How to resolve AdBlock issue? Great anticipation for Prolight + Sound 2023
Pictures: Robin Kirchner
The industry is getting ready for four full days of business, networking and positive energy. At Prolight + Sound (25 to 28 April), visitors can discover all the latest trends and technologies for spectacular events. For the first time since 2019, the show will take place without major global travel restrictions. As a result, exhibitors from all over the world, including Asia, will once again be represented in large numbers. Prolight + Sound will thus be a global meeting place for companies, decision-makers, professionals – and for young talents on the threshold of a career in the event industry. The show offers a broad spectrum of products and themes, from lighting and lasers, via PA systems and studio technology, to projection and LED as well as event services. Particularly in the field of theatre and stage technology, the event has evolved into Europe’s largest meeting place.
“Together with our partners and the whole team, we have worked unceasingly to create the platform the industry needs and deserves. We are looking forward to numerous premières in the programme, to the exhibitors’ innovations and interesting encounters. Particularly, I am looking forward to celebrating the successful future of the event industry with the exhibitors and visitors at the get-together on the evening of the first day of the fair”, says Mira Wölfel, Director Prolight + Sound. The key players showing their new products and innovations at the show include ADJ, Adam Hall, Area Four Industries, Artthea Bühnentechnik, ASM Steuerungstechnik, AV Stumpfl, Ayrton, Bütec, Cast, Chainmaster, Chauvet, Chemtrol Division, Clay Paky, ComputerWorks, DAS Audio, Dataton, Elation, ETC, Eurotruss, FACE, Focon, Gala Systems, Gerriets, GLP, Highlite International, HOAC, HOF, Igus, InEar, JB-Lighting, Kling & Freitag, KS Audio, Kvant, L-Acoustics, Laserworld, Lawo, Lightpower, Link, LMP Lichttechnik, MA Lighting, Major, Martin by Harman, Meyer Sound, Mipro, Osram, PK Sound, Portman, Primacoustics, Prolights, Radial Engineering, Riedel, Robe, Robert Juliat, Rosco, SBS Bühnentechnik, SGM, TAIT, TMB, Unilumin, Waagner-Biro and Zactrack.
More extensive than ever before is the spectrum of presentation and programme formats in the audio sector. For the first time, the ProAudio College offers a specialist training programme for audio technicians working in the live and studio segments. To be held on all four days of the fair, the focal points of the programme include immersive sound systems, psychoacoustics, live sound in difficult environments, home-studio productions and tips for newcomers to the profession. The programme has been developed in close cooperation with the Association of German Sound Engineers (VDT) and is being held partly in German and partly in English.
Successfully launched last year, the Performance + Production Hub is being expanded for Prolight + Sound 2023. In cooperation with the makers of the Sample Music Festival and well-known brands, Messe Frankfurt is creating an elaborate Experience Zone revolving around innovative sound tools in the ‘Portalhaus’ building. The events include daily workshops and showcases on DJing, remixing, beat-making, field recording and sound branding. Also part of the Performance + Production Hub is, for the first time, an action stage organised by PRO MUSIK – Association of Freelance Music Creators. Here, visitors have the opportunity to participate in discussions with professional musicians, to explore career scenarios and to attend performances, interviews and lectures. Another highlight in the audio segment is the Vintage Concert Audio Show in Hall 11.0. This curated exhibition includes over 200 showpieces covering the history of sound systems over the last sixty years and presents fascinating discussions with personalities from the audio business.
Given the ongoing process of demographic change, it is incumbent on the sector to inspire young talents for a career in the events and entertainment business. The Future Hub in Hall 11.0 brings together content of particular significance for newcomers to the industry and gives young talents the chance to meet companies with suitable vacancies as well as educational institutes in the event sector. Additionally, the Future Talents Day returns to Prolight + Sound this year, on Friday 28 April, with an open invitation for all trainees, students and young people interested in the industry. The programme includes lectures on career scenarios in the event business, networking events with exhibitors, behind-the-scenes tours and much more.
Moreover, Prolight + Sound is spotlighting gender equality in the event business with the inclusion of the Women in Lighting Lounge in Hall 12.0. This is a central meeting place for female professionals, as well as interested newcomers. It is also the venue for interviews with inspiring personalities and a source of information about career options. Organised in cooperation with Light Collective, the initiator of the ‘Women in Lighting’ (WIL) project, lectures and discussions on relevant subjects are being held on the Theatre + Light Stage throughout the fair. Rounding off this part of the programme are daily WIL Meet-ups at the Ayrton stand.
Taking steps to conserve natural resources is not just a social obligation. It can also help make events more economically efficient. Thus, lectures and panel discussions on sustainability in the event business are being held within the framework of the EVVC Green Sessions on all four days of the fair. The main topics covered include not only organisational and technological steps towards climate-neutral events but also social sustainability, environmentally friendly tour management and sustainability communication. The keynote address at the Green Sessions is being given by the Austrian cultural and social anthropologist Bettina Ludwig at 12.00 hrs on 25 April. In her lecture, she will discuss the elements linking people across all geographic and cultural borders, and deduce recommendations for actions to be taken by the event industry. Additionally, suppliers of solutions that contribute to a more positive CO2 balance are marked accordingly in the catalogue and the exhibitor search engine.
Experts from the industry are ready to pass on their knowledge on several stages at Prolight + Sound. At the Main Stage in Hall 11.0, trade-association representatives focus on the most urgent subjects of superordinate relevance for the industry as a whole. In Hall 12, the Theatre + Light Stage presents new technological trends in action. Moreover, there is the Manufacturers’ Forum where exhibitors demonstrate their innovative solutions and areas of application. The International Event Safety Conference (I-ESC) also makes a welcome return and focuses on occupational safety, infection protection at events and tools for the regulation-conform implementation of the large number of projects in the post-Covid era.
All lectures, workshops, showcases and product demonstrations are free of charge for holders of a valid Prolight + Sound ticket, which also gives admission to the grand Get-together with live music and drinks in the evening of the first day of the fair (from 18.00 hrs).