Conference booking is an integral part of expanding an artist’s touring opportunities. Here are some tips on how to approach booking a large conference attendance. I offer a step-by-step strategy for maximizing conference presentation opportunities to help increase recognition of the event among booking staff, presenters, and promoters.
Let me make some distinctions first. Among the many varieties of conferences one can attend, some are booking oriented (agents and artists connecting with promoters and club bookings) and other conferences are more media events where an artist can connect with potential agents, managers , record labels and creating a media buzz about his act. Promoters also attend these media events and there is always a chance of getting gigs, but much less so than at a conference organized specifically for promoters to see new talent. I’d like to talk about the booking conference and specifically address how to maximize your exhibiting efforts when you’ve been selected to exhibit. In other articles I talk about how to benefit from the showroom, attend workshops and networking techniques.
Set goals:
Before you plan to attend any conference, it’s best to set some career goals or review your long-term goals and any marketing plans you’ve previously established. Conferences cost money, so it is important to select the most appropriate conferences based on your career goals for the next two years. If you want to expand your tour in a specific region, select a conference that opens doors to that region. Maybe you’re ready for the national spotlight, then set your sights on some of the biggest national conferences. Avoid attending a conference that you are not ready to attend. Choose the conference that will offer you opportunities to jump to the next logical level in your career, not jump to a level you’re not ready for.
Here are some examples of specific career goals related to selecting the right conference.
1. Build a following in the Mid-Atlantic region: Attend conferences like the Independent Music Conference. While attendees come from all over the country, there will be a concentration of venues, bands, managers, agents and media from the mid-Atlantic region. All styles of music are represented here.
2. Build a Nationwide Follower: Attend SXSW in Austin, TX, which is held in mid-March each year. This conference has grown over the years and attracts promoters, media, managers, agents, the film industry, the recording industry from across the country and Canada, as well as some international attendees. If your goal is to create a national buzz while scouting for managers, record labels, and attracting mainstream media attention, this may be the conference for you. This is a very large conference and one can easily get lost in the crowd if you are not prepared to make a big splash and invest in some conference promotion.
These are just two of the many conferences currently taking place. Some conferences are international, some are gender specific, some are event specific. You are likely to find a lecture series suitable for your next career move. You can find listings for many lectures in the Musician’s Atlas available in music and record stores and in the Trade Shows and Events chapter of my book.
Once you are sure of your conference selection, consider requesting a presentation space. Some conferences select their exhibiting talent by a jury selection committee and others work on a first-come, first-served basis. There is an application fee and a showing fee. Along with officially juried exhibits, many conferences also have the opportunity to self-produce your own exhibit in designated rooms that you must rent or in rooms or venues of your own selection and at your own expense.
Official conference-sponsored exhibits get heavy conference promotion and are typically attended by the largest number of attendees. Depending on the organization of the conference, independently promoted exhibits tend to attract a lot of attention when widely promoted. Creating a buzz about your window display is key to getting the attention of those you want to see your act. There is a lot of competition, with multiple exhibits happening simultaneously. Every artist you exhibit is competing for the attention of many of the same people.
Key elements for a successful exhibition:
1. It’s important to stand out in some unique way: Ask yourself, “What’s so special about my act?” Emphasize that aspect in all your promotional material, during and after the show with every follow-up contact.
2. Advance Promotional Campaign: Some conferences send registered attendees an advance attendee list. Use this list to send printed or emailed invitations to your show to those you have identified as people you want to know about the event, promoters, agents, managers, record labels, media. Make pre-conference phone calls to personally invite specific people. Contact the local media in the conference city and let them know a story. You’ll need a hook to attract local media, can you find one? Pre-conference contact is very important if you are trying to build interest before everyone arrives at the conference site. Once people arrive, there will be a deluge of flyers and promotional materials for each act’s event. Focus your efforts on scheduling meetings and issuing personal invitations prior to the conference.
3. Promotional campaign at the event: Consult the official list of congress attendees. Identify people you’ve contacted before and those who are new to the official list. Create attractive flyers to post in designated areas around the conference. There will be thousands of similar brochures, so make sure yours is graphically appealing and readable from a distance. If there is a major event that the majority of conference attendees will be attending, check to see if you have permission to place tabletops on tables or seats that promote your exhibit. Many acts will attempt similar promotional campaigns so that the information about the exhibition events begins to dilute. It’s important to make a personal contact, give each person a clever and uniquely designed invitation/reminder from your storefront. Find a promotional item that is different from the general flyer or paper banner. At a conference, an artist had a remote-controlled blimp with her name on the sides. He floated the balloon over the heads of attendees as they gathered in lounges, bars, dining rooms and other general gathering places. He definitely turned heads. Be creative – the competition is fierce!
Your showcase:
When planning the actual display, keep the following in mind:
- Know exactly how long your outfit can last. Some conferences allocate very short times, like 15 or 20 minutes; some give you 45 or 60 minutes.
- Plan to interpret the material that is most familiar to you. You’re under enough pressure when exhibiting, this is not the time to try new material or take risks. You want to be awesome.
- Time your set, music and talk.
- Rehearse your set many times until it’s second nature.
- If they offer you a sound check, take it and use every minute to make the sound and lights work for you. When using a conference-provided sound company, find out contact names before the event and submit all sound and light diagrams ahead of time. Contact the engineer and review your specific sound requirements to understand what will be provided and what to bring to avoid surprises when you arrive. In situations where you can provide your own sound, please arrive with plenty of time to set up and test the sound.
- With so many acts rotating on and off stage, the showcase can be bewildering and sometimes frustrating when things don’t go as planned. If you are solid in your performance, even if the sound and light break down, keep calm and put on the best show you know how. The audience appreciates that and is sympathetic, and such situations can often work in your favor when you stay in control.
- You never know who might be in the audience, no matter how many people show up for your showing. The two who attended could be the ones to offer you a deal. Show them what you’re made of!
- Finally, if there’s a chance to meet people after the show, go outside and shake a few hands, have lots of cards ready, or offer promotional packs or CDs if you have them.
Having a successful exhibit can be a huge career boost. Attracting the attention of movers in your field can change your life. It may also just be a well-done showcase that caught the eye of a few new people and doesn’t provide monumental changes right away. For the most part, exhibits and conference events require constant follow up after the event with the contacts you made during the conference. The impact made may not be immediately apparent. If you don’t get the deal you were hoping for or don’t get the number of dates you were planning on, don’t get discouraged. Take action by staying in touch with the people you met after the conference is over to move toward your desired goals. My experience has been that some connections can take several years to lead to significant offers or bookings.
For those of you who are ready to take a serious step to the next level in your career, attending and exhibiting at appropriate conferences might just be the boost you’ve been looking for. Good luck.
