There was a lot of interest in this new January Hi-Fi event but we’ve just learned that it has been postponed due to the rising number of COVID cases due to the Omicron variant.
The show organizers just made it official.
Q1 2022 is beginning to look very problematic for consumer A/V trade shows with the exception of the show scheduled for Tampa in February.
“For the last fifteen years, Sarah and I have been organizing audio shows, and believe us, we went through many epic situations. Since the pandemic’s beginning, we have closely followed the development of Covid-19 and its variants to make sure we make the right decision at the right time. As a result, in the last 22 months, we have canceled three of our four shows as it was unsafe.
When we announced AudioConLA last June, no one could have predicted the situation we are in today. Since last week, the condition has deteriorated rapidly. The CES is seeing its most prominent exhibitors withdraw due to the exponential increase of Omicron cases. The Grammy Awards are postponing their dates, professional leagues are rescheduling games, thousands of flights are canceled every day, many countries are under lockdown, and the CDC is projecting record numbers of cases for the month of January.
Due to the emerging hyper-infectious Omicron variant, it became evident that it would be impossible to hold our event in total safety on the dates we planned it. We feel it would be thoughtless to host a large international gathering amid the rapidly spreading COVID-19 infections. The health and well-being of our participants are our ultimate priority. The event is therefore postponed to a later date.
We are not taking this decision lightly. We have invested one year of our life in developing this project and a considerable amount of money. However, we are confident that this is an investment for the future and not a loss in the present.
We are incredibly disappointed for the public and for our partners who supported us: the Hyatt Regency, the manufacturers, exhibitors, sponsors, press, artists, and collaborators, but we had to take the decision now before all parties incurred additional costs.”
AudioConLA will refund everyone at 100% within the next couple of days.
Thank you all for your trust!
Sarah & Michel
Executive producers
Audio Convention LA
Bob Levi
Chairman
LAOCAS
For more information about AudioConLA, we’ve included our original coverage of this event below.
Original Story
The COVID-19 pandemic was not kind to the trade show industry and things are slowly getting back to normal even with the Delta variant causing issues in some countries. Los Angeles County has reimposed an indoor mask mandate and we suspect neighboring Orange County can’t be too far behind. With everything going on and CES 2022 only a few weeks earlier, color us surprised to learn this afternoon that a new high-end audio show is happening in January 2022. We’re supporters of T.H.E. Show which was the first show to come back during the pandemic and it would appear that AudioConLA is happening as well.
The Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society have announced the launch of AudioConLA, a world-class international high-end audio show organized under the direction of Sarah Tremblay and Michel Plante, the successful duo behind Montreal Audiofest and Toronto Audiofest.
AudioConLA will also present two premiere music concerts to be held at the hotel’s exclusive 1200 seat tree-lined outdoor amphitheater, the home of the Newport Beach Jazz Festival. Headliners will include internationally renowned Anne Bisson on Friday evening and extraordinary Charlotte Cardin on Saturday evening.
AudioConLA will run from January 14 to 16, 2022, at the iconic Hyatt Regency Newport Beach, 1107 Jamboree, Newport Beach, CA.
We’re bullish on Sarah Tremblay and Michel Plante who have an excellent track record with the Canadian shows; who doesn’t love going to Montreal and standing in line at St. Viateur at 5 a.m.?
We’re less impressed by the Audio Society trying to make it impossible for T.H.E. Show to grow and flourish. Southern California already has the aforementioned show and CanJam SoCal so we’re wondering if this is guided by a genuine need for another show or politics.
Do manufacturers have the funds right now to do another show?
Hopefully there is room for all 3 shows to co-exist and bring more people into the fold.
