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Date: 22-24 Octobre 2009

PAULETTE'S EXPERIENCES
AT THE AMSTERDAM DANCE EVENT 09
Humeur actuelle : fascine
Categorie : Emploi, travail, carriere

PAULETTE ADE 09

As an ADE virgin I really didn't know what to expect or what I might achieve from this conference. I thought that, as a dj without a record label, hit single, compilation or a fully fledged production career behind me, it wouldn't be that relevant to me. However I was open-minded and since I had a firm idea what sort of results I wanted to achieve and since I had also been invited as a panellist I was sure it would be interesting whatever - and I was not wrong.

I was there from Wednesday to Friday afternoon and found that, train delay aside, it ran relentlessly around the clock, was full on from Day One and left me wishing I had taken fuller advantage of the four day feast.

ADE 09 DAYTIME

Being a panellist made accreditation a joy, there was no queue for panellists or press! Next year i will go early to avoid the delegates queue misery.

The two sites for the daytime conference are the Felix Meritis and Dylan Hotels and they are less than 25 metres apart. I bounced between the two locations like a superball for three days, and found the stretch of street in between was an easy place to catch just about everyone as they were in transit. Getting from one end of the street to the other took me a good hour, sometimes more since everyone meets outside, subtly doing business in the ... rubbish Amsterdam Autumn weather. :-) I passed the time of day quite happily here with my Joia friends - Luciano, Jonas, Albin, Cocoon friends Marco, Lutz and Eddie Thoenick, Secure Recs – Tony Dekker, Mixmash Sander and Tom, Defected, Stealth, Toolroom - plus many djs/ producers / agents / singers / songwriters. It reminded me of how Miami WMC used to be - an intense yet fantastically intimate networking opportunity. However, don’t let the Miami element of hanging out with DJ 'friends' mislead you, the emphasis is always on doing effective and real business and is not recommended for beginners / rubber neckers / fans or stalkers.

Whilst a lot of work is done on an informal level, doing business goes way beyond the pavement, the parties and bars. The ADE pass gave me access to all the panels and meeting rooms in both hotels where labels, agents and organisations have tables and stands. The point of this set up is to introduce, meet, negotiate and secure deals (mainly international licensing & syndications) with people, to make new contacts and freely & openly discuss future opportunities. It was worth running around every room even without booking an appointment but if you have product to sell or license it pays to be better organised. Even if your meetings do not take place in these rooms, the value of this set up cannot be underestimated. Be on your guard for missing scheduled meetings, meet and greets, showcases or panels by getting waylaid in the street outside, if you have no real agenda it's all too easily done.

The ‘Ladies In The House’ panel on Thursday afternoon was a well attended and lively affair. Speakers were myself, Lottie (UK), Shinedoe (NL), Olga Zegers (ID&T, Mysteryland) and mediated by Vika Kova. Topics discussed included image, profile, presence, equality, competition, evolution, new media amongst other issues. As cool as this was i think it would be conference dynamite to hear a man's viewpoint on the same issue to avoid it alienating industry professionals who felt that the topic itself plus the single sex panel ghettoised the real issues. So ADE ORGANISERS IF YOU ARE LISTENING, a 50/50 panel split would be worth considering for next year, then we can be better informed and aware of both sides of the story.

ADE NIGHTTIME.

The early evening showcases and night parties were an added bonus. Wednesday saw me running around the Viva / Ovum party at Melkweg with Charlotte from Enjoy, Seb Leger, Lottie, Josh Wink, Luciano Ingrosso (Joia), Michael Weiss (Nervous Records), David Vendetta and a whole host of booking agents, club owners, singers, djs, producers – too numerous to name. Thursday – aside from the panel I had two long lunch meetings, ran quickly around the David Vendetta 2nd Album Showcase, then had a very long ‘meeting’ session at the Dylan Bar with various international radio producers, IMS organizers Ben Turner and Matt Glover, record label execs and promoters before going back to my hotel for a much needed breather and costume change. Then it was out again for a lovely Chinese meal with Charlotte (Enjoy), Rachel (IMD) Arash (Bullitt), Don Diablo and his management team and then onto Don Diablo’s packed album showcase at Jimmy Woo. I was sad to have missed out on the 6th Annual ADE Network Bash at De Duif as not enough of my party had delegates badges, wristbands or invites but I did catch Darren Emerson and all at the 6 Years of Little Mountain Recordings party at Club Home before calling time on a very long night.....

Friday came around all too quickly and I realised that I had so much left to do but no more time. The opportuities at ADE are incredible. This is not Miami or Ibiza – God is not a DJ here. This is not tourist party central, nor is it a commission for Radio 1 or national TV to print and devalue money by discovering, exploiting, diluting and ultimately destroying the very thing it is promoting. This is not Spring Break along the Dutch canals with house and techno sprinkles on top - this is an intense, four-day, business hotbed where the industry movers, shakers and tastemakers get real nuts and bolts business done and more power to it. I returned to Paris feeling fired up about the future for this industry and armed with invaluable contacts, leads and a fair few new friends. I will definitely be there for the whole four days next year but with a tighter conference plan - just show me where to sign.

Have a brilliant week
xox and light
Paulette x

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