In just 13 editions, WOMEX grew from a group of 200 dedicated enthusiasts into the premier professional event of the world music calendar. The 2007 edition saw 2800 delegates, an ever-enlarging trade fair, over 50 artist performances, a conference, and more. With such expansion has come added complexity. Where once we could house all events under a single roof and had dozens of cities and hundreds of venues to choose from, today the production of WOMEX has grown significantly more challenging. We now need formal convention centers with the best modern facilities, much larger venues to house 4 stages and larger audiences, plenty of conference space, hotels in all price ranges, sufficient restaurants, good transportation... The days of moving each year and providing a working vacation for delegates are long gone.
A remarkable structure was put into place by WOMEX's creators, Christoph Borkowsky and Ben Mandelson. By creating production partnerships with our hosting cities, they were able to assure that WOMEX could remain independent and still meet its financial obligations. With no corporate money, there was no one to answer to other than the community WOMEX serves. No one government supported the effort so we could maintain a balance among many regions, many traditions, many diverse priorities. But this independence came with a price. Without the sort of funding that some other trade fairs receive, it meant an astonishing degree of improvisation - and some inevitable compromising - to make it work each year. The structure worked brilliantly, and brought WOMEX to where it is today.
Now, we are fast approaching the point where that structure is no longer sufficient.Each year a very small staff of highly dedicated, some might say highly stressed, individuals works to mount. We take note of the scene around us, both the creative one and the economic realities that sustain it. We constantly adapt the jury process so that the widest variety of artists get a chance at showcasing. We provide new features, like the doubling the number of daycases to offer more opportunities for acoustic and traditional music and ever more space for the trade fair. We try to identify the major issues of the day and provide conferences and workshops that seek to address them. We host networking opportunities for the delegates' own use (and everything from the Brazilian Independent Music Association to the North American World Music Coalition have arisen from it). We have a Radio and TV studio, a book conference, awards, a film market. And as we do this, we solicit your feedback and ponder it very carefully to get a clear idea of what you make of WOMEX, both in positive feedback and in those areas where you feel there is need for improvement.
So, here's the reality check: WOMEX costs a lot of money to produce. Simple enough proposition. But consider this: The income we receive doesn't come close even to paying the basic hall and stage costs, never mind have enough left over for innovation, staff, office overheads and the like. And the bigger the event grows, the more it costs to mount. The old partnership between local production and funding on the one side and WOMEX and the delegate income on the other is stretched to the limit. A new structure is needed to assure our continued growth and service to the community.
It is our stated intention to bring new enhancements to WOMEX over the next years, to raise the general level of production and to keep pace with the needs of this growing community. To do this, current income levels alone can't suffice. This, then, is our commitment as we put begin something of a transformation:
First, our goal is to pass as little of this increased financial cost onto the delegates as possible. To do this we are increasing our efforts to receive appropriate EU and foundation funding. We are also seeking more corporate sponsorship so long as that sponsorship is in line with the values of our community. And we are seeking new projects and assignments that can help us sustain a larger staff and, accordingly, provide an even better service. As we increase these funds, we will strive to keep to the minimum the inevitable increases in such things as the registration and trade fair prices. You can see from this year's registration costs, that this increase has been kept to a minimum. We will continue to do our best to keep it so.
Our first priority is to deliver the best possible WOMEX each year, to be sure it remains financially viable and to balance the needs of our community with the financial realities of mounting such an ambitious production. We thank you for your good will and trust that over the next few years you will see the fruits of this effort in an even-better WOMEX event.
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