Open Letter to Joel Davis Re: Axpona 2020

[dminches]

oh please. if you want to kill the industry further, be my guest. by October for RMAF, we should be mostly reopen - heck it's starting this weekend in Colorado. Axpona and the summer shows are goners, but its 6 months until RMAF!

There is at least a 50% chance that by the fall things will be worse than they are now with the 2nd wave of COVID-19 and flu season. This next 12 month period is completely unpredictable. The only thing we do know is that once things open up there will be an increase in infections. Hopefully it will be small and responding to appropriately. Nothing is for certain at this point. All this event companies are going to have to find clever ways to make people feel safe.

 

[KeithR]

Be my guest Keith and get on an airplane to get to Denver. Not me. We already cancelled a trip schedule for August. No planes for us.

can't wait actually. remember all the same fear post 9/11.

RMAF can be a smaller, more local-oriented show and still be very good for western state audiophiles and their dealers. If the contention on this thread is that hifi is closed in 2020, then I'd expect a lot of bankrupt companies.

 

[Joe Whip]

Well, I was on a plane shortly after the hold after 9/11. Completely different than the current situation. Have fun.

 

[adamaley]

oh please. if you want to kill the industry further, be my guest. by October for RMAF, we should be mostly reopen - heck it's starting this weekend in Colorado. Axpona and the summer shows are goners, but its 6 months until RMAF!

Which industry are you referring to? The hotel industry, or the audio industry.

One would hope you're in support of the audio industry, which is made up of the very same manufacturers looking to get refunds and skip the show altogether.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

No one asked me to post the letter. It is explicitly denominated as an "open letter," so I felt it should be okay to post the letter publicly here

It has also been posted openly on other forums.

 

[Elliot G.]

Hello Elliot,

I completely agree. Even before this current situation, I think our industry was in need of change. IMHO, we allowed the way we present the highly unique, memorable and at times emotional experiences our products are capable to become calcified. We became introverted.

Working together, perhaps we can discover our way through the current challenges and I would hope move on to expand the market to more music lovers by identifying the barriers of entry and removing those we can while flattening the curve on those we can't. I think we should include manufacturers, critical press, marketing experts, etc. Clearly increasing the brain pool as well as our collective resources could lift all boats

I would be highly interested in participating, all the best!

Damon

Damon please let me know when you would be available to chat. I would love to see if we can start something that can help all of us expand our market. Thank you and be safe
Elliot

 

[KeithR]

Which industry are you referring to? The hotel industry, or the audio industry.

One would hope you're in support of the audio industry, which is made up of the very same manufacturers looking to get refunds and skip the show altogether.

your dealers might disagree. everyone is still in panic mode, but that's going to change a lot in the next few months. if you think the entire world is staying home until 2021 i will politely disagree.

the hifi market has been show-based for over a decade now as there aren't enough dealers anymore. i don't think more dealers will be getting into this business as a result of COVID-19, but could be wrong. if there is a better model going forward, i think we all would love to hear about it.

 

[adamaley]

your dealers might disagree. everyone is still in panic mode, but that's going to change a lot in the next few months. if you think the entire world is staying home until 2021 i will politely disagree.

the hifi market has been show-based for over a decade now as there aren't enough dealers anymore. i don't think more dealers will be getting into this business as a result of COVID-19, but could be wrong. if there is a better model going forward, i think we all would love to hear about it.

Just realized you're talking about RMAF. I've been speaking based on the context of the letter, which is based on Axpona.

We're yelling over each other. I'm advocating that manufacturers get their refunds if they so wish regarding Axpona. You are advocating for us to patronize RMAF.

 

[Damon Von Schweikert]

Damon please let me know when you would be available to chat. I would love to see if we can start something that can help all of us expand our market. Thank you and be safe
Elliot

Sounds great! I'll pm you my contact info.

 

[tony22]

Sounds great! I'll pm you my contact info.

Good for you and Elliot! I’m certainly not in the industry, so I have no real idea how this is affecting you all. But I think your observations are valid and hope that you can be part of establishing perhaps a new and better paradigm that will help our hobby (and your livelihood!)

 

[KeithR]

Just realized you're talking about RMAF. I've been speaking based on the context of the letter, which is based on Axpona.

We're yelling over each other. I'm advocating that manufacturers get their refunds if they so wish regarding Axpona. You are advocating for us to patronize RMAF.

No worries - i was thinking the same thing. And 100% agree that Axpona refunds should be granted.

I didn't expect RMAF to happen either a few weeks back, but now am hoping there is a chance. I guess we will find out in a month or two.

 

[JoeHarley]

I don't want to cause harm to JD Events or Axpona as I don't know the situation there however having the show will cause harm to all of us who have invested our time and money in this event. It can't be what we expected and paid for ! That right now is impossible. This will not be a gathering and celebration of High End audio when we can't gather and we can't enjoy. How will this even work? what about elevators? restaurants? attendance? how many allowed in each room and where can they sit to listen correctly? It makes no sense...period.
For my company I don't want to be forced to spend additional thousands to attend because I am going to loose the thousands already paid for. How can my room partners attend from Germany and Spain and around the U.S.?
IMO we need as an Industry to try to help each other and there is much to learn from others. I was never consulted about the August dates when they decided to move the show. I have spoken to many about the show and even started a thread here about who was going to attend with no positive replies.
It is always important to listen to your customers needs when you run a business and I hope that Axpona will do something that is equitable for all.

Very well put Elliot. I could not agree more. Even if Axpona foolishly chose to move forward in August it would be a dismal failure, not to mention the clear health hazard the show would present. Axpona...do the right thing!

 

[PeterA]

Perhaps if they build it, people will not come.

 

[chrisr]

After SARS, most insurance companies here would not insure against pandemics. I'm pretty sure if companies in the West still do, they are now removing the clauses from future contracts...

If a force majeure clause does not reference pandemics, then one cannot assume that pandemics are automatically covered.

 

[Elliot G.]

Dear Colleague,



If you haven’t already seen it, below is the copy of the attached letter that was sent to Joel Davis at JD Events on Monday April 20, 2020 calling for the cancellation of the show and a refund to the exhibitors.

The letter is co-signed by a group of the Axpona 2020 exhibitors who agreed to take the initial lead on this effort.



Now three days after the letter was sent, JD Events still has not responded to the letter. Members of the press who sought a statement from JD have received no response either.



I would like to reiterate that the intent of this open letter is to state clearly to JD Events why postponing the show to August is not supported by exhibitors, and that they must come up with a better solution for the show that is mutually acceptable to all.



I hope you can join us in our efforts to urge the show organizer to do what is right and fair for all of the AXPONA exhibitors.



If you would like to add your name to the open letter, please email me directly by no later than the end of the day on Friday the 24th California time.

I will add your name to the list of signatories and will send the updated list to the news sites.



You can also post your comments to any and all of the sites carrying the story, some of which are listed below.



A wide debate is vital to a successful resolution to this action, so please send me your comments and suggestions and I hope that with your support we can urge JD Events to bring this matter to a mutually acceptable and equitable resolution for all as soon as possible.



Below is a note from Bill Low of AudioQuest describing his own experience with the AXPONA organizers, and his request to join in what we believe is an equitable outcome for the show this year.



Sincerely,

Luke Manley

 

[Elliot G.]

IMHO it is truly a bad choice not to address the concerns of those of us who have paid in full for the April Axpona show. We have given Axpona funds starting back in Sept of 2019 and the rooms had to be paid in full by January of 2020. IMHO it is the exhibitors that make the show. The exhibitors that spend their money and in good faith do this in advance to obtain what they were sold and told would happen. In this climate those things are sadly not possible. If you order a Filet Mignon you should not have to accept a filet of fish sandwich at the same price and no option to cancel and worse yet no one to ask about it. I hope the Axpona and Mr. Davis do the honorable thing. I will not support them ever again if they don't. This is an awful situation for everyone and I appreciate that and am not looking to harm them but in turn I don't want to be harmed any further either.
Just so that you follow
The Bending Wave Room at Axpona 2020 called the club room cost us 15,500 plus Bending Wave ordered and paid for some promotional items that cost another 1000. They have 16500 of our funds with no viable solution proposed or refund offered. I wanted to say this so people understand this is not a few dollars for a small company.
As many of you know I am not someone that is afraid to speak my mind or tell the truth or hide the facts. These are my truths and my facts. Thank you for letting me vent

 

[howiebrou]

IMHO it is truly a bad choice not to address the concerns of those of us who have paid in full for the April Axpona show. We have given Axpona funds starting back in Sept of 2019 and the rooms had to be paid in full by January of 2020. IMHO it is the exhibitors that make the show. The exhibitors that spend their money and in good faith do this in advance to obtain what they were sold and told would happen. In this climate those things are sadly not possible. If you order a Filet Mignon you should not have to accept a filet of fish sandwich at the same price and no option to cancel and worse yet no one to ask about it. I hope the Axpona and Mr. Davis do the honorable thing. I will not support them ever again if they don't. This is an awful situation for everyone and I appreciate that and am not looking to harm them but in turn I don't want to be harmed any further either.
Just so that you follow
The Bending Wave Room at Axpona 2020 called the club room cost us 15,500 plus Bending Wave ordered and paid for some promotional items that cost another 1000. They have 16500 of our funds with no viable solution proposed or refund offered. I wanted to say this so people understand this is not a few dollars for a small company.
As many of you know I am not someone that is afraid to speak my mind or tell the truth or hide the facts. These are my truths and my facts. Thank you for letting me vent

I certainly support the refund of all companies that request it. Whilst the postponement is nobody's fault, how the organizer now behaves is within someone's control and it is disingenuous in my opinion not to give participants a choice of a full refund or putting it towards the next event.

 

[Elliot G.]

The list of exhibitors that have signed the letter is growing everyday and the list now stands close to 80. As of this morning I have not heard that there has been any contact with Mr. Davis or Axpona. As I said before I wish no one harm here however I do think that this is a very bad idea in this climate. I would like to support the show in the future however I also want them to do the right thing now. I have not spoken to anyone that wants to go.
I would just like someone to tell us what is going on. The truth always is a good thing to hear. We are all adults and the facts make life so much easier to deal with.

 

[Elliot G.]

We are living in strange and terrible times.

It is the Golden Age of Audio right now, but that Golden Age has been swallowed up by the COVID-19 pandemic so suddenly that it is hard to remember just a few months ago, when 2020 looked like it would be a very good year for fine audio. Unemployment was at record lows; travel to audio shows and interest in high-end audio in general looked strong. The main problem was likely that there were too many shows, and that picking and choosing among them was a challenging proposition.

But not anymore.

2020 will go down in history as "the audio show year that wasn't."

In the USA, COVID-19 cases stand at nearly a million, with about 55,000 deaths as of today (April 26, 2020). We're all familiar with the extraordinary measures that have been taken to resist the spread of the pandemic, and the massive hit that the US and world economies have taken over the past several months. This is a real crisis, unique in the unparalleled swiftness of its attack, and the terrible effects that it has had on a heavily globalized system of business and finance.

The results for high-end audio and its schedule of events has been calamitous.

Pretty much everything after the Florida Audio Expo is now either gone, or is in danger of going. Munich 2020 cancelled commendably early, with full refunds to the exhibitors. AXPONA 2020 has shifted ground from April to early August. THE Show in Long Beach hasn't said what it will be doing about its show during the first week of June. RMAF 2020 is keeping its early October slot open, but Marjorie Baumert has made it clear that if it has to be cancelled, there will be full refunds.

And so on.

And who knows how this will all sort out? Especially in the absence of effective leadership at the federal level.

Right now, however, the main concern is about the high-end audio show that has become the largest in the US over the past few years: AXPONA. Also of concern is THE Show Long Beach 2020.

Having shifted ground from April to August, JD Events…who runs this show…is still standing pat publicly on going on with the event during the first week of August. This is despite the fact that the Mayor of Chicago and the Governor of Illinois have forbidden large events/gatherings of this size. Not to mention the very obvious dangers of trying to hold a large audio show composed mainly of older attendees who are at high risk of contracting, and perhaps dying of, COVID-19. Jamming O'Hare Airport with audiophiles (assuming that the airlines are flying)? Putting them into smaller hotel exhibition spaces over a span of 3-4 days so that they may experience the joys of close proximity? And then letting them scatter to the winds to share with others the blessings of a coronavirus?

Does anyone think that this is a good idea?

Recently, a group of audio exhibitors took the unprecedented step of sending an open letter to Joel Davis and JD Events, asking that he cancel AXPONA for 2020, and that he provide full refunds to those exhibitors who requested it. Given the enormous financial pressure that high-end businesses are suffering, with very serious lost cash flow, this is an understandable and very reasonable request.

At this point, however, JD Events is continuing to hold fast to the early August date for AXPONA. And it is also reportedly refusing to provide full refunds for its exhibitors, arguing that the funds should be mainly pushed ahead into next year, as a kind of prepayment on AXPONA 2021. This is neither wise nor far-sighted, and will most likely lead to a significant push-back from the fine audio community in future years, a thing that no one should be seeking.

I want to be quite clear about Positive Feedback's position on AXPONA 2020.

If JD Events holds AXPONA 2020 in early August, Positive Feedback will not be covering it. I will not be in attendance, nor will PF send any of its writers to Chicago (Dave and Carol Clark, who are partners and managing editors at PF, will also not be attending). No coverage of AXPONA 2020 will be published here at Positive Feedback.

We urge Joel Davis and JD Events to do the right thing, cancel the AXPONA 2020 show, and offer any AXPONA exhibitor who requests it a full refund on their prepayments for that event. This should be done without any penalty of placement or reservation for 2021. Those exhibitors who are amenable to having that balance paid forward for AXPONA 2021 can certainly request it, but it should not be mandatory. Let the exhibitors choose their option.

Likewise, we urge Maurice Jung and those involved with THE Show Long Beach 2020 to cancel their event along the lines stated immediately above.

This is an unprecedented statement on our part, but these are unique times, and require extraordinary actions to share the communal pain of this pandemic.

We all share a common passion for music and the possibilities of the audio arts. For the common good, Positive Feedback believes firmly that audio shows in the USA should follow the lead of the High End group in Munich, and the stated intent of the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest.

So say I, and so should say all those who love high-end audio and its supporting events.

Let us hope for better days in 2021.

On behalf of the Positive Feedback editorial and review community,

Dr. David W. Robinson

Editor-in-Chief

 

[ALF]

Good Morning Elliot,

When you get the chance, would you mind posting up your contract with JD Events for the AXPONA, thanks.

Best,
Alan