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This year’s 25th anniversary edition of ADE was set to become the biggest celebration of electronic music yet. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the organisers of the annual gathering have been obliged to ensure the safety of its 400,000 international visitors by shifting its conference program to an online-first environment, as well as drastically changing its festival proposition to a limited number of seated ADE Specials.
The latest announcement by the Dutch government affecting clubs and nightlife is another blow for the industry, says co-director Jan-Willem van de Ven.
“Clubs and music venues form the backbone of Amsterdam’s nightlife and are incredibly important in shaping and innovating the cultural identity of the city, its inhabitants and visitors alike. Without them, electronic music loses an integral part of its culture and industry and therefore needs all support from the government.”
Nonetheless, co-director Meindert Kennis is confident ADE can continue to provide a leading industry platform for artists and industry professionals.
“Creating a digital alternative of ADE’s annual industry gathering in Amsterdam was quite a puzzle because we needed to represent not just a conference program, but meaningful connections between visitors as well. Whereas other digital conferences offer a one-off knowledge sharing event, we wanted to embrace the challenge of investing in a sustainable social platform that provides real value throughout the year for music industry professionals globally.”
Some of the first confirmed ADE Pro digital conference highlights include Grammy award-winning artist James Blake in conversation with mental health expert Jennie Morton, and an in-depth workshop on music clearance by Deborah Mannis-Gardner, as well as panels talks and interviews with Bandcamp’s Aly Gillani, VFX specialist Angelo White, VEVO’s Claudia de Wolff, BBC Radio 1 DJ Jaguar and music industry entrepreneur Merck Mercuriadis.
More information about ADE and tickets can be found here.
