June 2016 FAR-West Newsletter
Now that you’ve registered for the 2016 FAR-West Music Conference in Bellevue, Washington, at the Hyatt Regency this October 13th to the 16th, it’s time to look at all of the opportunities to maximize your time.
WAIT! What? You haven’t registered yet? Well, it’s not too late to get a good deal! “Summer Special” rates are $175 for FAI members and $205 for non-members. Use this link to begin the registration process. Not a member of FAI? Join here and get the discounted rate, as well as access to many other discounted FAI membership services. Once registered, use this link to book your hotel room at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue. That page also gives info about hotel parking, internet, restaurants in the area, and travel to/from SeaTac.
Although the conference is officially taking place starting on October 13th and ending on Sunday, October 16th, please remember that we will hold a pre-conference open mic at Dusty Strings on Wednesday, October 12th, and we will hold the third annual Storytelling Showcase on Sunday, October 16th from 2 till 3:30pm. Stay tuned for more details as they unfold.
Are funds a bit tight? The Howard Larman Scholarship was established to help qualifying musicians to attend our annual conference. Partial or full registration costs are available to help. Deadline to apply is August 5th, 2016.
Check out our new marketing discounts and our Sponsorship Opportunities. There are plenty of low cost / high visibility options to help promote your act or brand and take part in our four day event.
Private Guerrilla Showcase rooms are still available. PGS rooms are a great way for artists to guarantee those late night showcase slots. Perform in your own room, and schedule others for a break! Most hosts charge a small fee for performance slots to offset the cost of the room. You can sleep in that room, too, to save some more money. (By hotel request, the PGS floor goes quiet at 2 am. There will also be jam rooms after 2 am in our conference area if you want to jam all night.) Venues and fans – you could host a room to highlight or introduce some of your favorite performers. Please note that all performers have to be registered for our conference in order to perform on the PGS floor.
Susanne Millsaps Coffeehouse invitations have gone out to the group of artists registered by May 31st who were selected in the first random drawing for performance slots. All artists registered by August 15th will be eligible for the second round drawing.
Panels & Workshops are a large part of the educational opportunities at our conference. Proposals are now being accepted for consideration. We welcome ideas for a wide variety of programming that would provide professional and educational enrichment to FAR-West attendees. If you would like to submit a proposal, go to Panels and workshops 2016 for information and instructions. Please Note that the last day to submit proposals and suggestions is June 30th.
Every attendee receives a copy of our Official Program Book. Included are a schedule of conference events, showcase information, a listing of panels and workshops, the Best of the West Awards, Networking Center exhibitors, and a directory of attendees. Folks have been known to keep the directory as a reference tool long after the conference. What better way to be remembered than with an ad in the program book? There are a variety of ad options, including the outside back cover, full page color ads placed at the beginning of the book, and full, half or quarter page black and white ads placed throughout the book. Prices start at $55 for a quarter page ad.
When you check-in at our conference, the program book will be one of the items in your conference tote bag. The FAR-West Tote Bag is a great way to put your name, CD, showcase schedule, logo or any other promotional items in front of your fellow folkies. For $110, your name or logo can be advertised on the tote bag itself, plus an item of your choice inserted into the bag (flyers up to 8 ½ x 11 inches, or the other goodies mentioned above). You can also choose to just include a tote bag insert for $65. Whichever tote bag choice you make, you will need to provide approximately 400 insert items for the tote bag stuffing party on Thursday afternoon of our conference.
Last but not least, your presence at a table in our Networking Center is a fantastic way to get face-to-face with your fellow conference participants. The FAR-West Networking Center is more than just an "Exhibit Hall"; it's the hub of business connections among performers, presenters and other attendees. Our Networking Center is the place where you have the greatest potential to network and share information. Tables can be reserved at $55 for a half table, or $90 for a full table. Besides displaying posters, music, or other merchandise, you can also set up laptops, tablets, or mp3 players (with headphones, please) to share your music or performances. Electrical hookups are available for $10. If you provide your own hotspot, you can set your laptop or tablet to your YouTube channel.
Your registration includes the Best of the West Luncheon. Honorees this year include Danny O’Keefe for the Performer Award and Peter McCracken/Centrum Foundation for the Ambassadors’ Award. We will also honor the Seattle Folklore Society which is now celebrating its 50th Anniversary. The Best of the West Luncheon is always a conference highlight and a chance to recognize some of the people who help promote folk music and traditions in our region.
Don’t forget that you can log back in to your registration at any time to make changes or add opportunities, but remember that some of the options have deadlines or are available only in a limited number. Don’t wait too long!
Join us on social media and help share the fun of FAR-West with your musical friends.
* FAR-West Friends Facebook discussion Group *
* Twitter * Reverbnation * Linked-In * YouTube *
#farwest16 is our conference hashtag
