Get Involved
Get Involved
Get Involved



Schedule
11 April 2023
Official Opening Reception @The Lyric Hotel
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
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Shain Shapiro, Founder, Center for Music Ecosystems & Sound Diplomacy (GBR)
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Craig Ray, Director, Mississippi Tourism (USA)
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Billy Nowell, Mayor, City of Cleveland, Mississippi (USA)
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Willie Simmons, Transportation Commissioner, State of Mississippi [USA]
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Steve Azar, Hit Singer, Songwriter, Recording Artist Producer (USA)
10.20am - 10.45am
Presentation: Festivals As Part Of A Tourism Strategy
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Lutz Henke, Director of Culture, visitBerlin (Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH) (GER)
10.45am - 11.30am
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Dr. Rolando Herts, Director, The Delta Center for Culture and Learning, Delta State University (USA)
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Terry Smith, CEO, Destination Cape Breton (CAN)
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Tricia Walker, Music Ambassador, Big Front Porch Productions (USA)
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Rachel Knox, Senior Program Officer, Thriving Arts and Culture Program, Hyde Family Foundation (USA)
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Jaime Garza, Artistic Director, Mole de Mayo Festival (USA)
11.30am - 12.00pm
Presentation: Music Tourism In Belize - Strengthening The Music Sector To Turn it Into A Tourism Attraction +
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Wilber Pech, Business Development Manager, Belize Tourism Board (BLZ)
12.00pm - 1.30pm
1.30pm - 2.00pm
Presentation: Rock N’ Roll Island - The Birthplace Of Blues Across The Pond +
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Cheryl Robson, Director, Aurora Metro (GBR)
Lunch Break
2.00pm - 2.45pm
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)
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Pat Mitchell Worley, CEO, Soulsville Foundation (USA)
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Sheretha Bell, Vice President, Brand, Atlanta CVB & Discover (USA) Atlanta
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Amber Hamilton, Executive Director, Memphis Music Initiative (USA)
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Shelley Ritter, Director, Delta Blues Museum (USA)
2.45pm - 3.15pm
3.15pm - 4.00pm
Coffee Break
Panel: The Future Of Music Tourism +
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Craig Ray, Director, Visit Mississippi (USA)
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Aubrey Preston, Founder, Americana Music Triangle (USA)
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Marjorie Fort-Dees, Founder & Principal Travel Advisor, Black Soul Rhythms Travel (USA)
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Ása Dyradóttir, Director & Project Manager, Reykjavik Music City (ISL)
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Álvaro Bolaños, General Manager, Jazz & Rhythms Festival (MEX)
4.00pm - 4.25pm
4.25pm - 4.30pm
5.00pm - 7.00pm
4.30pm - 5.00pm
7.00pm - late
Closing Remarks
-
Steve Azar, Hit Singer, Songwriter, Recording Artist Producer (USA)
Shuttles to Dockery Farms
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
10.00am - 10.45am
Official Welcome
-
Tricia Walker, Music Ambassador, Big Front Porch Productions (USA)
Panel: Music museums - How To Ensure They're Successful +
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Deana McCloud, Owner/Partner, The Museum Collective (USA)
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Malika Polk-Lee, Executive Director, B.B. King Museum (USA)
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Emily Havens, Executive Director, GRAMMY Museum Mississippi (USA)
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Anneliese Martinez, Senior Director The Pop District, The Andy Warhol Museum (USA)
10.45am - 11.15am
Presentation: Music Tourism's Role In Creating Audiences For Music Scenes
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Beatriz De La Guardia Casanova, Communications and Marketing Director, Planet Events @ Live Nation (ESP)
11.15am - 12.00pm
Panel: Revitalising Your City Through Music Tourism +
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Jill Hamlin, Founder, Appalachian Arts & Entertainment Awards (USA)
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Sean Johnson, Director of Tourism, Visit Cleveland (Mississippi) (USA)
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Roger Stolle, Blues Tourism Entrepreneur, Cathead Delta Blues & Folk Art (USA)
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Lisa La Rocca, Director of Operations, Sonic Unyon Records (CAN)
12.00pm - 12.15pm
Closing Remarks and Handover
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Tricia Walker, Music Ambassador, Big Front Porch Productions (USA)
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Shain Shapiro, Executive Director, Center for Music Ecosystems (GBR)
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Craig Ray, Director, Visit Mississippi (USA)
-
Terry Smith, CEO, Destination Cape Breton (CAN)
12.15pm - 1.45pm
1.45pm - 2.45pm
5.00pm - 8.00pm
2.45pm - 5.00pm
3.30pm - 4.00pm
Lunch Break
Workshops
Key Steps To Create Your Own Music Trail +
Sustainability Roadmap For Music Festivals And Music Tourism Projects +
Explore GRAMMY Museum Mississippi
*Optional activity
Explore Delta State DMI recording studios
*Optional activity
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
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
*Please note that seats are limited, with priority given to internationals and those travelling from outside Mississippi.
For further information or to register for this tour contact cristina@sounddiplomacy.com