The two leading international trade fairs for the musical-instrument industry and the live-entertainment sectors, Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound, closed their doors today after setting a new visitor record of 113,000 visitors from 142 countries (2012: 109,481 visitors, 120 countries1). “This veritable flood of visitors exceeded by a wide margin not only our expectations but also those of the exhibitors’, said Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt GmbH, on the final day. “113,000 visitors beats not only last year’s result by three percent but also the previous visitor record set in 2009 (112,478 visitors1). This is a fantastic result for the two innovative, very marketing-oriented sectors at their leading fairs here in Frankfurt am Main’, added Detlef Braun.
The increase in visitor numbers was spread evenly over the trade and public days. Accordingly, there was also even growth in the numbers of German and foreign visitors. “We are particularly pleased that, with a total of 42,300, the increase in the number of foreign visitors kept pace with that of domestic visitors’, said Braun explaining the overall figure. Visitors to the two leading fairs came primarily from Germany (71,200 visitors; 2012: 68.2671), as well as from The Netherlands, France, Italy, Switzerland, Great Britain, Belgium, Austria, the Russian Federation, Sweden and Poland. The bulk of new visitors came from Italy, Belgium, Austria and Russia.
The trends presented at the fairs included new LED and OLED products, as well as effects for both the indoor and outdoor fields, e.g., a fountain that combines fire and water effects. Professional and amateur musicians profited from a wide variety of new, digital and mobile devices for composing, arranging and producing music. In addition to the numerous product improvements and the general trend towards electrically amplified instruments, Musikmesse was distinguished by great interest in acoustic guitars, ukuleles and other acoustic instruments. The reaction to the area for harmonic instruments and the Accordion Stage was overwhelming.
Musikmesse was summed up on behalf of the German musical instrument sector by Gerhard A. Meinl, Chairman of the German Federation of the Music Industry and Event Technology (Dachverband Musikwirtschaft and Veranstaltungstechnik e.V. – DVMV): “From the point of view of the German instrument makers, Musikmesse has achieved the ranking of an order fair for the second time running. In a time of stagnating consumer demand, dealers are obviously putting their faith more into brands. This was apparent in the case of both domestic and foreign customers. We also have the impression that there was an increase in demand from new German and international customers. An important signal for our members was the increased number of consumers at the fair. The Friday afternoon attracted lots of young visitors and they are our future.’ Meinl also sees the structural impact of the changes taking place in the sector: “Size and specialisation – as in many other sectors, these options also give companies in the musical-instrument industry a chance to survive. In the medium term, financially sound manufacturers with good sales channels and very small niche suppliers will have their opportunity in the market.’
With expert lectures and discussion forums, Musikmesse and its partners put the spotlight on social and cultural aspects of active music making, e.g., at the Musikbiz Lounge & Congress Area and the stand of Conbrio Verlag publishing company: experts from the music and entertainment business, as well as representatives of politics and the industry, spoke and formulated their demands for new stimuli for education and society through fine arts and music. At the beginning of Musikmesse, the Society Of Music Merchants (SOMM) sketched the current situation with the Music Making Atlas of Germany: People make music in 17.7 percent of German households. However, the density and average age of music makers fluctuate greatly throughout Germany. “Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound were once again meeting places for national and international business people and a mecca for numerous music fans. Nevertheless, it is quite apparent that the market is in a state of flux, which means that structural changes are essential from both a social and economic viewpoint’, said Daniel Knoll, Director of SOMM.
2012 was a good year for the German entertainment business, which rang up a turnover of EUR 3.5 billion in the field of professional lighting, sound and event technology. This is also reflected by the exhibitors’ opinion of the economic situation: 98 percent of German exhibitors said they are satisfied with the way the economy has developed. Naturally, this also meant their expectations on Prolight + Sound as the leading trade fair for the sector were correspondingly high.
According to Detlef R. Schulz, Chairman of the Professional Lighting & Sound Association of Germany (Verband fur Licht-, Ton- und Veranstaltungstechnik – VPLT), “Prolight + Sound confirmed that, despite the difficult economic climate, the order situation for Germany’s manufacturers, hire companies and service providers is stable. The degree of interest shown by visitors and the volume of orders taken from German, European and overseas customers were very good. Thanks to the very large number of visitors, the atmosphere was also excellent. Prolight + Sound 2013 exceeded the expectations of our sector by a wide margin!’
Prolight + Sound also set accents in terms of content, especially with the 2nd Eventplaza Conference on topical event-management issues which greatly enriched the already comprehensive conference and discussion programme. Moreover, I-ESC – 1st International Event Safety Conference – put the spotlight on safety at events, a question of great legal, organisational and financial significance for the sector. More than 3,000 visitors took part in the Prolight + Sound conference programme.
Exhibiting within the framework of the 1st Moving Picture Pavilion in Hall 9.0, camera technology and broadcasting equipment suppliers enjoyed a great premiere with numerous European launches including Sony’s portable Broadcast System, an all-in-one solution for live television production. For the camera specialists from Teltec, their first presentation at Prolight + Sound was a complete success. CEO Ralf P. Pfeffer said, “Our first time at Prolight + Sound has been so successful that we will certainly need a bigger exhibition stand next year. We exhibited professional camera equipment in the Moving Picture Pavilion and, together with our co-exhibitors, are very pleased with the echo. We have been able to make numerous good contacts, as well as gain new customers and take orders. At Prolight + Sound, we saw that demand for moving images is gaining ground in the event sector. Therefore, the fair has an enormous potential for us in the future.’
For the first time this year, Musikmesse supplemented the Public Saturday, the day when the fair opens to music lovers, with the Friday afternoon when its doors opened to consumers at special rates. With around 30,000 instruments and over 1,000 concerts, workshops, autograph sessions and presentations on the stages and exhibition stands, Musikmesse is the most important event to find out about music making and to hear music live.
2,285 companies from 54 countries exhibited at this year’s Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound (2012: 2,416 from 55 countries; FKM-certified figures for 2012). The majority of them came from Germany, the USA, China and European nations, such as Great Britain, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, France, Belgium, Switzerland, as well as from Japan and Taiwan.
The next Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt am Main will take place from 12 to 15 March 2014.
The next fairs to be held outside Germany are the concurrent NAMM Musikmesse Russia, which runs from 16 to 19 May 2013, and Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia, which closes a day earlier after running from 16 to 18 May. Moscow is the venue of both fairs. Music China and Prolight + Sound Shanghai are scheduled for 10 to 13 October 2013 and will take place in Shanghai, China’s leading industrial and cultural centre. Additionally, Messe Frankfurt has taken over an existing fair in the Chinese business and exhibition metropolis of Guangzhou and it will next be held under the name Prolight + Sound Guangzhou in spring 2014.
