Prolight + Sound Shanghai
International Exhibition of Technologies and Services for Events,
Installation and Production
Shanghai New International Expo Centre
Shanghai, China, 14 – 17 October 2015
Prolight + Sound Shanghai 2015 concluded with increased number of visitors
Exhibitors and buyers are optimistic about Asian market
Fringe activities addressed new technologies and ideas for the entertainment industry
The latest pro audio and lighting products and technologies from 500 companies and brands as well as impressive fringe activities were the highlights of Prolight + Sound Shanghai 2015, and were well-received by a record number of international visitors. During the four-day show, 25,455 visitors travelled from 80 countries and regions to look for the latest advancements in Asia’s pro audio and lighting sectors, a 6% increase compared to last year’s show. Judging from the positive comments from exhibitors and visitors, the industry remains optimistic about the Asian market despite the current economic situation. The visitors’ quality and their level of satisfaction level with the exhibits on display also highlighted that the Asian entertainment sector is gaining momentum.”
Exhibitors and buyers are optimistic about Asian market
Many of the exhibitors were attracted to the strong event and entertainment markets in Asia and joined Prolight + Sound Shanghai to explore business opportunities, including first-time exhibitor, Adam Hall GmbH from Germany. “We started our business in Asia with a cooperation we found in Singapore earlier this year. I believe the market has good prospects especially the event technology market, and this is why we decided to join the Shanghai show.” said Mr Alexander Pietschmann, CEO of Adam Hall.
Mr Henry Wang, President of Nightsun Pro Lighting Equipment Co Ltd believed the show is a good platform to maintain international business contacts and their brand image. “Our powerful light beams are very popular in the market and at the show. The fair has been well promoted and widely recognised in the industry. Through the show we have fostered our relationship with our existing customers worldwide and found new ones.” Mr Wang also shared his strategy in tackling the challenging economy, “To weather the storm of an uncertain economy, we have adjusted the cost and the price while maintaining the best quality of the product.”
Another important success factor of the show is the ability to bring exhibitors together with their target buyers. Audio-Technica has experienced this, Mr Jerry Woo, Manager of the company explained, “The show provided us with the right type of buyers including musicians, recording and mixing engineers. This is very important to us because we want to let our customers know, that our brand is also well-known among musical equipment, and we feel that this is the right platform for our brand and product promotion.”
The maturing Chinese market has created huge demand for high-end products and overseas brands. Mr Josep M Sans, Market Development Manager of Sae Audio Co Ltd recognised that the show is a great opportunity to do product launching in this lucrative market. He stated: “Prolight + Sound Shanghai is one of the most important shows in China. We want to be present in the market so that’s the reason why we are coming. We are launching our new double-ended and single-ended line array systems here. We also demonstrated in the Concert Sound Arena and people enjoyed listening to it!”
The market potential was echoed by many other exhibitors including Mr Eric Yoo, CEO of MU Solvers Co Ltd. “There is still a lot of potential development in the Chinese market and this Shanghai show is an effective channel to expand our business here. We have made more professional contacts here than in other trade fairs and this really helps to increase our sales volume. Besides, we want the market to know that a small brand like us is capable to produce innovative products in good quality.”
Visitors are impressed with their new discoveries and product selection
The good atmosphere of the fair was also reflected by visitors’ positive comments on the product quality and variety on offer. German buyer, Mr Florian Hettiger from Steinigke Showtechnic said: “We look for new products and new suppliers, anything that would be good to sell in Germany. We also have existing suppliers in the Ningbo area, so we come to meet with them and see new products available. After the show we will then visit our suppliers’ factories.”
Some of the visitors such as Mr Irfan Yaqub, President & CEO of Musysic from the US placed orders during the fair. “My company does DJ and audio products and I came here to source those products. I have found new products including mixers and amplifiers that I really like. Tomorrow I will spend more time with the suppliers and place orders.”
Chinese visitor Mr Liang Wei, Senior Sound Engineer for Wenzhou Xiangliang AV technologies was amazed with the huge product selections. “I am a sound engineer and I work for live performance projects which have different requirements of sound effects. At the fair, there is a comprehensive selection of products in a wide price range. I can also interact with suppliers and acquire the updated market offerings which allows me to provide my clients with the best solutions.”
Another Chinese visitor Mr Nianqing Meng, General Manager for Changzhou Sanjing AV Systems Integration Engineering Co Ltd noticed that the quality of Chinese products are just as good as the quality of international products. “I am interested in the products made locally in China. Chinese suppliers are improving their product quality and broadening their product range. There are some exhibitors that I am particularly impressed with, their performance is beyond satisfactory and the cost is competitive. We will work further on the total solution for my project.”
Fringe activities addressed new technologies and ideas for the entertainment industry
A series of thought-provoking fringe activities were held alongside the fair. One of the main highlights was the VPLT International Audio Training Course and was well-received by the audience according to one of the speakers, Mr Christian Diehl, Product Manager of Riedel Communications GmbH & Co KG. “The whole training course was overflowed with audience. There were also a lot of interested audience who stayed afterwards to look at our digital intercom system. I fully support the idea of this training course. It facilitates information exchange and the cross-pollination of ideas from different mind-sets across continents.”
Full Dimension Sound System Showcase was also packed full of audience. Ms Angel Pan, Vice President of Full Dimension Multimedia Technology (Shanghai) Co Ltd was pleased with the high turnout rate. “We are glad to demonstrate the latest advancement in the 3D sound system at one of the most influential industry events in the world. This occasion allows industry professionals and amateurs in China to learn about the new technologies on offer around the world from our own doorstep.”
Mr Jens Weber, designer of Set Design from Germany had a constructive discussion with the attendees at the Lighting and Visual Design for TV Production Seminar. “The lighting design in China is very prosperous. It is very important to hold these seminars at the fair because you’ll have a chance to share your opinions and people can ask questions. It’s nice to share ideas. There are also a lot of good and high-quality products on offer at the show. I met with many people at the fair; I will contact them for future projects.”
Demo Room is one of the new features at the fair to give visitors a unique interactive experience with the exhibitors’ products. Showcasing at Phoenix Audio’s Demo Room were the first-class disco audio and sound systems from the world-renowned UK audio brand Funktion One. Mr Chris Zhang, Director of Phoenix Audio was happy that the demo room provided a professional and enclosed environment to bring out the best performance of their products. “We have very good feedback onsite. Many experts, buyers, contractors, system integrators and DJs specifically came to see our products. We exchanged contacts for future cooperation. It is a successful showcase to promote our brand.”
A number of concurrent events were also well-attended by industry peers including Recording Technology Forum, Acoustic Technology Forum, Concert Sound Arena and Vision X Network product presentation.
The next Prolight + Sound Shanghai will be held from 26 – 29 October 2016 in Shanghai.