60 Seconds with Simeon Friend

    Hosting a summit in Ibiza where the main focus is getting ‘back to
    business’ may seem like a contradiction in terms but where better to
    discuss and plan for the future of the electronic industry than in the
    very place it is enjoyed most? In the two short years that the IMS has
    been running it has become one of the most important meeting of minds in
    the calendar. Essential Ibiza caught up with founding partner Simeon
    Friend to get the low-down on IMS 2010.

    The IMS has become one of the years most important dance music related
    events; to what would you attribute this immediate success?

    A gap in the international market for a pioneering and forward thinking
    music conference; its unique geographical location, cutting edge content
    and its calendar timing.

    The ethos of the IMS is ‘Back To Business’, is this a reflection on other
    conferences becoming more night time led or a realisation that we need to
    take the future of our industry more seriously?

    A bit of both. All partners felt that the industry was in a bad way and
    that too much focus was on the partying side rather than focusing on the
    potential business that we knew was still possible. The conference
    addresses major topics that affect everyone in the business from how to
    monetise online to licensing tracks for commercial use in advertising,
    film and television.

    What have been the major developments to emerge from IMS to date?

    The IMS vote, which allows delegates to instantly vote on the key issues
    being discussed, has allowed us to monitor the changes in the industry
    over a period of several months, which in turn has helped shape the debate
    the following year. To feel we are influencing the industry in a business
    sense is a wonderful development we’re all very proud of.

    Closer to home, last years Grand Finale saw Dalt Vila play host to the
    first dance music event ever hosted in Ibiza Old Town, made possible by
    our relationship with the Consell. Since then our relationship with the
    government has strengthened further and IMS are an integral part of the
    Ibiza Music Cluster initiative directed by central government in Madrid.

    Encouraging the authorities to recognise the business credentials of the
    music industry in Ibiza has been perhaps the most rewarding development of
    IMS so far.�

    What can attendees expect from IMS Ibiza 2010?

    Increased delegate attendance, a major announcement regarding polling
    charts, inspiring keynote speech and Grand Finale performance from Mark
    Ronson and Ghetto tech band Buraka Somma Sistema rocking Ibiza old town to
    its foundations!