Are private events the future of high-end audio? In New York Stereo Exchange, a high end A/V store in lower Manhattan, held a private "Spring Fever" event that showcased products from companies like McIntosh, Totem Acoustics, Transparent Audio, Meridian and Universal Remote Control (URC). The store gave audio demos and tutorials, served food and drinks and folliowed it up with a live piano concert by Lori Lieberman and a series of prize drawings, including a $2,500 gift certificate to the store.

Dave Wasserman, president of Stereo Exchange said that the event invited a list of 250+ names that were both existing customers and a crafted list created with the help of Revenew Systems' database, as well as Totem Acoustics. The idea was to bring in a group of audio lovers to experience a number of different audio brands and to learn about the different technologies behind high-end audio. Lucy Lentini, vice president at Totem Acoustcis, noted that, "this event was a long time coming," and said her company was pushing to have this type of gathering at the store.

A private event like one may make complete sense for the high-end audio world. In a time where companies are cutting back, marketing is one area that still needs resources. But it has to be smart, and private events that target clientel who are predisposed to a product category may make more sense than casting a wide net with newspaper advertising or public events. Certainly for smaller audio companies like Totem and Transparent Audio, nothing introduces their product offering better than a live demo.