WOMEX World Music Conference Announces Host City Shortlist for 2013

WOMEX, the world music expo, has announced today the three European cities which are shortlisted as potential WOMEX host cities for 2013.

The “WOMEX 13 Official Host City Candidates” are:

• Cardiff (UK)
• Dublin (Ireland)
• Glasgow (UK)

The proposals were submitted by the following parties:

Cardiff: Wales Millennium Centre with Cardiff Council, Welsh Assembly Government, Arts Council of Wales, Welsh Music Foundation, Wales Arts International and British Council

Dublin: Temple Bar Cultural Trust with Dublin Tourism, Culture Ireland, Arts Council, Dublin City Council, Odyssey International and Tom Sherlock Management

Glasgow: Glasgow UNESCO City of Music, Creative Scotland, Glasgow Life, The Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, Scottish Enterprise, Celtic Connections, D.F.Concerts, Scottish Music Centre, Glasgow Jazz Festival, British
Council (Scotland), Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, University of Glasgow, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, City Halls and Old Fruitmarket

“As WOMEX features a major Showcase Festival, a bustling Trade Fair and a comprehensive Conference including a Mentoring Programme, Country Speed-Dating and a Matchmaking Service, plus Film Screenings and many meetings of international music networks, WOMEX can be a complex event to present, requiring many resources from our Official Host City Candidates,” states Anna Pötzsch, WOMEX Director of Media & Communications.

In total WOMEX received bids from nine cities within Europe for the 2013 edition. Daniela Teuber, WOMEX Director of Production, comments: “With only three slots available on the shortlist and so many appealing applications received, the selection was particularly challenging.” The next stage of the process is site visits to Cardiff, Dublin and Glasgow.

The 16th edition of WOMEX in October 2010 saw 2,440 delegates from 94 countries, 650 exhibiting companies at 260 stands, plus 59 Showcase acts on 6 stages, over 20 Conference Sessions and 14 Film Screenings.

WOMEX’s current home city is Copenhagen. The event promoter, Piranha WOMEX, has a three-year partnership with World Music Fair Copenhagen, an organization created to host WOMEX in Copenhagen from 2009-2011. This organisation consists of several key cultural players from Denmark: first and foremost Roskilde Festival, Copenhagen Jazz Festival and Wonderful Copenhagen. The other principal members comprise the Danish Center for Culture and Development (CKU/DCCD), Global Copenhagen and World Music Denmark in cooperation with Welcome Meeting Management.

Since its first edition in 1994 WOMEX has been travelling all across Europe from Berlin (1994), via Brussels (1995), Marseille (1997), Stockholm (1998), Berlin (1999 + 2000), Rotterdam (2001), Essen (2002 + 2004), Newcastle (2005), Sevilla (2003 + 2006-2008) to Copenhagen (2009-2011).