AES 134 Keynote crowd The 134th AES Convention was held May 4–7 at Rome’s Fontana di Trevi Conference Centre.
“In addition to a solid pro industry turnout, we attracted many enthusiastic students whose quest for information and mentors was palpable,” AES Executive Director Bob Moses said of the four days packed with 150 workshops, tutorials and round table discussions.
“I wanted to test a model based on sponsorship, in contrast to a traditional exhibition,” Moses said. “This event and venue was a good opportunity for such a test.”
“The emphasis on serious industry issues and meaningful technical dialogues distinguished this event from the new product introduction focus of many large scale conventions,” Gioia Molinari, head of marketing for gold sponsor RCF said, emphasizing a conviction that the convention is the right size and format to establish business ties and to assess technical trends.
CharterOak President Michael Deming emphasized that this AES was different — in a good way — because it lacked an exhibit hall. “Our presentation room was filled with industry pioneers, working professionals and wide-eyed students, creating an environment for training and technical discussions; that doesn’t happen on a crowded exhibits floor.”
