2nd Musikmesse/ProLight+Sound St. Petersburg, 18 - 20 June 2003

Messe Frankfurt RUS and Lenexpo Exhibition AG anounced that Musikmesse/Prolight+Sound St. Petersburg has confirmed its leading position as Northwest Russia's tradeshow for musical instruments and accessories, lighting, sound and event technology, 8,372 visitors from eleven countries attending the three-day event. The St. Petersburg region boasts Russia's strongest concentration of music academies and institutes, as well as theatres, concert halls and event facilities, and reaches its cultural peak during the 'White Nights' in June. Accordingly, a large 47 percent proportion of the trade visitors (2001: 45 percent) came from the trade, music academies, orchestras, theatres and event facilities. 320 exhibitors and represented companies (2001: 202) from 24 countries of Europe, Asia and the USA (2001: 23) presented their products and services on 8,000 square metres of exhibition space (2001: 6,000 square metres). "Given that the fair had to be shortened to three days for scheduling reasons, we are extremely pleased with this result", said Gerhard Gladitsch, Member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt GmbH (Frankfurt am Main). The fair was very successful for exhibitors from the Russian Federation where trade with brand-name instruments, high-grade accessories and the appropriate sound equipment is booming. Moreover, lighting and event technology has also gained at foothold at the event. In the Russian Federation, there are around 560 theatres and event halls, as well as 90 ministries of culture, creating a demand for musical instruments, technology and event management. More than half of the exhibitors and product brands represented came from outside Russia - in particular from Germany, Spain, Italy , the Czech Republic and the USA. On behalf of the French publisher of sheet music Alfonse Leduc, Export Manager Anna Le Tiec and Director Basile Crichton said: "We had a considerable number of new business contacts and also visits from our existing clients at our stand. One of our most successful experiences was that we just completed a contract with a company we met at the last show in 2001." Helmut Frank, Marketing Director of Thomastik-Infeld (Austria), was also highly satisfied with the contacts he maintained and the new ones made." Hubert Demmler, Director of Messe Frankfurt RUS (Moscow) commented, "The degree of satisfaction among the exhibitors with the quality of the fair in terms of professional contacts, as well as of the organisation and marketing, was highly encouraging. We will continue to further develop the facilities and services for our domestic and foreign exhibitors and their customers." The next Musikmesse/Prolight + Sound St. Petersburg is expected to be held as a four-day event at the Lenexpo Exhibition Centre in St. Petersburg from 16 to 19 June 2005.