Palm China to split show and return to downtown
Published: ASIA
CHINA: As well as the breezy conditions and roaring temperatures, visitors to this year’s Palm Expo China were also exposed to a wind of change. As the 23rd edition of the trade show prepared to close its doors on day four, it announced that the show would not only relocate to its original downtown location in 2015, but it would also split into two distinct exhibitions. China Exhibition Technology Association (CETA) has revealed that a spring fair will showcase musical instruments whilst an autumn fair will be promoting professional lighting and audio.
The landscape has changed enormously since the first edition in 1991, but none more so than in recent years. Having relocated Palm China to the new CIEC near to Beijing Airport in 2012, visitor numbers have dwindled whilst the strengthening emergence of the Guangzhou Pro Light+ Sound and GET shows together with Infocomm China have divided exhibitor and visitor attention. This trend has seen many exhibitors downsize whilst some have completely disappeared from the show floor. ‘We’ve taken a small 6m x 4m booth this year to simply showcase out TS series,’ revealed Audiocenter’s marketing and promotions manager Simon Xiao Lujun. ‘We’re not seeing so many new customers at Palm China anymore and the noise levels, particularly in the domestic halls, are excessive.’
However, some of the other Chinese manufacturers used the exhibition to unveil new equipment. Tendzone lifted the wraps off the E-media networking solution and offered a Smart Car free of charge with every five units sold.
With the continued purge on the karaoke style entertainment venues in China, many manufacturers are attempting to spread into other verticals to ensure market share. LAX has always been strongly identified with sporting events but used this years’ show to promote its CA series of cinema speakers.
Taiden continues to forge ahead with creative conferencing solutions for which the new HCS-8338 comes with a host of upgrades such as a 1280 x 800 high definition touchscreen, 5MB camera, USB and SD card slots, video on demand and a finger print scanner.
DSPPA also rolled out many new additions to its catalogue of fixed installation products including the DSP1501 phased array column speaker and mixer amplifiers. ‘I came here two years ago and the show is quieter,’ commented export director Kevin Chen.
In the main international hall, there was a bustle and some of the exhibitors such as se Electronics hosted excellent live performances, whilst providing gourmet cuisine. Many of those new products fanfared in at Frankfurt’s Pro Light & Sound were making their Chinese debuts, such as the Yamaha QL series of digital mixers, Midas M32 console, Coda Audio Linus 10, Meyer Sound Leo line array and Powersoft X Series amplifier series. Taking developments a stage further, Martin Audio launched its new series of Blackline3 speakers that have been specifically produced for the Chinese domestic market.
Many visitors leaving the CIEC to negotiate fares with unmetered taxis or the obstacle course surrounding the packed subway station came away with their own personal boxes ticked. However, the new dawn for CETA without the assistance of Informa Media is somewhat uncertain in the congested Chinese trade show calendar. Furthermore, it raises the question on Informa Media’s intent to continue servicing the professional sound and lighting sector that it has pioneered for the past 25 years in Singapore and South East Asia. The show curtain may have come down on this era.