First Rally? More tips tips tips... :D

[ragani]

I know Vikki started another thread, but I've got a lot to post here, so I thought a thread featuring just the Rally tips would be useful for people who haven't attended (or those who have! Hahaha!) the Rally. Before the Rally:- Make a few demo's to hand out (I usually hand them out to people in the industry, and a few to colleagues who wish to exchange... more on that later). In the first Rally I attended, most people ran out of demo's as they were handing them out left and right. Last year I made way to many for the last Rally. So I'm aiming for somewhere around 20-30 demo CD's this year (plus maybe 2 or 3 commercial CD's)... So be sure to bring plenty of demo's, as those are the main tools that you can use to introduce people to your work. Plus, you’ll want 3-4 to drop in the Panel reviews.- Have a good business card, with your website and e-mail address (I’m careful though not to put my phone on the ones I give out freely). [Hint: don't just use the "free" template from vistaprint.com like nearly a dozen people did last year, unless you don't mind looking like everyone else! ]- Pack an ipod or CD player/headphones for people to listen to your music. Pack EXTRA batteries (in your checked luggage, of course) for your ipod or CD player. I usually bring a nice set of headphones because I want people to have good listening quality. You can share your music with anyone anywhere with that little system (and you'd be surprised how many people don't do this!). Plus, it’s more fun to share music live than to send them home with your CD. - Pack a notebook and few pens. You'll have plenty of notes to take! - Some folks bring their guitars to “jam” in the lobby or play at the open mic sessions—we’ve all seen plenty of people doing music in all nooks of the hotel during the Rally, and it’s part of the Rally “vibe”. J- If you really want to meet up with others, plan your place and time, or exchange cell phone numbers (unless you’re like me and don’t have one). All Rally veterans know that it’s entirely possible to go three full days at the Rally and never find the ones you’d hoped to meet up with. Been there. Done that. So plan ahead and get their cell numbers or set a meeting time! And for us forum members, last year Dave Walton came up with the idea of wearing a “dot” (you know, one of those little round stickers you get at Office Depot) on our badge to identify us as a forum member, and since then we have affectionately called ourselves “the dots”. I'll be wearing mine this year! -TAXI will send you (or will post online) a preview of the sessions, pitch panel tips, and what's recommended for the Rally. READ THEM! Choose your top 3 mentors ahead of time (in case your top choice is already full by the time you register), so you won't have to think about it when you are in the registration line talking to people. Circle the stuff you don't want to miss, and highlight the others that are "maybe's". Honestly, you'll be so overwhelmed at the Rally— with all the networking and great people you meet—and you don't want to get to the end of the day and realize you missed something great! And finally... eat well and get your sleep before the Rally. NO KIDDING!! Unless you're one of those self-disciplined freaks of nature, you'll be so sleep deprived (because you won't want to miss out on anything!) that you'll need all the pre-Rally sleep you can get! Eat well, sleep well, as it will help you stay balanced during the long 84-hour day that we call the Rally! LOL! At the Rally:- As soon as you get there, or as soon as the line to sign in opens up, GET IN LINE ASAP!! Last year I arrived a little early (there was a tiny tiny line starting with maybe 80 people in it), and by the time I went to my room and came back down, there were SEVERAL HUNDRED people in line. No kidding. These lines are long, and registration goes on nearly all evening long—and they are a great time to meet new music friends—so if you want the first choices in your mentoring sessions, GET IN LINE EARLY! - You'll meet a TON of artists and other people (that’s so much fun!), and I've made the personal decision that unless I'm really moved to accept a CD, I rarely take them. Mainly because I can end up with 30 CD's that I'd rather not be expected to review and send feedback. Plus, I always have 8-10 already sitting on my desk at any one time, already needing my review or attention. So that's something new I've been doing in general (especially since at any one time I have at least 10 CD's on my desk waiting for review)-Get business cards of the speakers and presenters that you want to follow up with. Many times I don't give them my demo CD unless they specifically ask for it. I know they are getting 100's of them, and I'd rather follow up by e-mail or phone after the Rally and send it to them if they are really interested in my production work. That feels more professional to me than just dumping my CD in the laps of all the speakers (like so many others will be doing)...-Make a list of whatever you may wish to accomplish (if there is anything) with the Rally. My first Rally I didn't have any list. Second Rally I had three things on my list and I felt much more focused upon what I wanted to accomplish during my time there. But there’s plenty to do even if you don’t have a “list” and just want to explore and experience it all. - And if you’re vegetarian or have special meal requests, send me a pm. I’ve got some great tips that I don’t want to post here, as the hotel makes money from the food we all buy during our time there. And we want to stay in good graces with the hotel!Have fun! More than half the fun of the Rally is meeting colleagues and speakers casually and developing those connections. These Rally’s are such incredible events—they are well worth every penny I’ve ever spent to get there (something I can’t easily say about other conventions I’ve attended for good money)!! See you all there!Raags