From the opening of Audio Engineering Month to the final week of livestream Technical Program and featured events, the AES Show Fall 2020 Convention garnered overwhelming support from attendees, presenters and exhibitors alike. In spite of the monumentally difficult task of taking the AES Show online, sessions from top industry professionals and showcases by leading partner brands flourished, drawing virtual crowds and interactions to a variety of presentations afforded by the new virtual format. Additionally, as a benefit of the online format, nearly all Technical Program sessions from the AES Show will remain online through the month of November, with Partner Showcase virtual booths, presentations and more remaining open through December 18, while registration remains open for those who choose to enjoy the AES Show at their own pace.
Nearly 4,400 AES Show attendees logged on from 70 countries to take in over 300 livestreamed sessions hosted by more than 600 presenters and panelists on all things audio, from workshops on the latest tools and techniques, to the Special Events series featuring FINNEAS, Jackson Browne and friends, Imogen Heap, Platinum Panel sessions and more (including the AES Show’s opening statement from New York State Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Hochul). A wealth of research papers and engineering briefs were also presented during the final week of the AES Show, perpetuating the scientific and educational insights that are hallmarks of AES Conventions and adding to the Audio Engineering Society’s seventy-plus years of research and applications archives.
“If there’s one defining aspect of AES Conventions, it’s the breadth, depth and comprehensiveness of the Convention Technical Program,” said AES President-Elect and Convention co-chair Jonathan Wyner. “The all-volunteer Convention Committee and the AES staff rose to the challenges of moving the Convention online and delivered an outstanding program without equal. With the online format, every attendee, from wherever they were in the world, had the best seat in the house. What’s more, with all the content available online for on-demand viewing, AES Show 2020 is still delivering throughout November.”
Rounding out the AES Show experience were a host of activities taking place both on-demand and in real time throughout the Audio Engineering Month of October, including Student and Career events (student competitions, project critiques, the Education and Career Fair and more), open-session roundtable discussions on a variety of topics, and the “7 Audio Wonders of the World” Tech Tours series, offering exclusive virtual walking tours of some of the world’s most revered studios. Partner Showcase events also took center stage, adding a trade-show-floor element to the AES Show, with live presentations, product debuts, and virtual booths that attendees could browse for information, videos, and demos of the latest gear from top brands.
“The technology for online events is still maturing,” noted AES Secretary and Convention co-chair Valerie Tyler. “To port every aspect of an AES convention into an online format ended up requiring not just one, but three websites. In the end, that also allowed us to expand aspects of the convention in new ways that promise to deliver into the future.”
“One of the most exciting aspects of a virtual convention,” added the third convention co-chair, AES Governor-elect Paul Womack, “is that we were able to include contributions from artists, engineers, producers and audio experts that wouldn’t have been able to participate in an in-person event that required travel and a physical presence. The Special Events series and my own R&B and Hip-Hop Track were greatly enhanced by this additional star-power, a pattern that rippled through the entire Convention.”
Visit AESShow.com to find out more about additional Technical Program events, Partner Showcase exhibitions, and much more being made available through November. Showcase registration is free for AES Members, while non-members can register for just $25, or for free with a VIP promo code from one of the AES Show Partners (special thanks to AES Show Fall 2020 Convention Platinum Partners Amazon Devices, Focusrite, Focusrite Pro, Genelec, NTP Technology [DAD, Penta], and The Recording Academy Producers and Engineers Wing). For everything AES Show 2020 has to offer, including the comprehensive Technical Program, All Access Registration is still available, starting at just $149 for AES Members and $99 for AES Student Members.
