The events of September 11 caused the Audio Engineering Society to postpone the 111th AES convention from September to later this year. In addition to causing individuals to reconsider travel plans, the tragedy is also affecting companies' plans. Digidesign has announced that they will not be present at the rescheduled AES convention.
In a letter from David Froker, the General Manager of Digidesign, he outlines the reasons behind the decision.
Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist action, there
has been speculation regarding Digidesign's attendance at the upcoming 111th AES
show. We want to address the questions that have been raised by our customers,
developers, and the press about our presence at this important annual event.
Faced with a decision that will impact many, we deliberated at length to find a solution.
Digidesign will not be attending the AES show on November 30th. Our decision is based
on a range of factors.
September 11th was a day of great tragedy. It seems no one went untouched. The
frantic need to find family and loved ones was an experience commonly shared by us
all. The loss of our colleague at Avid, Doug Gowell, distressed many. At such an
uncertain time, we made a choice not to attend the show.
At the behest of AES, we withheld this information until they deemed it an appropriate
time for public announcements. We are in full support of the AES, and the AES
understands our decision. For years, Digidesign has participated in the show, benefiting
from broad exposure to industry-leading engineers, scientists, and technology
developers. And while there's no substitute for the value Digidesign can gain from
attending AES, we believe that this year we have an equally important civic responsibility
to contribute to the ongoing relief efforts that have followed the events of September
11. A company-wide decision was made to redirect some funds set aside for AES to a
number of charities. Digidesign and Avid are contributing to the Red Cross, NY
Firefighter's 9-11 Disaster Relief Fund, and specific relief agencies. Additionally, we
remain committed to bringing valuable business back to the city hit hardest by these
events and have scheduled a DigiWorld event in New York for the first quarter of 2002.
Digidesign is aware of the sentiments expressed on our Digidesign User Conference,
and know that some will not agree with our decision. We hope that at times like these,
people will choose to put their energies towards more constructive and positive efforts.
Lastly, we would like to thank all of our employees, customers, and developers for
understanding our decision and supporting Digidesign during this time.
Dave Froker
Digidesign General Manager
