Musikmesse 2016 from April 7 to 10 will offer an expanded range of facilities and services for retailers, distributors, and everyone working in the music sector.
The new ‘Business Academy inspired by SOMM’ will create a valuable competitive edge for participants via over 30 workshops and lectures on subjects such as communication, sales, law, compliance and marketing. The Future Shop, a modern and interactive presentation area, shows innovative approaches to digitalisation in the retail trade. But that’s not all: the established Musikbiz Congress will be held again for the seventh time with high-grade seminars and an attractive area for exchanging ideas and information about the music and creative business, as well as digital content exploitation. “As in the past, the new Musikmesse concept focuses clearly on trade visitors from all parts of the musical and instrument industry”, says Stephan Kurzawski, Senior Vice President, Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH. “With specialised programmes and facilities, we aim not only to reinforce the position of the event as a business platform but also to provide interesting food for thought about future business developments and, together with our partners, move ahead with the sector into the future.”
Expert knowledge for the musical-instrument trade: the Business Academy
Keynote and impulse lectures on a variety of subjects relevant to the sector will be offered at the all-day ‘Business Academy inspired by SOMM’ (Hall 11.1). Experts will examine core themes of the musical instrument and equipment sector and discuss important subjects. All lectures will be translated simultaneously into English.
The prominent guest speakers and sources of impulses confirmed by the organisers, Musikmesse and SOMM, include Filip Vojtech, Senior Consultant, GeoMarketing (GfK, Bruchsal), brands and copyright expert and lawyer Clemens Rasch (Rechtsanwälte Rasch, Hamburg), entrepreneur Sebastian Diehl (Diehl & Brüser Handelskonzepte GmbH, Düsseldorf), PR guru Michael Frohoff (founder and CEO, Kruger Media GmbH, Berlin), sales and communication genius Christoph Maier-Stahl (educationalist and consultant, KOMQuadrat GmbH, Mannheim) and social-media marketing expert Philipp Thurmann (Buddybrand GmbH, Berlin). “Our experience of numerous seminars for the sector shows that we can reach all market participants via the selection of themes and experts. This we aim to do at Musikmesse in a compact way with over 30 lectures”, says Daniel Knöll, Manager of the Society Of Music Merchants e.V. (SOMM).
The Future Shop – the future of the music business
How should modern shops be designed to make going to them a great experience? How can even small retailers benefit from the opportunities offered by e-commerce? Which technologies can be employed to improve the standard of service and advice in such shops? Shop owners, manufacturers and distributors interested in such issues will find answers to these and other questions at the Future Shop interactive presentation area in Hall 11.1.
Visitors to the Future Shop will discover advanced shop design and see not only how to display instruments effectively but also how the advantages of the conventional and digital business can be linked effectively, e.g., innovative approaches to window shopping, via which retailers can integrate their shop windows into the sales channel. Additionally, the Future Shop presents solutions for optimising the supply chain up to ‘same-day delivery’. Other focal points include the use of bonus systems for customer retention and how to reinforce these systems through app and beacon integration and the incorporation of video conferences into the advisory portfolio. Naturally, the Future Shop will also tackle issues such as web-shop optimisation and interacting with potential and existing customers via social-media channels.
The Future Shop is partnered by several renowned firms of consultants and technology companies including Feedtures, AhoyRTC, Atalanda, Eyefactive – Interactive Systems and Strandhütte – Agency for Communication. Additionally, Yamaha, Mecki and Ampeg are involved as product partners.
Musikbiz Congress with a broad spectrum of lectures for the music sector
The 7th Musikbiz Congress is characterised by an interesting programme revolving around the music business in the digital age. Professional artists can obtain valuable tips on the best ways to market their works and achieve fair remuneration. Publishers, promotors, producers and record-label staff can learn about the opportunities offered by the ‘streaming revolution’ from a business point of view and which regulations should be taken into account when exploiting digital content. Also at the Musikbiz Congress, organisations from the world of music will present ideas for meeting the challenges currently facing the sector. They include performing-rights organisations, such as Gesellschaft zur Verwertung von Leistungsschutzrechten (GVL), the Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte (GEMA) and the Dachorganisation der Musikschaffenden (DOMUS), and the W3C Music Notation Community Group. The events of the Musikbiz Congress will be held in Hall 9.1 (Electro meets Recording) and Hall 11.1 (Business meets Business).
All events of the ‘Business Academy inspired by SOMM’, the Future Shop and the Musikbiz Congress are free of charge for Musikmesse visitors without prior registration.
Musikmesse 2016 is being held over a new sequence of days (Thursday to Sunday, 7 to 10 April) and the doors will open from 10.00 to 19.00 hrs. Opening the fair for the whole weekend gives retailers the chance to attend Musikmesse outside of their normal business times, i.e., without having to shut their shops. The organisers have taken this step in response to many requests from the sector.
Further information about special services and facilities for trade visitors at Musikmesse 2016 can be found at www.musikmesse.com/business .
