Now that the Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound fairs have concluded, let’s take a look back and see how they went. In attendance were almost 110,000 visitors from around 130 countries. An additional 20,000 music fans attended the 50-plus concerts of the Musikmesse Festival, which was held for the first time at over 30 locations. A total of 2,043 exhibitors from 60 countries made presentations at the restructured fairs.
After years of growth, the turnover of the event-technology sector is approaching the € 4 billion mark. According to the VPLT, (Professional Lighting & Sound Association of Germany, Verband für Licht-, Ton- und Veranstaltungstechnik), the focus of the event industry remains on holding creative, professional, safe and innovative events.
Exhibitors were also very pleased with the results. “We have been pleasantly surprised by the course of business and the mood at the fair. The number of retailers was good on the first two days and the amount of consumers matched the level expected with the fair now open on all days,” said Michael Stöver, Director Country Management, Yamaha Music Europe GmbH. Michael Kunz, Senior Product Manager, Kawai Europa GmbH, said, “For us, the new concept has been an outstanding success. Our aim was to reach both retailers and consumers. And we achieved this very well at Musikmesse.”
“This was our first time at Musikmesse in many years. We regard the new concept as a good way to strengthen the fair as a marketing platform. Here, we showed our new product segment in the field of acoustic guitars and are satisfied with the contacts made with retailers during the fair, as well as with the interest shown by consumers,” said Hans Peter Wilfer, CEO of Warwick GmbH.
A number of programs enriched the experience for attendees. At the new Business Academy, retailers and distributors learned how digitalization processes can be used for their own business model. At the very popular Drum Camp, musicians and music lovers experienced performances by world-famous drummers, received tips for perfect sound enhancement in the Club Forum and increased their knowledge of keyboard instruments at the Piano Lounge.
Outdoors, the Musikmesse Street Food Session presented culinary reflections on musical themes while well-known artists provided the right sound on several stages. Numerous stars were in attendance, including electro-musician Schiller, Ärzte bassist Rodrigo González, pop-rocker Jupiter Jones, Bon Jovi’s guitarist Phil X, The Dead Daisies all-star band and singer/songwriter Konstantin Wecker, who was presented with the Pianist of the Year Award.
Musikmesse also expanded its commitment to young musicians. The long-established Music4Kidz participatory exhibition helped spark children’s interest in active music making and, this year, presented a new compilation of extraordinary instruments, interactive sound sculptures and creative sound experiments. For the first time, the European Final of the world’s biggest band contest, Emergenza, was held at Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre. At SchoolJam, young talents competed for the title of “Germany’s best school band,” which went to the “Aber Hallo!” rap rockers from Regensburg.
Another highlight at Prolight + Sound was camera drones offering aerial photos in full HD quality transmitted live on a screen.
The key players of the audio and DJ sector also presented their innovations. “Launching our new flagship products at Prolight + Sound meant we attracted a great deal of attention. Our stand was very busy, especially in the afternoons, and the visitor standard very high. Prolight + Sound gets better from year to year”, said Tania Lee, Channel Marketing Manager of Pioneer DJ Europe Limited.