Tour Link Conference 2018

For my first blog post, I'll talk about something I did for the first time recently... after 2 decades in the music business, I attended a music industry conference... Here's my thoughts on that experience.

I recently attended the Tour Link Conference in Palm Springs, CA. I’ve been wanting to attend this event since 2015 when I was nominated as Tour Manager of the Year in the “Young Guns” division. This was my first time attending an event like this so I wanted to discuss my observations and takeaways while they’re still fresh on my mind.

Tour Link is an annual 3 day music industry conference that brings together touring professionals and the vendors that support them in the areas of production, travel, technology, finance, etc. The conference is geared towards connecting tour and production managers with travel agents, hotel sales managers, private jet charter brokers, ground transportation services, tour bus lessors, sound, light, video, special effects vendors and freight forwarders. The conference kicks off with a golf tournament and social gathering on day 1, followed by 2 full days of keynote speakers, open and closed door panels, and topic-specific Q&A sessions with a variety of industry professionals. The event ends with a very entertaining awards ceremony and dinner. This year’s conference touched on the topics of mental and physical wellbeing on the road, fostering a sense of community between the nomadic tribe (those of us that travel) and the stationary tribe (our support system of vendors and agents), venue security and active shooter threats, new Federal Laws affecting trucking and busing in our industry, common issues involving travel agents and hotels, payroll protocols, rehearsal coordination and efficiency, best practices in show advances and settlements, and a very entertaining story-telling session called “you can’t make this shit up” hosted by the very charismatic Bob Daitz.

I found it somewhat amusing that an industry as renegade as touring could be brought into the academic / corporate forum so successfully. Let’s face it, the touring world is populated by some of the most intelligent yet eccentric characters that rarely fit well into any mold, especially that of an educational seminar and formal banquet setting. For the most part, I’d have to say we behaved ourselves quite well! The advice I was given from a friend beforehand surely rang true – “It’s all about the late night bar hang. We shut it down every night!” He was right. That’s where the magic really happens! New friends are made and old friends are reunited, while vendors’ expense accounts are depleted!! And I’d have to say the panels and speakers were all very much worthwhile, if not a little contentious at times!

Jim Digby’s keynote speech was heartfelt and absolutely vital to establishing the underlying theme of community that the event aimed to foster between it’s attendees. Jim is a top-notch production manager who has spent the greater part of the last 2 decades on the road with Linkin Park. His touching tribute to Chester Bennington of Linkin Park really hit home and his insight into that tragedy proved to us all how important it is to look after each other as family. Jim’s demeanor is also counter to that of what most of us would think an A-level production manager would be… he’s calm… nice, respectful, conscientious, and a total pro at all times. Not the big burly bully of a PM that yells from load in to load out only to alienate his entire crew, but the kind of guy that can move mountains with a simple smile and gentle pat on the back and bring locals and roadies together to accomplish great feats. I’ve not worked with Jim, but I know many people who have, so I’m confident in saying that we need more guys like Jim Digby in our industry… this I’m sure of.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out a few things that were a bit disappointing… for a conference who’s attendees are some of the most organized and communicative folks on the planet, the event lacked severely in organization and communication. They send emails almost weekly from July to January selling registrations, but once you pay your money, the communication stops. No welcome email. No schedule email. And no thank you for attending email when it was over. To boot, the information on the website conflicted from page to page due to copying and pasting from years past. This created the most confusion on Thursday night when they typically host a catered dinner and transportation show at the local private airport. The evening features the latest in Private Jets and Tour Buses and is usually a highlight of the event. However, this year, for whatever reason, they forwent the transportation event for an evening at a local entertainment complex featuring bumper cars and miniature golf and some sub-par BBQ from what I’ve heard. The website listed the transportation event on the main page, but the BBQ event on the year-specific page, which led to some confusion. There wasn’t even a final schedule printed or emailed. When we checked in, we were told to take a picture of the schedule on the easel at the registration desk – TACKY!. Things like this occurred throughout the weekend. Events started late (I blame this on that late-night bar hang!) and ran late. Rooms changed without notice. I’m told attendance was way down, as was sponsorship, from previous years. There was an undertone of dissent throughout the event as seasoned vets of the conference eluded to political factions and grudges as a major contributor to the low turnout and disorganization.

Overall, I’d have to say I enjoyed the experience a great deal. I went in knowing only a handful of the attendees and left feeling as if I had a whole new tribe of friends and had extended my road family in a very healthy way. All things considered, I’d say the biggest take-away for me was the realization of how big the touring industry really is. It’s easy to get trapped in the fishbowl of smaller scenes like Nashville and forget that there is a vast ocean of people and opportunities that exist outside the 615 bubble. I spent my day today following up on new connections I made and reflecting on all the great conversations and discussions I got to participate in and listen to. I look forward to keeping up with these new friends in 2018 and hope to return to the Tour Link conference in 2019.