For Release: October 26, 2011
131st AES Convention Rocks New York
310 Exhibitors; 15,926 Attendees; Ben Folds, Judy Collins & Perfect Weather
NEW YORK: With the successful completion of the 131st AES Convention on Sunday, Oct. 23rd, one of the most positive, pages has been writ in the annals of AES history. As 310 Exhibitors and 15,926 attendees thronged to NY’s Jacob Javits Center for the “World Series of Pro Audio,” flawless fall weather and rampant enthusiasm coalesced in a textbook example of planning and execution. “Soon after the curtains fell on last year’s event, our 2011 Committee began the first of over a dozen intensive planning meetings,” reports Convention Chair Jim Anderson. Each Chair brought an extraordinary degree of commitment, enthusiasm and professionalism to the table. The results of their labors registered rave reviews and high praise from attendees and exhibitors alike.”
"I was taken by surprise when the first day of the show ended. The number of qualified customers and end-users who passed through our booth was overwhelming," remarked Mick Olesh, Waves executive vice president.
“Right up until the last 5 minutes of the show, the intensity of the good, qualified traffic was far beyond our expectations. This year’s AES Convention had the feeling and pace of the glory days...” said Genelec marketing director, Will Eggleston.
“As first time exhibitors, we were delighted with numbers and quality of visitors to our booth,” reports Moog Music Inc., sr. marketing & brand manager Emmy Parker. “Their level of interest in our new products and our legacy was particularly gratifying. We are already thinking about the 133rd Convention in SF next year."
“It’s always wonderful to be at the AES convention, where you can re-connect with old friends and make new ones. The mood was upbeat this year, we had good traffic at The Recording Academy booth, and I heard other exhibitors were also having a good show. The aisles were full of people and the energy was great,” P&E Wing Senior Executive Director, Maureen Droney.
Special appearances by iconic recording artists Judy Collins and Ben Folds; and perennial AES Convention crowd pleasers such as Platinum Producer, Engineer and Mastering Panels; Technical Tours; Live Sound, Educational and Historical Presentations and Lunchtime Keynotes provided over 70 cumulative hours of invaluable information, and precipitated a positive buzz which permeated the entire 4-day event.
“Broadcast & Streaming Events Chair, David Bialik; Education Chair John Krivit; Facilities Chair, Michael McCoy; Games Track Chair, Steve Martz; Historical Chair, Harry Hirsch; Live Sound Co-Chairs Henry Cohen and Mac Kerr; Master Class Chair, Alan Silverman; Papers Co-Chairs Veronique Larcher and Agnieszka Roginska; Platinum Co-Chairs, Janice Brown, Bob Ludwig and David Weiss; Product Design Track Co-Chairs, Bob Moses and Jonathan Novick; Technical Tours Chair, Lou Manno; Volunteers Chair, Doron Schacter and Workshops/Tutorials Chair Natanya Ford all performed above and beyond the call of duty” Anderson said.
“Beyond coordinating Historical events, Harry Hirsch took advantage of the proximity of a number of pivotal contributors to advances in the art and science of pro audio, to produce additions to the on-going AES Oral History Project. Interviews conducted by industry ombudsman Paul Gallo include multi-platinum producer/engineer Tony Visconti; studio entrepreneur Howie Schwartz and AES doyen Irv Joel.
“Lastly, Executive Director Roger Furness remained an indomitable source of organizational and motivational direction throughout the year-long process,” Anderson concludes. “His invaluable experience in coordinating these enormously complex programs; his ability to deal with disparate issues ranging from logistics, budgets, venue wrinkles, last minute program changes and the myriad details, enormous and miniscule which need to interface, provided the Committee with a reassuring comfort level of professionalism. At the end of the day, when questions arose, Roger Furness was the man we turned to for decisions.”
The 132nd European Audio Engineering Convention will be held in Hungary’s Budapest Congress & World Trade Center, April 26-29, 2012. The 133rd AES Convention is scheduled for October 26-29 in San Francisco’s Moscone Center.
Photos: 131st AES Convention Opening Day
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The Audio Engineering Society was formed in 1948 by a group of concerned audio engineers. The AES counts over 14,000 members throughout the U.S., Latin America, Europe, Japan and the Far East. The organization serves as the pivotal force in the exchange and dissemination of technical information for the industry. For additional information visit http://www.aes.org
