How ADE became the world’s biggest electronic music conference
As undoubtedly the electronic music industry’s most influential conference, Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) continues to make an impact on artists, fans and industry professionals year after year. Attendees travel from all over the globe to experience the annual five-day conference, including many of the most prominent figures in the industry. But how did the conference gain such influence and what do artists stand to gain from attending?
Amsterdam Dance Event spans five days in October and offers a variety of individual events for those attending. As well as conferences and seminars, many of the industry’s leading artists perform live shows at some of Amsterdam’s most unique venues. As well as those already working in the music industry, the conference provides the gateway for many looking to take their first steps into the world of electronic music. Many of ADE’s panels provide budding producers, artist managers and PRs the inspiration necessary in order to take the leap and delve into the music industry full time. Founded in 1995, the growth of the conference over the years is truly staggering and it now stands as one of the industry’s most influential events.
One of the most fundamental aspects of the conference’s continuous success is its solid branding. The prominence of its black and yellow logo make its presence easily identifiable on the streets of Amsterdam, even when simply featured in the corner of a small poster. Every year during ADE the streets are covered with branded flags, posters, and even giant block chairs. The consistent presence of the branding across materials has built the foundation for the concept, making it easily recognisable to all those who come into contact with it. It is the simplicity of the brand that makes it so memorable, ensuring that audiences have no confusion over what it represents. By keeping the concept simple, brand recognition has remained that much stronger.
Even without the logo itself, the ADE colour scheme is instantly recognisable on promotional materials. By never straying from the iconic black white and yellow colour scheme, ADE adds even more strength to its core branding. The strength of the ADE branding is also a testament to the marketing activities behind the conference. By making sure that every street in Amsterdam contains promotional materials during the run-up to the conference, ADE ensures that the whole city is overwhelmed by the branding.
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As an artist, a major aspect of your success will stem from your branding. Often artists and labels over-complicate their branding, leaving those who come into contact with the identity confused about the message. Simplicity is key, the message should always be blatant and the imagery should always resonate with those who witness it. One of the errors many artists make when building their brand is constantly making changes to their identity. Consistent changes and common rebrands leave your audience confused and stop your logo from having a real impact. By keeping a strong brand throughout your career and only making minor changes unless absolutely necessary, you enable your branding to really resonate with your audience and remain memorable for years to come.
ADE’s marketing activities also contain aspects that artists can replicate when performing their own shows. The prominence of the flags and posters around the city during the run-up to the conference illustrate the importance of making yourself visible. Although the vast majority of artist marketing activities take place online, there is still plenty of value in more traditional forms of marketing like posters and billboards. This is particularly true when reaching out to potential fans that may not yet be connected with your social media and members of society that do not spend much of their time on social media. As well as selling more tickets for events, traditional marketing forms are ideal for building excitement ahead of the show itself. This is also true when marketing a brand new single or album, for example, Don Diablo covered Amsterdam with posters and advertisements when he dropped his album ‘Future’ earlier this year. Not only did this provide a great deal of exposure for the release, it provided organic opportunities for Don Diablo to publish images of the signs on social media, particularly his stories on Instagram and Snapchat. It also offered a great opportunity to increase posts from fans who took photos of the advertisements and added them to their own social media. Ultimately, using posters and physical adverts is ideal for encouraging an increase in social media posts from fans.
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Through the consistency of the conference, Amsterdam Dance Event has played host to some of the world’s most influential music industry professionals as well as high-profile artists from around the globe. By never offering any less than a star-studded lineup, ADE attracts a vast worldwide audience year after year. For many, ADE is the only opportunity to gain insight from some of the world’s leading electronic music producers and professionals. With the vast majority of high-profile electronic music artists hailing from The Netherlands, many of the artists involved view ADE as a constant in their calendar. Although artists change their calendars every year and play at a variety of different events, for many of the world’s leading DJs, ADE is the one event that they refuse to miss, illustrating just how much of an influence the event has over the scene.
For this reason, the conference offers an immeasurable number of opportunities for budding producers. Who better to learn from than those already excelling at their craft? For artists at any stage in their career, listening to an in-depth discussion with Don Diablo, Dave Clarke, Chuckie, Camo & Krooked, and Ferry Corsten, to name just a few could prove extremely valuable in learning about how to advance in the industry. Established artists have already experienced every side of the industry, building up a library of extensive knowledge on how to succeed and what to avoid.
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The presence of so many leading figures in the city also provides ample opportunities for networking. Whether bumping into people on the street or introducing yourself to industry leaders at panels, there are plenty of opportunities for getting your name out there and making connections with people who could prove vital in your career. On the flipside, with ample opportunity comes ample risk. When approaching people you would like to connect with it is vital to make a good impression, if you come across as pushy or rude you won’t make a great connection. Although the desire for building a positive relationship is strong, it is important to remember that everyone working at ADE has a strict schedule and may not have time for a long conversation. For this reason, it is important to choose your moment and recognise whether the person you are approaching looks like they have time for a conversation.
When networking at conferences like ADE it is important to understand the value of laying the foundation for a lasting relationship. While it may be tempting to approach somebody you admire and beg them to check out your latest track, often it is the slow and steady approach that will work the most to your advantage. A quick positive interaction with someone can prove a lot more valuable than a rushed pitch in which you give a long-winded speech about why you should be noticed. The people you approach will undoubtedly have heard similar stories a million times before, so be careful not to lose their interest. Often simply introducing yourself and putting yourself on their radar is highly beneficial for following up in the future.
The diversity offered at ADE is definitely one of the aspects that has allowed the conference to gain such momentum over the years. Although many are drawn in simply by its huge arena shows like Amsterdam Music Festival (AMF), where the top 100 DJ results are often announced, or Martin Garrix’s two huge solo shows at the RAI, it is often the tiniest of events that make ADE so special. From free performances in local clothing stores to pop-up merchandise stores, from artist meet and greets to spontaneous boat parties, ADE really does have it all. It is the smaller events that set ADE apart from all other conferences, making it an unforgettable experience for artists and fans alike.
This October ADE is once again expected to attract over 350,000 people from all over the world to experience its shows and conferences. With plenty of high-profile speakers and artists already set to be at this year’s conference, no artist should miss out on the opportunities for learning and networking. As an artist, it is vital to utilise every opportunity to connect with those around you in the industry and form bonds that may aid you throughout your career. Without making connections, opportunities are much harder to find and less likely to be within reach. Although music is at the centre of an artist’s success, it is events like ADE that offer talented artists the chance to move their careers to the next level.
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