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| Prolight + Sound | |
|---|---|
| Name | Prolight + Sound |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Trade fair |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Venue | Messe Frankfurt |
| Location | Frankfurt am Main |
| Country | Germany |
| First | 2000s |
| Organizer | Messe Frankfurt |
Prolight + Sound Prolight + Sound is an international trade fair for the professional audio, lighting, stage, and event technology industries that takes place in Frankfurt am Main. The fair brings together manufacturers, distributors, technicians, designers, and service providers from across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, serving as a marketplace and networking hub alongside conferences and awards. Exhibitors showcase integrated systems for concerts, theatres, festivals, houses of worship, broadcast studios, and corporate events.
Prolight + Sound presents product lines and services from suppliers of loudspeakers, mixing consoles, microphones, lighting fixtures, LED displays, rigging, stage machinery, broadcast equipment, and event software. Key market sectors represented include live music production involving companies such as Yamaha Corporation, Shure Incorporated, Sennheiser, DiGiCo, Allen & Heath, and Meyer Sound Laboratories; theatrical and architectural lighting from firms like Philips Lighting (Signify), ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls), Robert Juliat, and Avolites; and visual technologies by Barco (company), Christie Digital Systems, NEC Corporation, and Samsung Electronics. The event also highlights workflow solutions from brands including Avid Technology, Adobe Inc., AVID, Calrec Audio, and QSC Audio Products. Attendees often include production companies such as Live Nation, AEG Presents, SMG (company), and touring crews from orchestras like the Berlin Philharmonic and opera houses like La Scala.
The fair evolved from regional exhibitions in the 1990s and expanded under the aegis of Messe Frankfurt, joining global circuits of trade shows such as NAMM Show, IBC (conference), ISE (Integrated Systems Europe), and PLASA Show. Early participants included legacy firms like Klaus Schwab-era exhibitors and equipment manufacturers rooted in European workshops such as Sennheiser Electronic GmbH & Co. KG and Harman International Industries. Over time the show incorporated technologies tied to broadcasters like BBC, Deutsche Welle, and CNN, and equipment used in productions for festivals such as Glastonbury Festival, Tomorrowland, Wacken Open Air, and Montreux Jazz Festival. Strategic shifts mirrored developments at organizations like CEDIA and standards bodies including AES (Audio Engineering Society), IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), and ISO.
The exhibition is organized into halls and thematic clusters showcasing categories such as professional audio featuring companies like Bose Corporation, Dolby Laboratories, Neumann (company), AKG Acoustics, and KRK Systems; lighting technologies from Martin Professional, Clay Paky, Robe Lighting, and GLP (German Light Products); stage and rigging solutions by Flying by Foy, Stageco, and TAIT Towers; and broadcast and recording equipment from Sony Corporation, Panasonic, Grass Valley (company), and Blackmagic Design. Other categories include event IT and control systems by MA Lighting, HOG (lighting control), Chauvet Professional, and GrandMA; projection mapping and LED walls by ROE Visual, Planar Systems, and Unilumin; and safety and crowd management services used by companies like G4S, Securitas AB, and WSP Global.
Prolight + Sound hosts conference programs, technical workshops, and masterclasses featuring speakers and trainers from institutions and entities such as AES, IABM, Beyerdynamic, IRCAM, Fraunhofer Society, RWTH Aachen University, University of Westminster, and Royal College of Music. Sessions address topics tied to touring logistics with firms like DHL, FedEx, and DB Schenker, sustainability seminars referencing UNEP and Green Music Initiative, and legal panels involving IFPI, GESAC, BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.), and PRS for Music. The fair also coordinates award ceremonies in partnership with industry bodies such as PLASA, NAMM Foundation, and German Design Council recognizing innovation in sound, lighting, and AV integration.
Prolight + Sound attracts tens of thousands of professionals from markets including Germany, United Kingdom, United States, China, Japan, South Korea, France, Italy, Spain, and Brazil. Visitor profiles often include technical directors from venues like Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Sydney Opera House, touring promoters from Live Nation, production managers from Cirque du Soleil, and broadcast engineers from ZDF. The fair contributes to the regional economy via hotel bookings with chains such as AccorHotels, Hilton Worldwide, Marriott International, and logistics handled by carriers like Deutsche Bahn and Rhein-Main Airport (Frankfurt).
Certain editions featured major product launches and live demonstrations by companies including Shure, Sennheiser, Yamaha, Meyer Sound, and Barco, alongside world premieres from innovators such as d&b audiotechnik, L-Acoustics, Bose Professional, and TC Electronic. Highlights have included collaborative showcases with large-scale productions from entities like Walt Disney Imagineering, Universal Music Group, and Cirque du Soleil, academic demonstrations from MIT Media Lab, and immersive installations by collectives linked to Ars Electronica and ZKM (Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe).
The event is organized by Messe Frankfurt in cooperation with trade associations and media partners such as BDDV, VPLT (Verband für Veranstaltungstechnik und Veranstaltungswirtschaft e.V.), Prolight + Sound Forum partners, AVIXA, PLASA, and publications including Sound & Video Contractor, Lighting & Sound America, ProSound News, and FOH Magazine. Strategic partnerships extend to certification bodies like TÜV Rheinland, financing partners including KfW, and regional development agencies such as FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH.