Hey guys, work has been a proverbial Hades lately, sorry I've been away from the discussion.
A sort of rhetorical question here, directed at specifically the Audio360 guys: why not put together the return of CanJam?
third_eye and I - as well as several other Audio360 guys - would love to do a CanJam!
That said, there is only one CanJam... certainly only one authorized CanJam (yes you guys across the pond, I'm looking at you)... so we would only do such an event with Jude's permission, blessing and support. But yes, we do feel up to the task, and would love to do it.
The California events you guys have organized have had way more vendors than any of the 2-day National Meets ever did, and it seems like the natural progression of what you guys are doing is leading towards another installment of the independent CanJams. Seriously, at this point and with your guys' history at organizing the events you've done, it seems like you have a sufficient team in place to pull off another CanJam, and heck, I'd be all for that!
Thanks Asr!
We do work hard on the meets, so it's extremely gratifying to know that people do enjoy and appreciate them. For anyone that has ever organized a meet, of whatever size, you know what I'm talking about. It's not easy. On top of that, meets don't scale well, so with size comes complexity.
We're already working on a series of two-day shows/meets (shmeets) for next year, and we're truly hoping that we'll be able to maintain a community feel to it. There are plenty of audio shows around the country, so our focus is on getting members together to share (like any meet should)... but also bringing in manufacturers so that:
- Members can have a chance to hear gear that they otherwise would not have - because us members don't own everything out there;
- Manufacturers can gain a better understanding of our community and what we value, receiving direct feedback from us; and
- Preserving a larger sense of community where members are not just people to be "sold to" and manufacturers are not just people we "buy from"
If I were you guys, it's certainly a question I'd pose to the appropriate individuals (like Jude, and previous CanJam team members) & MOTs. Heck, you guys are practically already regularly pulling off "CanJam" as it is, without actually calling it that. I'd certainly think Jude would let you use the name by now for an official, Head-Fi-sponsored 2-day event so you can really crank up the attendance....
Good idea!
No offense to anyone intended here...
None taken.
I've attended a fair number of the NYC meets over the years (starting with my first in 2006, which was the 1st National Meet) and have liked them just the way they were with the strong focus on members and member gear. I think it was SiBurning who once wrote something like "the members make the meet," which I wholeheartedly agree with.
We completely agree with the statement that "the members make the meet," believe me, we do. It might not look like it because we do have so many exhibitors at our meets, but we do. Here's the challenge:
There was a time when the only personal audio show was CanJam. But since that time, others have sprung up and continue to spring up. T.H.E. Show in Newport has T.H.E. Headphonium. Axpona has the Ear Gear Expo. Capital Audiofest has CanMania. The California Audio Show has Headmasters. TAVES has CANPAX. And I would imagine that The Chester Group has ambitious plans of their own.
Looking at that trend, we know that there will be more shows, not less. And therein lies a problem. There are only so many manufacturers out there. And they only have a certain amount of time and money to devote to such events (particularly those that need to travel). So over time, we're going to start to see shows becoming more plentiful, while scaling down, which is really the antithesis of a CanJam-type event. And I am not for that.
Furthermore, I would prefer that large-scale personal audio shows be closer to our community. If there is to be competition for exhibitor attention, I would rather that CanJam, a CanJam-esque event, or a national meet be the victor in that contest. The hobby began with the community, and it should always have a strong tie to the community. And member produced shmeets are the best way to accomplish that, IMO.
The world is changing fellas, and adaptability/agility is going to matter in a big way.
I noticed that at the last SoCal meet, the vendors literally outnumbered the number of Head-Fiers displaying gear, and I wouldn't want to see that happen at an NYC meet. Not that I'm against vendors, but I don't think that more vendors necessarily makes a meet better, and letting them outnumber Head-Fiers displaying gear is something that just should not be done at any meet, IMO.
Actually, it was pretty close. But yes, that does happen. We did have good enough sense to separate exhibitor and member rooms, so that it wasn't irritating to people that didn't want to have it all merged. Plus, it was easier to run security for members' gear that way.
Nothing's perfect, and we'll continue to refine everything moving forward, but seeing more members come out with their gear is something we ALWAYS want. As long as members want to bring stuff, we'll do everything we can to make sure there is space. To that end, I'd like to note that when we book/rent space, we always account for a majority of it going to members. But unfortunately, what has traditionally happened is that members don't take the space, and we're left over with a bunch of it, which eventually goes to exhibitors that want in.
I wish that weren't the case, but it often is.
I am hoping that - based on all the legendary stories I've heard about how strong the NY community is - that y'all can show the rest of the country what it's like when members come out in force. That would be awesome!
