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Tuesday 11th
April 2023
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OFFICIAL OPENING RECEPTION
@ The Grammy Museum
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Wednesday 12th April 2023
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FULL CONFERENCE DAY
10:00am - 5:00pm
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Master of Ceremonies: Steve Azar, Music & Culture Ambassador Of Mississippi, & Singer, Songwriter, Recording Artist Producer (MS, US)
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Shain Shapiro, Group CEO, Sound Diplomacy & Executive Director, Center for Music Ecosystems (UK)
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KEYNOTE PRESENTATION - THE CAVERN CLUB, STRAWBERRY FIELDS AND THEIR ROLE IN LIVERPOOL’S BOOMING MUSIC TOURISM INDUSTRY
10:20am - 10:45am
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Julia Lennon Baird, Director, Cavern City Tours (UK)
Can a band change the identity of a place forever? Yes, and no city can prove it better than Liverpool. It’s now been 60 years since the Beatles first performed at the Cavern Club, and what used to be a small nightclub on Mathew Street is now a major Liverpool tourism attraction, with additional products ranging from tours to festivals, and from a pub to a record label. We’re beyond excited to be joined by Julia Lennon Baird - author, director of Cavern City Tours and sister of John Lennon - to explore how Liverpool has been preserving the Beatles legacy, as well as the role of iconic locations such as the Cavern Club and Strawberry Fields in making Liverpool an epicentre of music tourism.
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PRESENTATION - TBC
10:45am - 11:10am
tbc
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PANEL - BLENDING HERITAGE WITH LIVING CULTURE: THE PERFECT RECIPE FOR AN ATTRACTIVE MUSIC DESTINATION - IN PARTNERSHIP WITH VISIT MACON
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Moderator - Dr. Rolando Herts, Director of The Delta Center for Culture and Learning, Delta State University (MS, US)
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Panelist 1 - Terry Smith, CEO, Destination Cape Breton (Canada)
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Panelist 2 - Tricia Walker, Music Ambassador, Big Front Porch Productions (MS, US)
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Panelist 3 - Abby Kurin, Executive Director, Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts & Culture (OK, US)
You know music is the reason why people visit your city. You have the right infrastructure and you’re investing in branding. But do you fully understand which aspects are the key tourist drivers? Is it a specific band? Is it an iconic venue? Is it your entertainment district or a rich live music offer? Each place has a unique combination of all these elements and our panelists today will be discussing how to create the perfect mix in order to protect a place’s music heritage whilst supporting its current scene and creating an all-round music destination.
11:10am - 12:00pm
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PRESENTATION - TBC
12:00pm - 12:25pm
tbc​
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LUNCH BREAK
12:25pm - 1:45pm
Lunch includes a music performance!​
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Q&A - WHAT DOES EXPERIENTIAL HOSPITALITY MEAN AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR YOUR MUSIC CITY?
1:45pm - 2:10pm
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Shain Shapiro, Group CEO, Sound Diplomacy & Executive Director, Center for Music Ecosystems (UK) in conversation with
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Robert Lavia, CEO, UMUSIC Hotels (FL, US)
Hospitality is at the core of all tourism destinations, just like venues are a foundation of any music city. When the goals and strategies of the music and tourism sectors are aligned, then there are huge opportunities to create a more creative, interesting and cohesive music tourism offer. This concept is at the basis of the new UMUSIC Hotels, a series of music-based experiential hotel properties, which will see Mississippi’s own Biloxi as one of its first locations. Shain Shapiro will be sitting down with UMUSIC Hotels’ CEO Robert Lavia to define experiential hospitality and discuss how hotels, venues, artists and destination managers can work together to promote and support the local music scene, whilst providing new experiences and entertainment opportunities for tourists and locals.
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PANEL - TBC
tbc
2:10pm - 3:00pm
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PRESENTATION - ROCK N’ ROLL ISLAND: THE BIRTHPLACE OF BLUES ACROSS THE POND
3:00pm - 3:25pm
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Cheryl Robson, Co-Director, Rock n Roll Island, & Director, Aurora Metro (UK)
In the 1960s, a small island on the River Thames in South West London became a hub for blues and rhythm music. Influenced by the Delta Blues, soon-to-be world famous artists such as David Bowie, The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd started their careers on Eel Pie Island, and then conquered the world. Released in 2020, the documentary “Rock n Roll Island: Where Legends Were Born” encapsulates the history of this unique place, so closely intertwined with Mississippi and future global music heritage. We’re excited to have documentary director Cheryl Robson here to tell us all about Eel Pie Island, its former residents, current scene and music museum, as well as to explore the impact of music documentaries on tourism.
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PANEL - MUSIC MUSEUMS: HOW TO ENSURE THEY’RE SUCCESSFUL
3:25pm - 4:15pm
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Moderator - Nan Marchand Beauvois, Senior Vice President, Senior Vice-President, U.S. Travel Association (D.C., US)
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Panelist 1 - Rocky Bucano, Executive Director - Board of Trustees, Universal Hip Hop Museum (NY, US)
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Panelist 2 - Rashida Phillips, Executive Director, American Jazz Museum (IL, US)
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Panelist 3 - Nwaka Onwusa, VP & Chief Curator, Curatorial Affairs, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (OH, US)
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Panelist 4 - Malika Polk-Lee, Executive Director, B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center (MS, US)
Moderated by U.S. Travel Association Senior Vice President Nan Marchand Beauvois and featuring leaders of US music museums across four different genres and states, this panel will provide insights and tips on how to create successful music museums by looking at elements such as curation, audience engagement, community development, authenticity, inclusivity, tourism development, identity and more.
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RECEPTION & EVENING EVENT @ DOCKERY FARMS
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Join us for a happy hour at Dockery Farms!​
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PRESENTATION - CHARLEY PATTON, DOCKERY FARMS & THE START OF MISSISSIPPI’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BLUES
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William Lester, Executive Director, Dockery Farms Foundation (MS, US)
“...You might say it all started right here.” This is what BB King said about Dockery Farms, a cotton plantation regarded as the place where Delta blues music was born. Bill Lester, Executive Director of the Dockery Farms Foundation, will tell us more about the site ahead of us visiting it for a special evening reception.
4:15pm - 4:25pm
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CLOSING REMARKS
4:25pm - 4:30pm
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Master of Ceremonies: Steve Azar, Music & Culture Ambassador Of Mississippi, & Singer, Songwriter, Recording Artist Producer (MS, US)
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Thursday 30
September 2021
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PRESENTATION - DEVELOPING KINGSTON, JAMAICA AS A CENTER FOR MUSIC TOURISM
10:10am - 10:35am
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Steven Wilson, Manager of Multi-Platinum Grammy Winner Sean Paul / Author / Brand New Machine (Jamaica)
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A UNESCO City of Music, birthplace of six different musical genres and home to dozens of world-renowned musicians. This is Kingston, Jamaica’s administrative and music capital. We are thrilled to be joined by Steven Wilson - Manager of Kingston-based Multi-Platinum Grammy Winner Sean Paul - to share his vision for music tourism in Kingston and to discuss current opportunities and challenges for artists in the city.
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PANEL: REVITALISING YOUR CITY THROUGH MUSIC
10:35am - 11:25am
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Panelist 1 - Boo Mitchell, Producer, Engineer & Chief Manager, Royal Studios (TN, US)
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Panelist 2 - Roger Stolle, Owner, Cathead Delta Blues & Folk Art (MS, US)
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Panelist 3 - Lisa La Rocca, Director of Operations, Sonic Unyon Records (Canada)
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Panelist 4 - Mauricio Cifuentes, COO, CORFO - Valparaíso Creativo
How can music be used as a tool, across different sectors, to foster revitalisation and lead to the development of better music cities? What can the impact be on a city that strategically focuses on music? Let’s explore how using music to revitalise a city can lead to an influx of new residents, new investment, improved infrastructure, increased visitor numbers, longer stays and improved financial opportunities for local businesses and musicians.
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OFFICIAL WELCOME
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Master of Ceremonies: Tricia Walker, Music Ambassador, Big Front Porch Productions (MS, US)
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Shain Shapiro, Group CEO, Sound Diplomacy & Executive Director, Center for Music Ecosystems (UK)
10:00am - 10:10am
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PRESENTATION - ACTIONABLE STEPS TO TACKLE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN MUSIC TOURISM
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tbc
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No music (tourism) on a dead planet. Both the music and tourism industries are complex - and often high-resource consuming - machines. On the other hand, both sectors have been able to drive change with advocacy projects, new sustainable initiatives, awareness campaigns and more. How can music tourism get the best of both worlds and rise as a sustainable industry in itself? This session will try to answer this question by providing actionable steps to tackle environmental sustainability across different music tourism areas and products.
11:25am - 11:50am
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PANEL - THE FUTURE OF MUSIC TOURISM
11:50am - 12:40pm
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Moderator - tbc
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Panelist 1 - Em Ekong, Managing Director, Urban Inclusion Community (Ghana & UK)
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Panelist 2 - Everything is Music (UK)
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Panelist 3 - tbc
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Panelist 4 - tbc
We couldn’t end this edition of Music Tourism Convention in any other way than looking at the future. 2020 hit music and tourism professionals, as well as fans and travellers hard, but has definitely reminded us of the incredible value of music and our ability to experience it at home or on the road.
With our airports repopulating and our stages buzzing with talent again, what’s next for music tourism? Our final panel will look at the future of music tourism and highlight new trends, challenges and opportunities.
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CLOSING REMARKS
12:40pm - 12:45pm
​Announcement of the 2022 Music Tourism Convention Host
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EVENING HAPPY HOUR @ LYRIC HOTEL
4:00pm - 6:30pm
Join us for an evening event and a happy hour with live performances at the Lyric Hotel!
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SHAKE AND HOLLA CONCERT @ THE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
7:00pm - late
*An extra ticket to the concert is required. More information available here.
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Friday 1
October 2021
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MUSIC TOUR ACROSS THE DELTA*
10:00am - 5:00pm
​Full day music tour across the Mississippi Delta.
10.00 - 10.30: Cleveland - Indianola
10.30 - 12.00: Visit to BB King Museum & Club Ebony
12.00 - 13.15: Lunch with performance @ The Gin Mill Restaurant
13.15 - 14.00: Drive to Money, MS
14.00 - 14.30: Visit to Robert Johnson’s Gravesite
14.30 - 15.30: Drive to Clarksdale
15.30: 17.00: Visit to Ground Zero Blues Club and live performance
17.00 - late: Mighty Roots Festival
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*Please note that seats are limited, with priority given to internationals and those travelling from outside Mississippi. Seat availability will be confirmed August.
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MEETING & REGISTRATION
9:00am - 9:30am
