‘We’re on the right track’: Prolight+Sound trade attendance up 10 per cent
Messe Frankfurt hails ‘upward trend for internationality and exhibitor satisfaction’.
Last week’s Prolight+Sound and Musikmesse event in Frankfurt confirmed that the concurrent shows are “on the right track”, according to Detlef Braun, member of the executive board of Messe Frankfurt.
With the dates of the two fairs overlapping (Prolight+Sound from April 10-13 and Musikmesse from April 11-14), the events attracted a combined audience of over 90,000 visitors from 152 countries, despite public transport strikes and around 800 flight cancellations at the beginning of the fair causing significant disruption.
A post show report from Messe Frankfurt revealed that the total share of trade visitors was up 10 per cent on the 2017 outing as a result of the reintroduction of dedicated trade days.
“The positive echo from the exhibitors of the two fairs and the high visitor standard indicate that we are on the right track,” said Braun. “The sector honoured the focus on business during the working days. Moreover, we sent out a positive signal for music and events with our multi-faceted music-education programme for young people and the successful Musikmesse Festival. We aim to build on the strengths of the trade-fair duo in the future, too. Accordingly, we are setting course for a Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound in 2019, which focus even more on the wishes of our customers for an international meeting place for the music and event-technology sector and exploit synergistic effects between the event to the utmost.”
In line with this, Messe Frankfurt has announced that Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound 2019 will overlap fully on all days and move closer together spatially. Both shows will run concurrently from Tuesday, April 2-Friday, April 5, with Musikmesse running for an extra day and closing on Saturday, April 6.
Helge Leinemann, chairman of the board of the Professional Lighting & Sound Association of Germany (VPLT), claims the move will benefit both shows: “For our association, Prolight + Sound is the highlight on the calendar of events. Together with the broad spectrum of exhibitors, workshops, lectures and professional-development facilities, the international character of the fair makes Prolight + Sound a must for our members and an unrivalled networking platform. Our members were particularly interested in the job offers and working-time models. We are already looking forward to next year when Prolight + Sound is held parallel with Musikmesse.”
“We want to continue offering music fans an attractive music and music-making programme on the Friday and Saturday. To this end, we will develop an event concept with thematic focal points, such as vintage, entertainment and lifestyle, in cooperation with our exhibitors, retailers and partners”, explained Michael Biwer, group show director of the entertainment, media and creative industries business unit of Messe Frankfurt Exhibition.
Details of the plans for the trade-fair duo in 2019 will be announced shortly.
Source: mi-pro.co.uk
