Melani Mecimapro Expands Business Direction, Not Only Relying on the K-pop Market

JAKARTA - CEO of Melania Citra Permata (Mecimapro), Franciska Dwi Melani, gave a strong signal to expand its segment in the Indonesian entertainment industry.

After a dozen years of being synonymous with K-Pop concert promoters in Indonesia, the woman who is familiarly called Melani confirmed her readiness to expand into a wider entertainment market and adapt to existing dynamics.

Through a virtual interview with the media crew on Thursday, May 7, Melani reflected on her journey building Mecimapro in the midst of the creative industry's ups and downs.

His experience for decades has been the main capital for the company to transform into an entertainment entity that does not only rely on one fan segment.

"My journey in the K-Pop world has been 16 years. It has become my journey and my identity and Mecimapro because we have grown to see the development of the K-Pop market in Indonesia over the years," said Melani when explaining his vision.

The new steps include the development of live experiences, digital content, fandom culture, and community-based events. He also opened up opportunities for cross-industry and cross-country collaboration, including partnering with local Indonesian musicians to follow the increasingly dynamic cultural trends.

Melani emphasized the importance of business sustainability in the midst of fierce competition. "I want (Mecimapro) to be an entertainment company that is more adaptive to change, creative, and can be sustainable in the long term," he said.

As an entrepreneur who has gone through various market dynamics, Melani realizes that the concert industry has a significant domino effect on the national economy. According to him, one international concert can move various sectors ranging from hotels, transportation, MSMEs, culinary, to the tourism sector in general.

"International concerts are not just about entertainment, but also drive many economic sectors. We want to continue to strive to contribute not only to K-Pop music, but to the creative economy industry in Indonesia itself," he said.

Furthermore, given Mecimapro's position as an active member of the Indonesian Music Promoter Association (APMI), Melani also highlighted the fundamental challenges faced by industry players, namely the availability of infrastructure. He compared the conditions in Indonesia with neighboring countries such as Singapore which have world-class special venues.

"Strengthening from the infrastructure side, which I hope. We don't have a venue that can be like other vendors like in America, or Singapore like the Singapore Stadium. There should also be ease of communication across sectors," said Melani.

He believes that if cross-sector communication is improved and infrastructure is strengthened, Indonesia has great potential to become the largest entertainment market in Asia. Moreover, currently, concert audiences in Indonesia are considered more mature with high expectations for production quality and experience while at the event location.

Melani realizes that the journey in the past is not always smooth and has disappointed some parties. However, with optimism, he is committed to building a more solid ecosystem with vendors, venues, and all stakeholders.

"The audience is mature and has high expectations for the quality of the concert production, the experience at the venue itself. Therefore, the promoter must be more adaptive and more careful in building its ecosystem," concluded Melani.