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The chairman and committee of the INTERNATIONAL LIVE MUSIC CONFERENCE call upon the elite of all nations to HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and then assemble in London March 12-14, 2004 at The Royal Garden Hotel to celebrate the games of the XVI ILMC-iad

While visions of sugar plums dance in the heads of small children, concert industry professionals the world over are dreaming of just one thing: the day they return from the holidays to find their very own ILMC XVI registration pack sitting in their office in-tray. And indeed there is now not long to wait. Even as this message is speeding through the ether – no doubt spreading further waves of panic about another global spam assault - teams of poorly paid workers are stuffing huge mail sacks with packages for delivery to every corner of the world.

This year the invitation pack will definitely be well worth waiting for. Not only does it give you the opportunity to secure one of the strictly limited number of places at the international business’ top meeting place - it also offers you and your fellow-competitors the chance of glory within the grand arena of what we have modestly proclaimed to be the ‘Polemic Games of the XVI ILMC-iad’. Along with all the current information about the marathon schedule of meetings, social gatherings and sports activities, you will also receive registration and hotel booking forms – which you are strongly urged to complete and return as soon as possible. Apart from the obvious benefit of the recklessly generous discounts offered for early confirmation, there’s also the very real risk of ‘disqualification through late entry’ given the increasingly alarming demand for places during the last few years.

But if the thought of all this is just too exciting, and you simply can't bear to wait for the glossy brochures to arrive in the mail, continually updated details are available now at www.ilmc.com in our brand new ILMC XVI centre. Amongst all the amusing graphics and flowing prose you'll also find facilities for hotel reservation and easy on-line registration via our secure server. What you won't find, however, is a chance to win the ILMC Mug Award ­ given each year to the first ILMC mug to register for the conference. That honour has already been snaffled up by Jouko J Karppanen, and the precious piece of crockery in already on its way to Finland in the mail.

The ‘chairman and committee’ look forward to seeing you at what promises to be a record-breaking event in March. Meanwhile, we would all like to wish a happy and restful Christmas, and a successful return to your training schedules in the New Year.

As most people will already suspect, ‘rest and relaxation’ at ILMC XVI will probably prove to be even more exhausting than the three-day schedule of mental gymnastics in the conference halls. More detailed information is now available at www.ilmc.com, but here's a quick preview of facilities we have in store for both the stadium complex and Delegates’ Village.

Headlining the Official Fixture List will be the return of the ILMC ‘Rider Cup’ golf tournament on the Thursday, Super Grand Prix 2004 go-karting on Friday, Match of the Year soccer and our ‘Feast of Champions’ Gala Dinner and Arthur Awards at Claridges on Saturday, and Sunday night's ‘Aussie Rules’ eating, drinking and falling over event. Somewhat shockingly for a conference of this type, live music will also feature prominently on the list of highlights this year, with special ‘Show Jumping’ showcases throughout the weekend, a ‘Modern Jazz-athlon’ at the hotel on Friday, and the rather scary prospect of ‘Rockin’ out with Rock-It’ delegates jam sessions on both Saturday and Sunday nights.

Other features already confirmed include Ticketmaster’s Cyber Café, the Philip Morris Speakeasy, exclusive delegate bars, the Crewe Issue Charity Swag Shop, Street Poster Exhibition, Nikos Fund Prize Draw, Leaflet Tables, Rogues Gallery, drinks parties, free buffet lunches on Saturday and Sunday, complimentary tea & coffee breaks, Gay’s champagne ‘fire extinguisher’, Early Bird Registration on Thursday, DSB ShowTours courtesy coaches, ‘Access All Areas’ showcases and gigs around London, registration packs & Wembley delegate bags on arrival, a Meeting Point, Tour Company Travel Desk, Friday evening exclusive dining, your choice of two breakfast venues, TV screening of sports events in the real world, and lots more.

Of course the real focus of world attention will be the ‘Polemic Stadium’ of the conference rooms, and all competitors are expected to take part to the best of their ability. The exertion is not limited to mid-March, however, and some effort is required even before the flame is lit at the Games themselves.

Heat One: The Agenda
The first ‘qualifier’ is the choice of discussion agenda – which is selected each year from suggestions made by the conference delegates. Use your registration forms to let us know what issues are important to you and make sure that the ILMC agenda remains relevant.

Next year’s conference will see a radical change in the way that the meeting schedule is presented. The traditional Main Room will be divided into two to provide extra meeting space, and both halves will be used throughout the weekend along with the rooms normally occupied by ‘breakout meetings’ to enable us to offer a larger menu of more focused discussion topics. Most meetings will be held during 90 minute sessions separated by short intervals – and there will usually be no more than three running at the same time in order to limit any conflict between the topics to the minimum.

We believe that this new formula will help make ILMC XVI one of the most productive meetings so far – with the chance of some real conclusions to real issues.

The ILMC welcomes new members, but please make very careful use of the 'Forward' button on this message as it's vital for the effectiveness of the organisation that our mailing list remains restricted to professionals actively involved in the industry.

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