Chapter 6 of 7 · Role guide
Media & journalists
Find the stories only this week can give you.
ADE is where the industry is in one room for five days: announcements, deals, the state-of-the-industry panels and the interviews you cannot get by email. This guide is for journalists, editors, photographers, broadcasters and podcasters; it turns the week into two or three features you could not write from home, a guide your readers use, a gallery and ten relationships that answer in March.
At RE:UNION For media covering the Spanish-speaking scene, this is the one afternoon its agencies, labels, promoters and artists are in one room with their international counterparts: interviews, a panel and the Local Circuit live.
Who it is for
Two or three features that only exist because the industry was in one room; one guide readers actually use; a gallery; and ten PRs, label managers and artists who answer your emails in March.
| Profile | What ADE is for, in this case |
|---|---|
| Journalist or editor | Magazine, site, radio or podcast. Here for trade stories by day, sources by night and the interviews that need a room. |
| Photographer or video crew | Here for the gallery and the recap. Access to booths and dancefloors is negotiated with each promoter, in writing. |
| Broadcaster or streamer | Here to go live or record. Needs a quiet place to file, permissions for anything beyond handheld, and a plan for no-phone floors. |
| Stage | Realistic goal for the week | First move |
|---|---|---|
| First ADE | Understand the rhythm; publish one guide and one recap. | Three angles, two to four rooms a night, file daily. |
| Regular | Two features from the conference Q&As; ten new sources. | Insider Knowledge sessions for quotes; the mixer circuit for sources. |
| Established outlet | Exclusives pre-booked through PRs and labels; a photo pass per venue. | Interview blocks at PR HQs; camera access agreed with promoters in September. |
| Broadcaster | A live or recorded programme that sounds like the week. | Studio or quiet room booked; permits for rigs; artists confirmed with their PRs. |
Numbers that shape your week
- Meet the Media
- Thu 15:45
- Press accreditation
- Closed 7 Sep
- Press pass ≠ photo pass
- Ask the promoter
- Rooms a night
- 2–4
Before ADE
Bring
- Three angles, written down
- Interview list with PR contacts
- Card with a QR to the outlet
- Camera permissions, in writing
- Pre-written guide skeleton
- Tickets for the must-cover nights
Your week
All week · 21–25 Oct
- Het Ei by Touki Delphine Free public installation
Wed 21
- 12:45–13:30 Music & Machines: artists across generations Pro Pass
Thu 22
- 12:15–13:00 Spotify | Essential Insider Knowledge Pro Pass
- 13:45–16:30 The Chorus Showcase | ADE Startup Class of ’26 Pro Pass
- 14:00–19:00 Afro House Summit Guest list · registration required
- 14:30 → early evening RE:UNION · ADE 2026 Free · QR pass
- 15:30–16:15 The Shrinking Gatekeep: a conversation between artists Pro Pass
- 15:45–17:15 Meet the Media Pro Pass
- 16:45–17:45 30 Years of ADE Pro Pass
Fri 23
- 12:30–13:15 Why Humans Still Need Dancefloors? Pro Pass
- 13:45–14:45 Artists on AI, A No-BS Roundtable Pro Pass
- 14:15–15:00 Micro Communities: Connected Locally, Impacting Globally Pro Pass
- 19:45–22:00 Ongepolijst: 20 years of grime in the Netherlands (film premiere & drinks) Check event page · tickets
Sat 24
- 13:30–14:00 Culture and Ownership with Cruel Santino Pro Pass
- 14:30–16:00 Meet the focus-region professionals Pro Pass
Sun 25
- Morning
- Afternoon
- Evening and night
-
Wed 21
- Morning
- Afternoon
- Evening and night
-
Thu 22
- Morning
- Afternoon
- Evening and night
-
Fri 23
- Morning
- Afternoon
- Evening and night
-
Sat 24
- Morning
- Afternoon
- Evening and night
-
Sun 25
- Morning
- Afternoon
- Evening and night
Sessions for you
-
Music & Machines: artists across generations
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
Spotify | Essential Insider Knowledge
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
The Chorus Showcase | ADE Startup Class of ’26
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
The Shrinking Gatekeep: a conversation between artists
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
Why Humans Still Need Dancefloors?
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
Artists on AI, A No-BS Roundtable
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
Micro Communities: Connected Locally, Impacting Globally
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
Ongepolijst: 20 years of grime in the Netherlands (film premiere & drinks)
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
Culture and Ownership with Cruel Santino
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
Meet the focus-region professionals
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
In the room
| Moment | Do this | Say or ask |
|---|---|---|
| Meet the Media, Rosewood | Listen for the story, not the pitch; collect links, promise nothing but a reply. | What can you tell me that has not already been covered, and who else should I speak to? |
| An Insider Knowledge Q&A | Sit near the front, ask one specific question, record with permission. | Can I quote you on that for [outlet]? One follow-up by email this week? |
| A label mixer, 19:00 | Skip the paid dinner; have the one with the A&R who will brief you all year. | What changed in your release plan this year that nobody has written about? |
| A promoter, before the night | Agree camera access, zones and the no-phone rule in writing; introduce yourself to the stage manager. | First three tracks from the pit, no flash, and I send you the selects by Monday? |
| Sunday, before the flight | Recap and gallery within the week; features within the month while interviews are exclusive. | Nothing. File. |
Mistakes we keep seeing
| Mistake we keep seeing | Instead |
|---|---|
| Applying late, or as a PR or promoter, and being refused. | Apply in August, individually, with a coverage plan on the themes. |
| Covering the week as a fan with a badge. | Three angles, two to four rooms a night, something publishable every day. |
| Assuming the badge means booth or backstage access. | Ask each promoter in writing; a press pass is not a photo pass. |
| Filming on dancefloors where it is prohibited. | Shelter, The Loft and RADION enforce it; losing the venue relationship costs a year. |
| Live-covering everything. | A guide before and a recap after are read ten times more. |
| No thank-you notes. | A note to every PR and label manager you met: what you covered, what you want next year. |
What veterans say
-
“…the entire electronic music ecosystem pauses its relentless forward motion and takes stock…”
Damion Pell source -
“Don't try to do everything, you can't! It's physically impossible. That's probably the most common mistake.”
Jan-Willem van de Ven source -
“ADE is like the Cannes Film Festival: an event where many people share the same passion and help build a great community.”
Rens Wilderom source -
“All the over-priced DJ dinners in Amsterdam can't top this.”
Joshua Glazer source -
“Step into the now and truly live the moment.”
Zep Fransen source -
“Electronic Music's UN Summit… Good Luck Making It To Your 9am Panel.”
DJ Mag source
Budget
Indicative five-night totals using published 2025–26 ranges and the Pro Pass price on the official tickets page on 14 October.
| Line | Accredited journalist (press pass) · €850–1,900 | Not accredited (Pro Pass) · €2,150–3,300 |
|---|---|---|
| Pass | €0 with accreditation (Pro benefits minus the bag) | €795 + 3.77% fee (late rate, almost sold out) |
| Flights / train | €150–350 | €150–350 |
| Bed, 5 nights | €500–1,000 hostel, shared flat or Noord | €800–1,500 canal ring or De Pijp |
| Food and coffee meetings | €150–300 | €250–400 |
| Transport | GVB included with the pass | GVB included with the pass |
| Event tickets | 2–3 must-cover nights, €120–220 | 2–3 nights, €120–220 |
| Gear, insurance, permits | — | Crews: add gear insurance, transport between zones and permits for anything beyond handheld |
After ADE
- Same night
- Within the week
- Within the month
- By December
Hi [name], Good to meet you at Meet the Media on Thursday. The [angle] story is running on [date]; here is the draft question list: [three questions]. Could [artist / label head] give me twenty minutes by [date], by call or voice note? I can send the quotes back for checking. Selects from [night], as promised: [link]. [Your name], [outlet]
New in 2026 for you
- Meet the Media (Thu 22, 15:45–17:15, Rosewood) is now by application: delegates with a Pro Pass apply by 16 October, 23:59 and are pre-matched. 25 media listed, including DJ Mag, Mixmag, Mixmag Brazil, Crack, IQ, Pollstar, VICE, DJSound (Spain), 3FM, SLAM! and Capital Dance. source
- Press accreditation for 2026 closed on 7 September; passes are strictly for media, journalists and press, and applications from PR agents, bookers or promoters are not considered. Photo packs 2016–2025 and the 30 YEARS brand pack are downloadable from the press page. source
- The 30th edition's stories: Jean-Michel Jarre as guest of honour with the Oxygène concert at AFAS Live on 21 October and a keynote at ADE Pro; the "30 Years of ADE" talk with Anna Knaup, Richard Zijlma and Maria Jimenez on Thursday. source
- ADE and VibeLab launch the Nighttime Culture Index at ADE Pro: a public dashboard on the cultural vitality of nightlife in Amsterdam, Lagos, New York, São Paulo, Seoul and Sydney. A data story with six city coordinators to interview. source
- Ongepolijst, the documentary on twenty years of Dutch grime, premieres on Friday 23 at 19:45 at Het Ketelhuis (Westergas), with drinks and the scene in the room. source
- Programme completed on 6 October: 3,600+ artists, 1,300+ events, 300+ venues. Pro Pass at the late rate, €795 + 3.77% fee, almost sold out. source