The visibility that Rwanda has so far received for hosting the inaugural Trace Awards slated for Saturday 21 October, is worth over $56 million, Trace co-founder and executive chairman Olivier Laouchez has said.

Laouchez was speaking at a press conference in Kigali ahead of the Trace Awards and Festival, which begins on Friday, October 20, and runs until October 22, at BK Arena and Kigali Convention & Exhibition Village in Kigali.

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Laouchez said that the Trace Awards and Festival is a game-changing event for Rwanda&039;s tourism, seeing the media influence and value it has made before the main event.

"The value of the press that we now have before the actual event is over $56 million, and that means that Rwanda has been promoted at a cost of that amount. We are on track to a great and amazing event that will have a huge impact on African music," he said.

VIDEO: How will Rwanda benefit from hosting Trace Awards and Festival?

Earned media value, he said, is a free third-party promotion generated as a result of paid and owned media efforts, such as news articles, customer reviews, organic social posts mentioning brands and products, and word-of-mouth recommendations, among others.

Laouchez noted that the event&039;s audience and social interaction are expected to exceed 500 million fans in 190 countries and that more than 300 Rwandans were positively impacted by the Trace Awards and Festival, including people in the hospitality industry, local artists, and sound engineers, among others.

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"With 55 amazing artists, this is a very ambitious and complex event and live television show. Rwanda has provided us with everything we need to succeed: a state-of-the-art venue, the agility of Rwanda’s service industry, the technical skills of the national broadcaster, the passion and creativity of the country’s creative economy, the entrepreneurship of Rwandan businesses and individuals, and the invaluable support of government in the shape of our partners at RDB and Visit Rwanda,” the co-founder of Trace added.

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According to Ariella Kageruka, Head of the Tourism and Conservation Department at Rwanda Development Board (RDB), local musicians who were invited to participate in the event and other different players in the creative industry should take advantage of this opportunity to upskill and create new partnerships from big artistes on the globe.

"This is a great platform for collaboration and visibility to the creative industry of Rwanda and local players should use this opportunity to bring amazing things we see on the continent,” Kageruka noted.

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Rwandan artists Bruce Melodie, Bwiza and Chriss Eazy will perform during the Trace Awards alongside the likes of Davido, Rema, Asake, and Diamond Platnmuz with many other local artists given a chance to shine at the Trace Festival.

The three-day festival will also be graced by talented Rwandan artists and DJs including Maestro Boomin, Ish Kevin, Kenny K-Shot, Bruce Melodie, Sema Sole, Angell Mutoni, Boy Chopper, Mike Kayihura, Tsonpa, Hottempah Collective, DJ Fans-T, DJ Higa, DJ Rusam, and DJ Irah.

Presented by Visit Rwanda and Martell, Trace Awards will take place at BK Arena on October 21, and 7, 000 music fans will have the opportunity to experience the live event, which will be presented on a purpose-built stage.

The entire African continent will be represented by its best artistes at Trace Awards, showcasing the excellence and diversity of Afrocentric music in genres such Afrobeat, Dancehall, Hip Hop, Afro-pop, Mbalax, Amapiano, Zouk, Kizomba, Genge, Coupé Décalé, Bongo Flava and rap among many other genres.

Competing in 22 award categories are platinum-selling artistes from more than 30 countries in Africa, South America, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and Europe including Algeria, Angola, Brazil, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Comoros, DRC, France, French Guiana, Gabon, Ghana and many other countries.

The winners will take home one or more Trace Awards Trophies - unique pieces of art designed by acclaimed Congolese sculptor and designer, Dora Prevost.

Launched in 2003, Trace is the first multimedia and digital platform in the world solely devoted to Afro-urban music and cultures, as well as to the success of young people and artists. Trace reaches more than 350 million fans in 180 countries.