Musikmesse 2022 cancelled, Pro Light and Sound to go ahead

The organiser of the Musikmesse trade fair, Messe Frankfurt, has announced the cancellation of the 2022 Musikmesse Plaza and Musikmesse Festival April events, citing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on large-scale events and a ‘dramatic’ shift by consumers to online retailers.

According to the organiser, ‘Hygiene rules made planning very difficult above all for large-scale concerts by international artists, concerts in clubs and unusual locations, and music education events. The dramatic transformation in the instrument market, where over 70 percent of sales are now attributed to a small number of online retailers, has already had a very negative effect on the Musikmesse trade exhibition in recent years and is one of the factors driving the transformation from a B2B to a B2C event. In view of this, Messe Frankfurt will no longer be continuing the B2B part of the Musikmesse but instead will restructure music-related B2C formats at a later point in time.’

Prolight + Sound, which usually takes place at the same time as Musikmesse, will still go ahead from 26-29 April, and for the first time will feature a dedicated exhibition area for studio, DJ and recording products and services. Another new feature will be the Sound Experience Hub, where audio brands will present their indoor sound reinforcement solutions under real-world conditions.

Messe Frankfurt has also suspended its activities in Russia in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine which ‘poses an unprecedented threat to peaceful coexistence in Europe’.

According to the company, ‘Messe Frankfurt supports all sanction measures taken by the Federal Government. Against this backdrop, the Messe Frankfurt Board of Management decided to suspend events of its subsidiary Messe Frankfurt RUS until further notice’.