More than fifty esteemed members of the Australian Hi-Fi industry, and guests gathered at La Notte restaurant in Lygon Street to have dinner and listen to a keynote address delivered by Qualifi General Manager, Philip Hawkins about trends in the audio video industry.

Hawkins linked future trends to the effects of the current Federal Government budget, which made for a fascinating and informative insight into the state of the industry and which had the audience enthralled.

According to Hawkins, while it’s crystal clear the impending budget is having a negative effect on consumer confidence, sales are already climbing up the bell curve and will continue to do so for the remainder of 2014.

Categories continuing to sell well occupy the ‘Head-Fi’ space where DACs, headphone amplifiers and headphones keep the cash registers busy. Traditional audio-video categories including turntables should record solid figures. TVs lead by new features including 4K resolution, curved screens and more sophisticated use-friendly software will also continue to contribute to turnovers across the nation.

The well attended evening was could have been mistaken for a Who’s Who of the industry.

The AHA is busy promoting the specialists by constantly reminding consumers of the many benefits the specialist shopping experience provides.

The evening at La Notte’s restaurant in trendy Lygon Street Carlton was a huge success with most of the guests eager to catch up with colleagues over a drink and during dinner.

The AHA will host these evenings regularly and one is already being prepared for Sydney.

StereoNET maintains a strong relationship with and supports the Australian Hi-Fi Association, and were pleased to be involved with this initiative. StereoNET's Peter Familari was on hand flying the flag in Marc Rushton's absence; a late scratching with illness.

For more information visit Australian Hi-Fi Association.