Frankfurt Music Fair, Pro Light + Sound Draw 108,000

Bolstered by an improved consumer economy in Germany and throughout Europe, the 2007 Frankfurt Music Fair and Pro Light + Sound shows broke the 100,000 attendance mark for the second consecutive year.

The shows, held concurrently Mar. 28-31 at the massive Messe Frankfurt convention facility in Frankfurt, Germany, drew a total of107,631 over the course of the four-day event, which ran Wednesday through Friday for the international trade, with Saturday set aside for both the industry and the general public.

As is to be expected, the 23,922 foreign visitors came mainly from European nations, with a strong turnout from the Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg) (4,565), France (1,705), Switzerland (1,645), Sweden (1,410), Great Britain (1,415), Italy (1,410), and Austria (1,272.) Show organizers also reported increases in attendees from eastern European nations and Russia. The U.S. � definitely a minority a Musikmesse � turned out 852 attendees. Rounding out the attendance for the 2007 show were 2,494 people from Asian nations, led by Japan.

For its undeniable international flavor, the show also functions as a German trade and consumer fair, with 547 exhibitors and a lion�s share of the attendance (55,817, or just under 70%) coming from Germany. In this sense, Musikmesse is quite similar to the NAMM Show: foreign attendees and exhibits abound, but the �locals� continue to hold sway at both global mega-shows.

�The international mix of both exhibitors and visitors is the greatest success of the Musikmesse,� commented Detlef Braun, member of the board of management of Messe Frankfurt. �The higher levels of exhibitor and visitor numbers emphasize the continually growing importance of Musikmesse as a meeting place for exhibitors and trade visitors.� Braun also lauded �the generally positive mood in the economy� as a catalyst for the show�s success.

Structurally, the 2007 Musikmesse and Pro Light + Sound varied only slightly from the hall configuration Messe Frankfurt has employed during this decade after the completion of the gigantic two-level Hall 3.0. The only significant change this year was the move of violin-family products from Hall 6.1 to Hall 1.2 (near the Piano Salon and further from its former home above the band instruments enclave in Hall 6.0.) Organizers also continued their development of Hall 4.2, a second electric guitar & amp area to complement the home base of this category in Hall 4.0. Other halls staying in their customary places included 3.0 (mostly percussion and large distributors), 3.1 (print music, acoustic fretted instruments, and accordions), 5.1 (electronic keyboards, synthesizers, and software), and the �Forum� hall, housing Yamaha�s mega-exhibit.  The overall layout forms a rough circle of exhibit halls. Combined with the very welcome moving walkways, the plan is designed to minimize the amount of walking involved (although all attendees will attest there is still a lot of shoe leather consumed at this show however it is configured!)

A welcome feature of recent Musikmesse/Pro Light + Sound shows has been their degree of separation on the calendar from the NAMM Show. While the German show was held almost directly after NAMM in the 1980s, in recent years it has been staged in early spring � late March or early April. This gap between the major international shows has given the world industry, almost literally, �a chance to breathe� as well as a shot at nicer spring weather in central Europe. It was somewhat of a disappointment, then, to learn next year�s Musikmesse/Pro Light + Sound will be held a bit closer to the January NAMM show: the German event is slated for Mar. 12-15, 2008, two weeks earlier than the 2007 edition.

A head-turner:
The Fazioli �Model M. Liminal� designed by Philippe Gendre.

For more information of Musikmesse/Pro Light + Sound, contact: Messe Frankfurt, Inc., 1600 Parkwood Circle, Suite 515, Atlanta, GA 30339. Phone (770) 984-8016. Fax (770) 984-8023. E-mail:info@usa.messefrankfurt.com