by Paul Elliott
After months of planning, weeks of preparation, days of packing, the exhibitors unload their vans and trailers or the transport companies deliver what looks like an overwhelming amount of crates and boxes. The stuff that dreams are made of…. Or at least for the many of audiophiles and visitors that will come through the doors of the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center in Schaumburg, IL, for the next three days of AXPONA 2019, will have on their wish lists. I bet….“If only I won the big lottery last week” …will be on many if their minds.
I really do not think many of the public have a clue of what an effort it takes for any exhibitor large or small to participate at a show like this. I think most see it three days of fun and frolic, but there is much more than that. The exhibitors put in a tremendous effort to get all this equipment here and set up in time for the 10 am Friday morning opening. Somehow, the vendors manage to tackle these piles of boxes and crates and transform them into beautiful displays for us to peruse, touch, listen, and evaluate. A lot of credit needs to go to JD Events who have been organizing shows like AXPONA since 2002. The show runs like the finest Rolex watch. Event staff is always in the right place to assist in any situation that might come up. Plus the Renaissance Center seems to be just the right place for a show like this.
I walked around the hotel/convention center for a few hours this morning and grabbed a few shots of the goings-on. I wanted to get just a quick taste of the setup. Enjoy.
Nice article. There should be many stories of backstage life at both ends of the show proper. Myself, I always enjoy hanging out with the people at those times, the trick being not to be a nuisance and even to be helpful. You can hear some of the best stories!