The Guitar Summit is a trade show that takes place every September in Mannheim, Germany, and is all about guitars.
Last September, Jonathan - an apprentice in wholesale and foreign trade management - and Ronja - an apprentice in digital and print media design - had the opportunity to get a taste of the show.

Preparing for an upcoming trade show means a lot of work and planning, which we as trainees at MUSIK MEYER have often been involved in. That's why the Guitar Summit was the perfect opportunity to get to know the work involved in a trade fair and to put the preparations into practice.

Ronja
As a media designer, during my first year of training I created the necessary materials for trade shows, including trade show booths, t-shirts, banners, and giveaways such as stickers and postcards. At the Guitar Summit, it was particularly impressive to see all of this in action, and to see how it all came together in a booth that you had designed and created in advance.
For me, it was particularly interesting to see how our M&T brands were represented and how the many visitors reacted to our products.
We also had time to look at the other booths of the various exhibitors, including the other MUSIK MEYER brand units, where I was able to get all the impressions of the booth construction and design and compare them with each other. I was also able to gather inspiration and weigh the pros and cons of design elements.
During the show, I was in charge of taking pictures of our booths, products and endorsers, which we could use as content after the show.

For the upcoming shows in the new season, I will be able to use my experience to prepare for the shows, as I will have a better understanding of what is needed and how things can be implemented. I also now remember the structure of the reusable display walls and can incorporate this into the design of new graphics.

Jonathan
As a wholesale and export merchant, I had a lot of work to do before the show.
We planned what goods to display and how, prepared all instruments, and of course we had to keep track of all the processes to make sure everything was on site on time.
I also had to take care of basic tasks such as making reservations, organizing catering and accessories to be prepared for all eventualities.
Once we arrived in Mannheim, the final details of the planning were adapted to the conditions until the stand was optimally set up.
With the start of the trade show, the "normal" trade show work of talking to and advising visitors began. Content for the brands' social media channels was also created and published during the show.
Looking at the other brands is also very important at a show like this to get an idea of what is happening in the market.

Guitar Summit was definitely a lot of work, but also an opportunity to learn a lot of new things, get new impressions, make new contacts and be even better prepared for the next shows.

Visit guitarsummit.com for more pictures & videos from the show.

‌