Northern International Audio & Visual Show

by **bassraptor** Fri Jan 26, 2024 12:57 pm

Event: Northern International Audio & Visual Show
Dates: April 26-28, 2024
Venue: Amari SPICE Penang, No: 2 Persiaran Mahsuri, Bayan Baru, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Pulau Pinang
Supported by the Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau

HI-FI/AV shows in Malaysia have had a storied past. Back in the mid-1990s, there was one event, then two and then one again… and for a couple of years during the Covid-19 wave, none at all, which was only to be expected. A regular event returned after pandemic-era restrictions were eased in 2022, plus a couple of new ones. Importantly, one of them was in Penang and held on a small scale – the Northern AV Show. While Kuala Lumpur has been the epicentre of Malaysia’s hi-fi and AV scene, there are hubs of enthusiasts in other cities, chief of them being Penang. And this new show is promising to be an annual one with ambitious visions.

At the helm of the Northern International Audio & Visual (NIAV) Show – as it is now branded – is Wilson Teoh, who heads event organiser Gryphon Productions. Teoh is no novice in the field, having starting out in the late 1990s as a concert promoter and production personnel for international artistes.

“We promoted and worked on shows such as Slash, Tom Jones, Alicia Keys, Il Divo, Incognito, Sarah Brightman, My Chemical Romance and many more. Then we brought in international DJs and organised music festivals of the EDM kind. From there, we worked on large New Year’s Eve countdown events for a South Korean electronics corporation and a couple of popular malls in the Klang Valley,” Teoh recalls.

His company’s forte, he added, is in the production of international concerts, music festivals, and also tailor-made events. Teoh has devoted the past 25 years collaborating with multinational corporations, luxury brands and property developers “to craft and organise events on their behalf”.

“It was when we branched out to curate bespoke events for corporations and luxury brands that we started to realise the need to put together events with specific goals and objectives. People want new experiences. Not the same old, same old,” Teoh said.

Which brings us to the NIAV Show. Teoh’s networking skills brought in support from the Penang state government via the Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau. Its CEO Ashwin Gunasekeran was sold on the idea of an annual AV show on the island since Penang’s audio and home theatre enthusiasts had always looked to the Klang Valley for their fix.

At a press event recently to launch this year’s NIAV Show, Penang tourism and creative economy committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said plans to boost Penang’s tourism business included bringing in more international flights to the island. Events like the NIAV Show, he added, would enhance Penang’s appeal to both domestic and international travellers.

Back to Teoh, why a hi-fi/AV show when there are other more profitable events for the taking?

To read more, please go to audioFi.net