This Is Popkomm – Relocated

Falling delegate numbers look to have persuaded Popkomm to move across Berlin from the Exhibition Grounds to the former Dresdener railway station at Gleisdreieck, which is much closer to the heart of the city.

Reports from Popkomm 2008 said its efforts to pull more people from the live side of the business weren’t compensating for the numbers being lost from the recorded music business.

It will move to what was the old Dresdener station’s postal depot, which is situated just around the block from Potsdamer Platz, a famous public square about a mile south of the Brandenburg Gate. It’s also nearer to the Berliner Kultubrauerei, where Popkomm’s showcase gigs are held.

Popkomm director Katja Gross (formerly Katja Bittner), who has just returned from a year off to get married and start a family, has already hosted a tour of the new venue for 150 of its regular delegates from Germany and abroad, together with guests from the creative industries.

She used the opportunity to outline how the conference/showcase will be changing when it arrives at Dresdener Bahnhof Sept. 16-18, which includes the event improving its networking facilities.

The matchmaking activities will include the establishment of “one-to-one meeting sessions” with panelists and other industry experts, aimed at supporting delegates in their search for new opportunities and new sources of income.

Companies can also initiate or sponsor “networking breaks,” or host meetings and lunches at the new venue’s business dinner area.

“Popkomm is primarily a communication platform and is instrumental in bringing together supply and demand, as well as actively encouraging the expansion and ongoing development of networks,” Gross explained. “That is what our name signifies. Popkomm – popular communication.”