My AK Fest Experience; First and Probably My Last.

[merrylander]

Whoa! As this year's Fest was moved to a new hotel on rather short notice some of arkay's suggestions would have been impossible to implement. That said if next year's Fest is to be held in the same location here's an idea.

If we can get a floor layout from the hotel and an account of who has what room we could do 'You are here' layouts. I have this 36" wide DesignJet and a older version of Visio (just finished a 24 x 36 drawing of the deck restoration).

I volunteer to produce such drawings and code them as to room content, i.e., vendor, member, swap room, etc.

 

[Kegger]

When you signed in there were maps showing all the rooms, who was in them
and which ones were member rooms to help guide you where you wanted to go.

 

[Punker X]

There was one vendor at AK 1 - Buggtussell Loudspeakers - another sad story there ity: .

I do think that there were some young members at the 2 I was at and they enjoyed themselves.

That said - AK Fest can't be everything to everybody because we are just not that big.

Classic Audio Reproductions was also at the first fest. Technically NOSValves was also a vendor. BrianB from Venus was also there.

Here's a link to the way back machine..

http://www.audiokarma.org/ak2004/akfest04/akfest.html

Now.. How many people attending all 5 fests, and who had had a room or equipment on display at all 5 fests.

Missed you this year Botritis.. Played That Funky Beat White Boy.. in your honor.

 

[Mark W.]

OK I'm still running on about 1/10th the amount of sleep a normal person would get in a 4 day stretch.

I traveled a long way to get the the FEST. I came from Silverton, Oregon It cost me a LOT of money to attend the fest.

I showed up at the airport in Detroit a Guy I would have not known on the street from Adam picked me up for no other reason then to save me the cost of a taxi ride. This same guy over the course of the weekend made a liquor store run, made sure I got out away from the hotel and had a really nice dinner heck this same guy even came in on Sunday morning and made sure we weren't dead after the attempt to poison ourselves with booze bought by a Monopoly money spending Brit. Then this same guy made sure I had a ride back to the Airport on Sunday evening. Heck he even gave me his door prize.

Mark (justrideit) is now a great friend and I meet him Saturday morning at 7:30 in front of an airport.



I get to the Hotel get my stuff into my room meeting the guy who restored my amp and tuner (we split a room) and I got the tell you meeting Rich (Pustelnickr) in the dark of a Hotel room about 3 hours after he made it to sleep is a little scary LOL. WE had a blast rooming and I'm sure Rich's looking out for me is the reason I'm still alive After all how may guys you've just meet would stay up for hours just listening to you breath. (OK maybe the 98db snoring was part of the reason he volunteered for that duty.

My Saturday at the Fest unlike the OP's went from about 7:30am when I meet Mark at the airport to sometime around 4:30 am Sunday when I passed out. In that time I meet dozens of people I didn't know shared my photo album of stereo gear and home improvement projects and grand daughters with at least 1/2 dozen women some of which were very nice to talk to (read in a very respectful way since a number of them were wives and mothers were also NICE TO LOOK AT).

I hit at least 2/3 of the rooms many I sat and listened to a song or two a couple I only spent a couple minutes in. Few I liked the sound a few I really didn't. But in every single one of them I learned something if only that I can be very happy with how my own system sounds.

I agonized over how many LP's I could handle carrying home Since I think about 5 miles of the distance I traveled to get tot he FEST was walking in airports from one corner to the other. I picked up a couple of items I had prearranged to buy there from locals so I had to be very careful on the weight.

Saturday evening one of the rooms I sat in was Retro Stereo's and we listened to some Pink Floyd on his very very nice Pioneer Spec system. All kinds of good natured ribbing back and forth. As my System is based on a Pioneer SA-9100 amp.

I meet wives and daughters and one of the cutest little girls I have even seen hanging upside down ever!

I got to hang with my buddy Steve (modge) from some silly named place in England where they name places after sheep! And even if he did try to kill me by buying me booze I still wouldn't have missed shaking his hand and meeting a guy I will talk about the rest of my life.

Fisher - Dave I wish we had spent a little more time in the same place but meeting you standing in the Breakfast line was a high point of the weekend.

And your line "I don't suppose they have grits" will stick with me for ever!!

Jack (WhiteSE) DUDE you aren't anything like I thought what a blast to sit and talk with you Sunday morning while those parts of my brain that still worked rebooted in a febble attempt to bring me back to the living. And I hope your arm patches up quick and you can get back to playing tennis.

your line "my Neighbor in Saudi Arabia had a camel in his backyard" also stand out as a high point.

Joyce (jcmjrt) Great to finally meet you and your husband I enjoyed showing off my photo's to you.

But when (and I don't remember who said it) one of the guys in Ed's room looked at your husbands name badge and seeing your Screen name on it said (I thought you were a woman) this also stands out as a great line from FEST.

ED and Daves DIY room was where I spent the most time I spent most of Sunday there hanging out was late even watching the room for a while so Ed could get away for a few minutes.

TOM all I can say is if you hadn't been at the FEST I would have felt cheated for not getting to meet you in person.

Strawman (Steve) anything I said Saturday night after being up for (according to your sons math LOL) 41+ hours Please take as the ramblings of a crazy man! I think I could have managed a full sentance if that guy from England hadn't been piling me with free Budwisers. I enjoyed meeting your son seamed like a totally cool kid.

EVERY WHERE I WENT a hand got out thrust for a shake guys were turning each other name badges around so they could find they were talking to someone they have known for a couple years. And others they had no idea who they were. EVERYONE was nice everyone was a blast to hang out with..

It was a little scarry how many people knew me from my Grand daughter avatar and the "SHRINE PHOTOS" Guess I'm not a wall flower LOL.

I even had vendors offering water or even a beer while I sat and listened to their gear.

Will I come 2/3 of the way across the country for a weekend next year NOT sure. The original OP spend some local gas money and $15.00 to be unimpressed I spent around $850.00 and had a BLAST I guess you get what you pay for. Am I glad I did it this year YOU BET.

I got to hang with the people I talk to, argue with, and look forward to sharing my hobby with.

And Retro Stereo if you read this I'm home and the SA-9100's are staying put. No Spec gear for this Dump truck driver LOL.

To Grumpy, Mrs. Grumpy, And all the people who worked so hard to organize this weekend I want to thank you it wasn't the gear it was a people that made this a wonderful adventure for me. If I can't comeback next year it's not the gear I will miss hearing it's the people of AK I will miss seeing. And I wish I could be close enough to help with the HUGE amount of HARD work you guys and gals put into to do this for US.

OK after a whopping 5.5 hours of sleep since 11:00 Sunday I doubt any of this is coherent but then why change my style now LOL..

People I had a freckin BLAST.

 

[Wardsweb]

This reminds me of the story of 7 blind men describing an elephant. Each has his own interpretation given his experience. Differences are inevitable when everyone did not experience the whole thing.

 

[Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ]

This reminds me of the story of 7 blind men describing an elephant.

Not to mention the poor schmuck who was positioned at the rear-end of said elephant.

 

[dyeraudio]

I went with a buddy from Michigan for one reason. To see what all the hype is about. We both left very satisfied in knowing that you don't need to spend a fortune...YES a fortune to have good sound. We both have almost identical system ...i.e. (Carver, PS Audio and Linn). We listened to our own CD's in most rooms and we found ONE room that we actaully enjoyed. Ridge Street Cables room.....The Mac room...very impressive to eyes but not ears....I have probably about $2000 in my system that includes an amp capable of 380 w.p.c., vacuum tube cd player and a decent pre-amp. Speakers are LINN from Scotland and all cableing is PS Audio highest grade bi-wires. Don't get me wrong...the people we're nice and I actually met some members..exhibitors were friendly and you could turn up the volume but overall it was disappointing.....But I did get my answer....I wish there were more exhibitors.....AK did a great job and I am not bashing the fest at all. One thing nice to see was the abundance of vacuum tube cd players and the ability to fill rooms with 8, 10 and 12 watts ...respectively........I will not attend again but its not because I didn't enjoy myself.

 

[toxcrusadr]

This reminds me of the story of 7 blind men describing an elephant. Each has his own interpretation given his experience. Differences are inevitable when everyone did not experience the whole thing.

I just wanted to say, I haven't been to the Fest yet, but I've really enjoyed this thread. I understand what it is more than I did before. And the objective tone of the discussion is gratifying. :thmbsp:

Arkay made what sound to me like some great suggestions a few posts back. There's a man with a gift of looking at something like this from a systems perspective. I attend a lot of conferences and meetings and I always walk around saying "how come there isn't a sign for this, or a map to that, or this kind of space to do such and such." Wise advice worth considering (again, from a non-attender, just speaking generally).

One more suggestion: how about badges with not only the AK username but also their post count? You'd be able to recognize relative newbies and maybe that would help in the welcoming department.

I empathize with Subwolfer a bit - us shy people can be alone in a crowd quite easily. Probably not a fault of the Fest though.

Rock on y'all. :tresbon:

 

[Bauhausler]

Why I attended

Well, one afternoon early this Spring I was minding my own business doing a little gardening in my front yard. Up rolls this red truck, the window comes down and Grumpy says "If you don't show up this year we're going to come over and drag you there"
Did I mention they don't call him Grumpy because Sneezy was already taken and Bashful didn't fit?
Well, after a couple of years of not finding the time I decided to make a weekend of it. I spent 6 - 7 hours at the hotel both days. I missed a few rooms that I really should have spent more time in. I particularly enjoyed the member rooms because inspired DIY is one of the most admirable occupations I know of. I sort of take for granted that the Manleys can make a great sounding tube amp, but when a guy on a budget builds his own and the music leaves me speechless that's an accomplishment that I really respect.
It wasn't perfect. Some of the big speakers needed different rooms. I'd have liked more convenient lunches, although any male who missed meeting the waitresses at Doc's bar really needs to find a reason to go back.
One thing that was ideal was the people. Reps and attendees, every one was courteous and friendly even when it was crowded, noisy or the elevator took too long.
I can't wait until next year. Maybe I'll bang together an amp and a pair of speakers with EconoWaves in them to demo. At the least I should invite a few people over for a beer. Maybe even sooner than that.

 

[ricmon]

It was my first Fest as well. But my impression was just the opposite. Maybe my age 49, 50 next month. I got a buddy to come with me who has never been to a audio show and does not have a hi-fi system and he said he had a blast and when we got back to DC he called before he went to bed to thank me again for the experience. So maybe us older guys don't give a damn because each room I went into I just jumped right in. Pulled out my lp's and said "hey can you play this for me". I didn't care 2 cents what the response might have been.

 

[Halcro1]

Hello , I liked the fest i drove from Milw with the wife and daughter ,, and it was nice , actually i wish you had a few more vendors but that comes with time ,, People were nice as could be expected . I went to an audio fest in Chicago 8 to 10 years ago it was bigger but not that much different small hotel rooms , but what do you expect 20x20 room? The only issue i had were the slow elevators ... Other than that nice show i will be back. How bout posting the names of the raffle winners... Mike

 

[BajaGringo]

I didn't care 2 cents what the response might have been.

Kudos to all of you who are the types that don't care if you know a single soul at an event like this and will have a great time and get much from the experience as a factor of your personality type, age and life experience.

Not everyone is like you.

In all of your attempts to somehow counter or minimize the authenticity of SubWolfer's experience because it wasn't YOUR experience is to miss the point of this. It will only limit the growth and scope of this venue in the future.

Many have harped on the fact that he spent only an hour at the Fest, questioning how he could have really experienced all the rooms. My guess is that if he walked into a room with a group of people, feeling like he had interrupted their conversation and no effort was made on their part to reach out to him and involve him, he probably wouldn't last more than a minute or two. Repeating that experience from room to room means that he could have seen a lot of rooms in an hour. If that had been my experience I probably wouldn't have had a generally overall warm fuzzy feeling about the event either.

Events like this have to decide what they want to be. If you want it to be purely a reunion type event among old friends then that is what it will be. If you want to use the event to promote the forum and grow, you have to accept that a concerted effort needs to be made to welcome and include the newbies. Especially those who don't find it easy to assimilate based on personality, age difference and other reasons that might keep them from making the first step to reach out and connect. I am sure that your sponsors would prefer the latter option.

Accepting these shortcomings of the event is not to minimize or criticize the event or the hard work and efforts of those who put so much of their time into making it happen. It is taking an honest look at what has a happened and using that analysis to make future events an even bigger success.

Events of this type on a larger scale always do a post event critical analysis and ask for the comments of attendees. The comments from those who offered negative remarks are those which are focused on most as those are the ones that will help the most in the future. Everyone likes to be patted on the back but to grow you have to be able to take criticism in a positive way.

And that's my dos centavos...

 

[Cantabury Guy]

I just started to read this thread and this was probably mentioned: No girls (women ) around.....sounds like something The Wife would let me go to!!

 

[fotno]

Baja Gringo:

I understand where the OP (and you for that matter) are coming from; but do you honestly think that the majority of the people who trekked to the fest, some of them traveling hundreds, even thousands of miles, came solely to listen to gear? You can do that at audio retailers the world over.

They traveled all that way to be with their friends, and make new ones. I know these people well enough to say with surety, that anyone who came to the fest and felt left out, or excluded, mostly has themselves to blame.

How hard is it to stick out a hand, state your name, and get involved in the conversation. The OP ain't gonna learn how to meet people any younger...

 

[Kegger]

Yes BAJAGRINGO, sorry but you are just wrong on this one,

The fest is full of nice people wanting and yearning to share, there are no needs
to be taken care of for the newbie, that person just needs to be willing and able
to give the fest a shot and it will provide for them a great experience.
(It is extremely well run)

As everyone has said the fest takes time to get through and understand, yu just
have to put forth the effort, plain and simple.
(Best place to start, members rooms)

Showing up and spending 1 hour saying this is lame and leaving aint gunna cut it!

Not saying that wasn't his feelings, I'm sure it was, but you need to give it time an
get past your initial thoughts of what you thought it would be and see it for what it
is by spending some time there and give it a chance. That's all that needs to be done.

The fest grows and changes are made every year to make it better then the last, but
it still comes down to the attendee to see it and see it with an open mind. Improvements
are made every year, many debates are made over those changes to try and improve it.

You just have to see it and let it invlove you. The fest is what it's suppose to be.

 

[wajobu]

I think that one response might be to spend some quality time here online at AK and get to know some folks. Soon you'll find that you have many things in common with a whole bunch of other AK members. Attend a couple of local get-togethers and then try the Fest again next year.

I have made some very good friends here, and MAN it was hard to leave yesterday and get on the plane to return home (a couple of days just wasn't enough time). There are some great folks here. Yes, it's about audio, but also about the friendships (at least for me) that tie some of us together.

In many respects I feel totally incapable of understanding many of the technical aspects of this hobby (both on the solid state and tube side), but one thing for certain is that there are so many folks here ready and willing to share their knowledge. I sat in awe of the equipment (new and old) and the people who put many of these (especially DIY) pieces together. I have many people here to thank for my rekindled interest in audio, music and solid friendships. :yes:

Many of the new systems are certainly out of my reach, but it doesn't hurt to dream a bit

Give it another try, and as suggested visit an SMAC gathering (I'm too far away, but just love to see the photos).

 

[pustelniakr]

Mama specifically told me "NO DANCING GIRLS!" and put a note in one of my shirt pockets showing herself with an automatic weapon in hand :uzi:.

Tunes, suds, and a bunch of old men chewing fat, are just fine with me. I came 3000+ miles for just that. So there

Enjoy,
Rich P

 

[wajobu]

And kind sir, it was my distinct pleasure meeting you and having time to set-a-spell :yes:

 

[Strawman]

Mama specifically told me "NO DANCING GIRLS!" and put a note in one of my shirt pockets showing herself with an automatic weapon in hand :uzi:.

Tunes, suds, and a bunch of old men chewing fat, are just fine with me. I came 3000+ miles for just that. So there

Enjoy,
Rich P

Old men?
Ring ring, hello pot, this is kettle calling. This is what I'm talking about. I've recieved technical guidance from that gentleman, good natured ribbing in threads and chat, and was just thrilled to meet the man and shake his hand, among many others. I just think a little more time and involvement here just might change his mind and anybody that reads the original post and doesn't think the investment pays out.

 

[Wigwam Jones]

The only issue i had were the slow elevators ...

Ha! You would not be complaining if you had seen last year's elevator. It like to stop about a foot short of level with the floor you wanted - plus or minus - and you could jump or climb the difference.

The gig was also on like the bazillionth floor, so walking up the stairs was right out for anyone with a few pounds and a few beers on them.

And walking down the stairs was an exercise in vomit control, since the whole thing stank of urine.

This year's venue was GREAT!!!!

I'll take the slow elevators ANY DAY!