Musikmesse 2017: Organizers Announce Dates

Musikmesse 2017 will be held April 5 – 8, 2017. In sequencing the days from Wednesday to Saturday the organisers are taking account of experiences gathered from the past event as well as of the wishes of the musical instrument industry and the affiliated associations, as expressed in discussions and exhibitor polls.

Henceforward, Musikmesse will open for three days in parallel to Prolight + Sound, which will continue to have the same sequence of days (from Tuesday to Friday, 4 to 7 April 2017). And the organisers are also adjusting the opening times to fit in with the feedback from the sector. Next year, both trade fairs will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on all four days.

In April 2016, Musikmesse was held for the first time in its new format. Many of the changes have already proved to be a great success at the first event. The extended range of offerings for trade visitors was well received by companies, wholesalers, retailers and distributors alike. At the same time, numerous attractions were introduced for a public with general interest in music and these, too, went down well with the target group. Other features did not, however, manage to come entirely up to expectations. Compared to the first three days of the show, which were universally well attended, the Sunday, which had been introduced in consultation with the sector, produced perceptibly smaller numbers of visitors. The opening times too, had been changed at the request of the industry. Whilst the later start was positively received, the hour from 6 to 7 p.m. did not produce the desired additional value.

“As an international trade-fair company, with a commitment to the sustainable long term, we see the on-going development of our events as an integral part of our work. The new concept for Musikmesse is part of a dynamic process. We have listened to what people are telling us and we shall continue to listen, in order to adapt to the requirements and expectations of the industry,” says Stephan Kurzawski, Senior Vice President of Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH. “Against this background, we shall also be investing in Musikmesse in the future and continue to build up the successful elements of the event. At the same time, we shall, of course, make such adjustments as are wanted by the majority of the companies and visitor groups involved. We thank everyone in the sector for the constructive feedback that we have received before, during and after the show.”

The Society of Music Merchants (SOMM e. V.), the association for the musical instrument and musical equipment sectors, welcomes the adjustment to the opening times and is in favour of the overlap of the two shows: “With the new concept for the event, the organisers have shown their willingness to change; they have picked up on suggestions and created new formats. This is necessary to develop Musikmesse as the most important European platform for the sector. In April, the sector was able to see for itself, that many of the changes worked well.” says Daniel Knöll, managing director of SOMM. “We see it as the right decision to bring Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound closer together. And the fine-tuning of the opening times is also very much in line with our thinking”.

In the coming years, Musikmesse will continue to be oriented towards the individual requirements of the musical instrument industry. Numerous key players have commented positively on the willingness of Messe Frankfurt to make changes. For example, Markus Sailer, CEO of Roland Germany GmbH, said, “Last year, we were pleased to see that Musikmesse was working on a new concept for the fair. All the new components were of interest to us as exhibitors – my favourite example is the Drum Camp. I believe that Messe Frankfurt will continue putting a lot of energy into Musikmesse and make the 2017 edition of the fair even better. And this is good for all exhibitors and customers, as well as, of course, for the venue itself in the long run. Gabriela Meyer, CEO of König & Meyer GmbH & Co. KG, summed up the situation and looked into the future saying, “This year’s fair was a success for us. We were able to welcome numerous international and national customers to both of our exhibition stands. The response from the consumer side was excellent. The new concept came with lots of refreshing ideas, such as the Business Academy, the Street Food Session and the Musikmesse Festival. Moreover, we are very pleased that there will be further adjustments next year with regard to the sequence of days and hours of opening. The longer overlap with Prolight + Sound and ending business for the day at 18.00 hrs are in our interests.”

Information and illustrative material for Musikmesse is available at: www.musikmesse.com