Halloween weekend, The Retailer had the opportunity to spend some time at the 139th Audio Engineering Society Convention in New York City’s Javits Center. The convention catered to the audio industry as a whole—recording and production, broadcast and streaming, game audio, live sound, networked audio, post production, systems integration and more—with 400 workshops, panels and technical sessions, and such highlights as the Project Studio Expo, Live Sound Expo, Grammy SoundTables panel and the lighting of the Empire State Building in blue and white in AES’ honor. Registration was strong this year, with nearly 18,500 attendees. Among the masses, we felt at home under Sweetwater’s banner, hanging across an entire side wall of the main show floor, even though The Retailer’s market was but one of many represented at the show.
Bob Moses, AES Executive Director, commented, “The AES HQ staff and legions of volunteers—including leading professionals—poured their hearts into the convention. Attendees of all types went home satisfied, and the AES itself benefits from their participation, ensuring the society’s continued good health.”
On the social media side of things, the show benefited from five Web-active AES members, working with three video crews and convention volunteers, resulting in more than 10 million impressions on Twitter (#AES139). This ample online presence also boosted AES’ Facebook and Twitter following. Off-line, social networking peaked Halloween night, at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, where AES teamed up with Vintage King Audio to present Afterglow 7, an after-party of record-breaking size.
Upcoming AES activities include the AES 140th Convention, June 4 to 7, 2016, in Paris, France, and the AES 141st Convention, in Los Angeles CA, September 29 to October 1, 2016.