Cecile Glunt & Paul Butler “Foreign Touring Artists – Take Home More Pay From The USA”
Steve Sybesma & Doug Banker “Global Focus on Asia”
Geoff Gordon “Stop Your Bitching & Whining”
Bruce Houghton “100 Cutting Edge Promo Ideas” Barbara Hubbard “First Pass For Beginners – No Question Too Stupid”
Rod Essig “Loyalty Only Gets You So Far”
Brenda Tinnen “Improving The Fan Experience”
Nanette Zumwalt, Dan Cronin & Harold Owens “Coping With Life On The Road”
Michael Strickland “OSHA Compliance On The Road”
Steve Kirsner “Don’t Be Left Holding The Bag”
Cory Meredith “Crowd Management vs. Security”

Delegates got their first taste of the roundtable discussions at last year’s CIC, which all took place in one room at the Century Plaza Hotel. They provided benefits that panels could not – direct exchange of ideas, an environment where the microphone-shy could feel comfortable, and opportunities to be candid – sometimes shockingly so.

This year’s tables added another benefit: more elbow room. The 11 discussions were spread across five rooms at the Green Valley Ranch Resort February 14th, with some tables accommodating 30 or more participants at any given time.

Inside the Grand Ballroom, Cecile Glunt and Paul Butler – an expert on international taxation and an IRS attorney – schooled visitors on the process required to bring an international artist to the U.S., especially given the labyrinth of government taxation paperwork.

Steve Sybesma of Shanghai-based China West Entertainment and Doug Banker of Los Angeles-based McGhee Entertainment went the opposite direction: taking U.S. tours – such as the popular “Bodies” exhibition – out of the country and into the Far East.

Geoff Gordon set up shop near the front door of the ballroom to moderate a spirited discussion that included The Agency Group’s John Pantle, RCA’s Stuart Goldberg and Little Big Man’s Marty Diamond.

“I’m going to change the name of my company to ‘The Marketing Department’ because that’s what I do,” Diamond said. “I get the call from the record company. ‘Where’s the tour?’”

He recalled one incident where a promoter marketed an acoustic Damian Rice show with the help of
a dentist’s office. The dentist played Rice’s music to customers while they were in the chair and it did add 60 tickets to the show.
“
You get your noise, you can sell your tickets,” he said.

Skyline Music’s Bruce Houghton had a very popular second session, discussing 100 free and affordable ways to promote. His handout was a huge hit. Here’s two of its suggestions:

No. 7: “E-mail lists must be your religion. Put your list sign-up visibly on the top half of the front page
and watch the list grow. Consider segmenting your e-mail lists by state (for bands) or genres (for clubs)
to fight e-mail burnout.”

No. 75: “Read Hypebot – the In-dependent Journal of Music Promo-tion & Technology – at hypebot.com.”

Over at the Del Mar room, concert industry maven Barbara “Mother” Hubbard held a “No Question Is Too Stupid” discussion for the neophytes. Too bad for the veterans who weren’t listening in. Tour manager Stuart Ross dropped by to explain the importance of catering – because if the production crew doesn’t like getting served baloney sandwiches, word will get back to the agent and there may never be a return play (and you’ll
have to peel baloney off the walls). One solution for a venue on a shoestring budget is to hire the local culinary school, which can provide excellent catering. Hubbard handed out a well-received checklist and Peter Tempkins of Nashville’s DeWitt Stern talked about the importance of being properly insured.

Rod Essig hosted a popular discussion ranging from which venues work best with which artists, to how to make an artist feel comfortable prior to the show. Suggestions included golf packages and rented motorcycles (with full-mask helmets for anonymity, of course).

Next door, Brenda Tinnen discussed improving the fan experi-ence. Several helpful suggestions came from other venue managers, including how important it is to have a cheery and helpful staff from the moment a patron walks through the turnstile to using the free checklists available at iaam.org.

A few steps away, Nanette Zumwalt, Dan Cronin and Harold Owens held an intimate session where delegates dropped by seeking advice on crisis interven-tion and how to assist recovering addicts, among other concerns that are a part of the dark side of our business.

Down the hallway, Bandit Lites’ Michael Strickland talked about the least sexy topic of the sessions – OSHA compliance – but it was a roundtable that probably saved its attendants beaucoup dollars in the long run. Strickland’s company recently lost a judgment in the millions of dollars – all because somebody got injured on a job site where Bandit Lites happened to be. The man was not an employee and had stolen a BanditLites harness before injuring himself climbing rigging. Long story short, it all came down to OSHA compliance, and Strickland is now a reluctant expert but one who wants to make sure others don’t get shafted.

Across the hallway, Steve Kirsner talked with other venue execs about how to keep themselves from getting stuck “holding the bag.” Bands show up, play, tear down and then it’s on to another city – but if things didn’t go so well, it’s the venue that is left to face the community and issue refunds.

Also in the room, StaffPro’s Cory Meredith discussed being active versus reactive. A security company can choose to face “crowd management” or be willing to take the extra preparation necessary to have security, and peace of mind, before the doors open.