Meteoric rise

The Chinese do not just have a high-growth economy, they are also a musical people. China and the whole of Asia have enormous business potential for the music industry.

After only three years of existence, the Music China/Prolight + Sound trading platform and cultural exchange is already a fully established event. "We are really hard to please but we didn't find anything to criticise about the organisation of Music China this year. It was first-rate." And Philipp Alexander, managing director of Gebr. Alexander, Rheinische Musikinstrumente GmbH, Mainz, knows what he is talking about. His company was one of the first to exhibit at Music China and he knows the market from other events. His long-established company has even traded in Beijing. That was a very different world. Compared with Music China Philipp Alexander found the other events chaotic in their organisation and everything else as well.
Warwick Music Equipment from Markneukirchen has shown at the fair for just as long as the Mainz company. Warwick now generates 15% of its turnover in Asia, according to managing director and founder Hans-Peter Wilfer. That makes Music China an ideal opportunity to show presence and plug the brands Warwick and Framus. The internationally operating company has had sales organisations in over 50 countries for 20 years. Of course, organisation and fair appearances are in the hands of the company itself. The main support provided by the organiser, Messe Frankfurt, is with issues of exhibition space allocation. Philipp Alexander also benefits from the organisation and skilful stand positioning. "Made in Germany is worth a lot in China." Exhibiting at a shared stand, a sort of German corner, guarantees attention. The trade fair presence has brought contact with top orchestras, a boost in turnover and a loyal community of fans of instruments from Mainz. Summing up, Philipp Alexander, whose company operates in many Asian countries, says: "In just three years, Music China has shot into third place after Frankfurt and Los Angeles among the music industry's biggest tradeshows." And transport of exhibits to and from the fair has been free of hassle, in part due to the use of shared stands. This year, 40,000 visitors from 73 countries came to Music China/Prolight + Sound held in the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) to attend Asia's biggest fair for musical instruments and professional audio and lighting systems. For the 923 exhibitors, the trade fair was a thrilling opportunity to make contact with musicians, wholesalers and retailers from all over China and the whole world.
"This fair is definitely one of the three big events that anyone operating in the music business would be unwise to miss", confirmed Martin Matthies from the German wind instrument manufacturer JA Musik GmbH. "The trade fair in Shanghai has matured a bit more this year. Everything points to even more professional organisation: The quality of the exhibitors stands, the calibre of visitors and the organisation. Even the timing is perfect because the trade fair coincides with the beginning of a new product cycle."
Many visitors who gave their views on the international image and professional ambience of the tradeshow shared the exhibitors sentiments. Apparently, there are two main reasons for that, the creativity and the size of the stands and the clear improvement in the quality of the visitors. And what does Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH have to say about it? According to section manager Cordelia von Gymnich, "The enthusiasm in the musical instrument sector and the professional audio and lighting sector is overwhelming".

m+a report Nr.8 / 2005 vom 08.12.2005
m+a report vom 8. Dezember 2005