Atlantic City, N.J. – The 2015 DJ Expo celebrated its 25th year by making its annual trip to the Boardwalk, attracting thousands of professionally minded DJs to the industry’s longest-running trade show/exhibition. The Silver-Anniversary event featured a sold-out exhibit hall and held steady on its attendee numbers (6,000+), seeing several product introductions for the thriving DJ industry.
Produced by DJ Times magazine and its publisher Testa Communications at the Trump Taj Mahal this past Aug. 10-13, DJ Expo presented to attendees more than 200 exhibitor booths from nearly 100 companies, displaying hardware, software and specialty products. With its 30th show in 25 years, DJ Expo produced a full schedule of exhibits, seminars and parties that enjoyed participation from exhibitor/sponsors like ADJ, Chauvet, Electro-Voice, inMusic Brands, Peavey, Pioneer DJ, QSC Audio, and Yamaha, among many others.
The show was graced with participation and performances from pioneering DJs (hip-hop legends like the Juice Crew’s Marley Marl, Grand Wizzard Theodore and Grand Mixer DXT) and industry insiders (entertainment attorney Coe Ramsey, DJ/VJ extraordinaire Joshua Carl and same-sex-wedding specialist DJ Jodi Duston), who dispensed valuable information to attendees during Expo keynotes and seminar panels. Additionally, showgoers were entertained by sponsored events like Peavey and Jägermeister’s “Art of the Mix” party—MC’d by Public Enemy’s Keith Shocklee, it presented DXT, Theodore and Jazzy Jay. Expo attendees also enjoyed performances by hitmakers like Duke Dumont and Audien (during Promo Only’s Summer Sessions Finale at Borgata’s Mixx) and America’s Best DJ nominee Skribble (at Ego Lounge during the Expo’s annual afterparty).
The Winners: Betsy Fischer of The Groove Lounge in Voorhees Township, N.J., took the main prize in the “DJ of the Year” competition. Hosted by Mike Walter, the annual event bestowed awards in a variety of categories to the best of America’s mobile entertainers. Also, Ron Sherr of Bridge Musico in Edgewater Park, N.J., won the annual Ultimate DJ Giveaway. His haul included gear from the following sponsors: ADJ lighting (Mega Flat TRI Pak); Global Truss gear (Arch System); JBL Professional (SRX800 active loudspeaker system); and Pioneer DJ (XDJ-1000 players, DJM-900SRT mixer and HDJ-2000MK2 headphones).
“On all levels, the DJ Expo’s Silver Anniversary show was a terrific success,” said Vinny Testa, Publisher/President of Testa Communications. “So, on behalf of everyone at DJ Expo and DJ Times, we thank our exhibitors, panelists and attendees for their support this year, and in all the show’s incarnations since 1990.
DJ Expo has helped define the market since its beginning and we look forward to producing another exciting show in 2016.”
DJs Galore: The Expo’s exhibit hall wowed the crowd. | Photo: Artchick
Response from Expo exhibitors and attendees was positive:
“DJ Expo was great! We can always count on the fine folks at Testa Communication to put on a great show and bring qualified customers. The attendees at DJ Expo are passionate about what they do, and we at ADJ really felt their passion! The Taj is a great place to have this event, but I do believe you guys could host this anywhere in Atlantic City and we will have a great show.”
– Brian Dowdle, ADJ, Los Angeles
“On behalf of our staff, thanks to DJ Times and Testa Communications for making the 2015 show the best ever. You all went above and beyond to make sure we had a very successful show. The event-goers were excited and thrilled with the venue. The vibe from the event carried over into our booth and we couldn’t have planned it any better. Again, thanks to you all for the support and effort!”
– Chris Wooten, Peavey Electronics, Meridian, Miss.
“We had a great show. Thank you very much, DJ Expo, for the opportunity to showcase our products. We are looking forward to next year.”
– Tarik Solangi, RCF USA, Edison, N.J.
“I want to say thank you to all at DJ Expo. We had much success with our new products at the show. Thanks again for all the help.”
– Anthony Costello, LEDjGear, Eastchester, N.Y.
“I cannot imagine an August without the DJ Times’ DJ Expo. Year after year, it delivers on so many levels and provides an unmatched hub for DJs of all walks of life to network, increase their worth and be immersed in a world they love.”
– DJ Joshua Carl, Boston, Mass.
Showfloor: Exhibitors met with quality, interested attendees. | Photo: Artchick
“As a 15-year veteran of DJ Expo, I can say that, as always, it met my expectations on the networking and learning fronts and, of course, I grabbed a few pieces of the latest DJ equipment. More importantly, it was great reconnecting with those who have been an inspiration over the years and also having the chance to share my knowledge and experience with others on Expo seminars. What made this year even more special was seeing it though my daughter’s eyes—she is starting out her career as a DJ and, in her words, this was more exciting than Walt Disney World.”
– Jerry Bazata, DJ Jaz Entertainment, Ogunquit, Maine
“The Atlantic City DJ Expo was, as people come to expect, an event filled with everything a DJ in the know needs to know.”
– Joe Molineaux, Small Business Development Center, Cape May, N.J.
