ACCES 2019 opens registrations

This year's ACCES takes place in Accra at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, Alliance Française and other venues in the capital city over three days (28, 29 and 30 November).

The pan-African trade event will host industry professionals from across Africa and around the world, who will be in the Ghanaian capital to share knowledge, network, exchange ideas and witness showcases by emerging and established artists from the continent and diaspora.

Featuring over 80 speakers and networkers, ACCES offers a strong conference programme including keynotes, panel discussions, presentations as well as pitch and networking sessions.

Some of the top speakers announced this week include TRUE Africa founder and editor-in-chief Claude Grunitzky (Togo/UK), Simfy OTT music services head Oye Akideinde (Nigeria), Boomplay Ghana manager Elizabeth Ntiamoah (Ghana), Chocolate City vice-president Aibee Abidoye (Nigeria) and musician, author and rights activist Mark Levine (US), among others.

To coincide with the registration announcement, ACCES has also confirmed the first batch of bands that will perform at the event, including Yaa Yaa, Kyekyeku & Ghanalogue Highlife, FOKN Bois and FRA! A further nine acts will be confirmed in due course.

In addition to a dynamic line-up of bands based on the continent, ACCES is partnering with Reeperbahn Festival to introduce four exciting acts from the diaspora, which will perform, collaborate and participate in a skills transfer workshop during the conference.

This year ACCES is also incorporating the Music In Africa Gender at Work skills development programme, which aims to address gender imbalances by providing opportunities for African women in music to benefit from a wide range of upskilling options.

The programme’s first workshop, which will train participants in stage management, takes place in Accra from 24 to 30 November. The call for applications is currently open and extended until 31 July 2019.

Interested individuals can register for ACCES via the easy-to-follow online registration process (registration links provided below).

Delegate registration

Registration and attendance for delegates at ACCES 2019 comes with a host of benefits including entry to exhibitions, showcases, talks, networking sessions and panel discussions. Delegates will also get to go on excursions to various music hubs in Accra where they will learn about the inner workings of the local industry and meet influential players operating in the city's burgeoning music scene.

ACCES provides delegates with opportunities to create business linkages with African and international industry players and promote their works and products to a wider audience while gaining knowledge about the latest trends in the music business.

This year, ACCES will install a studio space where musicians will be able to record and collaborate with artists who they've met at the conference.

Click here to register as an ACCES 2019 delegate.

Exposure and showcase of new products

Delegates who want to gain added exposure at ACCES 2019 can take advantage of ACCES' refined exposure platforms, namely the Hub Exhibitor and Pitch Session.

Hub Exhibitor

The ACCES 2019 Exhibition Hub is an innovative, tech-oriented space where companies and organisations can present their products and services while networking with potential clients and collaborators. Each exhibitor gets their own 'hub' space, which is completely customisable to the needs of the exhibitor and comes with a large screen and tech facilities to aid the presentation of products and services in a modern, uncluttered fashion. All exhibitors will need to do is bring their digital media, plug in and let the stand do the work for them.

Click here to book a stand at the Exhibition Hub.

Pitch Sessions

The ACCES 2019 Pitch Sessions (formerly Interactive Exhibitor) are cool opportunities that start-ups can use to present their ideas to an audience of future funders and collaborators. Pitchers will get 10 minutes to present their start-up, answer questions and get feedback from the audience members, many of whom will be music industry leaders on the lookout for the next big idea.

Click here to pitch at ACCES 2019.

Benefits

Exhibitors will receive a host of benefits including transport between venues and accredited hotels, and their logos will be added to the ACCES website and printed programme. In addition, their company profiles will appear on the Music In Africa website (musicinafrica.net) and in the dedicated exhibitors' newsletter that will be sent out to some 25 000 subscribers in Anglophone and Francophone Africa, as well as to recipients around the world.

Registration fees

• African delegate – FREE
• Non-African delegate – $100
• Hub Exhibitor – $850
• Pitcher– $100

About ACCES

ACCES is a pan-African trade event for music industry players to exchange ideas, discover new talent and create business linkages. ACCES is held in a different African city every year, attracting active music industry players from across the globe.

ACCES is organised by the Music In Africa Foundation, a non-profit and pan-African organisation, in partnership and with the support of Siemens Stiftung, Goethe-Institut, Afrikayna, Reeperbahn Festival, Alliance Française, BMG, Africa Art Lines, Afrikayna, Media Sound Hamburg, the Gold Coast Hub, the Prince Claus Fund and the ANT Mobility Grant from Pro Helvetia Johannesburg, financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

This year ACCES has a partnership with Reeperbahn Festival – one of the most important meeting places for the music industry worldwide and Europe's largest club festival based in Hamburg, Germany. The partnership creates a framework for the festival to collaborate with ACCES in facilitating sustainable business engagements and exchange between European and African music businesses and professionals, as well as the provision of performance opportunities to musicians in both territories.

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