Kurt Villanueva, one of the owners of Calgary’s influential audio boutique, The Audio Room, has announced last month’s Calgary Audio Show that takes place annually at the retailer’s downtown Calgary location, received over 450 attendees throughout the day. This was the fifth year for the show.
Vendors supporting the day included JL Audio, Linn Audio, Dali, Audioquest, Harbeth, Monitor Audio, Denon, and NAD with the Audio Room creating impressive set-ups from represented brands such as the Linn Klimax Streamer and amplifiers hooked up to the Dali Kore speakers with the JL Gotham subwoofer. Other combos showcased the new Naim 300 series mono black and streamer driving Focal Sopra speakers and Denon’s new AVR 15 channel receivers driving full BE series James speakers with JL E series subwoofers.
“I have been in the audio business since I was teenager and I told myself if I ever own my own store, it would be my mission to reach new markets and this show is one of those avenues” stated Villanueva, who also used the event to bring attention to the vibrant Calgary live music scene through a partnership with JazzYYZ, a Calgary collaborative that supports the local jazz community. “By partnering with JazzYYZ the show also became a philanthropic collaboration” added Villanueva “with fundraising efforts throughout the day supporting the jazz collaborative. Free concerts from local jazz artists were performed throughout the day with proceeds from the ticketed concerts at night, donated to JazzYYZ.”
Attendees of the Calgary Audio Show also experienced the soft launch of the “Focal Powered by Naim” store-within-a-store concept run by the Audio Room while educational seminars on Jazz appreciation aided in giving a new generation of music lovers a history of the cultural importance of jazz and how the genre has a way of bringing people together.
Edit Cantor, National Sales Manager for Gemsen Distribution, attended the Calgary Audio Show representing JL Audio and observed “the show curated an exceptional experience for its attendees and is an incredibly successful event not only for gaining such amazing support from vendor brands but by how the show brings the community together. Kurt has masterfully brought live music, the local press and some big-name sponsors, all together for a day of music and audio celebration. Gemsen, a valued partner, showcased our JL Subs, contributing to the event’s success by offering customers outstanding sound experiences for their homes.”
The Calgary Audio Show, while regional in its focus is an important day in the Canadian audio show calendar by not only bringing together exceptional brands, but by showing how a well thought-out component system can indeed replicate the emotion and sense of discovery that comes from live music. Villanueva has successfully created an event bringing the Calgary community together with both a love for audio gear and live entrainment.
Westjet, the Calgary Flames, Sandman Hotels, Village Brewery and Long McQuade are just a few of the sponsors that assisted the Audio Room in hosting the Calgary Audio Show. A recap video of the day appears on the Audio Room Facebook page here.