Music China, Asia Pacific’s leading music event, ended on a positive note with a record-breaking number of participants. The show was held from October 11 to 14 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Shanghai, China. Filling 86,500 square meters of exhibition space were more than 1,600 suppliers of musical instruments and related products from 30 countries and regions, including 11 pavilions representing Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Spain, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
Commenting on the largest-ever visitor numbers, Evan Sha, General Manager, Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd, said, “This year, we attracted 60,172 visitors from around the world who can depend on Music China’s offerings of high quality products and unique networking opportunities to further their business objectives. They also had the chance to learn more about the industry through our comprehensive fringe programs, as well as to be entertained by live demonstrations and indoor and outdoor concerts.” The visitor figures represent a 15-percent increase from 2011. Visitors came from 82 countries and regions.
Although many China-based companies flock to the show, major names from across the globe are there, too. Roland exhibited to explore both Asian and new markets. Ken Ryo from Roland Shanghai Electronics Co Ltd said, “Industry people focus now on Asia, an important growing market. I am glad to see more professional buyers attending the show this year, as it is an influential event in Asia…even in the world.”
There was also strong interest in music publishing. Douglas E. Lady, Senior Vice President of Hal Leonard Corporation, said, “We have seen more people interested in rock, jazz and instruments, and we brought a wide selection of our publications to the show. I think Music China is becoming one of the [most] prominent trade fairs for the musical instrument industry in the world.” Further underscoring the U.S. presence there, Ryan West, Senior Vice President for West Music, visits the show every year to look for new products, to meet with international suppliers and to make new connections. “This show is a great opportunity to find a strong trading partner, which can help our business growth,” he commented.
Hundreds of fringe events were held during the four-day Music China, including the NAMM CMIA Industry Forum and NAMM How To… Sessions. Following last year’s success, the NAMM CMIA Industry Forum continued to receive positive feedback from attendees this year. Ian Harvey, Executive Director of Australian Commercial and Entertainment Technologies Association, revealed the importance of having music-making promotion days in the forum. He noted, “I hope the audience believes that the idea of a National Music Day might help support the growth of music making in China. They can learn some examples to follow from my presentation. I expect we will hear more about a National Music Day taking place in China at some time in the future.” Another highlight event was the NAMM University course schedule. One of the speakers, Maoqiang Huang, President of Sub-Committee for Music Retailers of China Musical Instrument Association, gave a presentation about strategic positioning for music stores in China.
Music China is the regional Asian brand event of Musikmesse in Frankfurt, Germany, which will be held April 10 to 13, 2013. The next Music China is scheduled for October 10 to 13, 2013, at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.