Sound City has rebranded its industry conference to become Sound City+ for the 2016 event.

The annual conference takes place at the iconic Rum Warehouse at Liverpool’s Titanic Hotel the day before the main Sound City festival on 27 May.

“Our major aim with Sound City+ is to create a hectic, energized environment where attendees can dash through an array of rooms and meet some of the most amazing people from all areas of the international music business,” said conference director Jo Whitty.

“This is definitely not aimed at stalwarts. It is aimed at the new kids on the block, those who want to shake things up and change everything. Sound City+ is a place to meet people, be inspired, have arguments and do some great business.”

With the rebrand, Sound City+ will feature a richer, more condensed platform, with workshops, one-to-one meetings with UK and international record labels, agents, music supervisors and festivals from all over the world, sign-posting sessions and TED-type talks throughout the day.

Also in the works for the 2016 conference: an independent label market featuring Sire Records, Domino, Heavenly, Bella Union and Modern Sky Entertainment; DJ workshops hosted by Manchester Midi School; Sync Sessions, hosted by 6 Degrees Entertainment CEO Nathalie Du Bois; panel talks curated by online music community and website Drowned in Sound; and panels, workshops and meetings with industry insiders such as Peter Bradbury (Sky Music), Nicky Bignall (BBC Music), Guy Fletcher OBE (PRS chairman) and Kate Blakemore (Lime Pictures).

Later in the evening, delegates will be taken to an exclusive Sound City launch party at a secret location in Liverpool’s docklands, where Clean Cut Kid, Samm Henshaw, Mahlia and more will perform.

Meanwhile, the conference’s ‘In Conversation’ series will move to the festival site during the live music side of the event on 28-29 May.

Sound City CEO (and Event Production Awards 2016 winner) Dave Pichilingi explained the move: “The Move is basically down to the tremendous feedback and love we have had for our In Conversation content – John Cale, Thurston Moore, Edwyn Collins, Wayne Coyne, Tracey Thorn, Andrew Loog Oldham, Viv Albertine, Julian Cope, Mark E Smith and many more have proved to be big hits at conference over the last few years.

“The sheer groundswell of music fans who go to the festival and who said that they would love to see them persuaded us to move it over to the festival site so that everyone attending has the chance to see and be inspired by them. We’ve got some great names lined-up to announce over the next few weeks, it’s going to be a really exciting new element for Sound City.”

The Coral and Catfish and the Bottlemen have been announced as the festival’s headliners, along with a new parternship with electronic dance music promoters Freeze.