With the Frankfurt Musikmesse/Pro Light & Sound and American Namm shows in the bag for another year, there is a glut of new equipment and news on the airwaves.

Not the least of which are dates for next year's shows (already posted in Fast-and-Wide's Events Calendar) and the launch of a joint Namm Musikmesse Russia/Pro Light & Sound Namm for 2012.

Identifying Russia as potentially the largest in Europe, the joint organisers have secured a spot at the Moscow Expo Centre during May.

'With its events in Frankfurt and Shanghai, Messe Frankfurt has vast experience of the industries concerned and in the organisation of fairs and exhibitions,' says Cordelia von Gymnich, VP of Messe Frankfurt, Entertainment/ Media & Creation. 'Thanks to our expertise and our new partnership, we can offer exhibitors of the musical-instrument and event technology sectors outstanding opportunities for presenting their products and services around the world. We are particularly pleased that Namm is a partner with equally good knowledge of the markets. The resulting partnership of equals will generate a multiplicity of positive effects for the musical-instrument and event-technology sectors in the CIS and the adjoining countries.'

Both shows have claimed record attendaces for 2011, with Musikmesse Pro Light & Sound reporting 2,384 exhibitors from 55 countries, and vistors topping 110,000, and Namm claiming a three per cent increast over 2010 to 90,114 visitors.

'Namm and Messe Frankfurt working together to open up the Russian, Eastern European and the Baltic States markets is a good thing for the global industry,' says Namm President and CEO, Joe Lamond. 'As partners with Messe Frankfurt in this new venture, we look forward to serving our global membership by increasing the size of the market and helping more people there experience the enjoyment and many proven benefits of playing music.'