Here are some important dates to mark in your calendar to make sure you get the most out of WOMEX! Remember you can sign up to our newsletter to be reminded at each of these points.
This is an obvious one: if you have not registered before the event, you should! For those who are not able to register prior to WOMEX, walk-up registration is possible on-site throughout the whole event and we will never turn a potential delegate away. But bear in mind, the earlier you register, the lower the price.
Registration is now open.A few days after you have registered online, we will send you your login data. Update your profile with a picture and a company description (at the very least!), and make sure that your contact data is correct. You can also post artists and records as well as your news or events. It's easy! Delegates who have not registered yet but want to do so on-site can access the virtualWOMEX database, but without the business contacts listed.
We are offering accommodation recommendations and special deals for WOMEX delegates from our local partner, as well as travel tips for getting to our destination and to all WOMEX 23 venues including other useful local information.
Here are a few things that an effective WOMEXican can't do without:
Here's a great guide for how to prepare for your business at WOMEX and how to make the most of your time while you're there, courtesy of the veteran WOMEXican Dmitri Vietze:
Plan your event with our Programme Overview!
Keep an eye on this site or on our social media channels to stay updated for any programme changes.
Exhibitors only: Stand set-up
25 October 2023 | 10:00 – 14:00
General Trade Fair, Registration and Check-in times
Registration and Check-in: 25 - 29 October 2023 | 10:00 – 18:00
Trade Fair:
25 October 2023 | 14:00 – 18:00
26 October 2023 | 10:00 – 18:00
27 October 2023 | 10:00 – 18:00
28 October 2023 | 10:00 – 18:00
Exhibitors only: Stand take-down
Saturday, 28 October 2023 | 18:00 – 22:00
Sunday, 29 October 2023 | please contact the organisers
(see Exhibition Manual)
The WOMEX Registration will be situated at the WOMEX venue.
Delegates – including those who have paid the Media Rate! – should go to the following counters to get their WOMEX Badges:
Bring your ID card and collect your badge at the Check-In Counter.
Go to the Registration Counter.
Come and visit us at the Media Counter in the registration area to pick up your badges.
Delegates arriving after the registration counter closes can pick up a one-day wristband for the nighttime showcases at the nighttime venue. Please exchange it for a lanyard and an all-days wristband at the registration counter the next day to have access to the entire event.
The registration counter is open from Wednesday to Saturday between 10:00 and 18:00.
The following programme points for WOMEX 23 will be announced closer to the event:
You can check our programme of previous editions.
WOMEX 23 will once again feature Mentoring sessions with experts from various fields within the industry, which will take place in both One-to-One and Roundtable formats. Ask all your burning questions, exchange ideas with your peers about innovative ways to present the arts, and get practical tips on effective strategy.
Looking for a way to maximise your impact on the WOMEX delegates and beyond? We have plenty of ways for you to promote yourself with WOMEX, from placing adverts in our Guide, Pocket Guide or website, to placing an insert in the WOMEX bag (given to all participants!), to having your company on our own materials such as the bag, lanyard or wristband.
See here for more information and our booking form.
In order to make the most of your time at WOMEX, we recommend setting up appointments beforehand to ensure you do not miss out on meeting with those that are most important to your work. Remember: be succinct and be mindful that some people's schedules might not be as flexible as your own.
Use an app, your mobile phone calendar, a diary, a date book, a notebook…but start thinking about who you want to meet.
You can search all delegates alphabetically in our online networking platform virtualWOMEX. This lists every delegate and company and you will also be able to search for those who have registered (and paid) for WOMEX 23 when registration goes live. Who do you want to meet? Who do you need to see? Find contact data of every delegate at virtualWOMEX and arrange your meetings.
More advice from the esteemed Dmitri Vietze, helpful especially for first-timers, and also for old-hands looking for a refresher!
Chances are that you have decided to attend WOMEX partly for fun, partly to check the pulse of the scene, and mostly to move your career forward. The types of opportunities artists may find at WOMEX include getting a booking agent or manager, getting a deal with a record label, getting bookings at theatres or festivals, getting media coverage or radio airplay, connecting with other artists for collaborations, working with a government or other agency, etc. You will find that some music industry professionals do not want to work with an artist directly. In this case, the best strategy is to act as much like a professional as possible. Record labels at WOMEX typically are not looking for new acts. They tend to have in house producers who like to find and produce/record albums for their artists, though some license tracks or full albums from territory to territory. Many festivals and concert promoters have "go to" people in each country of interest such as booking agents, record labels, or managers who they rely on for new programming material. But most will accept music from anyone. It can be very tough to pitch a booking agent at a conference because agents at these events tends to be in "selling" mode, not "buying mode". Most will still be receptive to quickly taking a CD or download card for future consideration. You may have to catch them at a less formal time, such as at showcases so they have enough time to talk.
No matter what you do at WOMEX, it will be worthless if you do not have a plan to follow-up afterwards! Before you go, put a couple of follow up days in your calendar about 1-4 weeks after WOMEX. Or else you have wasted your investment in WOMEX. If you use a smart phone, get an app that lets you scan and archive business cards. (By the way, virtualWOMEX is a great resource. If you lose a card or for whatever reason need to find someone later, you can usually find their contact info in the WOMEX directory.) Plan on creating a spreadsheet with all the contacts and what the next step and due date is. Do this, do this, do this!
The Trade Fair will close its doors on Saturday evening at 18:00. Exhibitors will have to pack everything together and clear the venue before midnight. Goods can be left at your stand, to be picked up by your transport company on Saturday until 22:00 or on Sunday between 08:00 and 20:00, at your own risk.
So you have promoted your presence before and during WOMEX, but what about afterwards? Make sure you document your presence at the event in order to assist with future promotional activities. To help with this, our official photographers will be on hand to snap all the key moments of WOMEX. Should you be on the hunt for professional photos of your stand and activities, be sure to contact our photographers.