate products: Joseph, the Pearl 20/20 Graphene speakers, and VPI, the company’s flagship Vanquish turntable. Products from Fyne Audio, Chord Electronics, Jeff Rowland, Transparent Cable, and Sonore were also on demo or display.

Pennsylvania COVID-19 restrictions limit gatherings to 25 people, so Sherrick registered attendees in two-hour time slots. Temperatures were taken at the door, and masks were required for entry. Social distancing measures were in place. Attendees spent an hour in each of two 1000-square-foot demo rooms and toured a third (with occupancy restrictions) with components on static display.

Attendees, Sherrick said, were “super respectful” about wearing their masks properly, and attendance was good. “People just seemed thrilled that there was an event to go to.”

Even with all those precautions, and plenty of hand sanitizer, Sherrick was concerned about health risks and legal liability. “Obviously, in this country, you always have that in the back of your mind,” Sherrick said. “We certainly did our best to make sure we were following the letter of the law and going above and beyond that.”

“Time will tell if it will prove successful financially, but it was fun.”

What will it take to bring people back to shows? The answer is obvious. “It’s going to take the security of being able to go where you want to go, like anywhere else, without as strong a threat of getting sick,” White said. Manzano believes it will also take courage. “How much do I [have to] love my audio to risk going and listening to a demo?” he asked with a laugh. Audiophiles do love their gear, so there’s hope.

Footnote 1: Munich High End announced in mid-November that the 2021 show will be held September 9–12.—Editor

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