Miami Winter Music Conference

For tens of thousands of people, Miami in March is synonymous with the Miami Winter Music Conference. This week long event, in its 24th year, is a “who’s who” of the electronic music industry. Top DJs, artists, record label representatives, producers, radio and video programmers, retailers, promoters and distributors from around the world attend the festival to showcase their skills, check out the newest tracks, and, most importantly, network with other professionals in the industry.

The 2009 Miami Winter Music Conference is expected to draw visitors from over 62 countries, including some 6,500 industry professionals. With so many top artists performing at WMC, it is no surprise that clubbers and music lovers from about the world flock to the week long party. Festivities are around the clock and the majority of events are held at more than 38 locations, with most of the main events happening in clubs around South Beach and Downtown Miami. Some of the more popular venues are Space, Twilo, Cameo, Opium Garden, Ink, and Mansion. The whole South Beach/Downtown Miami area comes together to host WMC, and parties are held everywhere from hotels to clothing stores to private houses.

For those that manage to get up during the day, the WMC Exhibit Hall showcases all the newest equipment related to clubbing and the electronic music industry, including lighting, sound, DJ hardware, bar products, music magazines, commercial retailers, and more. Even if you are not in the industry, per say, it is worth stopping by the Exhibit Hall to check out all of the cool gadgets.

The Winter Music Conference culminates with the Ultra Music Festival, the biggest electronic music concert in the United States. The only word to describe the UMF is “massive” and, with 14 hours of straight music by 200 DJs on 12 stages and a crowd of 50,000 people looking for a good time, this is THE place to be for anyone who happens to be in Miami in March. In fact, the event has grown so big that, although it was originally held on South Beach, the numbers have grown so much over the last 8 10 years that it has been moved 4 times to accommodate the crowds.

Some of the past performers at the Ultra Music Festival include:

The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Underworld, Paul Oakenfold, Dieselboy, Richie Hawtin, Bad Boy Bill, Carl Cox, Adam Freeland, Pete Tong, Paul van Dyk, Technical Itch, John Digweed, Tiesto, Rabbit in the Moon, Josh Wink, DJ Icey, D:Fuse, Goldie, DJ Craze, Donald Glaude, keoki, DJ Baby Anne, Rennie Pilgrem, DJ Hyper, TeeBee, Andy C, Electric Skychurch, Luke Fair, DJ Dan, Simply Jeff, Fabio, Grooverider, DJ Dara, Junior Vasquez, Christoper Lawrence, Deep Dish, Sasha, AK1200, The Prodigy, BT, Marco MC & Hamburg City Allstars, and more

The Miami Winter Music Conference 2009 will be held from March 24-28 at the Miami Beach Resort and Spa. Book accommodation at the Jazz on South Beach Hostel.