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 Prolight+Sound Frankfurt
Mar 12-15, 2008, Frankfurt, Germany |
Prolight + Sound 2008 Trade Fair kicks off with record exhibitor numbers
* Prolight + Sound Trade Fair kicks off with record exhibitor numbers
* Lighting and audio digitalisation set the trends at the fair
* Forums and ongoing training events offer professional information for professionals
 From 12 to 15 March, the Prolight + Sound trade fair will feature more exhibitors and products than ever before. "With 837 exhibitors from 42 countries, the trade fair for event and communications technology, AV production and entertainment, has set a new record for exhibitor numbers", Detlef Braun, Member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt said at the start of the fair. Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt am Main is set to reinforce its status as the industry’s premier international fair given the great number and international origin of the exhibitors taking part and the comprehensive product overview on offer. Prolight + Sound is the only event to offer international trade visitors information about new products, trends and services from the events sector as complete and comprehensive as this as well as an opportunity to establish contacts across the industry. The Prolight + Sound Mediasystems trade fair, which is being staged within the Prolight + Sound fair, will feature cutting edge innovations from the media technology and systems integration segments. With approximately 35 lectures and panel discussions, the Media Systems Congress is the largest information event at Prolight + Sound.
With a five percent increase in exhibitor numbers, Prolight + Sound demonstrates that interest in the event technology segment continues to grow. A sustained boom in events and live events is also reflected in the way the sector is developing. Event organisers now demand more and more services and are increasingly becoming full-service providers, who cover the entire events management spectrum from planning and implementation to content.
 Prolight + Sound has grown both German and foreign exhibitor numbers, with 25 German exhibitors accounting for the highest increase, followed by exhibitors from Europe, for example Switzerland Norway and Croatia, with an increase of 11 exhibitors. In terms of individual countries, the People’s Republic of China posted the largest contingent of foreign fair participants with 74 exhibitors, followed by Great Britain with 59 exhibitors, the USA (51), Italy (54) and Taiwan (33). With foreign exhibitors accounting for 59 percent of total exhibitor numbers, Prolight + Sound reached a peak in terms of internationalism.
This level of participation makes Prolight + Sound the biggest fair in the world for trade visitors from the entertainment industry. According to Detlef Braun, Member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt: "Prolight + Sound’s innovative fair concept of sector integration is what makes the event a global leader". As well as audio and video segment digitalisation, the profitability of trades and services is becoming an increasingly important theme and here Prolight + Sound visitors with find all the latest industry trends and solutions, too. Innovations in LED and LCD technology have now also affected products from a host of manufacturers and are conquering every area. Other Prolight + Sound trends include new materials and techniques, combining lighting and video technology for example ", Detlef Braun continued.
Based on the findings of a recent survey of members, the Professional Lighting and Sound Technology Trade Association (Verband für professionelle Licht- und Tontechnik - VPLT) highlights the commercial significance of the events industry. Commenting on the importance of this line of business, VPLT Managing Director, Florian von Hofen, said: "We estimated total membership turnover of over € 3 billion in 2007 and a permanent industry workforce of at least 10,000."
The sound area and its product range will be represented in Hall 8.0, the display area for live sound, fixed installations and studio technology. In Hall 4.1, exhibitors will be presenting mobile sound systems, microphones and effects. The lighting segment is located in Halls 8.0 (show and stage lighting, design and installation, lasers and effects) and 9.0, the display area for theatrical lighting, stage and studio lighting. Stage technology and traverse systems are presented along with their products in Hall 9.0. Exhibitors from the Prolight + Sound Media Systems trade exhibition will be showing off their media technology, systems integration and communications technology product ranges in Hall 8.0 and are individually indicated. The MICE display area (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Events), a new addition this year, will present event-centre operators. The aim of this area is to provide a relaxed meeting place for operators, on the one hand, and event planners, managers and company marketing executives on the other.
Prolight + Sound remains a showcase for many award ceremonies, lectures, workshops, symposia and training events. Mobile sound installations can be seen and above all heard under realistic conditions at the Live Sound Forum. Pro Stage provides a festival stage on Prolight + Sound’s open-air area, demonstrating perfectly and in an exemplary way, how to construct and run a large outdoor stage. The Pro Stage will host seminars on the theme of outdoor stages, which focus on the technical and legal issues surrounding the construction and operation of a festival stage. This year, the Prolight + Sound Campus will be found on floor 0 of the Galleria, the location for the Prolight + Sound Forum, the VPLT’s lecture programme and the Job Exchange for jobseekers and recruiters.
Prolight + Sound Media Systems Congress, the biggest information event taking place at Prolight + Sound, is held in the conference floor of Hall 8.1 and features around 35 lectures aimed at system integrators, planners, architects and media technicians. The Congress will take place on the first three days of the fair (12 to 14 March), with admission free to all trade visitors.
Two major sector awards, which will be presented at Prolight + Sound, round off the fringe programme. On Wednesday, 12 March at 6.30 p.m., the Sinus – Systems Integration Award will be presented in the Pro Lounge in the Galleria. The Award honours outstanding achievement in the field of media technology and systems integration and will be presented to projects from the Venue and Business sectors. The second major prize is the Opus German Stage Prize, which honours creative and technical achievement in stage and set building for drama festivals and open-air events. The awards ceremony will take place in the Pro Lounge on Thursday, 13 March at 2 p.m.
Prolight + Sound is supported by the Professional Lighting & Sound Association of Germany (Verband für professionelle Licht- und Tontechnik - VPLT) and the European Association of Event Centers (Europäischer Verband der Veranstaltungs-Centren - EVVC).
Prolight + Sound is open every day from 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. for the four days of the fair.
For more information and print-quality photographs go to the following website: www.prolight-sound.com |
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