China ‘most important exhibitor nation’ after Germany at PL+S 2013
Published: ASIA
WORLD: Prolight + Sound 2013 reports that both its exhibitor and visitor numbers were up compared with 2012, with totals of 901 and 42,713 trade visitors from 114 nations, respectively. Of those exhibiting, Prolight + Sound announced that after Germany with 358 exhibitors, ‘the most important exhibitor nation’ was the People’s Republic of China, with 105 in total.
After China was Great Britain with 67 exhibitors, Italy with 52, the US with 49, The Netherlands with 41, Taiwan with 30, France with 28 and Belgium with 19.
Meanwhile, the majority of non-European visitors came from the People’s
Republic of China with 615, Japan with 274 and the US with 251. The proportion of international visitors is reported to have risen by ‘seven percentage points to 49 percent, with particularly large increases coming from Europe, North America and Asia’.
After Germany with 21,667 visitors, the largest visitor nations were The Netherlands with 2,095, Italy with 1,316, Austria with 1,142, Belgium with 1,129, Switzerland with 990, France with 894 and the Russian Federation with 802.
‘From the point of view of exhibitors and visitors, Prolight + Sound was an excellent international marketing platform and order fair,’ commented Detlef Braun, a member of the executive board of Messe Frankfurt GmbH. ‘The numbers on the exhibitor and visitor sides are unequivocal confirmation that the concept of the fair is spot on.’
Nevertheless, the organiser stated that ‘excellent exhibitor and visitor numbers cannot conceal the fact that wider economic developments are having a different impact in various parts of the sector and many exhibitors no longer see the business outlook in such a positive light as last year. Now, only 79 percent consider the current economic situation to be satisfactory to good (2012: 83 percent). Accordingly, exhibitors made even more intensive use of Prolight + Sound to present their products and services to an international audience and to reach new customer target groups.’
A glance at the visitor statistics revealed that Prolight + Sound welcomed four percent more first-time visitors to the Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre. The time spent by visitors at the fair also increased again with 30 percent spending three or more days there – an increase of seven percent.
‘Prolight + Sound confirmed that, despite the difficult economic climate, the order situation for Germany’s manufacturers, hire companies and service providers is stable,’ said Detlef R Schulz, chairman of the Professional Lighting & Sound Association of Germany. ‘The degree of interest shown by visitors and the volume of orders taken from German, European and overseas customers were very good. Thanks to the very large number of visitors, the atmosphere was also excellent. Prolight + Sound 2013 exceeded the expectations of our sector by a wide margin.’
The next Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt will take place from 12th-15th March 2014.