International music conventions have always been a great source of identifying myriad brands of instruments, audio systems, artists and manufacturers all under one roof. It has also been a massive resource for business-to-business and business-to-customer marketing, interaction and comparison. We recently visited two such expos in China, as exhibitors and visitors.
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International music conventions have always been a great source of identifying myriad brands of instruments, audio systems, artists and manufacturers all under one roof. It has also been a massive resource for business-to-business and business-to-customer marketing, interaction and comparison. We recently visited two such expos in China, as exhibitors and visitors.
Music China 2015
Music China was Asia’ s largest music exhibition, with a total visitor’ s count of 80,468, an appreciation of 12 % as of last year. With a range of 1782 exhibitors from 30 different countries( as opposed to 1775 in 2014) and pavilions including Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Taiwan and the UK, the exhibition turned out to be a brilliant success for businesses as well as visitors and exhibitors. Apart from bringing in the up-andcoming products, diversified fringe programs were held to cater to specific interests.
Music education was one of their highlights, with renowned speakers sharing their insights on a variety of topics and tips on growing businesses. Master classes, industry forums, traditional music appreciation, and never-ending live shows.
We found that China truly promotes their youth’ s music and performing talents, with a major line-up for the gigs coming from local as well as young international artists and bands. Other highlights included exhibitor events from major brands like Tama and Yamaha, orchestral performances and product demonstrations / presentations.
As for Prolight and Sound Shanghai, the visitor count came up to 25,455, 6 % more than its predecessor, from more than 80 countries and regions. Around 500 different brands exhibited their products from across 17 different countries. Although Taiwan was their only pavilion, major brands such as AKG, Harman, JBL, Samson, Adam Hall, TW Audio, DB Technologies, Proel, Audio-Technica, BMB, Funktion-One, Midas, KV2 Audio, Maquinas, NEXO, Global Truss, PHONIC, Beta 3, Soundking had set up stalls and displays.
Looking at a larger, more global picture, we realized how little India has been impacting their music scene. With massive amounts of talent and the resources to back them up, there appears to be a lot of scope for our country on the international front, which we hope will flourish in the years to come.
Musikmesse 2016
As for next year, this international trade fair is going to take place in Frankfurt, Germany. Even with the introduction of a new concept, Musikmesse continues to put the focus on trade visitors. In fact, the coming edition of the world’ s leading fair for the musical-instrument sector will offer even more facilities and services for retailers, distributors and the industry, and thus underscore its importance as the international business platform for the musical-instrument industry. For example, the‘ Musikmesse Insider’ VIP program will make visiting the fair more attractive than ever before for buyers. New opportunities will promote the exchange of expert and business information, as well as specialist education in the sector. Excerpts from the press release include:
Musikmesse Insider – exclusive benefits for MI retailers
The Musikmesse Insider customer program offers numerous VIP services and facilities to make visiting the fair as efficient and pleasant as possible for buyers. Program participants will be welcomed at a special reception counter and enjoy free admission to the event, free soft drinks and a cloakroom service, as well as a variety of additional extras for a successful visit to the fair. Musikmesse Insider is aimed at European retailers from all segments of the musical instrument sector with max. 50 employees. The programme was a complete success earlier this year and attracted over 1,700 registrations. For 2016, the range of facilities and services is being expanded again.
Comprehensive training opportunities at the Business Academy
What are the challenges facing bricks-and-mortar trade retailers in this digital age? In what ways have the expectations of customers on the music trade changed? What are tomorrow’ s trends likely to be in the musical-instrument sector? For trade visitors and exhibitors, the lectures of the Business Academy not only offer the chance to get a step ahead of the competition in terms of knowledge but also help to
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