Open Letter to Joel Davis Re: Axpona 2020

[Elliot G.]

Good Morning Elliot,

When you get the chance, would you mind posting up your contract with JD Events for the AXPONA, thanks.

Best,
Alan

Alan,
Why?
This is really about doing the right thing for all those involved including those who purchased tickets and all the exhibitors that paid in good faith for an event that was not held when it was scheduled and won't be able to be held in the same way or at all in August. I have stated I have no desire to destroy JDE events or Axpona. In fact I love the show and spent the last 6 months running adds for my new speakers that were going to be introduced world wide there. I am, as well as many others, not going to risk my life for an audio show and I am not getting what I paid for. I ordered a Filet Mignon and I am getting handed a Filet of Fish from McDonald's. What;s worse is there is no one to discuss it with or get an answer so far. Munich did the right thing. I have already lost over 30k leading up to the event and my room cost 16500 which has been paid in full since early January in addition.
Axpona has the opportunity to do the right thing and retain everyone's support for 2021 or they can give everyone the shaft and take their chances for the future. We shall see how this play's out. I hope for a positive outcome as the Industry needs great events and a place to gather and celebrate High End Audio.
Stay safe,
Elliot

 

[howiebrou]

You guys should take Axpona to the cleaners if they don't refund in full immediately.

 

[Elliot G.]

You guys should take Axpona to the cleaners if they don't refund in full immediately.

I do not want that. I like the show and its by far the best show in the US at the best venue IMO. I think that Joel Davis needs to come out and tell us the facts and we can as grown ups deal with them and find a solution.
Hiding from this is a bad look and and option

 

[Elliot G.]

Good Morning Elliot,

When you get the chance, would you mind posting up your contract with JD Events for the AXPONA, thanks.

Best,
Alan

the contract is on the Axpona website BTW

 

[Leif S]

the contract is on the Axpona website BTW

Rumor is they edited the contract. I haven't been to the office to look at my contract when we signed for the show to verify this

 

[Joe Whip]

Well, if that is true and they refuse to refund the money, maybe it is time to find an alternative to Axpona. I will be putting my support behind shows that do the right thing without having to be forced to.

 

[ALF]

the contract is on the Axpona website BTW

Thanks Elliot...

Best,
Alan

 

[Luke Manley]

Good Morning Elliot,

When you get the chance, would you mind posting up your contract with JD Events for the AXPONA, thanks.

Best,
Alan

Hi Alan,
The Axpona 2020 contract terms are public, as mentioned in both the Stereophile report, and in the Strata-Gee report, and have been discussed at length.

The Axpona contract terms are public, and the various cancellation scenarios are covered specifically, in clauses 13, 14 and 15.

This is what all the uproar is about - as we see from all of the various discussions about this online.

From all of this, as well as the world news, it is becoming more and more apparent that the show, and indeed all shows, are pretty much a foregone conclusion for 2020.
Even if Axpona insists on going ahead this year, it cannot possibly be anything like last year, or what it was sold as this year when it was slated to be in April.

It seems pretty clear that all there is now is to see what JD Events will do for the exhibitors, and whether there will ever likely be another Axpona that is supported by the whole audio industry.

To get an idea of how this might all come out, we can read what Joel Davis of JD Events wrote to Steven Rochlin last week, posted at enjoythemusic.com where he writes (emphasis mine):-
"April 23, 2020
Hi Steve. It appears you sent the original email to an info@ address vs to me directly which is why I never received.

I have been planning all along to get a communication out to all exhibitors in late April to address all the questions we are receiving. I don't think it is necessary for me to be immediately reactive to a petition letter. Nor does it make sense to provide answers to a few select questions to be published without the opportunity to elaborate on the full context of the current situation...which is complicated and changes daily.

I hope you can appreciate how much blood, sweat and tears go into producing AXPONA from the JDE team every day. And I hope you can also appreciate, like so many other businesses in this world today, our event management company is being totally devastated by the bans on large gatherings and we are fighting for our own survival.

We are working on details, various scenarios, and contingency plans on a daily basis. I hope you will support JDE and AXPONA in a positive way during this extraordinary time of crises for so many people, businesses and industries. Meanwhile, we will continue to do the best we can to support the audio industry and help it bounce back just as we've done for last 7 years.

Thank you. Joel.

Joel A. Davis
Founder & CEO
JD Events"
To get an idea of JD Events' business model, there are some interviews with Joel Davis that are revealing.

The list of signatories to the original letter is up to 85 now, and it will continue to be updated as we go, but in all this talk of legal terms and insurance, what is not covered is the exhibitors' and attendees' health and safety, and potential liability for us and the show organizer if even one person gets infected at, or in traveling to and from, the show - that surely also needs to be factored into all of this.

It is highly doubtful that anyone would have sufficient coverage for that, and there is nothing that could possibly be worth risking getting infected by this terrible virus.

Luke Manley

 

[ALF]

Rumor is they edited the contract. I haven't been to the office to look at my contract when we signed for the show to verify this

Sometimes, it is simply better to look before jumping...

 

[Steve Williams]

Hi Alan,
The Axpona 2020 contract terms are public, as mentioned in both the Stereophile report, and in the Strata-Gee report, and have been discussed at length.

The Axpona contract terms are public, and the various cancellation scenarios are covered specifically, in clauses 13, 14 and 15.

This is what all the uproar is about - as we see from all of the various discussions about this online.

From all of this, as well as the world news, it is becoming more and more apparent that the show, and indeed all shows, are pretty much a foregone conclusion for 2020.
Even if Axpona insists on going ahead this year, it cannot possibly be anything like last year, or what it was sold as this year when it was slated to be in April.

It seems pretty clear that all there is now is to see what JD Events will do for the exhibitors, and whether there will ever likely be another Axpona that is supported by the whole audio industry.

To get an idea of how this might all come out, we can read what Joel Davis of JD Events wrote to Steven Rochlin last week, posted at enjoythemusic.com where he writes (emphasis mine):-
"April 23, 2020
Hi Steve. It appears you sent the original email to an info@ address vs to me directly which is why I never received.

I have been planning all along to get a communication out to all exhibitors in late April to address all the questions we are receiving. I don't think it is necessary for me to be immediately reactive to a petition letter. Nor does it make sense to provide answers to a few select questions to be published without the opportunity to elaborate on the full context of the current situation...which is complicated and changes daily.

I hope you can appreciate how much blood, sweat and tears go into producing AXPONA from the JDE team every day. And I hope you can also appreciate, like so many other businesses in this world today, our event management company is being totally devastated by the bans on large gatherings and we are fighting for our own survival.

We are working on details, various scenarios, and contingency plans on a daily basis. I hope you will support JDE and AXPONA in a positive way during this extraordinary time of crises for so many people, businesses and industries. Meanwhile, we will continue to do the best we can to support the audio industry and help it bounce back just as we've done for last 7 years.

Thank you. Joel.

Joel A. Davis
Founder & CEO
JD Events"
To get an idea of JD Events' business model, there are some interviews with Joel Davis that are revealing.

The list of signatories to the original letter is up to 85 now, and it will continue to be updated as we go, but in all this talk of legal terms and insurance, what is not covered is the exhibitors' and attendees' health and safety, and potential liability for us and the show organizer if even one person gets infected at, or in traveling to and from, the show - that surely also needs to be factored into all of this.

It is highly doubtful that anyone would have sufficient coverage for that, and there is nothing that could possibly be worth risking getting infected by this terrible virus.

Luke Manley

Hi Luke


and welcome finally to WBF. I do hope you and Bea remain safe and well

MY take on this is that if JD Events fails to refund in full all monies to all of the participants as well as canceling the show, it will spell the death knell for Axpona . Why would any manufacturer want to ever again participate in any event run by this guy
He might not like it but it is the right and honorable thing to do

 

[ALF]

Hello Luke,

Thank you for your reply...yes, it is a difficult time.

FWIW...I only attend audio shows as an attendee. Who knows, when a rescheduled date is available, your best available remedy might be to simply rollover your 2020 deposit into the next venue. I am not sure how this “open letter” will serve this group of exhibitors in the future. As someone mentioned above, the audio distribution model has been changing with the loss of brick and mortar opportunities in most markets. As some manufacturers have started direct-to-consumer distribution, the loss of show partners will accelerate this dynamic. I am sure that all the signees have placed their emotions aside and thought of the unintended consequences before moving forward.

Maybe a reread of the “Merchant of Venice” would be of further assistance...

Best Wishes,
Alan

 

[rgmd11]

Well, I was on a plane shortly after the hold after 9/11. Completely different than the current situation. Have fun.

Totally agree with you and 9/11 and the present worldwide pandemic are wholly two different situations, what is happening now is of a very different magnitude
keep safe everyone

 

[James Romeyn]

...

To get an idea of how this might all come out, we can read what Joel Davis of JD Events wrote to Steven Rochlin last week, posted at enjoythemusic.com...

"April 23, 2020
...the current situation...is complicated and changes daily...

Joel A. Davis
Founder & CEO
JD Events"
...

Unfortunately the only thing that is not "complicated" and does not "change daily" is AXPONA's silence in reply to multiple signatory vendor requests for a refund to help them stay afloat.

The late Richard Beers started THE Show as an alternative Las Vegas Show for high end vendors not well served by CES. (Some years THE Show and CES High End hotels were next door to each other; later THE Show moved permanently to SoCal.) AXPONA's behavior could open the door to a different events coordinator offering a future Chicago show. Vendors disheartened by AXPONA might welcome doing business with a different event coordinator and a contract better serving vendor needs.

I sympathize with JD Events and all concerned vendors.

 

[davidavdavid]

Here you go, from the AXPONA website
:
Terms and Conditions for the show
https://www.axpona.com/exhibitspace-terms.asp

 

[XV-1]

Doesn't the USA have a thing called insurance?
Seems piss poor form by the organisers of Axpona.

The local Australian Hi Fi show was cancelled this week.
All exhibitors and patrons got full refunds as the organiser took out insurance. See link below.

https://www.stereo.net.au/news/melbourne-home-entertainment-expo-rescheduled-for-2021

 

[Atmasphere]

I'm a bit late to this party, but when Luke Manley sent me an email about this last week, I immediately requested he add my name to the list.

Munich offered a slight discount to exhibitors that didn't take a refund and instead committed to the 2021 show. If AXPONA offered something like this I would regard it as entirely reasonable even if no discount were involved.

Arguably the most dangerous thing we can do is get on the backside of the curve and act like its all clear. San Francisco did exactly that during the Spanish Flu pandemic and it didn't go well! Lessons of history, failure to heed, etc.

Unfortunately I've not had the best experience with AXPONA; we got shut out of our room (Nirvana 2) when the show moved to Schamburg. We had the room for the first year, but despite signing up by Midnight of Saturday of the show, we were denied that room and because Classic Audio Loudspeakers was part of that and there were no other large rooms available, effectively we got shut out in the cold for the following year. Obviously it was a violation of contract but the question of suing over it... yuk. This year we had a different loudspeaker option and so had one of those tiny rooms in the atrium (main) area. So Mark Freed called me all happy and stuff about how he would make it right for us.

Whatever. They really need to do the right thing here.

 

[caesar]

Does anyone have a sense of cash flows, in and out, for Axpona? Every exhibitor already pay in full?

They are not a large business. Maybe they don't have the cash to pay people back

 

[asiufy]

https://www.stereophile.com/content/axpona-canceled-no-refunds-exhibitors

Ouch...

 

[Mark Seaton]

Just received this e-mail moments ago which apparently went to attendees:


Good Morning,

It is with heartfelt disappointment that we must announce today the official cancellation of AXPONA 2020 that was to be held August 7-9. We make this decision out of concern for the health and safety of all AXPONA participants. We thank everyone who had committed to making the 2020 event the largest and most attended AXPONA in history. These are enormously challenging times for everyone and it is our hope that we all stay strong, caring, healthy and united. Our industry will come through this together and we will be in a better and safer world on the other side of this crisis.

We know everyone is hurting right now. Some more than others. Many businesses in many industries are being hammered by the impact of this pandemic. JD Events, the producer of AXPONA, in particular is facing a financial calamity due to the disastrous impact on tradeshows. Many expenses have already been spent on the show that we will not recoup.

We are actively working on 2021 but wanted to get this message out to you as quickly as possible to advise that we will be offering refunds if requested. We are however hoping that you may consider rolling over your 2020 ticket to the 2021 event to help us. As a token of appreciation, you will receive a FREE companion ticket for next year’s event. If you are not in a position to do so, you will receive your refund, no questions asked.

Please respond by June 1st, 2020 to jenabeth@jdevents.com and let us know one of the following options:

• Yes I want a full refund. Your refund will be submitted on the Friday of the week you submit it and refunds then take 7-10 business days to appear on your credit card statement once processed.
• 
  
• I want to help ensure AXPONA’s long-term success please transfer my ticket to 2021 and in appreciation I will take a free companion ticket for 2021. Details how to register for the companion ticket will be sent in early 2021 once ticket sales are available.

On a positive note, we are excited by the response to the “AXPONA Livestream” event on what would’ve been our April 17 opening day. We plan to conduct more virtual events in the coming months to keep the community connected during this down time.

It remains our pleasure to serve this great industry. Thank you all for your understanding and your support.

Best,
Jenabeth

Jenabeth Ferguson
Vice President, Event Director
JD Events
203-371-6322 ext. 213
jenabeth@jdevents.com

*No transfers or refunds will be available after June 1, 2020

 

[Mark Seaton]

https://www.stereophile.com/content/axpona-canceled-no-refunds-exhibitors

Ouch...

I skipped exhibiting this year, but found this an interesting wording in the above story:

"JDE asks for "some time to fully assess the current damage to JDE and to pursue additional sources of funding to help us bridge the gap to 2021 and beyond." Over the next several weeks, the company pledges to devise a plan that will allow 2020 exhibitors to rebook their same space while rolling a portion of their 2020 deposits forward. That amount will be determined "in the weeks to come" as JDE assesses its ability to strengthen its financial decision."

From my past experience the vast majority of exhibitors would have already made their final payments to for their exhibit space by the time they rescheduled the April show dates. Other than those jumping into the show late, the vast majority would have at minimum paid 2/3rds of the room cost already.

It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out.