122nd AES Pro Audio Expo & Convention: Lots of Visitors - Lots of Activity.

VIENNA, Austria -- The 122nd AES Convention in Vienna closed on May 8th. Marked by a strong upswing in the audio industry, an outstanding technical program, and an exhibition with many new exhibitors and visitors, the event served as a platform for renewing and expanding the AES Convention series as the largest pro audio event in Europe!

Approximately 5,450 attendees and 800 full-program participants confirm an abiding strong interest in audio products and information. One particularly positive trend was that visitors spent more time at the convention itself, whereas the past year events had been typified by shorter visits.

As expected, 15% of participants came from Eastern European countries this year. Thierry Bergmans, Exhibition Manager of the European AES Convention, explained that Vienna, the host city, had a positive effect on the turnout: "Basically, many of our visitors came from the Austria and neighboring countries. This year we saw the trend extend to Eastern European countries as well. After all, for these visitors, traveling to this convention was easier than ever."

The convention also exceeded expectations in the numbers of future audio professionals in attendance: approximately 30% of the full-program visitors were students who went to the AES to exchange information and to network. Once again, these numbers show an increase compared to previous years and underscores the AES strategy to promote training and continued education to attract emerging audio professionals.

The Spotlights Series, a new AES initiative created to provide exchanges of subject-specific information, was introduced at this year's convention lineup. Focusing on three hot industry topics (Broadcasting, Live Sound and Archiving), the series offered a large array of individual events, featuring presentations, workshops, technical tours, exhibitor seminars, and application seminars. This comprehensive approach made it possible to learn about the subjects from a number of different perspectives, which visitors found very helpful.

Introduced at last year's Paris convention, the Application Seminars feature presentations on practical areas of pro audio. They were an integral part of the Vienna convention as well. Visitors and exhibitors were also enthusiastic about the large presentation area reserved for these Seminars in one of the two convention halls, establishing them as the central forum for all attendees and a logical extension of the traditional convention program.

"We fully support this trend towards more activity in the exhibition area," said Roger Furness, echoing the overall impression of convention attendees. "It greatly enhances the overall experience."

After visiting many regions of Europe in the last few years, including such host cities as Berlin, Barcelona, Paris, and now Vienna, the AES-Convention will return to one of the most popular cities and successful convention locations in Western Europe in 2008: Amsterdam. Save the date for the next convention!

The 124th AES Pro Audio Expo & Convention will be held May 17-20, 2008, at the RAI in Amsterdam.