Midem to Host Special TRANS4M Panel and Opening Keynote by will.i.am

PARIS, Jan. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Midem 2014 will host the first-ever meeting in Europe of TRANS4M, a collaborative community improvement initiative founded by musician, entrepreneur and philanthropist will.i.am, who will deliver a keynote introduction to the event on Saturday February 1, 2014.

This special TRANS4M panel at MIDEM will explore how the dynamic of direct artist-fan connections places the entertainment industry in an advantageous position to drive positive social change. The panel will focus on the TRANS4M movement and its mission to help technology innovators, brands and music makers work together more closely to TRANS4M society for the better.

Midem will host this first-ever European TRANS4M panel event curated by will.i.am, "Entertainment as a TRANS4Mation Driver," to help foster positive social change and innovation with the support of the international music ecosystem gathered in Cannes. As President of the i.am.angel Foundation, will.i.am will deliver a live introduction about the TRANS4M movement and mission from his studio in Hollywood.

"Midem is the ideal event to introduce TRANS4M to the global music industry as it brings together the brightest minds and most important decision-makers.  Leaders in the music business are in a unique position to drive positive change within the industry and beyond among music fans around the globe," commented will.i.am.

Moderating the curated TRANS4M panel in Cannes will be Ken Hertz, Senior Partner of media law firm Hertz Lichtenstein & Young LLP, who is also Co-Founder and Founding Principal of global branding and licensing agency, memBrain llc.

TRANS4M is a high-level meeting of minds to promote social change and is sponsored by the will.i.am's i.am.angel Foundation. Last year the TRANS4M conference hosted in Los Angeles, featured keynote speaker President Bill Clinton and a special address by NASA Astronaut Leland Melvin about the Space Endeavor.

Organised by Reed MIDEM, Midem takes place in Cannes from February 1-4.

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About i.am.angel Foundation - will.i.am launched the i.am.angel foundation in 2009 to TRANS4M lives through education, inspiration and opportunity.  As a part of his commitment to philanthropy, will.i.am and the i.am.angel Foundation administer charitable programs that provide college scholarships (i.am Scholarship), financial literacy and home mortgage assistance (i.am Home) and college preparation and student life (i.am College Track). The foundation has a particular passion to promote and expand STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics).  In February 2012, will.i.am and the i.am.angel foundation held the first TRANS4M conference and benefit concert with a mission to fuel the TRANS4Mation of will.i.am's home town community - Boyle Heights/East Los Angeles, California. The conference brought together more than 300 inspirational thinkers, philanthropic leaders, community activists and global brands to mobilize opportunities in this underserved community in need of reinvigoration. http://iamangelfoundation.org/

About Midem – Midem is an annual international b2b event dedicated to the new music ecosystem, with a tradeshow, conferences, competitions, networking events and live performances. It's the place where music makers, cutting-edge technologies, brands & talents come together to enrich the passionate relationship between people & music, transform audience engagement and form new business connections. www.midem.com

About Reed MIDEM – Founded in 1963, Reed MIDEM is a leading organiser of professional, international tradeshows. Reed MIDEM events have established themselves as key dates in professional diaries. The company hosts MIPTV, MIPDOC, MIPCOM, and MIPJUNIOR for the television and digital content industries, MIDEM for music professionals, LeWeb Paris and London for internet forward-thinkers, MIPIM, MIPIM Asia, MIPIM UK and MAPIC for the property and retail real estate sectors. www.reedmidem.com

About Reed Exhibitions - Reed Exhibitions is the world's leading events organizer, with over 500 events in 41 countries. In 2012 Reed brought together seven million active event participants from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa and organized by 34 fully staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions serves 44 industry sectors with trade and consumer events and is part of the Reed Elsevier Group, a world leading provider of professional information solutions. www.reedexpo.com

SOURCE Reed MIDEM