With technology progressing at an exponential rate, so too is the music industry. With musicians, labels, and management alike pitted against an often treacherous and constantly shifting industry landscape, it stands to reason that new music conferences seem to be popping up every month to try and help artists and the teams behind them better navigate the terrain.

But even music conferences can often be confusing and convoluted tangle of lectures, talks, presentations, speeches, workshops, and demonstrations. To help you make the most out of what can be a highly rewarding and educational experience for music creatives and industry professionals, we’ve assembled a crack team to share their tips.

Taking you through will be Jane Slingo, Conference Planner for Sydney’s Electronic Music Conference, which is set to hit Kings Cross next month; Sarah Howells, Triple J presenter and member of the Panel at AWME; Dan Zilber Head of Programming for EMC Play; and Jason Fielding, Founding Partner of The Sound Campaign and producer of the ARIA conference, The ARIA Masterclass.

Sarah Howells is the presenter of Triple J’s Root N All program. She’s a music conference pro, having been a part of numerous music conferences nation-wide, she’ll also be moderating a discussion with Ash Grunwald, Nicky Bomba and Nahko as part of the AWME (World Music Expo this November. Sarah will delving into the influences that shaped their music and various tales from being on the road as performers touring both nationally and around the world.

Jane Slingo is the Conference Planner EMC. Founded in 2012, Sydney’s annual Electronic Music Conference (EMC) is Asia-Pacific’s premier dance music industry event. Each year speakers, artists, delegates and aspiring DJs and producers gather in Sydney for three days of panels, talks, networking, masterclasses, showcases, parties and more. The conference attracts some of the world’s leading figures from electronic music including artists such as Tiesto, Diplo, Armin Van Buuren, Dillon Francis, Laidback Luke, Boyz Noise and Ferry Corsten alongside decision makers such as Matthew Adell (formerly of Beatport), Ash Pournouri (Avicii’s manager), Gary Richards (HARD/Live Nation), Patrick Moxey (Ultra) and many more.

Jason Fielding is the founding partner of The Sound Campaign, and producer of the ARIA conference, The ARIA Masterclass. This year’s masterclass features a keynote interview with Paul McGuinness, who was U2’s manager for over 30 years, as well as leading figures from the Australian and International music Industry. Jason has also moderated and spoken on panels at LA’s biggest music conference, MusExpo and other worldwide music conferences.

Dan Zilber was the General Manager of Sydney’s community radio station FBi Radio, who recently stepped down from the position to launch a new digital radio venture FBi Click. Dan will be speaking as part of  the EMC (Electronic Music Conference) which is Asia-Pacific’s largest gathering of dance music leaders and future leaders held annually in Sydney.

Do Your Homework

Dan: “Who’s speaking, who’s showcasing, who’s most relevant to you and your music? Crucially, who do you want to meet? Check out their photos, bio info and websites in advance so you can recognise them and make your move.”

Sarah: “Check out the conference program ahead of time, and check out who the speakers are. When you bump into people at the conference they will be impressed that you appreciate what they do (or at least don’t sound surprised when you inform them that triple j isn’t a community radio station!)”

Jason: “It makes sense to know a bit about some of the key speakers at the conference. You never know when that little bit of insight or knowledge will open up a conversation. Pick a couple of key people that you’d really like to speak to and introduce yourself in the breakout sessions.”

Set Up Meetings Before The Conference

Sarah: “Set up meetings ahead of time, and pick your audience. If there’s someone that you think would be a great fit for your music, approach them ahead of time and ask for a meeting. This gives you their undivided attention during that time, and you won’t be yelling over the band or competing with all the other people who have just seen them walking down the street. They’re also more likely to remember you!”

Jane: “Aside rare exceptions, generally 9am meetings are a big no-no at music conference/showcase events. Most delegates are up ’til the wee hours checking out any number of artist showcases, so usually there’s no sleep before 2 or 3am by the time you get back to your hotel, answer extra emails and finally hit the pillow. So even if you have scheduled a 9am meeting with someone, either a) don’t expect them to stick to it or b) if they do, don’t expect to get a lot from them as they’ll be running on little sleep and more often than not, a hangover. I generally schedule meetings lunchtime onwards, I find I’m more productive that way.”

Still Allow For Organic Moments To Happen

Jane: “There seems to be some kind of perception that at these conference events you need book out every last second of your time on the ground in back to back meetings. For some, I’m sure this is necessary depending on what stage you’re at and what deal/s are being done on the ground. Personally, I think its really important to leave a little space for those natural meetings which roll into something else.

Very often the best relationships you’ll forge stem from an initial meeting which moves onto a spontaneous “do you want to join me at”, “let’s meet again here” or “let me introduce you to..” situations. If you’ve scheduled out all your time and there’s no room for these natural moments, you either miss out on a great bonding moment with a respected colleague, a moment where you meet someone purely by chance that ends up being very valuable to you and your business, or you come across as flakey if you cancel a scheduled meeting to make room for one of these moments.”

Make Sure You’re Properly Prepared

Dan: “If you’re an artist or manager, make sure you’ve got a pocket full of download cards, USB’s or even just a business card with your website/soundcloud etc. Make it as easy as possible for industry and other artists to access you music, bio info and contact details. Being prepared also means having your artist pitch down to a science – everything you need to say to sell your act in 60 seconds or less.”

Sarah: “Bring your music with you and don’t be afraid to give it to delegates. Sure, some people will say no (or accidentally-on-purpose not have a bag/pocket to put it in!), but the bottom line is that we’re all there to network and going home with a bag of CDs or USB sticks is expected.”

Jane: “Always have a phone charger! Whether it’s carrying a wall charger and being super nice to cafes and/or bars in the conference precinct asking them to borrow their wall socket for a bit, investing in a good portable charger, (lots of really crappy ones out there that barely give you 10% in what feels like hours of charging so research the decent ones) or scoring a free one in the delegates bag courtesy of a thoughtful sponsor… Always have something with you to recharge your phone. I recently had my charger (not phone) cark it on me at CMJ and trust me, it was the most annoying thing ever being without a phone until I got a new one.”

Mix Up The Conference

Dan: “When it comes to the showcases, there are a lot of acts to see at EMC Play. As it’s dance music focused, the party gets started pretty early. You can too, but if you’ve forgotten everyone you met and everything you saw by the next morning, you might have gone too hard! Also, see acts you haven’t seen before. You never know where your new favourite act, next support slot or new collaborator will come from.”

Be Brave And Network

Dan: “Conferences are no time to be shy – be bold! Improving your networks and meeting people is one of the main benefits you can gain out of the experience. If you see someone you’d like to meet, make sure you introduce yourself. If you’ve followed step one above, you’ll know enough about them to break the ice.”

Sarah: “Make it to panels, but allow time to mingle. There is some seriously invaluable stuff going on on those stages during the conference, and it’s worth making sure you prioritise the talks that you think will help you most. But also allow some time to meet new people, as networking is the backbone of any industry, and is often where the opportunities arise!”

Jason: “Conferences are just as much about the networking in between sessions as the sessions themselves. When you open up a chat with someone, get to the point quickly and work out where you might be able to help each other out. Everyone is there to network so don’t be shy and make sure you have plenty of business cards in your back pocket.”

Know When To Ask Questions

Sarah: “Don’t spend your valuable time and/or money to head to a conference and walk away not having your questions answered. That said, don’t be that guy in the front row that asks 10 questions in succession that are entirely about his unique situation – remember there are other people in the room, and share the love.”

Party!

Jason: “Even more networking is done at the after parties and drinks that casually spring up. Say hi to people you met earlier in the day or catch up with old friends and contacts. Go to as many of these as you can but don’t forget the golden rule – don’t be the last person in the bar. Master the art of the back door ghost exit.”

It’s All About The Follow Up

Jason: “After all your hard work meeting new people, make sure you follow up a few days later. A short note to say good to meet you and any ideas you might have about working together. There will be a nugget in there that leads to something interesting, you just have to mine it to find it.”

Sarah: “Networking is great, but after a few days of meeting a million people and having music thrust at them from all directions your ideal radio presenter/publicist/manager/label/festival may not remember you, or have time to listen to your music. If you can swap business cards during that initial meeting, ask if they’re open to you swinging them an email. Don’t get all stalker on their ass though – one email is fine.”

Focus On Your Goals, And be Realistic

Jane: “If it’s your first time attending a conference whether as an artist showcasing, or an industry person attending the conference, don’t expect that the event is going to deliver your career changing moment on a silver platter.

These events are simply platforms for you to focus on your goals and apply action plans to connect with the people you need to connect with to achieve your goals. Be realistic – don’t expect that worldwide success is going to come to you from attending one conference. Every little bit of progress you make at events like these is a progression towards your overall goals and plans. If you can make simple goals for each day of the conference and meet just one of them each day, you’re doing really well. Use the conference database to identify your key targets for the event – be that attending a specific session that will help you to gain deeper insights into areas of your career where you need it, or contacting certain industry people you need to meet and start a dialogue with about your artist or business.

Don’t be deflated if you don’t walk out of the event with a deal on the table. Very often, you will look back in 18 months time and see that a key career development has stemmed from an initial meeting at that event. Keep your goals and plans in mind and constantly revisit them. Often developments from conference events will lead to a revision of your plans. (In a really positive way).”