Life on the road is nowhere near as glamorous as it seems in the movies. Touring isn’t easy. But regular touring as a part of most working artists’ lives isn’t going away any time soon. That’s why it’s the subject of our first Co.Lab event: we invite you to take a moment to reflect on what touring means to your career, your collaborators, and yourself. How does it fit into your existence as an artist? What are other artists doing on the road to take advantage of this particular moment in music history? How do you make sure that you’re not just getting through it, but making it thrive?

Who’s going to be there?

Besides an intimate group of working artists, the event is hosted by Mindy Abovitz Monk, Publisher and Creator of Tom Tom Magazine, and we have four industry experts:

• Christian Coffey - Director of Touring for Childish Gambino
• Loric Sih - Live Musical Collaborator and DJ for Kelela
• Annie Flook - Head of Tour Marketing and Artist Development, Elektra Music Group
• Alex Gvojic - Artist and Environmental Designer.

What’s going to happen at Co.Lab: Touring?

You’ll have a chance to learn strategies for your career, gain some useful resources, meet other artists, have a couple drinks, and get your picture taken. It’s going to be a good time.

5:45 ..... Doors Open

6:30 ..... KICK OFF A quick panel with our experts and host. This is an opportunity for them to introduce the event theme, Touring, and for you to get to know the experts a little before deciding what to do in the Breakouts.

7:00 ..... BREAKOUT #1 Your choice of Group Sessions or Office Hours.

7:45 ..... CHILL Fifteen minutes between Breakouts for you to catch your breath and grab some food or another beer.

8:00 ..... BREAKOUT #2 Your choice of Group Sessions or Office Hours.

8:45 ..... ROUND-UP A chance for our host and experts to recap some of what they discussed with artists during the Breakouts and say goodnight.

9:00 ..... HANGOUT You’re invited to hangout in the space for as long you want, as long as you leave by 10pm :)

What are Office Hours?

These are one-on-one conversations between you and an expert. You get five minutes – first come, first served. This is a space for scheming, collaboration and access that would not otherwise be possible.

What are the Group Sessions?

Make It All Work: Annie Flook, Director of Touring & Artist Development at Atlantic Records, leads a group conversation on how to use touring to effectively build audience reach. Come learn how to balance a promo schedule, enhance your show, and measure your true impact on tour.

Using Light to Tell Stories: Artist & Environmental Designer Alex Gvojic leads a stage lighting demo – showing the ways lighting can be used to guide moods and craft stories on stage, and ways you can make sure pre-programmed lighting setups at venues work to your advantage.

Before You Hit the Stage: Loric Sih, Live Musical Collaborator & DJ for Kelela on how whether it’s playing regional remixes or finding ways to replicate your stage experience from venue-to-venue, the devil is in the details. Come learn the tips and tricks you need to make sure your live show is as good as it can be, regardless of your tour budget.

How to Direct Your Tour: Join a group conversation with Christian Coffey, Director of Touring for Childish Gambino, on the ins and outs of touring. Coffey will share from his wealth of experience running tours with Childish Gambino, Run the Jewels, and more. Come prepared with questions because he’s got answers.

Co.Lab: Touring is soon – Oct 16 – but if you want to attend we can probably make something work. Check out the Co.Lab website to apply and we’ll get back to you ASAP.

There are more events and updates coming, so follow along on Instagram and Twitter or else you might miss something.

See you there!