Music China 2015 ended on a high note with 80,468 visitors from 86 countries and regions and 1,782 exhibitors from 30 countries and regions. The significant 12% increase in the number of visitors and the high internationality profile rank as the major factors for the success of the show. Ms Fiona Chiew, Deputy General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd was pleased with the remarkable result and commented: “The exceptional result of Music China 2015 not only shows our leading position in Asia’s musical instrument industry, but also reflects the optimism of the industry towards Asia’s consumer markets amidst the challenging global economy this year.”
High level of satisfaction in business opportunities
Most of the exhibitors see Music China as the right place to be to connect with the dynamic Chinese market. World-renowned brand Yamaha has been supporting Music China for more than 10 years to increase their brand awareness in China. Mr Teruhiko Tsurumi, Executive Officer, Representative of Yamaha Group in China Chairman-President explained the importance for them to join the fair: “Music China is one of the biggest musical instrument trade fairs in the world and is well recognised by the international industry players. This is an important industry occasion for Yamaha, as a world’s leading brand, to raise the company image and showcase our comprehensive range of musical instruments to the market.”
In addition to their astonishing booth display in both the piano and electronic instruments hall, Yamaha held a press conference to announce their cooperation with one of the world’s top pianists, Mr Maksim Mrvica followed by a stage performance. The artist commented on Music China after the performance, he said, “The performance was great! Chinese fans are always so enthusiastic. Music China is like a fantastic business opportunity for the big companies who produce musical instruments. We know that today’s technology is changing so quickly, in a year they are completely different. So I think this is an amazing way to present or introduce your products.”
Echoing this statement, Steinway & Sons presented their newly released limited edition piano for the company’s 160th anniversary. Their products were very popular for both professional and amateur users according to Ms Lei Liu, Concert Technician of Steinway. ”Our brand is well recognised by conservatories and professional musicians, but we also want to expand the consumer market in China as people here have high purchasing power and understand the quality of our pianos. We have already sold some of our pianos to professional players and collectors at the show. Music China is the place to be if you want to reach the Asian market.”
The exponential business opportunities in China are gauged by the mass educational market, and this is one of the key attractions for exhibitors joining Music China. Mr Sylvain Parpaite, General Manager of Buffet Group from France could not agree more. He explained: “We believe the Chinese market is growing eight to ten percent a year. Every year, there are more kids learning instruments at school and it is important for Buffet Group to be part of the development as we are a key player in the industry.”
Mr Fergus Hoey, Director of Ferguson Hoey Harpsichords Ltd from the UK shared the same sentiment, “We came to expand into the educational market and to understand more about the market in China. Most Chinese are not familiar with harpsichords but I have the conviction that it will grow exponentially. It’s more of a question of education, so we would like to find a way to enter at the educational level and we feel this would be a very good market. We’ve seen confirmation that our perception is fact.”
The four-day show was filled with energy and exhibitors were always engaged with business at the fairground. New exhibitors in particular were amazed with the show’s atmosphere. “I am so excited about the energy I feel here. People are hungry to be at the cutting edge of what is going to be next in the industry. We have made lots of contacts for distribution. This is just wonderful,” said a very pleased Mr Marc Minarik, President & CEO of Minarik Guitars from the US. Also new to the Chinese market, Mr Minarik expressed his enthusiasm for business in the region, “China is the world’s emerging super power and the market is very important to us. We came here specifically to find distributors in China. Judging by the response, they really like what we are bringing to them and the Chinese market is welcoming us on board.”
First-time participating exhibitors also enjoyed global business opportunities brought by the high international level of visitors. Korean-based guitars, wind instruments and repair tools company, Paulgeppetto Co Ltd has successfully expanded its international network through Music China. “We believe an international fair like Music China is a good and timely platform for us to introduce our products to a worldwide audience. We were very surprised to find out that so many Asian buyers were interested in our products! Exhibiting here has not only enabled me to meet my targeted buyers from America and Europe, but also reach out to Chinese and other Asian customers. We are contented with the results,” said Mr Sang-Hyeok Hong, Executive Director of Paulgeppetto.
As well as a good mix of key brand names in the industry, companies and manufacturers from Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Taiwan and the UK also participated in the form of international pavilions to showcase their specialty products and novelties.
Visitors praised the diversity of products
Visitors were impressed by the quality and diversity of musical instruments as well as the number of leading brands present. Third-time visitor Mr Ilkka Vainio, CEO of Risto Vainio Oy from Finland came to the show for fresh ideas to keep business running. He said: “I came looking for new suppliers. Quality is rising in Chinese suppliers. It’s definitely competition for Europe and the rest of the world. China is rising up as a musical instruments producer, there are so many different products and suppliers. I have already placed several orders at the show.”
Mr Pawan Bhargava, Director, R N B Music PVT Ltd from India attended the show to purchase a wide variety of musical instruments: “There is no doubt that Music China is a good sourcing platform as you can find a large array of instruments and accessories with reasonable prices and exquisite designs. I’ve already made several purchases of acoustic guitars, violins, saxophones, pianos and flutes. I am very satisfied with this experience.”
Chinese visitor Mr Feng Liu, Art Director of Fengping Arts and Culture Salon from Xi’an decided not to miss any edition of Music China after this visit: “I am particularly impressed by the collection of pianos, violins and guitars. The exhibitor quality exceeded my expectation and the show perfectly served its purpose as a sourcing destination with plenty of networking opportunities.”
Fringe programme offered new perspectives in business, music education and culture
To complement the 2015 show’s key message ‘Business, Education and Culture’, the organisers launched an extensive fringe programme aiming to inspire industry peers with the three aforementioned aspects.
The NAMM CMIA Industry Forum and NAMM University How-To Session contributed a huge part to this year’s programme and offered deep insight in retail and online business strategies to 2,120 attendees. Mr Zheng Li, Company Founder of Shanghai Melody Technology Co Ltd was thrilled when he lectured about how music education creates online business at the Industry Forum, “The Chinese market is tremendous with around 30 million of the population learning to play piano. The number looks big, yet it is proportionally small compared to the total Chinese population, reflecting a huge potential and room for expansion. I am contented to have a full house of professionals attending my session, making this a very successful experience of mine.” Another speaker at the How-To Session, Mr Paul Decker, the owner of Music Villa from the US was equally confident with the online business prospects in China, “Chinese businessmen are ready to make good use of social media to improve sales. This is why the course today is full of participants and they are very engaging and responsive.”
To nurture music culture and learning, the Music China Education Programme is becoming one of the expanding sectors of the show’s fringe programme. Among the various hot topics, kid’s learning was the key highlight. Mr Xusheng Gong, Vice-President of Roland Digital Music Education was one of the speakers, he explained: “Music education in China is improving. There are a lot more people engaged in digital music education because parents believe their children can learn better through a digital platform. I am honoured to be invited to speak at Music China where I can share my ideas on music education with industry professionals.”
Seminars of Technology and Innovation were also well attended by industry people who wish to learn the latest music web audio application and MIDI technology. One of the attendees, Mr Hubert Mohr-Daurat, Game Developer of Luthier de Corée Inc from Korea stated: “This forum was the most interesting part of Music China. I am very surprised to learn that Chinese MIDI standards have been improving so drastically, and am enlightened by the speakers as they gave me a lot of ideas on the technical solutions I can adopt for my current and future programmes.”
In addition, a series of live performances, entertainment and charity events were held at the show including Kid’s Music Castle and charity programme, winning school-band Superheld from the SchoolJam Germany competition, Drum Circles, plus hundreds of stars and celebrities’ performances on stage and at booths including famous pianist Maksim Mrvica, Taiwanese pop singer Crowd Lu, and heavy metal rock band Dead Shape Figure from Finland.
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