A neat idea, this. Noon today, in Copenhagen. Note the presence of a bell and of a laptop in the foreground, they’re important. On the left of the table are Danish musicians interested in furthering their international exposure. To the right of the table sit promoters and festival organizers from abroad. On both sides of the table they are getting ready for the first speed-meet. Smiles all round. Jug of water. Get set. Go.

Why the bell? It will tinkle in four minutes for each participant to move on to his or her next meeting. Precious stuff, time, eh….

And why the laptop? Participants on both sides of the table had their meetings pre-arranged by the festival team, with lists of the time-slots distributed in advance.

Festival organizers with an interest in supporting musicians from the domestic scene and brokering international links for them, is this the future?