ANNOUNCEMENT: SYDNEY AV EXPO CANCELLED
Philip Vafiadis
Regular visitors to this newsgroup will have seen a posting I made
regarding a VAF Research presence at the Expo. This is the 3rd major A/V
event that VAF has booked for Sydney in the last 12 months to be cancelled.
I have been advised that the reason for the cancellations is lack of
commitment from product distributors. I cannot fully express my
disappointment at this latest cancellation.
The situation in Melbourne is a little better, but far from ideal.
The concept for this latest cancelled Expo was very good and deserved
support. No exhibitor would profit from the Expo, other than from the sales
of their own products, some of the money from ticket sales was going to
charity. The organisers, Lorane Publishing, were not making a cent directly
from the Expo and were relying on indirect benefit though extra support for
their magazines. This concept would have insured the lowest cost for
exhibitors and the best result for customers and the general community.
Things don't get much better than this and there was still a lack of
support from major industry participants????
I would like to begin a broad discussion in these news groups aimed towards
the establishment of effective events, shows, expo's etc. Any constructive
input, comments or feedback would be welcome.
Philip Vafiadis
Managing Director VAF Research Pty Ltd
http://www.vaf.com.au
Mark Pakula
>
>The Sydney Audio & Video Lifestyle Expo has been cancelled.
what a major disapointment..i saw somebody here post that
it had been cancelled and i was hoping that it wasnt just like
last years. I was hoping you could confirm if it was or not.
I was so looking forward to finally getting a chance to listen to
a pair of VAFs.. and this would be the only opportunity i would get.
>
>Regular visitors to this newsgroup will have seen a posting I made
>regarding a VAF Research presence at the Expo.
Yup.. it made my day.
>The situation in Melbourne is a little better, but far from ideal.
I myself was thinking about flying down specifically for the
Melbourne Expo last year.. we havent had anything close to that in
sydney in my lifetime... but look at what happens O/S.. huge shows.
>
>
>I would like to begin a broad discussion in these news groups aimed towards
>the establishment of effective events, shows, expo's etc. Any constructive
>input, comments or feedback would be welcome.
yeah that would be great.. about the only thing i went to which had any
sort of Hi-Fi gear, was the "Big Boys Toys" exhibition.. which
toured around the country a while ago.. in Syndey, they used
Darling Harbour's conference centres.. great venue.. and basically
all they had were a couple local hifi shops... with a couple
of measly home theater type setups using LCD projectors. nothing high end
and more importantly nothing from the industry itself..
yet they had represetatives from Alpine, Pioneer, Clarion, Denon
all talking about their Car Audio Range when they could have all
had big demos setup with their latest and greatest Hi-Fi and
Hometheater gear, and I bet it would have drawn more crowds to their stands.
>
>Philip Vafiadis
>Managing Director VAF Research Pty Ltd
>http://www.vaf.com.au
thanks for actaully caring about your customers and taking the time
to post and inform us..
Mark.
--
Mark Pakula
mpa...@macquarie.com.au.au or ma...@uow.edu.au.au
remove one .au and please spam this: onen...@bigpond.com
Grant Carlson
>
>In article <01bdf7e3$7f61e1c0$0100007f@philip>, says...
>
>
>>
>>The Sydney Audio & Video Lifestyle Expo has been cancelled.
>>regarding a VAF Research presence at the Expo.
>
>Yup.. it made my day.
I too would have gone along just to listen to some VAF speakers.
>I myself was thinking about flying down specifically for the
>Melbourne Expo last year.. we havent had anything close to that in
>sydney in my lifetime... but look at what happens O/S.. huge shows.
As an ex pat from Melbourne (now in Sydney) it amazes me that with all the
money here in Sydney there are no comparable hifi expos.
I spent quite a lot of time choosing my lastest system (about 3 months), and
finished spending about $13,000. I thought this was a LOT of money, and yet
the guys at the store where I bought my gear sold 4 $20,000 NEC plasma
screens in 2 weeks, and regularly install $50K+ home theatre systems.
Surely there is a big enough customer base in Sydney to justify a mid to
high-end AV expo! Or are the few big retailer's here happy with keeping
their customers to themselves and their range of products..??
I might have spent my $4K on a pair of VAF I-66 instead of my Martin Logans
if I have have been able to HEAR them!
>>Philip Vafiadis
>>Managing Director VAF Research Pty Ltd
>>http://www.vaf.com.au
>
>thanks for actaully caring about your customers and taking the time
>to post and inform us..
>
>Mark.
I second those sentiments!!!
Grant.
Victor Major
Philip Vafiadis wrote:
> The Sydney Audio & Video Lifestyle Expo has been cancelled.
>
...very sad state of affars. I cannot believe that the industry representatives
failed to give support. Very strange.
What do you think the reasons are? Lack of leadership? Commitment?
I was looking forward to attending this show...
V.
Trevor Wilson
Philip Vafiadis wrote in message <01bdf7e3$7f61e1c0$0100007f@philip>...
>The Sydney Audio & Video Lifestyle Expo has been cancelled.
<SNIP>
>I would like to begin a broad discussion in these news groups aimed towards
>the establishment of effective events, shows, expo's etc. Any constructive
>input, comments or feedback would be welcome.
>
>Philip Vafiadis
>Managing Director VAF Research Pty Ltd
>http://www.vaf.com.au
>
Like Philip, I had committed (money) to set up at the show. It is a huge
disappointment to myself and the manufacturers I represent. The reasons why
such shows do not succeed (I believe) are rather sinister and fairly
uncomfortable to accept. Nevertheless, here goes my thoughts (no names,
though, you can probably figure out who I am referring to):
Sydney is not as much a hi fi town as is Melbourne (never has been).
Melbourne has some interesting and whacky identities whose exploits at shows
and at other times are legend. This, alone, is enough to get punters into hi
fi shows, just to see what these guys are up to this week. Sydney has none
of these. Sydney has weather. Melbourne (the bleak city) has the weather
which is perfect for indoor pursuits. Allied to that Melbourne is a more
'social' town than Sydney. Friends gathering for evening's entertainment at
each other's homes is more common. Dare I say it, but I feel that Melbourne
people display more sophistication for the finer things in life than Sydney
people, who tend to be a little more ostentatious with their wealth in the
form of flashy cars, boats, etc. In Melbourne, who cares if you have a boat
or not?
Due to most of these factors, Melbourne has always had a flourishing hi fi
industry involving many small manufacturers, quality retailers and importers
of boutique brands. Everytime a hi fi show is announced these small guys
jump at the chance to display their wares, since it allows the chance to
direct market equipment to the people who would be most interested in their
gear. Sydney has very few manufacturers and few small retailers. The
importers of hi end gear are few in number and their breadth of brands is
quite large. Why would they bother with a hi fi show? Hi fi shows are damned
hard work, they attract no more than about 5,000 visitors (in Sydney), they
are relatively expensive for these importers to set up and staff and these
importers (of exotic equipment) don't really need a hi fi show. They have
large, well equipped show rooms to best display their wares. Why should they
worry about supporting a hi fi show, where smaller, but possibly more
competitive players may outshine them? Better to just not allow it to
happen. Am I being paranoid? Maybe. Maybe not. Two of the importers I refer
to 'strung along' the organiser of this current show and the last, stillborn
show in exactly the same manner. I am certainly starting (belatedly) to
understand their tactics.
Having said all that, I must say that I enjoy doing hi fi shows. Most of the
visitors are truly interested in the product. I catch up with old friends
and clients and then go home with sore feet. I find it quite mystifying to
try to understand why people will happily spend huge amounts on imported
products, when superior quality can be had for MUCH less with some of out
home grown brands. VAF, ME, Orphans, Krix are but a few very fine brands
that can easily hold their own, even in the places like the US or Europe. In
Australia, these brands represent outrageous bargains. Still, vested
interests, in Sydney, will ensure that hi fi shows will be a distant memory.
Advertising of brands like Krell, Martin Logan, Audio Research are
international in reach. Aussie products cannot compete in that arena....yet.
Oh yeah, about that Sydney - Melbourne thing. No flames were intended, just
an observation from a Sydney-sider, with about 15 Sydney and 10 Melbourne hi
fi shows under his belt (professionally). Except for the traffic, I love
Sydney dearly.
I would be willing to commit to a hi fi show in Sydney, Philip. Perhaps we
can organise something.
Cheers,
Trevor Wilson
http://www.hutch.com.au/~rage
Derek Woodlands
<vma...@iname.com> took time out from the neverending quest to rid the world of
grues and wrote:
> > The Sydney Audio & Video Lifestyle Expo has been cancelled.
> >
>
> failed to give support. Very strange.
>
> What do you think the reasons are? Lack of leadership? Commitment?
>
> I was looking forward to attending this show...
I can remember 20 odd years ago when they held a HiFi show at the Sydney
Showgrounds. It was a HUGE affair with several pavilions full of the latest
gear which, being a student back then, I couldn't afford. I really wanted one
of those Marantz receivers with the built in CRO and a pair of Electrovoice 3D
speakers! ;-)
Catchya
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~kingpin1
> The home of #The-Pit <
> Home of the Aussie Dropbear Page <