There are no words, catchphrases or clever slogans I could conjure to make light of the worldwide effects of Covid-19 on the industry. In fact, any attempt to sugarcoat the devastation it brought to the live event, touring and performance industry would be futile at best.
That said, there are strong signs of optimism for 2021 and beyond. Winter NAMM (and the TEC Awards) return in January 2022 as in-person events, as will the PLSN/FOH Parnelli Awards, which will honor acoustician/designer and Smaart software inventor Sam Berkow with the 2022 Audio Innovator award.
This year’s Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) show was held recently as live expos in Barcelona (June 1-4) and London (June 23-24). The AES show moves to Las Vegas in October, co-locating with the full NAB Expo. Just a few weeks later, InfoComm returns to Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center, while the LDI show will be back in Las Vegas in November. Across the pond, ISE comes to Barcelona in Feb. 2022 and Prolight+Sound is slated for Frankfurt, April 26-29, followed by Musikmesse April 29-May 1, 2022.
Meanwhile, festivals, street fairs and winery shows are blossoming; Broadway is set to reopen; churches are re-filling their pews with parishioners; and tours are kicking off — including our cover feature on the touring production of Wicked, which opened in Dallas last week.
And, as many manufacturers held off major product launches during 2020, expect a bumper crop of new gear launches for late 2021 and 2022. Here’s to good times ahead.
Stay safe!
