MUSIKMESSE EVENT PREVIEW
Musikmesse has shown phenomenal growth over the past decade – particularly when you consider that the show is one day shorter than it was a few year ago. This is an exhibition that really ‘gets it’, as far as the MI industry and the music-making world is concerned
is integrated into the system for the individual events. Mobile communication is becoming increasingly important and more and more Musikmesse visitors carry smartphones with them at the exhibition centre. For us, the app is an additional means of ensuring visitors are well informed. With our Twitter channel and real-time messages about our event programme and a business-matching function (Buddy Finder), we offer not only the standard functions expected by all visitors (hall plans, list of exhibitors, etc.) but also a variety of other genuine benefits. At present, we do not consider monetisation of the mobile services to be desirable.
How much effect has the craze for social media been for Musikmesse? Are you expecting much from this? We use social media to make direct contact with our customers. This is easier and more direct than via our own website. The Musikmesse target groups are highly internet oriented and it is essential that we be represented in these channels. Besides simply being present, we use social media to communicate with the sector all year round. These are only the beginnings. Our strategic goals in the future call for a direct dialogue and feedback channel.
There is a lot of peripheral activity at the show – it seems more than ever before. On top of the MIPAs and Music 4 Kids, there are also the Live Entertainment Award, the German Musical Instrument Award, the Frankfurt Music Prize, the SchoolJam Finals, the German Pianist Award. Is this a conscious effort on your part to include more events on the side, or
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have these various awards come to you to use the Musikmesse brand? Will this be going any further in the future? An attractive complementary programme is important for a fair such as Musikmesse and has to do with experiencing and hearing music, and strengthening the fair as an event at which the sector meets and exchanges ideas, opinions and information. Many awards have been presented at Musikmesse for many years and are component parts of the show. We have brought others, such as PRG LEA, to Musikmesse and Frankfurt for strategic reasons. The PRG LEA award winners are event organisers and concert promoters and we see a variety of synergies between them and the exhibitors and visitors of Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound. These thematic overlaps offer a considerable potential for the future development of both partners.
The announcement of the German piano manufacturers to exhibit every two years under the umbrella of the German Piano Association sounds like a further step back on their part. Is this the case? Are international piano makers taking advantage? For Musikmesse, the long-term commitment of Germany’s piano manufacturers to Musikmesse was an important step to ensure this group of instruments plays a prominent role in the fair. Thus, it is not a step back for us but rather a step forward. Although the German piano makers only take part every two years, visitors will always be able to see upright and grand pianos at Musikmesse. We will have to wait and see whether the pianos on show will be able to gain market shares because of the absence of the German manufacturers.
Pounding the aisles
As ever, there will be huge amounts of gear on show at Musikmesse and next month’s preview, which will also enjoy extra circulation at the show will feature a stand by stand run through of all the important launches due for the show in considerable detail. For this month, however, a few of
the really keen suppliers have already let us know what they have in store for the stalls, so here is a quick taster of what they will have to offer – but once again, tune in and turn the pages next month for more detail…
Among the British companies exhibiting for the first time at the event will be Windcraft and its new student sax, the Series I, the result of years of experience working in the area of sales and education and the realisation that dealers and teachers need a ready source of spare parts for students’ instruments.
UK supplier and manufacturer,
Strings & Things, will also have a booth at the show for the first time. In addition to successful brands such as Picato strings, Innovation double bass strings and Klondyke straps, S&T also offers quality OEM and own-branded products.
The long established and respected
manufacturing operation in the UK produces an extensive range of accessories and, with the huge increase in Chinese and other Asian manufacturing costs, Strings & Things strongly encourages companies to investigate the UK option. Reduced lead times, smaller minimum quantities, flexible credit terms, all coupled with a
high quality UK product are already proving extremely popular. Again taking two booths to underline
its growing presence for the coming year, Tanglewood claims to have one of biggest booths in Hall 3.1. The guitar brand will be showing models from the successful Master Design, Heritage, Sundance, Premier, Rosewood Reserve, and Evolution ranges. Michael Sanden, who was commisioned to design the Master Design series, will be in attendance to talk bracing, body shapes and Japanese brush-stroke bridges should you wish to learn the goings on behind the strings and why they sound so good.
New models on show include the new Sundance Historic, 1940s era designed guitars and the new Roadster series natural finished folk, folk cutaway electro and travel guitar body shapes. JHS heads to Musikmesse 2011 on
the back of its most successful winter NAMM show to date. The JHS stand will be at Hall 4.1 and will showcase the usual full range of guitars, basses and more. This year's Musikmesse sees the European launch of the Odyssey Premiere range of brass and woodwind instruments. Created in conjunction with designer and master craftsman Peter Pollard, the Odyssey Premiere line provides a range of top quality, affordable instruments to progressing students, teachers and professional players. Outfits come with everything the player needs to look after their instrument and keep it in top condition, and more Odyssey care kits and accessories are available to buy separately.
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