Palme Asia 2013 report
Published: ASIA
SINGAPORE: The next 48 hours will be pivotal in deciding whether this year’s Palme Asia show will reverse the trend of ever decreasing returns. The exhibition has made valiant efforts to breathe new life into a trade show that has served the south east Asian market for over two decades. Singapore has changed dramatically over that period, as has the technology, buyers and sellers defining the marketplace.
Criticisms in the past that the show has heavily relied on its predominantly Singaporean users were muted this year as many exhibitors reported a more regional mix of visitors including Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar.
Informa Exhibitions’ MD Rosalind Ng highlighted the changes that had been incorporated into its very fabric since the last showing in 2011 at Marina Bay Sands. ‘We recognise the need for education in the market,’ she said, pointing to the exhibits hosting Nanyang, Ngee Ann and Republic Polytechnics in addition to SAE and SSR, who were hoping to entice young and old engineers back to school for training. ‘For the first time in Singapore, we’re providing a 1.5 day conference on safety in the entertainment industry; launched in view of the need to raise safety standards.’
A full programme of exhibitor product workshops and training modules, including an L-Acoustics demonstration and Smaart v.7 workshop have taken place over the three days. Whilst these entice attendees from the show floor, they certainly contribute to drawing a bigger audience of industry faces.
IMS Mahajak showcased the latest Soundcraft Expression Si console and JBL PRX400 speakers, whilst Quad Professional displayed the Midas Pro series and XL8 digital consoles in addition to Clair Brothers speaker systems. Electronics & Engineering highlighted the new EAW Anya speaker module on its packed booth of Mackie mixers, Shure microphones, Powersoft amplifiers and many other brands including its latest recruit, Apex.
Sennheiser attracted many to its stand with a female guitarist playing through K-Array Redline speakers and monitors supported by Sennheiser LSP500 Pro wireless and K-Array Anakonda speakers. Adjacent, Audio Technica demonstrated the new System 10 wireless, AT5040 condenser and Infra Red wireless system for educational facilities. Meanwhile, Allen & Heath QU16 and GLD digital consoles together with KV2 speakers attracted much interest on the Sindo Exports booth as did RCF’s TT, Media series and HDL speakers on the Acoustic & Lighting booth.
Although the show tries in a shotgun manner to be everything to everyone, its ace card is not the products on show or the workshops/seminars being staged. Quite simply: it’s networking. Palme Asia does not reflect the full range of audio, video and lighting technologies that are available on the market, but it manages to attract a close-knit group of active end users and dealers wanting to catch up with one another.
‘I was undecided about attending, but having received two telephone calls reminding me about the show, I decided to come,’ commented one visitor. Yamaha, Team 108, Coda Audio and d&b audiotechnik may not have been exhibiting, but representatives were all in attendance exchanging their recent experiences and information with one another. More espresso machines and fewer digital console exhibits may be the way forward.