14 DAY TRIAL // Between May 1st and 3rd, London will host a very nice and interesting meeting of pro audio gear producers among who I'd count Shure, Audio-Technica, Mackie, Korg, Sennheiser, Arbiter, Digidesign, TC Electronics and a whole lot more. The Sounds-Expo will be held at the Olympia 2 hall.
Now, nothing unusual so far as at this kind of shows: producers present their latest gear, lots of people come visit the venue, try out things, buy some other things, contracts are being signed or at least contacts initiated and so the business grows.
The 2007 Sounds-Expo brings something less usual, though! If you have at least a faintest serious idea of what music means from the performer's point of view, Shure should definitely ring a lot of bells. I won't go that far as to say that Shure is THE microphone manufacturer but it is definitely among the leading brands in the field (of course, my favorite, especially since I also play).
From "consumer" range of products to the highest end professional gear, Shure has them all when it comes to such things. And, believe me, a lot of people own Shure gear, be that player's or pro's hardware. Besides the proper brand, under the Shure umbrella there are other strong names in the industry such as Phonic and Radial, coming in with very serious stuff as well.
Cutting to the chase, this is how things are: go to the Sounds-Expo and bring your old professional gear with you. Find the stand 251 where the Shure headquarters will be between May 1st and May 3rd. Show them your "metal" and most likely they'll take it away from you offering a minimum 10GBP rebate on any product. Namely, you'll trade in your old gear and buy a new one at discount prices!
Since this is an offer available for the Sounds-Expo show this May, I'd say you should shine up your gear so it looks best when time comes. Go and have it replaced with newer, better tech for less money. And don't forget: the 2007 Sounds-Expo houses 70 exhibitors, so prioritize!
Photo by Shure.