Story Updated on March 12, 2016In a surprise announcement, The Chester Group, the promoters of the Montréal Salon Son & Image - the same company who promotes the New York Audio Show and several other shows across Canada and the United Kingdom - announced its decision to postpone the 2016 edition of this high-end and consumer audio event, due to take place 18-20 March 2016.
In the announcement confirming the decision to defer this year’s Salon Son & Image Show/Montreal Audio Show, the promoters -Chester GRP Exhibitions (Canada) - stated: “The deciding factor has been market support, with a substantial drop in companies wanting to support this long established event. All shows of this type rely 100% on commercial support from Exhibitors, and as much as we would enjoy doing so, we cannot force companies to support a show, they have to make their own commercial decisions.
“We do understand that this will come as a considerable disappointment and we know that the previous organisers also did all they could to keep the show going, but the decline in Exhibitor support had been gradual but erosive. Our overriding concern will always be to ensure great value for money for our Exhibitors and just as importantly our show visitors, and morally we simply could not continue.”
“However, and to clarify, this show is not being cancelled, and will now benefit from a complete overhaul to reflect market changes. Dates, Venue, Location, Content etc., are all being worked on right now, and no time will be lost to ensure the shows continuation and revitalisation. We will deal with all current ticket holders to arrange refunds, please allow a few days for us to implement this.”
The Montréal Salon Son & Image had already received a confirmation from Sony to be the Title Sponsor for the 2016 edition, where the Japanese company intended to demonstrate, for the first time in Canada, its new reference quality turntable, the PS-HX500.
Montréal Salon Audio / Montreal Audio Fest Following the announcement by the Chester Group - which had acquired the show in 2013 - just two weeks before the event, a series of reactions from key industry players have generated also a reaction from the previous owners to revive the show.
Just 24 hours past the announcement, the new Montréal Salon Audio / Montreal Audio Fest was announced on social media. The following statement was made by the promoters:
“Having invested ten years of our professional lives to make the Montréal SSI a reference in the industry, we could not simply accept this situation and see the event disappear.
Less than an hour after the announcement, the former owners of the event, as well as several industry members, have decided to form a new non-profit organization and maintain the show next week, from the 18 to the 20 March 2016, at the Bonaventure Hotel.
Exceptionally for this edition, the admission will be free for visitors, because there will be less exhibitors, but the quality of the presentations will be identical to previous years. The rates for exhibitors have been greatly reduced, in order to retain a maximum of them.
So there you go, you’re all invited to join us to celebrate the birth of the new Montréal Salon Audio / Montreal Audio Fest.
After this edition of the show, a board of directors will be elected in order to plan the future of this iconic event."
For the moment, the new show only has a Facebook page available here: www.facebook.com/mtlsalonaudio/
Meanwhile, the following statement by the Chester Group was also published: “Following our decision to defer SS&I/Montreal Audio Show we have heard indirectly that the previous organizers have decided to continue with a High End Show on the same weekend and at the same Hotel as we previously occupied.
We also understand that this is to be a non-profit making venture.
We would like to say that we fully support any endeavour by the industry that helps this market and the fact it is to be non-profit making endorses our decision to defer our show, because as we have clearly stated, we had no option but to do so because of the overall lack of market support, and we know that finances, current trading issues and cash-flow had a big hand in that.
The Chester Group has no intention of going head to head with other shows in the same market, we have never done so and never will; we have always been 100% supportive of the industry.
Our focus remains on creating new shows in untapped markets and ensuring existing shows appeal to brand new footfall, which in turn can act as stepping stones into the Higher End market.
So we repeat, if the only way a High End Show can continue in Montreal is on a non-profit making basis, we fully support it. Any show we organise will be quite different."
Chester Group
www.chestergroup.org/salonsonimage/2016
