By: Malle Kaas
“I hate it”! That’s kind of how I feel every time I’m going to an exhibition for sound technology. I feel, I’m walking into a nerdy club for boys only. Women do account for only about 1% of the visitor’s including exhibitors.
It wasn’t any different a month ago when I visited an exhibition at the magnificent Opera House in Copenhagen – which, by the way, has this front of glass that I walked right into. The result was that twenty guys standing outside for a smoke and the exhibitors on the inside, all turned their heads when I smacked my fat winter boot into the glass front. I was considering shooting “Yes, the lady is in the house. And no, I’m not working in the catering. Neither am I here to pick up my boyfriend”. Instead, I just murmured something about, how irritating it was with so well polished panorama windows…. Well, I did find the right entrance and ran into some of my dear male co-workers. Immediately we started exchanging “So, what are you up to? Have you heard about? Did you know that?”, etc.
These exhibitions are also about the social aspect. This is time to catch up on what’s going on. Networking is a big part of the exhibition and a reason you should go. Even if you don’t know anybody, it is a great place to become familiar with different companies and their products.
I would say there are three reasons for going to an exhibition for sound technology:
- The networking as I mentioned
- Checking out different products – get to know the different brand names – find out what is new
- The chance for hands-on explanations and training.
In addition to the three reasons for going to an exhibition, I would give following advice:
- Don’t be shy. Most exhibitors find it exciting to talk about their products. However, do keep in mind – they have long days during an exhibition. So keep it short. If you are new, be honest and say you don’t know much. But would like to learn.
- Make a list up front with the products you would like to see and learn more about. Check out the website for the exhibition to find out, who is going to be there.
- Prepare some questions. What monitors would be recommendable for a small stage? What microphones are recommended for a piano? Use your imagination and make a list. But be aware they are there to sell their products – so don’t promise yourself away.
It can be kind of tricky to walk up to an exhibitor, because – yes women are a rare sight these places. I have found the exhibitors are friendly and approachable. Nevertheless, there is the rare exception that an exhibitor will be rude, I have had bad experiences with Yamaha at both the Musik Messe in Frankfurt and at the Plasa in London. Both times, I found them very rude and arrogant to me. They clearly showed to me that it “was a waste of time” explaining their product to me. While I felt humiliated by them, I kept thinking that I am a future customer, and if I have the option to choose, they won’t be my first choice. That helps – and keep smiling! However, the majority of exhibitors are very nice people to talk to.
I will be going to the ISE in Amsterdam next week – check out Event Page or European Corner at SoundGirls.Org for more details. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you are going there as well – I would love to meet up with other SoundGirls!
If you don’t have the possibility to go to ISE, then I can recommend Musik Messe in Frankfurt, Germany in April. This is one of the largest music exhibitions in Europe.
