No Show for T.H.E. Show

The Home Entertainment Show—aka T.H.E. Show—which was originally scheduled for June 12–14 in the Long Beach Hilton, has canceled for 2020. According to a May 13 announcement, T.H.E. Show team of President Maurice Jung and Director of Marketing Emiko Carlin had hoped to postpone the event until December 2020. Not happening.

The cancellation comes after six weeks of negotiations with the hotel failed to produce “clarification on what [the hotel’s] health and safety policies would be,” the announcement said. (It also follows the announcement of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s four-stage reopening plan.) Given Jung and Carlin’s belief that a December show date could not be guaranteed—too much is up in the air, COVID-wise—T.H.E. Show requested that the hotel come clean on what would happen should the show cancel outright: Could they get a refund? Instead, they received an updated contract that, according to the announcement, included “a brand new Force Majeure clause that moved cancellation power out of [T.H.E. Show’s] hands.” T.H.E. Show considered the contract “untenable and irresponsible.”

On May 5, attorneys for The Home Entertainment Show, LLC, notified the hotel of intent to cancel and asked for a refund of monies already paid. More than a week later, having received no reply, T.H.E. Show decided to make the cancelation public.

“The hotel’s position, in our viewpoint, is a regrettable one,” the announcement states. “[W]e felt that in the face of these uncertain times, and in order to ensure the safety of our exhibitors, attendees, and the entire community, we simply could not move forward. We are a small business, like many of you, and like many of you, we know that right now, certainty, stability, compassion, and transparency in communication make all the difference in the world.”

Once it hears back from the hotel (or its lawyers), T.H.E. Show promises to inform exhibitors directly regarding refunds. “We hope the hotel will do the right thing, which is to issue full refunds and keep a focus on a longer-term relationship with T.H.E. Show and the high-end audio community for future events,” the team states.

When I attended and reported from T.H.E. Show in 2019, I found it well-organized and upbeat, with widespread and diverse participation. It was a small show—far smaller than several other regional and national shows—but it played an important function in the densely populated southern California region, which is home to a significant number of audiophiles and dealers. Here’s hoping T.H.E. Show will be able to provide full refunds to its exhibitors, for not to do so might put T.H.E. Show at risk, and T.H.E. Show must go on!

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