MUMBAI: International trade fair Music China attracted a record number of 43,238 visitors from 91 countries and exhibitors from 23 countries at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Shanghai, China where it was held from 9 to 12 October.

Of these, 40,612 were domestic visitors, a 16 per cent increase from last year and there were 2,626 international visitors from 91 countries  The fair filled six halls with 1,106 exhibitors from 23 countries and regions, an increase of 87 exhibitors from the previous year. The total exhibition area was 65,000 sqm.

China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, USA, Singapore, Germany, Thailand, Malaysia were some of the top participating countries in Music China.

Music China hosted eight national pavilions from the following countries:

Britain (supported by the Music Industries Association), Austria (supported by the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber), Czech (supported by the Association of Musical Instruments Makers of the Czech Republic), France (supported by UBI France), German (supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economics & Technology), Italy (supported by ICE), Spain (supported by the Spanish Guitar Master Craftsman's Guild and ICEX) and Taiwan (supported by the Importers & Exporters Association of Taipei and Taiwan External Trade Development Council).

Appearing for the first time at the British Pavilion was The Oxford University Press, one of the world's largest and most respected music publishers, with an impressive catalogue of 2,500 items covering the education and performance fields  Alastair Henderson, Key Account Manager, UK & SE Asia, said China was a huge potential market for The Oxford University Press. "We have had a lot interest from teachers in our teaching books which they have never seen before," he said "and we have a Chinese publisher who is thinking about licensing 26 books in our piano teaching series."

Susan Petrof, President, Petrof Pianos, one of four exhibitors in the Czech Pavilion commented on visitor variety  "We had lot of customers from Iran, Australia, China, Japan and the Asian market  We particularly had good quality visitors from Russia and very nice meetings with our Chinese dealers and teachers so I am satisfied with Music China." 

First time exhibitor in the Italian Pavilion, violinmaker Maestro Liutaio from Maurizio Tadioli said he made lots of contacts  "I've seen my customers from different parts of the world and I'm collecting orders  We are a small business so to collect three or four orders is big business for us because we can only make a few handmade instruments in a year."

Established as Asia Pacific's foremost show, Music China attracts the biggest names in the music industry such as Yamaha, Roland, Warwick, Steinway, AXL, KHS, Pearl River and Hsinghai 

Amongst its many guitar exhibits, Warwick showcased their limited edition Streamer LX LTD 2008 bass guitar which is creating huge interest in the worldwide bass community  Nicolas Jouvenceau, Vice President & Warwick China General Manager said the impact of Music China will continue to have an effect on business over the next few months. "The fair is a great marketing tool and is getting even better  Music China is simply the main fair in China and as a major distributor and worldwide supplier we had to be present  The fair is taking a more and more international dimension and this is getting interesting, in terms of brand awareness."

Fair visitors were treated to live music performances held on two outdoor stages  Every visitor had the chance to be a music performer by joining the Drum Circle sponsored by Remo and supported by KHS  Facilitated by Kumi Masunaga, a professional percussionist and drum tutor, the drum circle was a fun musical learning experience  Participants sat or stood in a circle with various percussion instruments while Kumi Masunaga created rhythms for participants to follow 

Drumming of a more professional nature took place at the Drum Festival 2008 sponsored by Biema (audio), Nightsun (lighting) and Shure (microphones). Amateur and professional drummers showed off their skills on kits from the world's leading drum-makers.

Other live music events included:

* Warwick Jazz Funk starring legendary bassist and vocalist TM Stevens, sponsored by Warwick

*"Wink" Pettis saxophone player and vocalist, who has worked with Steve Wonder and the Doobie Brothers, sponsored by ALBEST Musical Instruments Co., Ltd. distributors of P. Mauriat saxophones

*Dance To The Beat with drummer Quincy Chen, sponsored by Dixon

*AXL Guitar Show with Jeff Kollman, sponsored by AXL distributors of Fender guitars  Kollman has been voted among the top 20 favourite guitarists by Young Guitar Magazine

Music China 2008 was organised jointly by the China Music Instrument Association (CMIA), INTEX Shanghai, and Messe Frankfurt. The next show is scheduled for 13 - 16 October 2009 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.