Blaze Publishing, organiser of the London Electric Guitar Show, has announced that the 2012 event has been cancelled.
The show, which was due to be held on November 10th and 11th at the Olympia Conference Centre, was set to feature an extensive line-up of exhibitors, as well as appearances from big-name artists such as Gus G (Ozzy Osbourne), Richie Kotzen (Mr. Big) and Steve Craddock (Paul Weller and Ocean Colour Scene).
OFFICIAL STATEMENT
“The organisers of the London Electric Guitar Show are sorry to announce the cancellation of the 2012 event, originally scheduled for 10/11 November at Olympia conference centre.
“When we acquired the portfolio of titles and shows from the former owners, we suspected that with Guitar Buyer magazine having been closed, it would make it challenging to stage an electric-guitar-specific show,” said Blaze Publishing’s managing director Wes Stanton. “We planned, and have executed, a substantial marketing campaign through third-party media – and though it has elicited some response, we do not feel that the ticket sales will reach a level that will satisfy our exhibitors’ expectations.
“With three successful shows already under our belts, we have a good idea of what works, and our existing events are solid. We’d rather be honest and up-front with our exhibitors than try to persuade them that a hall with a couple of hundred people in it somehow constitutes a busy trading environment.”
“Though this show hasn’t worked this year, we do feel that the industry needs an electric guitar show, and we wouldn’t wish to rule out a future event – though our approach would be slightly different and better informed. Suffice to say for now that we will ensure that no exhibitor will be out of pocket regarding stand space, and all people who have bought tickets will be refunded in full.”
This is the third year running that a large scale guitar show has been cancelled, following the cancellation of London Music Show in 2010 and Guitar Nation in 2011. This latest cancellation comes as a surprise after the success of last weekends London Acoustic Guitar Show and the upcoming Bristol Guitar Show on 14th October.
