NASHVILLE, TN – More than 350 touring professionals, students and mentors gathered at Nashville’s SoundCheck rehearsal studios for the 11th Annual Touring Career Workshop (TCW). There they participated in workshops and heard from top experts from a variety of fields including affordable health care, tax and savings advice, mental health wellbeing, personal safety, diversity and touring as well as giving back.
Bandit Lites chair and founder, Michael T. Strickland delivered the keynote address where he addressed current legislation before Congress and the industry’s dire need of The Entertainment Association.
“As we returned back live to our flagship event after a three-year hiatus, we were truly honored to have Michael Strickland join us to talk about the work he has been doing with Congress and his fantastic initiative with the Entertainment Association,” said Chris Lisle, Co-founder and Executive Director of TCW.
In the event of another industry wide shut down, The Entertainment Industry requires a single organization as a representative before Congress. With no PAC, Lobby, or unified NAICS Code to establish the industry’s real size, legislators cannot and will not listen to the thousands of voices from the Entertainment sector.
“I want to thank Chris Lisle and Erik Parker for their dedication to the industry and for holding this very important event,” said Strickland. “Huge numbers of people gain greatly from this amazing gathering. I was proud that TCW was the world premiere of The Entertainment Association informational tour as we educate people about the need to have a single voice before Congress in case live entertainment is ever again shut down. Future health, military or social situations could shut us down again, and we need to be prepared to speak to Congress as one.”
At LDI on Friday, November 18, there’s the Entertainment Association Panel & Discussion being held from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. on the LDI Stage by the Circle Bar + Lounge. Strickland will be joined by moderators, Nathan Alves, and Seth Jackson, partners at Darkroom Creative along with panelists Robin Shaw, Co-Founder, Upstaging, Inc., Marty Hom, Tour Manager, and Marcel Fairbairn, President/CEO, GearSource.com.
Strickland will also be speaking about the Entertainment Association at THE Conference: Live at Lititz. Join him on Thursday, Dec. 8, from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. in Studio A for Turning Canoes into Battleships: Taking the Live Events Industry before Congress.