10:00 onwards
Industry association meetings
Once again, the ILMC is happy to host the invitation-only meetings of major industry organisations, the CPA, Yourope and the IFJO.

15:00 - 15:15
Flight Attendant’s Briefing
Our institution’s very own caretaker, Martin Hopewell, takes on the onerous task of greeting the assembled heads of the world’s live music industry, and tries to ensure that nobody gets lost during the weekend by offering a helpful guide to all the stuff we sent you that you never bothered to read…

In safe hands with Chrissie Uerlings

Chairman: Chrissy Uerlings (Peter Rieger Konzertagentur, Germany)
The new title for this annual industry ‘health-check’ indicates a wider-ranging discussion than before of the factors vital to the safety and wellbeing of both the audience and those who work in the industry. This session will include a presentation by the Production Services Association on working practices, and consider a raft of subjects including terrorism, noise regulations, crowd barrier tests, face-recognition technology and new legislation affecting the security industry - with further input from the Security Industries Authority (SIA) and the formative UK Safety Forum.

The Manager’s Office
Chairmen: Stuart Worthington (MMF Training, England) and Dougie Souness (No Half Measures, Scotland)
This regular meeting led by managers of the MMF and the IMMF will again focus on issues which impact upon their clients, the artists. This year they tackle the continuing problem of venue concession fees, and present their ‘Know More!’ campaign (www.know-more-campaign.com) - a ‘think tank’ for the key digital issues that are facing the industry today which aims to raise awareness amongst business people, press and - most importantly - young musicians, by campaigning against restrictive contracts and archaic practices in the music industry. The managers will be putting forward their thoughts on alternative models and inviting comments.

	Ben Challis – out of his box

Agencies: ‘Stuck in the middle’
Chairman: Willem Venema (The Alternative, Netherlands)
We bring together a selection of agents from both sides of the Atlantic to take a fresh look at the position of the profession that occupies the middle and often shaky ground between artist management and promoter – usually without even the reassurance of a mutually signed piece of paper to cover their modesty. Are the working practices, contractual procedures, remunerations and commissions of this sector due for review, or will the business continue on the same seemingly ad hoc basis that has somehow sustained it and it’s practitioners for the last three or four decades?

The À La Carte Venue
Chairman: Linda Bull (NEC Group, UK)
A far wider-ranging overview than in previous years, this session will present the annual NAA round up of key statistics for the arena touring year, and go on to review the present status of venues - from clubs to stadiums – all over the world. The panel will look for new ways to improve the customer experience in the future, and address the issues surrounding the venue acting as promoter, restrictions imposed by legislation, the differing approaches to hosting contrasting events from the ever-widening menu of availabilities, and the use - or in some cases omission - of the club circuit in the building of artists’ careers.

On the Record
Chairmen: Ajax Scott and Martin Talbot (Music Week, UK)
Whilst continuing to examine the increasing wide area of crossover between the live and record industries, this edition of On the Record will also focus on transparency in the concert business. The record industry appears to have a chart for everything: sales figures, chart positions, radio play, etc, etc. Outside of the USA however, it’s almost unheard of to release box office figures, or list tours by results. Music Week would like to instigate and regularly publish such data alongside the record industry listings. This session will go a long way towards revealing whether their ambition can become a reality – or not.

All rise for judge Heather McGill

Meet The New Boss: ‘The live industry on trial’
Chairman: Heather McGill (19 Management, UK) This was one of last year’s busiest and most active panels, and the source of much of the vitality that characterized ILMC 17. In view of that we have moved it into a bigger room, anticipating both increased numbers and even bigger ideas! This year the younger spectrum of the business takes a different approach to whether the old ways of doing business need to be shaken up, by putting the industry ‘on trial’. Be upstanding for ‘Judge Heather’ as a team of young hot shots warm up the case for the Prosecution, and some brave ILMC veterans prepare themselves to act for the Defense. Let the proceedings commence - and may justice be done!

The Festival Forum: ‘Familiar fields and far horizons’
Chairmen: Herman Schueremans (Rock Werchter / Live Nation, Belgium) and Nagi Baz (Buzz Productions, Lebanon)
The ILMC’s annual gathering of the major outdoor event organizers will compare notes after another year of high-profile activity in the ever-growing international festival market. This year, the panel will reconsider some of the basics involved in the seemingly chaotic process of booking artists on to festival bills, and look for ways of removing some of the elements that can make what are possibly the most pleasurable events we have created so painful to produce. The session will seek to highlight the particular problems of ‘long haul’ festivals, which - isolated by geography - face inflated fees and a limited menu of talent to select from.

Immigration: ‘Games without frontiers?’
Chairman: Tina Waters (The Tour Company, Scotland)
As an industry and as individuals, most of us have become used to traveling relatively freely from country to country. Due to the increase in international terrorism and illegal immigration, however, things are tightening up. Governments are strengthening borders and new legislation is being introduced – not only in the case of recent controversial changes to the US Visa system, but in the UK and elsewhere. How great an effect these new restrictions will have on international touring remains to be seen, but with the help of a panel of experts, this session will outline the changes, assess the dangers and look for recommendations to offer those entrusted with the task of designing the new schemes.

	Ed Bicknell (with invisible glove puppet)

Special Interest Meetings
Three meeting rooms will be kept free for discussions of your choice on a first-come-first-served basis. Just send us an email or check at the Help Desk during the weekend and create your very own ILMC forum.

The Booking Ring:
‘The Featherweights – Round Two’
Chairmen: Nick Hobbs (Charmenko, Turkey) and Andrew Leighton-Pope (LPO, UK)                              
Devoted to the ‘nitty-gritty’ of the booking process, this session will aim to complete the investigation that was begun at last year’s Booking Ring into the development of new acts around the world. Among a raft of issues still to be discussed are ‘pay-to-play’ shows, the ‘tour buy-on’, alternative venue circuits, new ways to break through, and the rising importance of showcase festivals like SXSW and Eurosonic. The meeting will also look for lessons to be learned from both sides of the promoter / agent fence by examining the day-to-day problems associated with new talent that both parties have to deal with. We also hope to hear directly from Feargal Sharkey, chair of the UK’s Live Music Forum, not only about the real impact of new licensing laws, but also some exciting new initiatives that could have a real effect on the careers of our future ‘baby bands’.

The Sunday Supplement:
‘A look at the Sports and Business pages’
Chairman: Allan McGowan (IQ Magazine, UK)
As it’s Sunday, we thought that we would borrow a leaf out of the Newspaper Publisher’s book and introduce a magazine-style meeting that can break down into different sections covering a variety of related topics. This year the panel will open up the ‘Sports’ and ‘Business Sections’ and ask what the live music business can learn. More and more promoters, venues and sponsors are involved with the presentation of sport as family entertainment - from ‘monster truck’ shows to ice hockey and basketball - while commercial sponsors (with very different budgets to the norm) and sports stadiums are presenting an increasing number of music shows. We talk to key players in all of the above areas.
                                   
Special Interest Meeting
A final chance to hold a discussion of your own choice. Just send us an email or check at the Help Desk during the weekend to book the room.

Artists:
‘Doin’ it for themselves’
Chairman: Claudio Trotta (Barley Arts, Italy)
It’s been some time since we invited the artists to speak their piece at the conference, but in the light of recent successes by so-called ‘DIY bands’, this year is probably an appropriate time to risk the difficulties of assembling a representative panel. With Claudio in the chair, our aim is to bring together artists of varying ages, musical styles and experience, ranging from those with world tours under the belt to those booking their own club dates – from those intent on setting the world alight to those who are simply trying to make a living. How do they see those that operate the live business, and how do their experiences in different musical genres compare?

ILMC 18 Autopsy                 
This final class of the term provides a chance to speak for those who didn’t get around to putting their hands up earlier in the weekend, and for the ILMC team to gain some valuable feedback for next year. Through a cloud of cigarette smoke and dodging ‘gifts’ of apples lobbed from the back of the room, our school caretaker, Martin Hopewell, will attempt to summarize the progress made this term by students and staff alike, before closing the register until next year.