Beijing

21st - 23rd April 2021

Welcome to Reeperbahn Festival International Beijing! Over the course of three days, participants were treated to a high-caliber program that offered exciting insights into the Chinese music-, tech-, and creative industries. In cooperation with WISE - The Future Festival & Think Tank and supported by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, we brought European music-industry professionals together with top decision-makers from the Chinese industry. Due to the current pandemic, the events from 21–23 April took place primarily in digital/hybrid form on the digital Reeperbahn Festival conference platform, but that did not dull the shine of the top-class program. Among other things, you could look forward to digital visits to Kanjian and Live Nation in Beijing, discussion panels on topics ranging from "Music Marketing in China" to "Touring and Festivals in China" and "Future trends in Music and Tech," and curated 1:1 matchmaking sessions. There was also live music, of course: On the evening of 21 April, a hybrid showcase concert was presented with up-and-coming European and Chinese acts (Lie Ning, Ava Vegas,and Bohan Phoenix) that can be livestreamed and viewedonline without accreditation.

PROGRAM: REEPERBAHN FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL BEIJING 2021 (21-23 APRIL)

In cooperation with WISE - The Future Festival & Think Tank and supported by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, we provided above all small and medium-sized companies as well as promising new artists direct access to the Chinese music-, tech-, and creative industries.

The event began on the morning of 21 April (Wednesday) with an official kick-off. At 9:00 am (MESZ), Reeperbahn Festival International got things underway for the European delegation at the Nochtspeicher in Hamburg with a greeting by Alexander Schulz (Managing Director of Reeperbahn Festival) and Evelyn Sieber (Project Management at Reeperbahn Festival International), a meet-and-greet with WISE founder Philipp Grefer, a discussion of the program, and a subsequent Q&A with the delegates. At 10:00 am, the program continued seamlessly with digital visits to Kanjian and Livenation in Beijing, during which Chinese decision-makers provided the European delegation with valuable insights into their work as well as into the Chinese music- and creative industries in general. In the evening, a hybrid showcase concert featuring emerging European and Chinese acts followed, beginning at 7:00 pm that could be livestreamed and watched by the public via Facebook. Performers: Lie Ning, Bohan Phoenix, and Ava Vegas.

On 22 April, a number of interesting sessions were planned. Experts presented and discussed the interplay between the European and Chinese music- and creative markets in different panels and provided all participants with concrete ideas and inspiration for new or stronger collaboration possibilities. The event began at 9:00 am with an introductory presentation by Joe Sparrow and Helen Feng, followed by the panels "Music Marketing in China" (9:30 am), "Touring and Festivals in China" (10:10 am), and "Future Trends in Music and Tech" (10:30 am) and subsequently by a Q&A (11:10 am). Panelists will include Kyle Bagley (Founder / CEO, Groove Dynasty), Stephen Dowler (Brand Manager Asia Pacific, Monstercat), Reggie Ba-Pe (Co-Founder, Club Media), Kris Tu (Founder, Huanyin), Jane Polubotko (International Marketing Manager, Kanjian / Music Ally), Shan Wie (Chief Director, Midi Festival), and more.

The last day, 23 April, was all about making new contacts for our selected participants. In close cooperation with WISE, beginning at 9:00 am, a 1:1 meeting between Chinese decision-makers and each member of the European delegation curated and individually tailored to the goals and interests of each participant. For these sessions, all participating delegates were given the opportunity to have digital meetings of approximately ten minutes each with potential business- or project partners from China.

We had an exciting experience with all the delegates from the fields of labels, publishing, distribution, management, marketing/promotion, booking/live events, and related digital/creative business fields!