A long time ago, when I was still a viola student living in Hannover Germany, I used to dream of one day going to the music fair in Frankfurt. Some busy people told me, though, that it was only about business and not for musicians.
This year, I finally got the opportunity to visit the music fair, and strangely enough, I no longer work as a professional musician. I was visiting the fair with the Larsen Strings’ team. Was it a coincidence? The case called for an investigation.
My first impression of the exhibition
We started our fair activities with a round in the section attributed to string instruments. Visiting the music fair is more or less like window-shopping. You go through small streets all covered with booths. In every second booth, people are playing (anything from Sibelius Violin concerto to some ukulele tune). The hall is full of chaotic sounds from individual playing (I was secretly happy that I did not have to spend much time in the hall exhibiting trumpets and percussions).
Would all these people playing be an indication that the music fair is for musicians?
Meeting people
The rest of my visit was occupied with meetings. To sell and increase awareness of our strings we need dedicated distributors with a solid network of music-shops, violin-makers and musicians. It’s all about reducing the distance between us and the Larsen players: Because we couldn’t do it without you, the musicians, the violin-makers, the music-shops…
Is the fair for musicians or for business?
After a couple of days at the fair and even though I met many musicians, I soon understood the real nature of the fair: It is not only about music, and it is not only about businesses. For us the Musik Messe is all about people: Building on new relationships and strengthening others; meeting partners and friends.
It’s all about people
Attending meetings almost non-stop for two days, I still look forward to the opportunity of actually exploring the fair, e.g. looking into instruments, music-sheets, cases and other accessories. Maybe next year – and hope to see everyone again!