The Audio Engineering Society made its return to in-person events in New York last week (October 18-21), announced that registration for the 153rd AES Convention came close to 7,000, which combined with the co-located 2022 NAB Show New York, drew 16,500-plus professionals. The convention continues online this week — October 26 and 27 — which is included in the AES New York 2022 All Access package and available through registration at AESShow.com.
The exhibition floor at Manhattan’s Javits Center had more than 100 audio exhibitors among the 350-plus brands showcasing their latest offerings. Programming and presentations ranged from the opening day’s new Skill Building Sessions through the TechTours on the last day of the show as well as keynotes from Jack Antonoff and Susan Rogers.
“I’ll tell you what, I am the happiest guy to be back here in New York City at AES because this is where the family is, this is where our family is. AES is driven, and it’s great to see everybody, and the energy this year is amazing,” says five-time GRAMMY-winning mix engineer Chris Lord-Alge about the convention, where he took part in several Tech Program and Mix with the Masters sessions.
“We have had a very, very successful couple of days here at the AES Show,” adds Hannah Bliss, VP of marketing, North America, for exhibitor Focusrite Group U.S. “One thing that was really surprising is the increased number of students and their level of engagement. They’re asking about professional development. They’re asking about jobs. They’re not just asking about tech. There have been a lot of musicians and studio owners, also. We’ve had three years of not being able to see gear, touch gear, talk to manufacturers, so everyone seems really engaged.”
Avid hosted the Avid Partners Pavilion as well as its own booth on the show floor, with the company’s events technical supervisor, Matt Diggs, stating, “We are so excited to be back at AES New York. We have new products on display with Pro Tools | Carbon and the new M-Box Studio and happy to be back here with everyone in person, after such a long break, and we will see you at the next show.”
“The enthusiasm and excitement were electrifying as the community of audio professionals gathered in-person in New York for the first time in far too long,” concludes AES president Josh Reiss. “The aisles were quite literally packed with attendees who came together to immerse themselves in the world of audio, meet with old friends and make new ones, discover cutting-edge ideas, reinforce and expand knowledge and skills, explore the latest tools with hardware and software developers and gain insights into what’s to come in the future, this 153rd AES International Convention had all the hallmarks that have made AES Conventions so crucial to professional audio for nearly 75 years.”
Exhibitor bookings and preliminary information for next year’s AES New York Convention, taking place October 25-27, 2023, will be available this December. Additionally, the AES invites the audio community to join its 75th anniversary year’s AES Europe 2023 Convention, May 13 – 15 at Aalto University in Espoo, Finland.
