'It brings the live events industry together': Exhibitors share reasons for attending Prolight+Sound 2018
“It will be exciting to see which direction it will go in.” This was the response from Berlin-based loudspeaker business Adam Audio, when PSNEurope asked manufacturers exhibiting at this year’s Prolight+Sound fair to tell us more about their decision to do so.
Replace the word ‘exciting’ with ‘interesting’, and you’ll perhaps better reflect the industry’s mood. When you consider the fast-changing landscape of trade shows in Europe at the moment, there have been a few question marks over the future of some of them.
Stalwart show NAMM is a firm favourite for many in the industry, with the 2018 winter edition having taken place at the end of January. A few weeks after followed the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) show in Amsterdam, which drew in a record number of visitors (attendees were up 8.6% year-on-year to 80,923, while its number of exhibitors also hit a record high of 1,296).
Frankfurt’s Prolight+Sound will see some changes this year. Its partner show Musikmesse announced in October 2017 that it will merge its audio, DJ and recording segments in a new, central presentation platform across both fairs this year. Exhibitors that used to be spread over several halls at the two fairs will make their presentations together in Hall 4.1, a concept which “is the result of numerous discussions with companies from the sector”, according to Musikmesse’s group show director of entertainment, media and creative industries Michael Biwer.
In keeping with last year, Prolight+Sound and Muskimesse will overlap, with the former taking place from April 10-13 and Musikmesse opening from April 11-14. PSNEurope asked some of the show’s pro audio exhibitors where the appeal lies for them and what sets Prolight+Sound apart from the rest…
Adam Audio: ‘It will be exciting to see where it goes next’
Why are you exhibiting at Prolight+Sound 2018?
On the one hand, there is certainly the geographical proximity – Frankfurt is not far from our headquarters in Berlin. On the other hand, it’s a good opportunity to meet our distributors and talk to customers.
What products are you bringing to the show?
At the beginning of the year, we launched our new T Series. Therefore, at this year’s Prolight+Sound, we will be showing our new T5V and T7V models as well as one or two models from our flagship series, the S-Series, which we launched in 2017.
How does the show distinguish itself from other trade shows on the pro audio calendar?
Prolight+Sound is currently redefining itself and it will be exciting to see which direction it will go in.
In the past two or three years, many new, specialised exhibition formats have been created in addition to PL+S and Musikmesse, such as the Superbooth in Berlin. I believe that – at least as far as the recording industry is concerned – events with a B2C approach have a great deal of popularity if visitors can broaden their knowledge and skills.
Response from Andre Zeugner, head of marketing
L-Acoustics: ‘The sheer size allows Prolight+Sound to continue to serve manufacturers well’
Why are you exhibiting at Prolight+Sound 2018?
For many years, Prolight+Sound has been the international show of choice as it attracts a widespread selection of our key partners and clients and, of course, potential clients and partners. Visitors from across Europe and beyond converge in Frankfurt and that makes Prolight+Sound an important moment in our yearly calendar.
Many of our German and European partners make the L-Acoustics stand their home base at Prolight, meeting with their clients and taking orders.
Prolight has also traditionally provided a key moment for us to hold our international Certified Provider meeting, allowing L-Acoustics and our partners to share best practice, success stories and for us to announce our upcoming strategic initiatives to our global network of partners.
What products are you bringing to the show?
At Prolight+Sound, L-Acoustics will demonstrate the new L-ISA Immersive Sound Art technology which is currently embarking on pop singer Lorde’s Melodrama world tour, and present new hardware and software tools – including the P1 networked digital audio processor, which begins shipping in June – that will make it easy for L-Acoustics partners to quickly realise optimised performance. Demos and presentations will be held in the Kontrast Room, Hall 3.
The L-Acoustics booth – C11 in Hall 3.1 – will showcase the new L-ISA Island, a complete integrated personal auditorium that plays the high-definition Blu 23.1 format as well as any other media, all housed in a stunning piece of furniture designed to entertain high-level music lovers.
How does the show distinguish itself from other trade shows on the pro audio calendar?
The sheer size of the Frankfurt Messe allows Prolight+Sound to continue to attract and serve manufacturers well.
Prolight+Sound is the main European event for the live sound industry, and the show attracts a wide cross-section of L-Acoustics’ key partners. It also allows us to meet simultaneously with a good number of them.
Response from Jochen Frohn, director of business development
D&B audiotechnik: ‘Prolight+Sound brings together all the strands of the industry under one roof’
Why are you exhibiting at Prolight+Sound 2018?
2018 is shaping up as a stellar year for d&b audiotechnik as we continue to deliver two technology innovations into the market in one year. Having launched immersive sound system processor, the d&b Soundscape, in February at ISE, winning a NewBay ISE Best Of Show Award, Prolight+Sound 2018 now becomes the perfect occasion to officially introduce our next generation line array technology, the d&b SL-Series – GSL System.
Sitting above the J, Y and V Series systems as the apex of the d&b range, the GSL-System sets a new standard by delivering low frequency extension, headroom and a cardioid dispersion pattern performance over the entire operating range. In short: it’s the ultimate touring machine.
What products are you bringing to the show?
Prolight+Sound will give us the opportunity to continue presentations of our new sound system processor, the d&b Soundscape. Operating on the DS100 Signal Engine and utlilising the familiar d&b Workflow, the d&b Soundscape opens up a whole world of creativity for sound designers, artists and audiences.
At the d&b stand you will also find the complete d&b product range including all loudspeaker series E, T, J, Y and V-Series, as well as xS, xA and xC-Series. There will also be a d&b Workflow station on the booth featuring NoizCalc, ArrayCalc and ArrayProcessing.
d&b has already announced a number of integration partners for the DS100 Signal Engine including show control standard QLab by Figure 53, TTA Stagetracker II by TTA, as well as with Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) systems in either VST or AU formats. More integration partner announcements will be made in the near future. d&b Soundscape presentations will take place in the Messe Forum for the duration of Prolight+Sound.
How does the show distinguish itself from other trade shows on the pro audio calendar?
Prolight+Sound is a major date on the event calendar that brings together all strands of the industry under one roof and the d&b audiotechnick family certainly feels at home there.
We expect the show to be the finale of a multi-year development phase for the company, kicking off the new journey of two products which we hope will be highly regarded as audio technology innovations.
Response from David Claringbold, chief marketing officer
Avid: ‘Prolight+Sound and Musikmesse bring the European live events industry together’
Why are you exhibiting at Prolight+Sound 2018?
At Avid, we believe that industry trade shows are go-to events for those spearheading the latest developments in the pro audio market and those looking to expand their live sound capabilities. Keeping up with these developments can be challenging as the market becomes more crowded and competitive. Attending trade shows like Prolight+Sound allows customers to digest the vast amount of systems available, meet with leading developers to deep dive into their respective technologies, and choose a new live sound solution with confidence.
Adopting live sound equipment that can be integrated seamlessly and cater for a diverse range of productions has become a necessity. Prolight+Sound gives organisations and producers a head start in acquiring the latest powerful, cutting-edge live sound solutions. Placing attendees at the forefront of these innovations, Prolight+Sound lets customers engage with groundbreaking products and meet with experts to help discover the best solution for their production environment, however unique and specialised.
What products are you bringing to the show?
We will be showcasing the latest version of Avid Venue Software and the new Avid Venue On-Stage iOS app for the fully modular and scalable Avid Venue S6L live sound system. The new free-of-charge Avid Venue On-Stage iOS app gives monitor engineers using the S6L the ability to remotely control any mix from any location. With the app, engineers can fine-tune individual monitor mixes on stage, hearing exactly what the performers hear. Avid will also be demonstrating its new Venue 5.7 software, which delivers seamless support for Waves SoundGrid servers, with full tactile control of Waves plug-ins directly from the S6L surface knobs and deep integration with the Venue software.
Avid will also demonstrate Pro Tools 2018, the latest version of the industry’s leading digital audio workstation, which enables faster, more collaborative music creation.
How does the show distinguish itself from other trade shows on the pro audio calendar?
Prolight+Sound is a desirable event for companies to showcase live sound innovations that are set to change the industry. With an attendance of more than 45,000 visitors from 139 countries, it’s evident that there is a growing demand to acquire modern live sound technology in order to stay ahead ahead of market changes, production trends and industry pressures. For live sound and events, it has become increasingly important for live sound systems to meet every production requirement and deliver high-quality sound seamlessly, regardless of the production’s complexity.
Having both Prolight+Sound and Musikmesse open in Frankfurt at the same time provides the ideal platform to bring companies and professionals together from the European music production and live events industry. We’re excited to be involved and to catch up with our existing and new customers.
Adamson: ‘Prolight+Sound is a great opportunity to make new connections in several global markets’
Why are you exhibiting at Prolight+Sound 2018?
Adamson is exhibiting at Prolight+Sound 2018 because of the show’s ability to attract a large and diverse pool of international pro audio professionals from various industry segments. From touring and live events to AV integration, Prolight+Sound is a key event to meet many of Adamson’s global partners, customers, and end-users and a great opportunity to make new professional connections and drive business in several global markets.
What products are you bringing to the show?
A highlight for us is the install-focused IS-Series, which packs Adamson’s tour-grade technology into sleek, unobtrusive cabinets that complement the architecture in any install application. On display will be the brand new IS7p and IS10p two-way, full range point source cabinets along with the existing IS7 and IS10
two-way, full range line array cabinets and IS118 and IS119 subwoofers.
Adamson’s tour-grade E-Series and compact S-Series loudspeakers will also be shown, including the E15 three-way, true line source enclosure that is a fixture of major international tours by the likes of Imagine Dragons, Shawn Mendes, Indochine, and Sia, in addition to major festivals like Vieilles Charrus, Rock Werchter, OVO Fest and many others.
Response from Marc Weber, director of product and brand management
https://pls.messefrankfurt.com
Source: mi-pro.co.uk
