ILMC=18 - THE CLASS OF 2006 ... last chance to enrol at the Academy.
	SCHOOL PATRONS MULTIPLY ... new sponsors and weekend features
	STREET POSTER EXAMINATION ... time to hand in your homework!
	LESSONS TO BE LEARNED ... conference session formats and aims.
	THE ACADEMY AWARDS ... ‘Arthur Awards 2006’ nominations.
	RTC NEWS ROUND UP ... recent business news headlines.
	CONTACT ... how to reach us and get involved in e.News.
(SPECIAL ‘PROVISIONAL AGENDA’  ISSUE TO FOLLOW IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS)

ILMC=18 - THE CLASS OF 2006  

running around like headless chickens making sure that everything is ready for the onslaught. With enrolment forms flooding in at the same record rate as last year, it looks like ‘ILMC=18’ is going to turn out to be a rather unforgettable equation…

For the benefit of anyone who hasn’t yet confirmed their place in class (and to remind everyone else exactly what it is that they’ve let themselves in for), this month’s issue of IQ magazine will include a copy of the original registration pack - together with a voting form for ‘The Arthur Awards 2006’. Inside the magazine itself you’ll find extensive coverage of the provisional discussion agenda and all the latest updates on the weekend’s activities.

Meanwhile – as always – everything you could possibly want to know about the conference (or anything else for that matter) is just a mouse-click away at www.ilmc.com. Amongst the highly-educational material you’ll find stacked up in the conference centre, there is a list of everyone who has registered so far, under the apt title of ‘Delegates 2006’. The information it contains has been kept simple to keep the data protection people happy, but the list will be updated every two weeks until just after the conference.

We’re looking forward to seeing all your happy, smiling faces on March 10th when the bell finally rings for Assembly…

AEG Live and The O2 are joining the list of ‘school patrons’ for ILMC=18 in the best possible place: our exclusive ‘Behind the Bike Sheds’ delegates’ bars. Located in the hotel’s Park Terrace restaurant and the almost legendary ‘Bertie’s’ on the Mezzanine Floor, the delegates’ bars are not only the social hub of the conference weekend, but the places where most of the serious debate usually ends up taking place.

Pollstar top the bill in the Cyber Cafe

Our longstanding media partners, Pollstar, have this year decided to raise the stakes and take on the weighty task of hosting the Cyber Cafe. Switched this year to the Lancaster Suite, the Cyber Cafe will be anything but a ‘common room’. Packed with computers to play with and lashings of tuck to snack on, this will be the place to check your emails, take a meeting over a cup of tea or coffee, or sit down for a nice, quiet meal.

Ripping wheezes on the Mezzanine Floor

RTIB open up the school gates

Robertson Taylor Insurance Brokers make a welcome return to the ranks of ILMC supporters this year in a capacity that will be familiar to many members: pouring drinks down the throats of unsuspecting new arrivals at the conference. If you’re feeling jaded after a week in the office or jet-lagged after flying half way around the world, the ‘School Gates Open’ Party on Friday lunchtime is guaranteed to start your weekend off in the way you mean to continue… 

Fresh Air at ‘Jazz it up – again’!

Air Management artists already confirmed for our finger-popping Friday evening showcase in the hotel include new Universal signings Puppini Sisters and Peter Grant, and Babel Records’ Christine Tobin. With other surprises to be announced, and plenty of food and drink being provided, it sounds like you’ll simply have to ‘be there or be square’…

High flyers

Any delegates wishing to make themselves a ‘mini-patron’ - and support the Teenage Cancer Trust via our ‘Nikos Fund’ – should remember that any publicity material you wish to have displayed on our Leaflet Tables must be pre-booked. No matter how decorous or important it may be, no material will be accepted on a ‘walk-up-and-pay’ basis.

One of the most colourful features of the conference weekend is the annual Street Poster Exhibition. In fact it’s a real ‘two-way street’ – and shrewd delegates will not have failed to notice that having one of their posters hung on our famous brick walls is not only a great way to show off your creative talents, but also an extremely cheap way to promote your company at an event where anything you trip over has probably been sponsored by somebody for a few thousand quid…

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED

Contrary to popular opinion, the real purpose of the weekend lies in the conference’s open-forum sessions and meetings. Always designed to be relevant to as wide a section of the industry as possible, the agenda will continue to offer discussion platforms to the major business sectors, whilst also exploring several new avenues of current interest. Underlying this, ‘ILMC=18’ aims to highlight and draw upon the unique opportunity presented by the wide range of age and experience amongst the members that recently became so apparent. A combination of ‘fresh blood’ and ‘wise old heads’ should create a potent formula – and a real opportunity for progress and change.

The successful meeting format that we arrived at two years ago will be continued - again offering five conference rooms for the focussed discussion of a broad spectrum of topics. Most sessions will be restricted to 90 minutes, with no more than three meetings taking place at any one time, and every effort has been made to reduce crossover in the subject matter to a minimum.

	Arthur - a new honours degree

To match this elevated status, last year we introduced a smarter, more sophisticated Arthur trophy and a new, more representative voting system. This year we’ve made some changes to the categories themselves to make the awards even more relevant. To recognize rising talent among the ILMC's younger members, a new accolade has been instituted: 'Tomorrow's New Boss'. The existing award for industry professionals has been broadened, covering the service sector from professional advisers to hands-on support providers – with the title 'Services Above and Beyond'. Trophies for artists and managers have been rolled into one glittering prize: the 'Least Painful Tour'...

As in 2005, a list of nominations has been drawn up from the votes of a randomly selected panel of 30 people from a wide selection of nationalities and occupations - and all members are invited to register their vote irrespective of whether they are planning to attend the conference or not. Voting forms will be sent with the next issue of IQ magazine, and an on-line version can be found at www.ilmc.com/ilmc18/vote.html. The ballot boxes will close on Friday 3rd March and the winners will be announced at our ‘Sixth Form Gala Dinner’ at Claridge’s on Saturday, March 11th.

(The ILMC Bottle Award ­ for services to the live industry ­ will be decided
by the nominations panel.)

Use your vote wisely, but above all USE it - and help us make this year’s ‘Arthurs’ the best ever!

CONTACT 

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.

Please also remember to let us know if you change your email (or any other) address. We need your involvement, so contact us any time you like with news, ideas, criticisms, and contributions at: