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This is my second rally, can't wait to see everyone again!

This is advice for folks new to the rally. Last year was my first and I came out of it extremely energized. There's so much information to ingest and digest, so I want to help newer members maximize their time at the event. Some simple preparation can help a lot.

1. Look at the agenda before you arrive and pick out your top selections for every hour. There will be slots where you want to go to more than one thing, so mark your preferences to stay organized.
2. Figure out how you best take notes. I like to type on a laptop, others prefer pen and paper.
3. Clean up storage space on your phone so you can take lots of pictures... not just social stuff but presentations, etc.
4. Don't try to do too much! It's like a vacation... if you plan too much activity you just wear yourself out. Account for some downtime.
5. Be ready to talk about yourself. You will be meeting composers, supervisors, artists, etc. Go over your own numbers so you can speak intelligently about what you do. How many forwards have you had? Any placements? Which networks? What genres? What is your speciality?
6. Plan on hanging around the lobby bar, whether or not you drink. it is the social hub of the rally. It's an open area, plenty of room to sit, and some of the shy folks might be sitting further away from the bar. It's a great place to meet people and learn.
7. Food: The restaurant is good I hear, but I never ate there. There's a subway just down the street, a Denny's in the opposite direction, and if you really hate your digestive system you can visit the Taco Bell across the street. There also might be a really good taco truck in the area, but I'm not saying much more than that.
8. Listening Panels: TEST your CDs before you leave home. Several times last year people were selected but their CDs didn't work. The odds of getting picked during one of the big room sessions are small, so don't blow it by having a bad disc.
9. Coffee: there is a coffee shop in the hotel lobby.
10. Make room on the credit card for purchases. There will be several vendors attending.

I'm sure there's more advice to be given, this is all I can think of at the moment. Feel free to add more to the thread if so inclined!

Great info! This will be my 1st Rally and I'm excited to go & be surrounded by others with similar goals & ambitions. The only thing I would add is to book your hotel EARLY! I figured I would have plenty of time to make a reservation and when I tried to book online today it said the # of rooms at the group rate were all booked. I called in and was lucky enough to get one of the last rooms at that rate (at least according to the agent).

Thanks!

- Lawrence Davis aka Khalil Guinn

This is awesome Paulie! Especially for us first timers. I'm gettin psyched! 22 days!!

Thanks Paulie. First time at th rally for me. Great list.

What's the best way to pass info? Biz cards? Phone airdrops?

Also are CDs really still the preferred method of delivery of demos and examples? I ask cuz I haven't burned a cd in years.

Looking forward to it.

Dan G

CDs are the safest way to transfer files. USB drives can lead to hacked computers...people are making a mistake if they take them from strangers. But that's just my IT Professional opinion. CDs are good, or have a card with your web site on it and have links to downloadable files. From the panels I've seen in the past year almost everyone these days wants to be able to download a song if they like what they hear. And almost everyone prefers Box over Dropbox.

If you want to have your music listened to at the screening panels, a CD is a must. I actually had to buy an external CD burner last year to make CDs for the rally. They are super cheap now, check out Amazon for good deals.

All very good advice, but keep in mind, it's just as easy to get hacked via a bad link as a bad site. It's not such a horrible idea to have your music on trusted sites, as an alternative to "scary" thumb drives. Once that's done, it's fairly easy to put vetted links on your business card.

Thanks for the advice Paulie. This will be my first Rally! Very excited. All booked including Mentor lunches. Will be checking my cd's this weekend and scheduling which events I am most interested in. See you all there!
Rip

Thanks Paulie. Truly helpful.

Thanks again Paulie, that makes it a lot less overwhelming!

Robbie