I have been in various facets of the entertainment industry for over ten years, yet 2016 is the first year I made it a priority to attend various music conferences across the United States. I had the privilege of attending the SXSW Music Conference in Austin, Texas this past March as well as A3C in Atlanta, Georgia and the Revolt Music Conference in Miami, Florida, both of which took place in October. SXSW was an absolutely amazing experience considering it was my first conference and I was unsure of what to expect. I booked the Hyatt six months in advance and it was extremely reasonable; I was within a 15 minute walking distance of the activities. This is one thing I would change next year as to minimize walking and cab fare. The airfare was roughly $600.00 for a round-trip, direct flight from New York; I could have done much better but this was booked two weeks prior to the event. The admission tickets vary depending upon what you want access to; they have three types of passes. I opted for the pass specific to music and was granted a press pass for $685.00; the prices are typically around $1,000.00 and are more expensive the closer you purchase them to the event. This was the 30th Anniversary of SXSW and it showed; they were well organized and things were seamless. Upon check-in, I was given a woven souvenir bag full of information about the week’s events and speaking engagements. The lectures took place at one location, The Austin Convention Center, however, the four blocks surrounding the center were full of venues with open mics and meet and greets. The keynote speaker this year was Michelle Obama; I missed her but heard she was phenomenal. My favorite part about the conference was how accessible everyone was. I personally had the privilege of chatting with Gillie the Kid, Relle Bey, Wale, Dave East, Lil Mama, Too Short, Manolo Rose, D. Chamberz, Jaquae, Cortez and DJ Enuff for starters. I ran into most of the usual suspects at an event organized and promoted by Jack Thriller; an amazing showcase. Another highlight was walking into the event sponsored by TuneCore; I walked into to have lunch and ended up being serenaded by Talib Kweli. SXSW is ideal for DJ’s, A&R’s, and management looking for new talent outside their demographic; I literally came home with music from all fifty states. I bought home the most music at this conference with over 300 CD’s to listen to and review; something I am still meticulously doing. The community was extremely involved and created the perfect environment for street team promotion; something that is key at these conferences. If you happen to be a social media or radio personality, the coverage opportunities are endless; I would recommend trying to coordinate interviews in advance when possible. With this conference, I garnered the most new music and met the most people. The next stop on my conference tour was A3C, which took place in Atlanta, GA and happened to occur during Hurricane Matthew. Let’s just say, thank God I booked Greyhound because flights were delayed and even cancelled. Greyhound ended up being a nightmare, but twenty-two hours later, I arrived from New York and I was thrilled to be there. I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn for free based on my credit card points; my hotel was within a ten minute walk of most of the festivities. There were several conferences going on simultaneously to A3C and the hotels in Atlanta were completely sold out due to this. I highly recommend booking your hotel room at least four months in advance for the best availability and pricing. I also suggest booking a flight opposed to Greyhound when possible. If you book the flight well enough in advance, the bus ticket and the plane ticket are roughly the same price but offer completely different experiences; I will do this next year and keep my fingers crossed with respect to the weather. My ticket to A3C was $167.00 for the low option, and it granted me to access all three days of the conference. In my opinion, this pass is sufficient because the only thing I was not given was VIP access; I was fortunate to be there with several industry insiders, including Essince and Brooks of Hip Hop Weekly, and was able to gain access when needed. If I did not have this access, I still would have been very pleased with the pass for $167.00. It granted me access to events featuring Rick Ross, Too Short, Twista, Jermaine Dupri, Torae, Jaquae, Bone Thugs In Harmony and of course Spliff Star, to name a few. As with SXSW, the main stage was surrounded with smaller venues as well as thousands of music fanatics all looking to celebrate the culture or find the next big thing. With that said, this conference is great for either the new artist looking to be discovered, or the industry insider looking for gold; there was a healthy mix of DJ’s, new and established talent as well as management and executives. My street promotion was extremely successful and I made numerous connections there that will benefit me for years to come. This was by far, the best bang for my buck overall with respect to the three conferences. My most recent voyage took me to the Revolt Music Conference in Miami, the second week of October; this was the third year of their annual conference. The airfare, at $324.00 for a round-trip direct flight, was the most reasonable. I stayed at the Colony on 7th Avenue in South Beach for $400.00 for three nights. The events took place at one locale, Eden Roc hotel, which was located on 41st Street and Collins Avenue. I was not discouraged by the distance between the venue and my hotel as I used the walking time to handle street promotion and mingle with locals; however, I plan on staying closer to the venue next year. Yes, I said next year. I was honestly under whelmed with the turn out but attribute it to Hurricane Matthew, which hit Florida hard the week before, as well as the rain that was forecast for the duration of the conference. So, despite the turn-out, I am willing to give this another go because I want to experience Revolt in full swing and give my honest opinion on it next year. Additionally, I would like them to consider scheduling conflicts as the pool parties and speaking engagements were often booked simultaneously. The hotel, Eden Roc, was beautiful, and considering the rain, it was ideal that all the events took place here. I felt that most of the participants were A-List celebrities, media and management. I purchased the Social Circle pass for $620.00 which did not include the Yacht Party or any RMC panels, Break-Out Sessions or Keynote Speaking addresses. I arrived on Thursday night so I missed the "Power Networking" event as well as the “Be Heard” pitch session. I registered for my admission bracelet on Friday morning and was shocked to find out that all I got was a bracelet; no T-Shirt, promo bag or typed agenda to be found, which was extremely disappointing for the price point paid. I would also like to add that because the turn-out was not as expected, they should have made allowances to include all attendees at more of the events, with the exception of the Yacht party, which has obvious capacity standards. At this point though, I was on a mission to make the most out of my trip the best way I knew how; mingle. During my social escapades at the bar at Eden Roc, I ran into Relle Bey, Twan Da Dude, DJ Envy, Haddy Racks, Jim Jones and Lenny the Barber for starters. I ran into an acquaintance, Sunny, and was invited to watch Drink Champs live, featuring NORE and DJ EFN. The episode was taped at The Showroom by 8 & 9 and featured Jeezy; needless to say it was action packed and the perfect place to politic with like-minded individuals. The following day, while socializing at the Global Spin Award Nominations, I came across Power Moves Incorporated founder, Shawn Prez, who was smack in the middle of the action, working hard to ensure its success; it showed. I enjoyed the nominations and look forward to the Global Spin Awards in New Orleans during All-Star Weekend in 2017. I also ran into Lord Jamar at the GSA Nominations and as we walked and conversed, we conveniently walked into NORE and DJ EFN who were heading to another live shoot of the Drink Champs; we were invited to join the taping. This show featured Lyor Cohen, Kevin Liles and Jadakiss; it was unbelievable. The content of this show should be viewed by anyone and everyone in the industry; I have a full piece I am working on based upon this show and look forward to sharing that in the very near future. The last night of the conference I missed, but Revolt honored Nas with the Jimmy Iovine Icon Award. Other notables for the weekend were DJ Khaled, Angela Yee, Andre Harrell and Julie Greenwald. At Revolt, I feel that I was able to connect with executives and A List talent on a more intimate level then at other conferences. In conclusion, I hope that this insight was informative. Prior to making plans to attend a conference, ask yourself three questions. Why am I going? What do I hope to accomplish while there? How will I execute the game plan? This will help determine what conferences are best suited for you. Additionally, please make sure that all of your social media, music, photography, websites and street promotion are well done with respect to visual and audio sound quality. I look forward to keeping you abreast of my next business trip, so stay tuned.
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As I sit here at the Greyhound Bus Terminal in Richmond, Virginia, during my two-hour layover, I have had plenty of time to reflect. I am on my way to Atlanta for A3C for the annual music conference; it is my first time. On the first leg of my 21-hour trek, all I wanted to do was kick myself for opting to take the bus opposed to flying. Second thought, this was not my first option, but poor planning and a thinning budget as we approach the fourth quarter, left me little choice.
I am sure A3C will be just as amazing as SXSW, and will write all about it once I get back; I will also follow up on SXSW from March now that I think about it. But this piece, this piece is about taking care of home first. I have always been self-motivated, hardworking and ambitious, so the entertainment industry is right up my alley. I have just begun my embark on a national campaign, thus my recent travel to Chicago, DC, Texas, Vegas, Atlanta as well as Miami next week all in the last year. I have come to realize that you cannot help anyone if you cannot help yourself; both physically and financially. Additionally, you need a team of like-minded individuals surrounding you. With that said, it has been challenging over the last few years. Various partners and outlets have come and gone and yet I have gotten stronger with each obstacle. My travels have afforded me insight from different nationalities and cultures and their opinions came in all hues. I have come to find out that I am someone many people rely on; I am flattered by this. In the same breath, I am exhausted emotionally and financially. I have now come to terms with my issues and understand I cannot assist everyone; why should I? After-all, if I was focused on myself, I wouldn’t be typing this sitting on a mental bench at a bus depot. A shift in my focus will be evident immediately. Now that I am aware of when and where events take place annually, hotel accommodations and travel arrangements will be booked well in advance. Events and performances will be mapped out and passes will be purchased in advance accordingly. I also plan on finding myself a travel partner to minimize costs and maximize promotional value; something you just can’t get enough of. Next, eliminate all of the non-sense; people, negativity, wasted time and dead-end situations. I have done an amazing job with this thus far but still have a long way to go. If a situation is not mutually beneficial, I cannot entertain it and neither should you. Television, sure, I have a guilty pleasure or two, but will make a point to keep it under three hours a week. Just imagine what you can accomplish with all of that saved time. Negativity and dead-end situations go hand-in-hand, I have found. People with negative energy drain a positive situation and must be released from your space immediately. They are unwilling to make the necessary changes to be successful and are constantly making excuses. Lastly, be sure that the company you keep all have the same goals and are motivated accordingly. There is nothing worse than mapping out and financing a project, only to find out that your partners are lazy, unconnected and waiting on you to take them to the top. |
Jenna A. HercheA native New Yorker, Jenna has been in various facets of the entertainment industry for over twenty years. Her newest venture is media. Be sure to stay tuned for her perspective on the industry and the politics that come with the territory. CategoriesArchives
March 2020
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