Thousands of Alumni and students - plus the greatest music technology companies worldwide - converge on Berlin for the SAE Institute's biggest ever expo.
October 2007 saw the 3rd SAE Alumni Convention take place at SAE's bespoke new campus in Berlin. The two-day event was attended by over 1,000 Alumni from most of SAE's 49 colleges worldwide, as well as students, lecturers and industry luminaries from all walks of the production world.
The Alumni Convention may be the focal point of SAE Institute's social calendar, but it's also regarded as one of Europe's premier music technology gatherings. Over 40 companies attended this year's expo - including Apple, Neve, SSL, Avid, Adobe, Focusrite, Waves and Steinberg - taking the opportunity to meet the assembled masses and discuss their latest product releases.
Educational seminars also punctuated the event, giving attendees the opportunity to brush up on some of the bigger issues of the day, such as working with the latest Pro Tools improvements, earning money with your music and forward-thinking discussions about the future of the music industry.
The excitement wasn't confined to the daytime sessions, however, as SAE took over one of Berlin's premier nightspots for a packed night of awards and entertainment. The awards provided an opportunity to showcase the talents displayed throughout SAE Institute's colleges, while music was provided by a mix of local celebrities and SAE personnel, including a startling performance on guitar by SAE founder Tom Misner.
But the 2007 Alumni Convention hasn't just been the biggest of its kind in Europe, as SAE founder Tom Misner explains: "This has also been the best expo yet, so we're very pleased. We see happy exhibitors, happy students and Alumni, we've put together a very interesting programme."
"Berlin is one of the cultural capitals of Europe and there isn't a single exhibition here of any importance in our field. Berlin has also become a media hub during the last 10 years, and yet there's no event that pays tribute to this. And of course we've built these beautiful facilities here, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to try and do something new and exciting, which is why we've kept it on a cutting edge level. And for next year? Bigger and better still, of course! We may use the expo to celebrate the opening of the 50th SAE college - which we're on course to achieve early 2008 - but for the exact details you'll just have to wait and see."
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