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Schedule

 Schedule
 

11 April 2023

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Official Opening Reception @The Lyric Hotel

Presented by the Recording Academy® Memphis Chapter

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6.00pm - 8.00pm

Registration

@ The Lyric Hotel

Cleveland, Mississippi

3.00pm - 8.00pm

12 April 2023

9.15am - 10.00am

10.00am - 10.20am

Registration

@ Lyric Hotel, Cleveland, MS

*Light breakfast included

Official Welcome

  • Shain Shapiro, Founder, Center for Music Ecosystems & Sound Diplomacy (GBR)

  • ​Craig Ray, Director, Mississippi Tourism (USA)

  • Billy Nowell, Mayor, City of Cleveland, Mississippi (USA)

  • Willie Simmons, Transportation Commissioner, State of Mississippi [USA]

  • Steve Azar, Hit Singer, Songwriter, Recording Artist Producer (USA)

10.20am - 10.45am

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Presentation: Festivals As Part Of A Tourism Strategy 

  • Lutz Henke, Director of Culture, visitBerlin (Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH) (GER) 

10.45am - 11.30am

Panel: Blending Heritage With Living Culture - The Perfect Recipe For An Attractive Music Destination +

  • Dr. Rolando Herts, Director, The Delta Center for Culture and Learning, Delta State University (USA) 

  • Terry Smith, CEO, Destination Cape Breton (CAN)

  • Tricia Walker, Music Ambassador, Big Front Porch Productions (USA)

  • Rachel Knox, Senior Program Officer, Thriving Arts and Culture Program, Hyde Family Foundation (USA)

  • Jaime Garza, Artistic Director, Mole de Mayo Festival (USA)

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11.30am - 12.00pm

 

Presentation: Music Tourism In Belize - Strengthening The Music Sector To Turn it Into A Tourism Attraction +

  • Wilber Pech, Business Development Manager, Belize Tourism Board (BLZ)

12.00pm - 1.30pm

1.30pm - 2.00pm

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Presentation: Rock N’ Roll Island - The Birthplace Of Blues Across The Pond +

  • Cheryl Robson, Director, Aurora Metro (GBR)

Lunch Break

2.00pm - 2.45pm

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Panel: Deep South - Collaborating With Artists +

Presented by the Recording Academy® Memphis Chapter

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  • Lisa D. Alexis, Director, Office of Cultural Economy New Orleans (USA) 

  • Pat Mitchell Worley, CEO, Soulsville Foundation (USA)

  • Sheretha Bell, Vice President, Brand, Atlanta CVB & Discover (USA) Atlanta

  • Amber Hamilton, Executive Director, Memphis Music Initiative (USA) 

  • Shelley Ritter, Director, Delta Blues Museum (USA)

2.45pm - 3.15pm

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3.15pm - 4.00pm

Coffee Break

Panel: The Future Of Music Tourism +

  • Craig Ray, Director, Visit Mississippi (USA)

  • Aubrey Preston, Founder, Americana Music Triangle (USA)

  • Marjorie Fort-Dees, Founder & Principal Travel Advisor, Black Soul Rhythms Travel (USA)

  • Ása Dyradóttir, Director & Project Manager, Reykjavik Music City (ISL)

  • Álvaro Bolaños, General Manager, Jazz & Rhythms Festival (MEX)

4.00pm - 4.25pm

4.25pm - 4.30pm

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5.00pm - 7.00pm

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4.30pm - 5.00pm

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7.00pm - late

Closing Remarks

  • Steve Azar, Hit Singer, Songwriter, Recording Artist Producer (USA)

Shuttles to Dockery Farms 

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Evening Reception​

@Dockery Farms

Downtown Cleveland Adventures

Presentation: The Legacy Of Dockery Farms & Its Inspiration On Roots Musicians Today +

  • Scott Barretta, Writer/Researcher, Mississippi Blues Trail (USA)

13 April 2023

9.15am - 9.50am

Registration

@ Lyric Hotel, Cleveland, MS

*Light breakfast included

9.50pm - 10.00am

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10.00am - 10.45am

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Official Welcome

  • Tricia Walker,  Music Ambassador, Big Front Porch Productions (USA)

Panel: Music museums - How To Ensure They're Successful +

  • Deana McCloud, Owner/Partner, The Museum Collective (USA)

  • Malika Polk-Lee, Executive Director, B.B. King Museum (USA)

  • Emily Havens, Executive Director, GRAMMY Museum Mississippi (USA)

  • Anneliese Martinez, Senior Director The Pop District, The Andy Warhol Museum (USA)

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10.45am - 11.15am

Presentation: Music Tourism's Role In Creating Audiences For Music Scenes

  • Beatriz De La Guardia Casanova, Communications and Marketing Director, Planet Events @ Live Nation (ESP)

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11.15am - 12.00pm

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Panel: Revitalising Your City Through Music Tourism +​

  • Jill Hamlin, Founder, Appalachian Arts & Entertainment Awards (USA)

  • Sean Johnson, Director of Tourism, Visit Cleveland (Mississippi) (USA)

  • Roger Stolle, Blues Tourism Entrepreneur, Cathead Delta Blues & Folk Art (USA)

  • Lisa La Rocca, Director of Operations, Sonic Unyon Records (CAN) 

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12.00pm - 12.15pm

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Closing Remarks and Handover

  • Tricia Walker, Music Ambassador, Big Front Porch Productions (USA)

  • Shain Shapiro, Executive Director, Center for Music Ecosystems (GBR)

  • Craig Ray, Director, Visit Mississippi (USA)

  • Terry Smith, CEO, Destination Cape Breton (CAN)

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12.15pm - 1.45pm

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1.45pm - 2.45pm

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5.00pm - 8.00pm

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2.45pm - 5.00pm

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3.30pm - 4.00pm

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Lunch Break

Workshops​

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Key Steps To Create Your Own Music Trail + 

Sustainability Roadmap For Music Festivals And Music Tourism Projects + 

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Explore GRAMMY Museum Mississippi 

*Optional activity

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Explore Delta State DMI recording studios

*Optional activity

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Official Closing Reception

@GRAMMY Museum Mississippi

 

Special Performance by Chapel Hart and Gordie Sampson

14 April 2023

9.00am - 5.00pm

Music Tour Across The Delta

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09.45am - 10.30am: Cleveland - Indianola
10.30am - 01.30pm: Visit to BB King Museum & Club Ebony (Lunch with performance @ Club Ebony)
01.30pm - 02.15pm: Drive to Money, MS
02.15pm - 02.45pm: Visit to Robert Johnson’s Gravesite
02.45pm - 04.00pm: Drive to Clarksdale
04.00pm - 06.30pm: Visit to Clarksdale’s Juke Joint Festival (participants will be able to visit a number of blues venues at their leisure)
06.30pm - 07:15pm: Return to Cleveland with drop off at partner hotels

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*Please note that seats are limited, with priority given to internationals and those travelling from outside Mississippi. 

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For further information or to register for this tour contact cristina@sounddiplomacy.com

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