January 29, 2012

Room For Two? A Second HiFi Show For Malaysia?

I was roped in to a highly discreet meeting a couple of months ago. The agenda of the meeting is to ask if Hifi-Unlimited would support the idea of a second hifi show in the local market context? Our motto is if the activity can stimulate further traction for the hifi hobby, then sure!

The idea for suggesting a second hifi show is to have a more stereo focused event, organised by a group of enthusiast, for the hifi connoisseur.  That effectively means it'll be a smaller, more intimate show, attended by enthusiast who knows good sound and hopefully, brings along a newbie friend or two. The show organisers are targeting about 25-30 demo rooms(mostly stereo/2 chanel only) along with foyer areas for activities such as cash & carry, music concert, and a choice of F&B sections for show attendees to hang out. The show organisers are also hopping to stage the event in the suburban area of Petaling Jaya, sometime towards the end of the year(a November weekend is most likely).

This post serves to gather first hand feedback from hifi enthusiast, as in you, our kind readers, who are the most likely show goers about your preferences and constructive suggestion which perhaps, could be incorporated in to the event. All your thoughtful feed back on the comments section of this post are appreciated.

For the record, Hifi-Unlimited will continue to provide supporting coverage for the coming KLIAV 2012 show too, just as before.

Is the hifi market getting too crowded or a case of the more, the merrier?

11 comments:

Unknown said...

please get this second hifi show started ASAP. Just don't make it into another pasar malam all you can blast out loud music to attract customer kind.

Ken said...

A good thing to have another stereo hifi show.

But do you think it is possible?

The companies would want to maximise their spendings of exhibiting in the show, i.e. to have some sales which I don't think will be possible cause hifi audiophiles is not the type that purchase on impulsive especially when the price are in the stratospheric region!

Big E said...

Hi! Guys,

Thanks for the feedback. However,I think the event organisers are NOT going to start work until more feed back and comments are displayed here.

Personally, I think a second event, much like the smaller, more stereo focused shows now popularly staged in the US and European towns is much welcomed in the local context.

However, the show organisers and hifi dealers need to see more support from the enthusiast, before financially commiting to the cause.

Your feedback here is important for them to gauge the overall support level.

Kindly show your support here with thanks.

HiFi said...

Can't wait to go for this event. no pasar malam style pls

fizi said...

Im in the hospitality industries, end of the year most hotel will busy with events and banqueting so early of the year like January will be the best month.During that period the organizer can bargain special rate for any events due to low occupancy..

Suggest to allocate 1 or 2 rooms for selling used hifi geeks and CD/Vinyl this will be one of the attraction.

El Hefe said...

A dedicated 2 channel event would be good focus change. However, I do suggest the hifi set up should be classed based on price range. The last thing I would like to see is 30 set ups that is only catered for the super rich. If that is the case, forget about luring new and younger generation into this hobby.

The event should show set ups for beginners, intermediate and high ends.

In other words, have a clear objective of this event. ONE or TWO maximum objectives, only then I think it would be agood event.

Big E said...

HIFI, FIZI, Elhefe,

Thanks for chipping in with much valid points.

I especially like the suggestion about having an equal representation between entry, mid and high end systems for a spread of variety.

Based on my meeting with the organisers, they seem to go the direction of a more focused show with the following points.

In fact, I think one of their main objective is that each demo should be done within acoustic limits of the given room. Sonic bleeding between rooms is a serious issue which they are keen to address.

Another issue they were highlighting is the cash & carry and CD/LP retail section which will be placed in the foyer areas, to keep crowds and other noisy activities away from the demo rooms. The organisers are also promising a non monopoly of space by only one retailer, which should guarantee some kind of competition spirit.

F&B is another issue they are looking at, if they should include a buffet/refreshment service in to a slightly costlier entry ticket, or should show goers be allowed to have an option?

Live music performance is another area the show organisers are very keen to promote.

They may also be looking at(cost permitting) getting some of the well respected audiophiles in the region to share their tips to good sound.

I am sure with more suggestions and support displayed here, I am sure the show organisers can do more to achieve the kinda of show that you'd enjoy.

I am sure the organisers are looking in to this space with much anticipation.

Ken said...

I don't think the organiser should worry if people would turn up or not. If you do it, people will come. If you do it well, more will turn up. The word of mouth can spread very fast, esp. via social networking.

What the organiser should focus is how to make the show a success. Having different setup at different price range is a great suggestion.
But I hope the distributors make an effort to maximise the setup. I can say that close to 95% of the setup that I have heard in any hifi show in Malaysia sounds extremely poor. You can see that the distributors don't have a clue on what is a good sound. And they are displaying a setup that is more expensive than a Merc E Class!
I know some are saying that the wares they display are new and just out of the box. I don't understand why they should be using a hardware that is so new. They should be running in that gear way before they display it a hifi show because they should have already decided what they want to display.

The organiser do not need to focus on the F&B at all. If they want to, just setup a counter to sell some snacks.

Heinlein said...

It's a good idea to have an extra HiFi Show. However, it would be better that things are done differently and targeted at different audience.

Stereo HiFi is a good start but the definition is a bit blur. Does that mean strictly for 2 speakers setup or 2.1 speaker system is allowed?

keshminder said...

Hi fellow members!

I fully support the idea of having another AV show. As mentioned by many that it should focus 3 categories Low/Mid/High....not super high ;).

I would also like to see more on Computer Audiophile as this has now gained much more traction worldwide compared to past years.
We have seen more products mature in this area and many of the HiFi big guns are starting to see the light and are creating new and exciting product to complement our digital lifestyle.

Another good inclusion for the show would be Head-Fi.

Having food during a trade show can be difficult to manage and messy. I agree with the previous suggestion of having light snacks and refreshments.

Other than that, a good strategic location with ample affordable parking space would also encourage people to come.

MYindSoulMate said...

Should be both 2.1 and 7.1 system..
Young generation do like stereo but movie boots more too them...