The industry's most important platform is evolving, in close collaboration with the music industry, instrument makers, associations, companies and retailers. The Musikmesse concept will change in 2016. It will not only offer additional opportunities for doing business and holding discussions, or new areas for matchmaking and networking, but also place greater emphasis on engaging people who are interested in music. How?
Messe Frankfurt announced these plans during this year's April edition. In meetings with manufacturers, associations, dealers and musicians, the organizers have clarified many needs, ideas to be developed and goals to be achieved.
“We consider dialogue with the industry essential for implementing changes that bring more benefits to the trade. We are therefore very pleased with the large turnout. Besides praise, we also heard some critical words and reservations, which gives us the opportunity to get in touch with those concerned: not only to clear up any misunderstandings, but also to build more constructive ideas,” says Kai Hattendorf, Vice President, Digital Business & Entertainment, Messe Frankfurt GmbH.
One of the most important changes taking effect next year is the creation of a business space / world that occupies an entire exhibition hall and offers numerous new services for retailers.
During the four days of the fair, the other halls will be open not only to buyers, decision-makers and other trade visitors, but also to members of the public. The new concept also involves a change in schedule. From 2016, the fair will run from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Thursday through Sunday. In addition, the exhibits will be located in Halls 9.0, 9.1, 10.2, 11.0 and 11.1, as well as the “Portalhaus” and “Galleria” buildings.
“The more time we have to explain the reasons for these changes, the more room there is for those concerned to discern the opportunities the new concept offers, and, most important of all, to give us their opinion,” adds Kai Hattendorf.
High Expectations for Better-Quality Business. An exclusive B2B area was introduced at Musikmesse 2015 and was warmly received. The idea is now being developed to refine the details and improve the delivery of a new business world for manufacturers, retailers and distributors, occupying the whole of Hall 11.1.
Besides the opportunity to hold meetings with customers in a business-friendly environment, exhibitors and visitors will benefit from a range of new services, including a comprehensive retail seminar, supplementary services for making business contacts and the integration of the Tulip Club, or VIP lounge, for buyers.
In the demonstration shop area, retail experts will present forward-looking concepts for music retailers. The reaction to the improved business quality has drawn many positive comments. Gerhard A. Meinl, President of the German Federal Association of Musical Instrument Manufacturers, said: “The fact that the fair has its own B2B area is further proof of its importance to business. I have high expectations for its future development.”
The assessment and outlook offered by Ralf Karstädt, owner of the music store Musikhaus Karstädt, were similar:“The B2B area at this year's fair was in itself a big advantage for dealers like us. We are very happy to have the opportunity to hold meetings and do business away from the hustle and bustle of the fair. We are therefore very pleased to see the concept expanded.”
Michael Kunz, Senior Product Manager at Kawai Europa GmbH, said:“Appealing to musicians and dealers in equal measure is a balancing act! For us, that is the essential reason we exhibit at the fair.”
Engaging People Who Are Interested in Music. The other Musikmesse halls will not only give retailers an excellent overview of the industry's innovations, but will also give music lovers the chance to discover and try out musical instruments over the four days of the event. Three themed worlds, each dedicated to a specific style of music, reflect the full range of products and services available on the market.
- Rock & Pop in Hall 8, with a focus on electric guitars, basses, drums, amplifiers and accessories.
- Classic & Jazz is in Halls 10.2 (brass and woodwind instruments) and 11.0 (string instruments, acoustic guitars, harmonicas, percussion, sheet music and specialist literature). '
- Electro & Recording. Halls 9.0 and 9.1 cover keyboards and digital pianos, synthesizers, microphones, recording hardware and software, and DJ equipment.
In all the themed worlds, visitors will find different areas with live music, music-oriented restaurants and spaces for meeting artists. The result will be a more distinctive type of event, making the fair more attractive to users and consumers.
“We make great efforts to build awareness among customers. So we are glad to see that in the future the fair will be open to everyone interested in musical instruments. In fact, Musikmesse is the only event of its kind in the world that speaks to amateur and semi-professional musicians,” says Michael Smilgies, Manager Relations, Gibson
For Günter Kreuzpointner, Office Manager at IAM Musical Instruments GmbH, the fair will be strengthened as an information platform: “The musician is the most important person in our industry. Without musicians, there are no distributors or manufacturers. In this context, we are happy to see the innovations being introduced at Musikmesse.”
For young, innovative companies, Musikmesse will be an even more important launch pad, says Nir Averbuch of Israeli software producer Radix Sound Ltd.: “It is important for us to introduce an international audience to the innovative functionality of our products. This is best done face to face at our booth. We believe that opening the fair to everyone interested in music is a positive development in achieving our marketing goals at the fair.”
Retailers and Music Lovers Will Benefit Equally. With the change in the sequence of days, the organizers will provide double value. On the one hand, the aim is to make it easier for small retailers to visit the fair. On the other hand, the visitor trade potential should be exploited to the fullest. “Many music stores are run by one or two people. For them in particular, the possibility of visiting the fair on Sundays is a very welcome innovation,” says Hans Huck, Sales Director at Universal Edition AG.
Meanwhile, Tobias Kammerer, Purchasing Manager at Musikhaus Kirstein GmbH, highlights the advantages for music lovers: “With weekend opening, the perfect conditions are in place to reach the hobbyist and semi-professional sector more effectively. There is nothing that replaces the chance to try instruments with your own hands and experience them live. As the music industry market becomes more centralized, the opportunities to do this are getting fewer.”
With doors opening at 10:00 a.m., the event will be fully aligned with the international standard at music and entertainment fairs. “The changes to the opening hours also appeal to our company, since the number of people visiting our booth has generally increased throughout the day. For this reason, it seems reasonable to open the fair an hour later,” says Drago Dujak, Product Specialist, Schertler SA.
Through consultations with the industry, Messe Frankfurt aims to tackle the challenges facing the musical instrument market with these broad measures for the further development of the Musikmesse concept. The changes represent an important evolutionary step in the event's 35-year history, and accordingly there are cautionary and skeptical voices.
Arguments like these were also raised during the last edition of the fair: “We are open-minded about the changes for 2016. At this point, however, we can't say much more on the subject,” said Steve Baltes, Sales Manager at Sonic Sales GmbH, during the fair.
More critical was Ingo Angres, Marketing Manager at Sennheiser Electronic GmbH & Co. KG: “We will take a close look at the concept for 2016 and wait to see the changes it brings. The key factor for us will be whether and how the other companies in our sector will exhibit.”
In this context, the organizers continue to rely on dialogue: “We are familiar with the initial doubts surrounding other events in our portfolio, which we have successfully restructured in the past,” says Kai Hattendorf of Messe Frankfurt.
“In exactly the same way that we prepared the changes in line with the wishes of the industry, we will put them into practice in close cooperation with all those involved. Ideas and reactions are therefore still welcome, because we want to take all interests into account and achieve the best possible added value for the industry as a whole.
Our goal is to generate decisive momentum at Musikmesse 2016 to steer the international musical instrument industry toward a successful future.” Initial positive results are visible, given the large number of exhibitors who have signed up again.
Exhibitors still have time (until July 31, 2015) to book their exhibition space at Musikmesse 2016 at the early-booking price.
Musikmesse, with its new concept, will take place at the Frankfurt Exhibition Center from April 7 to 10, 2016. More information at www.musikmesse.com/newconcept.
