Community: Backbone of NSCA Expo By Keith Clark Editorial Director ProSoundWeb

I started attending NSCA Expo in 1989. A relative “newbie” to the pro audio industry, quite frankly I was just trying to figure out where I needed to be, at what time, and with whom, on behalf of my employer at the time, Electro-Voice.

One thing stands out in my mind about that first experience, however, and it’s stayed with me since. Having worked an NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) convention the month prior, to this day I recall the stark contrast between the two.

NAB, then as now, is a huge, sprawling jungle. So big, often confusing in layout (and even more so since it’s gone “multi-venue”), it can be the type of event where it’s tough to get any meaningful business done, a place where you can spend 3-4 days and see very few people you know.

It’s also an event dominated by the major players, as anyone who’s gotten caught in the pedestrian traffic jams surrounding the Sony and Philips booths can attest.

NSCA, on the other hand, is more of a community. Small exhibition space, easy to see everything and even easier to catch up with peers and acquaintances. No droning “roar of noise” and no “traffic jams.” In other words, a place where one can really get business done, and enjoy doing so.

I’m comparing apples to oranges in some senses – NAB serves a much larger market than NSCA. My point is that despite the impressive growth of the contracting industry over the past decade, NSCA has worked very hard, and succeeded in most cases, at retaining that community flavor, an environment where attendees can see, touch and learn, and talk about it with numerous peers who seem to be lurking around every corner.

The booths are still largely table-top, and even the larger spaces for the “big guys” haven’t been allowed to grow too big. When it became apparent a solution was in order to accommodate the larger manufacturers, NSCA reacted by insuring plenty of “off-floor” demo space.

So, the “little guys” get a real chance to introduce their latest gizmos right alongside the “big boys.” The very real benefit: Systems contractors get the chance to see it all and perhaps find an innovation or problem-solver, produced by a company big or small, that could be valuable to their business.

Add in other related facets – the caper, the golf tournament, West Penn party, an ever-growing number of floor locations devoted to like-minded technology and business folks, and an even-more-ever-growing roster of educational sessions headed by outstanding leaders… and it’s really tough to beat the value of the Expo in terms of industry conventions.

Hats off to Chuck Wilson and the gang at NSCA, and here’s to looking forward to what we hope is a highly successful – for all – 2002 Expo in Denver.