Meet them and listen FOR FREE with 200 delegates from 11 countries in the three-day conference program of the KONTAKT conference, showcase, and festival. Additionally, 26 music performers at 5 locations in Belgrade promise an unforgettable experience at the country’s most significant music conference.
Organized by the production house “Kontakt Conference,” the promotion company Odličan Hrčak, and the Center of Belgrade Festivals – CEBEF, with the support of the British Council and under the auspices of the City of Belgrade, the new edition of the Kontakt conference, showcase, and festival awaits us from March 21 to March 24. For the eighth year in a row, Belgrade becomes the central and indispensable meeting point for music professionals, not only from the region but from all over the world, and the concert audience enjoys exclusive music content.
Proof of this is the never higher attendance of delegates at program themes that connect music scenes, cities, and countries, actively helping in exporting local performers, as well as improving the quality of club and festival scenes.
In its mission, Kontakt makes no distinction between big and small protagonists, actively working on connecting individuals and institutions, academic and entrepreneurial scenes, the non-governmental and public sectors.
The main goal of Kontakt is professional socializing, learning, and networking of members of the music scene from the countries of the former Yugoslavia, whose music ecosystem is thematized as a common business and cultural space and introduced into global cultural and market flows.
This year, thanks to a partnership with the British Council, leading global agencies will participate in Kontakt as our main conference, which deals with the advancement of creative industries in Serbia and the region.
Representatives of the world’s largest agencies – United Talent Agency (UTA), Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and William Morris Agency (WMA), will discuss their views on our market, our country, share their experiences in collaborating with cultural workers from our area, but also about the difficulties of bringing big global names to our geographical latitudes and longitudes.
This year, the Kontakt conference can boast nearly 200 delegates, including names like:
– Chris Tofu – one of the leading people in the British festival scene, who participates in the organization of dozens of festivals throughout the year, and who received recognition from British Queen Elizabeth II for his dedication in this area;
– Malcolm Haynes – Banksy’s best friend, who has participated in numerous of his projects, and before that, in building the widely famous Bristol music scene,
– Grant Marshall, better known as Daddy G, founder of Massive Attack, as well as
– Gordon Mason, Carlos Abreu, Jake Beaumont-Nesbitt, Tor Breon, along with numerous directors and representatives of important institutions; promoters, booking and PR agents, and other key figures of the regional and European music scene.
Modern music production and contemporary trends, women’s entrepreneurship, functioning of the non-governmental sector and public institutions, introducing new music professionals into business flows, EX-YU time travel through records and stories – are just some of the conference themes of the eighth Kontakt.
The conference, daily program, from March 21 to March 24, will be held at several locations in the city and is open to all interested parties, both from the music business and creative industries, as well as for professionals from related fields, students, and musicians. Attendance at the conference part of the program is free of charge.
The evening, gala program, includes the showcase segment of Kontakt, which every year brings Hali Gali, as well as concerts of the most sought-after regional performers. Besides Neno Belan and the band Fiumens, Letu Štuke, the band KoiKoi, and Bojana Vunturišević, a special treat for music connoisseurs will be two concerts by Jarboli, who are returning to concerts after eight years, on the occasion of celebrating 25 years of the album “Dobrodošli,” and a DJ set by the global attraction Daddy G, founder of Massive Attack, who very rarely prepares such encounters with the audience.
The exhibition program of this year’s Kontakt will also be exclusive. Katarina Žutić will hold her first solo painting exhibition in Belgrade precisely at Kontakt. Her sales exhibition “Persephone’s Garden – hands make deeds” will be set up from March 19 to April 8.
The program with the schedule and programs by locations, as well as meeting all delegates that Kontakt will host this year, are available on the website www.kontakt.org.rs.
We remind colleagues that media accreditation lasts until March 18 at 5 pm via the form located at THIS link.
Interview with Jarboli: Return to the Scene After Eight Years
Regional Concert Attraction KOIKOI at Dorćol Platz
