Last winter I got a call from our editor, Constantine Soo, wanting to know what I thought about Dagogo sponsoring an audio show for the Bay Area. I asked when in 2011 did he plan to try to do it. He said, no he wanted to have it in the summer of 2010. Having acted as event manager for some pretty big events over the years, I told him I didn’t think it could be done that quickly. Well, I would like to apologize to Constantine, for not only did he do it, but the show was also a huge success.
There were several questions I wondered about when he told me he was going to do the show. I would like to take a few minutes to share those questions and answers.
First, I wondered if any exhibitors would come other than local Bay Area vendors. The answer to that was an unqualified yes. There was Audio Note UK there with their European rep, not just a dealer from the Bay Area. ASC came down from Oregon with a truck load of tube traps and stuff. They should have brought two truck loads though, because the hotel rooms all had a nasty hump in the mid-bass that tended to muddy up the sound, if not dealt with. Jim Salk came all the way from Oakland, Michigan. He brought with him a pair of his brand new state-of-the-art speakers with him, too.
The second thing I wondered about was where he could have the show on such short notice. The Hilton Garden Inn in Emeryville may not have been perfect, but it was as good or better than some of the shows I have been to in New York and Florida. Yes, they weren’t ready for the lunch crowd, and the parking was less than perfect, but still for a first year I heard very few complaints and I thought it worked out well.
I also wondered if any of the other press would cover the show as sponsored by Dagogo. Again, the answer was a resounding yes. There was a good bit of press there, but I have simply been amazed at the coverage in Stereophile and Positive Feedback (Part 1, Part 2).
The forth question was the one all the vendors were asking Thursday night. Would anyone come? Well, the answer to this question was a rather shocking yes. Thirty minutes before the show started people were lined up to get in. I think everyone was shocked by the number of attendees on Friday. Saturday was simply amazing, while Sunday dropped off just a bit. People came from all over the West Coast, and it was obvious that our dear editor was right when he said the people around here were more than ready for another audio show in the Bay Area. (True, but of course I was referring to you and I, my friend. I’ll try to be less vague next time. -Ed.)
So, Constantine a big “well done” from the Beatnik, and I can’t wait until next year. (Thank you! –Ed.)
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