Prolight + Sound Shanghai 2016: New show concept caters to evolving industry demands
Prolight + Sound Shanghai 2016 closed with resounding success during its four-day run at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. As part of the show’s plan to move forward with the industry, the debut of the Recording and Production Zone, the relocation to new halls, and the rich variety of events on offer have drawn unanimous praise from all sides of the pro audio and lighting industry.
With a bigger scale and enhanced features this year, the show attracted 26,527 visitors, marking a 4.2% increase in attendance from 2015. 561 leading audio and lighting brands and companies also gathered to present their latest products and advancements in the industry.
Satisfied with the positive results, Ms Judy Cheung, Deputy General Manager for Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd remarked: “The substantial number of major brands and visitors at Prolight + Sound Shanghai this year reflect that the industry is welcoming the new changes of our show. As the organiser, we will continue to upgrade our comprehensive platform in tandem with the needs and challenges of the market and uphold the fair’s outstanding position in the Asian pro audio and lighting industry.”
New show concept caters to evolving industry demands
As a highlight of Prolight + Sound Shanghai, the debut of the Recording and Production Zone has proved to be a timely addition to the show in response to the burgeoning demands of the industry. Numerous inspiring knowledge-sharing sessions also complemented the zone, offering attendees forward-thinking insights into the world of recording and production.
Superlux Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Co Ltd, a loyal exhibitor of the show since 2003, thinks the new zone has contributed to the expansion of market potential in the recording and technology sectors. Ms Yu Lan Chen, Marketing Manager of the company commented: “The Recording and Production Zone was a tremendous success. Visitors have shown great interest in our top-notch products and this shows a demand for recording and production technologies. A special zone like this is what the industry needs – it acts as a reference point and provides guidance to exhibitors on how to expand their market opportunities.”
Another frequent exhibitor, Harman also expressed their optimism towards the positive impact of the zone to the industry. Mr David Lu, Deputy General Manager of the company said: “It was a wise decision to designate an area for the recording and production sector. As a lot of new products and innovations are emerging in the market, many visitors rely on this zone to learn about the latest advancements.”
Beyerdynamic GmbH & Co. KG, who came to the fair to showcase their drum microphones, was happy with the global business leads the zone has created for them. Mr Jason Zeng, the company’s Sales Director of Greater China said: “We have achieved excellent results. Since this is a product-specific area, it provided us with a better and more professional environment for business networking. We have been busy talking with visitors from local and overseas markets.”
Mr Shi Hao Wang, General Manager of B.W Studios who was a first-time visitor of the show praised the zone as a platform for him to explore new products in the recording and production sector. He remarked: “I came specifically for this new zone and discovered many interesting equipment that I wasn’t able to find in other places. There is a high demand for products like these in China and it’s good to finally have a professional platform that connects us to the many recording and production companies.”
Sound @ PLSS Studio, a popular area which displayed some of the latest sound production products from renowned brands, was also well-received by attendees. Mr Ryan Schaad, Experienced Audio Professional from Shanghai Vancouver Film School was one of the many visitors who enjoyed an immersive sound experience there. He stated: “I was impressed by this studio as I could try out the sound equipment and better understand how these cutting-edge technologies work. The products here are definitely top-notch, and the opportunity to test the quality of these products was invaluable.”
Relocation of halls conducive to an ideal business environment
Many exhibitors also welcomed the decision to relocate to halls N1 – N3. The larger exhibiting space in the new halls enabled them to fully make use of their booths to showcase their innovations. It also created a more spacious area and welcoming atmosphere for them to conduct business, which in turn benefited both exhibitors and visitors.
Returning exhibitor Soundking was pleased with this arrangement as it brought a large variety of new customers to their booth. Marketing Manager of the company, Mr Chi Li commented: “The relocation has played an essential role in enhancing the crowds here. The new hall allowed larger exhibiting space for us to display our products and have meetings. Our booth overflowed with new buyers every day and we were able to meet many local and international wholesalers, agents and representatives of large projects. We are content with the results.”
Fair continues to receive strong industry support and high-calibre visitors
For both exhibitors and visitors, the new changes to this edition were beneficial in propelling their businesses. This explained why the show continued to attract high-quality visitors and some of the biggest names in the pro audio and lighting field to attend, including 797Audio, Ableton, AKG, Antari, Apogee, Audiocenter, Beyerdynamic, Christie, DGX, DJ Power, DPA, ETC, Fidek, Focusrite, GIS, GLP, Harman, Jolly, Kling & Freitag, KRK, Maquinas Iberica, Nexo, Novation, Redx, Rupert Neve, SAE, sE Electronics, SE Audiotechnik, Shure, Soundking, Superlux, Takstar, Tascam, TW Audio, Universal Audio, Vue, Yamaha and Yes Tech.
SE Audiotechnik came to the show to increase its brand exposure through highlighting its middle to high-end loudspeakers in the line array. Sales Manager of China Mr Le Xiong remarked: “Prolight + Sound Shanghai is our long-term business partner. We invest huge resources in the line array demonstration every year as it helps us obtain the brand exposure we want from the industry. We believe that this is an international platform with great potential and that’s why we are here.”
Beijing Wincomn Technology Developing Co Ltd also regarded the show as a suitable platform to reinforce their brand image and promote their new Boxer 4K30 projector. Mr Hansen Yang, Vice General Manager of the company said: “We want to promote our products to a varied group of audience, including investors, consultants, contractors and integrators. This show attracts a lot of visitors from the cultural, theatrical and performance sectors and they are the targeted clients whom we would like to meet.”
As Prolight + Sound Shanghai gathers some of the best global brands, visitors were presented with a complete spectrum of audio and lighting products and technologies. Mr Matthias Krah, purchasing representative from Steinigke Showtechnic GmbH was delighted with both the quality and diversity of products on offer, saying: “I’ve been visiting this fair for many years to source for speakers and stage lighting equipment. I think this is an eye-opening platform that covers a comprehensive range of products and technologies. Compared to previous editions, this year gathers more international brands and products of higher quality.”
Extensive fringe events blaze trail of innovative technologies
Held alongside the show was a wide variety of seminars, product presentations and live demonstrations that highlighted cutting-edge technologies in the industry and provided hands-on audio and visual experiences for attendees.
The VPLT International Audio Training Course was one of the highlights of the fair. Mr David Ludz, keynote speaker from Kling & Freitag GmbH who came to share his insights on line array technology, acknowledged the importance of the event in passing on new technologies and knowledge. He explained: "Training brings information, transforms knowledge and connects people together, so I believe in the importance and impact of such a training course through a professional platform like this. It's great fun for me to be here."
Mr Wei He, Asia Marketing Manager from Kino Flo Lighting Systems attended the Lighting and Visual Design for TV Production Seminar and commended the event as an ideal occasion to discover new concepts and applications in lighting design. “The theme of the event was tailor-made for all lighting professionals. Speakers were very insightful and the seminar has opened a gateway of new knowledge for me,” he shared.
Continuing the success of last year, PLSS Lab – VR Sound returned with live demonstrations of the innovative “VR sound” combining 3D sound technology and Electronic Soundfield Technology. Ms Angel Pan, Vice President of Full Dimension Multimedia Technology (Shanghai) Co Ltd was pleased with the high turnout rate. “The show serves as a platform that pioneers the pro audio and lighting industry, which makes it a great place for us to showcase our latest audio technologies. We were very overwhelmed by the audience response and their desire to learn about the advancements of the industry.”
Vision X Network was another popular event at the fair which provided an exclusive opportunity for business networking between exhibitors and buyers. Mr Francis Lai, Market Development Manager of DPA Microphones who gave a product presentation on the company’s microphones, was positive about the impact of the event. “We rely on Prolight + Sound Shanghai as a platform not only to meet our targeted clients directly, but also enhance our exposure and maintain our competitiveness in the market. I enjoyed conducting the presentation in an open area with a relaxing atmosphere.”
A number of concurrent events were also well-attended by industry peers, including Shanghai International Film and Television Technology Forum, Recording Technology Forum, Acoustic Technology Forum and Concert Sound Arena. This was also the first year that Prolight + Sound Shanghai collaborated with Music China to set up the YAMAHA Pro Stage where pro audio, stage lighting and LED designs were demonstrated through a series of live music performances.
The next Prolight + Sound Shanghai will be held from 11 – 14 October 2017 in Shanghai.
