What To Expect From The MIDEM Conference
A brief recap and some insight from my first trip to MIDEM
   Now in its 47th year, MIDEM continues to be the place where leaders in the global music & entertainment industry meet to conduct business, show off their country's musical heritage, pitch opportunities they have in their markets, and stay up late for VIP parties and networking at the Majestic Barriere or Carlton.
    Itâs different than any other industry festival I have attended; everything takes place in the Palais de Festivals during the day and is then split between two hotel bars at night with shows sprinkled in between. It isnât crowded like 6th Street in March or spread across a giant city in October; itâs nestled in the small French Riviera town of Cannes. You can develop strong relationships with other conference goers and find time to squeeze in a demo or impromptu meeting, a crucial opportunity to get things done and take advantage of the time you have here.
    Not only is MIDEM a great place for developing actionable relationships, its attendees represent the worldâs vast music markets. Sponsorship managers from brands like VW & Red Bull, music supervisors from Bollywood, record label heads, marketing execs, distributors, innovators, and non-profits looking to promote their talent to a global market, are all there. It was an awesome experience and really excited me on the prospects of working with more artists and companies outside of the States.
    I was fortunate to attend this years MIDEM as an official speaker after years of failed attempts due to timing & budgetary concerns (afterall, we are a startup). Through sheer luck, I was invited by our friend Marcus Taylor of Venture Harbour and the fine folks at MIDEM to give an hour-long lecture at Midem Academy.
âMidem Academy provides you with concrete and practical skills through courses on entrepreneurship, new business models and marketing to truly help you accelerate your career and boost your business.â
I chose to host a talk called âItâs Not All About Likes - Effective B2B Communication in a Direct-To-Fan Economyâ which touched on the importance of improving the communication streams between artists and decision makers, brand managers, sponsors, agents, publishers, the media, and the like. In today's social media world, itâs crucial to keep up on ways of better communicating your art to those who can move it forward, and we at Presskit.to are committed to helping talent and their representatives do just that - move their careers forward. We plan to share a recording of my talk in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for that!
    I saw incredible speakers, workshops, panels, and startups pitching their ideas for new revenue streams in the industry. It was an honor to be in attendance and on top of that, be an official speaker. I highly encourage this conference to anyone seriously looking to build or maintain a sustainable career in the music industry. The festival producers and staff were incredible. Everything ran super smoothly, and Iâm looking forward to attending and (hopefully) speaking at it again in 2015.
    In a nutshell, MIDEM is:
A place to develop strong professional relationships.
A place to learn about what other music markets are doing to grow their economies.
A place to network with like-minded people dedicated to contributing something great to their industry.
A place to discover new trends and talent in developing markets.
A place to make things happen.
  Advice for 1st timers:
Search through the MIDEM directory of attendees and panelists before you go to make a âhit listâ of people you want to meet
Reach out with enough time to introduce yourself and set up meeting times or locations while in Cannes
Bring more business cards than you think you need - and make them nice - donât go cheap or single sided - make them stand out. In fact, you should make a Presskit and include your URL on your card!
Dress is business casual. Itâs Europe so nobody judges anyway. Be comfortable and confident - thatâs more important than anything.
Take notes - write down names and why they were relevant to you at the time. This will make you more effective with follow-ups later.
Play nice - weâre all in the same industry so leave your ego at the airport.
If you have any questions or would like to share your own experience at MIDEM let us know in the comments below!
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