Prolight + Sound continues to grow in line with the sector: 940 exhibitors from 47
countries made presentations at the International Fair of Technologies and Services
for Entertainment, Integrated Systems and Creation from 5 to 8 April 2016. Around
45,000 visitors from 121 countries made their way to Frankfurt am Main for the
premiere of the new event concept. The result: new exhibitor and visitor records.
“This year’s Prolight + Sound demonstrated the creative and economic potential of
event technology and was able to exploit the positive business climate in the sector
in full. Thanks to the new concept, the fair has been able to increase its significance
in many different respects, e.g., as a showroom and market place, as well as an
information and networking platform’, said Detlef Braun, Member of the Board of
Management of Messe Frankfurt GmbH. The significance of the fair is also
underscored by its high degree of internationality: more than half of all visitors and
around 62 percent of exhibitors came from outside Germany. The top 10 visitor
nations in 2016 were Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Belgium, the United
Kingdom, Switzerland, Austria, China and Sweden. Together with Musikmesse (7 to
10 April 2016), Prolight + Sound once again turned Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition
Centre into the pivotal point of the worldwide music and event business.

After years of growth, the turnover of the event-technology sector is approaching
the € 4 billion mark. According to a new GfK study commissioned jointly by the
VPLT and Messe Frankfurt, 47 percent of the market participants interviewed
anticipate slight to considerable increases in turnover – only six percent predict a
decline. The positive business climate in the sector is the result of an unbroken,
high level of demand for creative, professional, safe and innovative events, as well
as technical progress accompanied by numerous factors promoting growth.

Over recent years, the impressive pace of development in the event-technology
industry has led to a growing demand for highly trained employees. For this reason,
too, Prolight + Sound has further expanded its range of professional-development
facilities. An extensive seminar programme with over 70 lectures by top speakers
communicated basic and expert knowledge on technological trends, progressive
event management and safety and security issues in the event industry. The tried
and tested Eventplaza Conference and Prolight + Sound Conference were relocated
to the “Forum’ – and a new Networking Area offered the ideal setting for an
interdisciplinary exchange of ideas and information. One of the highlights on the
conference programme was the keynote speech by Guang Jian Gao, designer-in-
chief and art director of the Chinese National Theatre in Beijing, who offered
insights into his many years of creative experience. Additionally, a new seminar
event, the Manufacturers’ Forum, gave exhibitors the opportunity to present best-
practice examples on the basis of specific projects.

The next Prolight + Sound will be held from 4 to 7 April 2017.