IACEP News and Updates

Previewing IACEP’s National Conference In Las Vegas

May 25th, 2008 Posted in Current IACEP News | No Comments »

Dick Hall
IACEP Board Chair

I am thrilled to announce that one of IACEP’s most distinguished producer members and a true industry pioneer, J. Franklyn Dickson CMP will keynote at the 2008 IACEP Conference, Showcase & Trade Show presenting, “How to Market Your Business and Increase Your Sales” from 1 – 2:15 pm on September 4.

Chairman of Ray Bloch Productions Inc, a company he founded, sold, and then resurrected in 1996, Frank has been recognized by Meeting News Magazine, Corporate and Incentive Travel, Performance Magazine, Event-Solutions Magazine, Meeting Planners International (MPI), and by the American and New York Society of Association Executives. Author of Successful Management of the Small and Medium Sized Business, Dickson also developed the Meeting Planner’s Music Library. Twice named “Industry Leader” by Meetings and Conventions Magazine, the new member of IACEP was the first person to receive his designation as Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) by the Convention Liaison Council. The Bradenton, FL resident was among the inaugural supplier group named a Fellow of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), and in 2007 was inducted into the Event Producer’s Hall of Fame. It’s a great coup for us to have him on the agenda.

Frank Dickson’s presentation will be one of eight general sessions over the course of the 3-day event, including the spectacular IACEP / American Entertainment Magazine Main Stage Showcase (See the At-A-Glance Schedule in the section). This year’s conference promises an unparalleled opportunity to preview new talent and gain knowledge and insight about producing entertainment in the corporate environment. The Conference Committees have been doing an extraordinary job of programming and I want to thank all of those leaders who are giving with such dedication to guarantee a truly great conference experience this year. After last year’s sell-out, don’t risk missing out on everything the conference offers.

Showcase applications have been pouring in so if you know an agent or an act interesting in being considered for a showcase slot this year, make sure they know that May 31 is the deadline and that they need to get an application in fast.

On a separate and very important note — as many of you know, Steve Thomas has had to decline his Chairmanship next year for personal reasons. I want to thank Steve publicly for his incredible contribution to IACEP. Steve Thomas has been a driving force in IACEP since nearly the beginning. He immediately saw the value of this organization for our profession and committed his time, talent, and resources to see it grow and become influential within the industry. He’s provided leadership in so many areas – the online forum, the development of the major agency panel, tireless member recruitment – and he continues to coordinate the production aspect of the 2008 Conference. It’s impossible to list all the ways his passionate commitment to the organization has benefitted us all, but I can say that I’ve been involved in associations for 30 years and Steve’s is an extraordinary level of dedication. We can’t wait until he’s back with us again.

I also want to thank Howard Stovall for stepping up into the Chairman’s role at the Board’s request. Steve, Howard, and I are working hand-in-hand to ensure a strong transition. We have a great leadership team in place and I’m proud to be working with all of them.

I hope to see you all at IACEP’s Annual Conference, Showcase and Exhibit Hall, September 3-5, 2008 (Green Valley Resort, Spa & Casino, Henderson, NV). The experience will be extraordinary.

2008 IACEP / American Entertainment Magazine Showcase is Accepting Applications

Only 22 opportunities exist for the chance to win a coveted slot performing before some of the top corporate entertainment producers in the United States when they gather for the 2008 IACEP Conference, Showcase & Exhibit Hall in Henderson, NV, September 3-5.

Just 22…and the clock is running out towards a May 31 deadline for outstanding acts to apply to perform at the Main Stage Showcase (co-sponsored by IACEP and American Entertainment Magazine), the Chairman’s Dinner, or for a business session. Acts are recommended by IACEP’s Showcase Committee and approved by the IACEP Board, composed of leading corporate entertainment producers, with preference given to emerging acts who have not previously showcased with IACEP/AEM.

“Last year, we showcased both The Concert That Never Was (A tribute to Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand, and Incognito Artists,” said Gig Xifaras, of Associated Entertainment, who represented two groups who performed before the elite audience of 245 entertainment specialists. “TCTNW picked up five dates for a major computer company and a stint in Australia. Incognito Artists has performed at some of the best corporate events ever.” Following the 2007 Conference, Xifaras said he connected with a major client in New York that resulted in two consecutive years of a 3000 person/three-day conference with full production and huge national acts. “Where else can you get face-to-face with the top agents from William Morris, ICM and CAA? Now, when I get on the phone with them, they’re not just a ‘name’.

Mark Felix - Drury Design Dynamics

March 18th, 2008 Posted in IACEP Member Profiles | No Comments »

IACEP MEMBER PROFILE
MARK FELIX : <a href=”http://www.drurydesign.com”>Drury Design Dynamics</a>

The member profiles in the coming year will be fashioned as interviews and appear in Q & A form in the IACEP section of American Entertainment Magazine. The questions are designed to help members get to know you personally and professionally. They also give an opportunity to share some of the things you’ve learned along the way. You don’t have to answer all the questions, so if you have nothing to say on a subject, there’s no need to force it. But do answer as many as possible to help readers get a complete picture of who are you are. You can enter your answers directly into this document.

1. Tell us a little bit about your company and why you chose to work there.

Drury Design Dynamics is a full service production company with a strong emphasis on entertainment and events – we believe in incorporating entertainment into everything we do, from live celebrity hosts, to general session acts, to performers appearing in training videos, as well as the normal gamut of guest speakers and banquet entertainment. Having spent 26 years dealing with talent from my early days as an agent to the present, Drury allows me to use all of my years of experience in all these different areas. It never gets boring here.

2. How did you get involved with IACEP?

I used to attend Pollstar’s CIC but year after year, they ignored the corporate marketplace, and even after I kept bringing this booming sector of the industry to their attention, they just didn’t seem to care. A skeptic at first, Dick Smith invited me to attend an IACEP conference in Chicago probably 3 years ago and I saw first hand how this association is ALL about corporate entertainment. From the trade show to the showcase to the seminars to the schmooze, I have gotten so much out of this organization.

3. What drew you to the industry? What’s your favorite thing about it?

Being a drummer and having a life-long love of music and concerts, I worked my way up the ladder in the concert department at Ithaca College where I graduated with a business degree but got to be chairperson of the concert committee my senior year. At that time, we put on concerts by up-and-coming acts that few people ever heard of, like Billy Joel, Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello, and others. I proudly keep these concert posters framed in my music room in my basement along with my drums. After college, I got a job in the famed William Morris mailroom where I worked by way up the ladder there too, leaving as a junior agent to become a full agent at ICM. What drew me to this industry? There’s still nothing like the live event - when the house goes dark, the stage is lit and you know the act is about to take the stage, there’s nothing more exciting.

4. What was your first job in the industry?

The William Morris mailroom (where I tell people I got my Masters in Entertainment)

5. What one thing would you like people to know about corporate entertainment producing that you suspect they might not realize?

Everyone thinks it’s so glamorous and so much fun – and it can be – but I didn’t lose my hair just ‘cause I wanted to.

6. What one thing surprises or amazes you most about the industry and the people in it?

I’m blown away by the ridiculous sums of money agents are quoting these days for acts. And I’m even more blown away that we, as an industry, and I regrettably include myself here, still grossly overpay for so many acts that can no longer sell tickets or will ever see the Billboard charts again.

7. What are your hopes for the next year in your professional life?

To just keep on booking bigger and better acts and paying less for them! And to keep sitting in on drums with any band any chance I get.

8. Who has been your greatest inspiration or influence professionally?

I learned an awful lot from Lee Salomon, at the time, head of the Variety Department at William Morris. Lee was the ultimate showbiz agent. As a mailroom trainee, he may have treated me like shit at times, but he also gave me the opportunity to see the real Rodney Dangerfield in his underwear backstage in his dressing room, the real Milton Berle complaining about dates, the real Joan Rivers being a diva, and the list goes on and on.

9. Who is the best boss you’ve ever had in the industry? What made him or her so good?

Lee Salomon was great to work for at WMA, so was Shelly Schultz and Ed Micone at ICM. And Chris Drury here at Drury Design doesn’t suck either. These are all people who may have been tough, but all fair, none ever felt threatened, and all helped me grow.

10. If you could give someone just getting started in corporate entertainment production only one thing to be careful of, what would it be? If you could tell that same one person just one thing that he or she should be sure not to miss, what would that be?

I’ve often said that to make it in this business, on-stage or off, on either side of the curtain, you need 3 things; talent, timing, and luck. The important thing is to not give up.

11. Of course life has no “do overs,” but if it did, what one thing would you do differently in the industry?

Sandra Bernhardt - see #13 below.

12. What was the best or favorite event you were ever a part of?
Hard to say, so many memorable shows, maybe doing John Mellencamp’s first-ever corporate gig, ditto same for Glenn Frey’s first-ever corporate gig.

13. What’s the worst disaster you’ve ever been a part of? What did you learn from it?

Sandra Bernhardt. I hold the record for the worst disaster in the history of corporate entertainment – this happened 10+ years ago. All I’ll say is that this was a 3-act show, Danny Gans, Michael Davis, and Sandra Bernhardt – and to this day whenever Danny Gans and I see each other, we ask if either’s had the “pleasure” of working with Sandra Bernhardt lately! It was that bad – so bad it can’t go in print here – but call me if you really want the story.

14. We’re all traveling a lot — what’s your #1 travel tip to make it a little easier?

Sleep whenever you can, eat whenever you can, and always have fun – keep it all in perspective - remember, we’re putting on shows – we’re not curing cancer.

15. Where was the best meal you ever had?

Hmmm. Hard to say. So many great meals along the way. Maybe SW Steakhouse at Wynn Las Vegas most recently.

16. What’s your favorite drink?

Okay. Maybe it is a cissy drink, but a great creamsicle martini or two from Red Square in Vegas totally kicks ass.

17. What’s the most important thing in your life?

My family – my wife and kids make it all worthwhile

18. What’s in your CD player?

In no particular order, Tower of Power, The Dap Kings, Traffic, Cream, the Allman’s, and early vintage Chicago but only with Terry Kath

19. What’s your personal mantra?

“I don’t make this shit up!”

At Drury Design, Mark Felix is responsible for recommending and procuring unique, creative and exciting entertainment and speaker ideas for a wide range of corporate communications programs.

Mark has worked with a range of performers including John Mellencamp, James Taylor, Glenn Frey, The Beach Boys, Dana Carvey, General Colin Powell, Ray Charles, Bill Cosby, and countless others who have literally “stolen the show.” Prior to joining Drury Design Dynamics, Mark initiated and ran the entertainment division at two different international communication companies, and prior to that, was an agent for nine years at the William Morris Agency and International Creative Management, where he represented such well-known performers as Tommy Tune, Miles Davis, Victor Borge, Marvin Hamlisch, Maureen McGovern, and many other well-known entertainers.

Mark holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Ithaca College in New York. He serves as management trustee for the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA), and is a member of the International Association of Corporate Entertainment Producers (IACEP) Executive Board.

Showcase and Exhibit: 2008 Conference

March 1st, 2008 Posted in Main Stage Showcase & Exhibits | No Comments »

A limited number of showcase opportunities are available to both IACEP and other industry agencies and artists. First preference goes to IACEP members when all factors are equal. Slots will include Main Stage on Wednesday, September 3 and the Chairman’s Dinner on September 4, as well as independent slots throughout the general meetings, September 3-5. Applications are accepted until May 31, 2008. Showcase slots are assigned by category. IACEP’s Board of Directors and American Entertainment Magazine are authorized to approve and schedule all acts, and are the final decision-makers.

Showcase artists are required to purchase exhibit booth space if selected for a Showcase. A Showcase & Exhibit Application, along with credit card information or check in the correct amount, must be received and the required $25 non- refundable application fee paid before an application will be considered complete. Incomplete applications are automatically rejected. Credit cards will not be charged, nor check deposited, until the applicant is selected for a showcase, except for the $25 application fee. Submission of an application does not guarantee acceptance. Once a Showcase /Exhibit Application has been accepted, showcase and exhibit fees will be charged or check deposited, if not already deposited. All fees are then non-refundable. Every Showcase act must be represented in the Exhibit Hall and will be offered ten (10) comp Showcase & Afterglow Passes.

A Standard Showcase Production Package for all acts is being provided by IACEP and American Entertainment Magazine. Download it at www.iacep.com by clicking on the “Conference” button, and then the “Showcase/Exhibit” button. Any additional requirements will be at the expense of the showcasing act or agency. Other Exhibitor details/requirements are contained in the Exhibitor Contract and Agreement Terms, all of which can be downloaded – go to www.iacep.com, click “Conference” button, and click the “Showcase/Exhibit” button.Showcase & Exhibit Booth purchase includes one tabletop exhibit booth and one representative of the act to staff the booth, one Pre-Show Dinner Ticket in the Exhibit Hall, and one Main Stage Showcase & Afterglow Pass. It does not include a Conference or a Chairman’s Dinner ticket, which can be purchased at www.iacep.com. Click on “Register/ Exhibit Now!” Exhibit booth location cannot be selected by applicant until payment is received for the exhibit booth. After June 30, any remaining booth locations will be assigned by IACEP. Payment may be made by separate check or credit card (as specified on the application). LIVE DEMOS require the purchase of two booths. Live Booth Demos are for acts who may not be appropriate for showcasing or need a more intimate environment and require approval. The demo must be contained in the two booth area. Booth locations must be approved by IACEP’s Exhibit Committee. Electrical connections and other special requirements in the Exhibit Hall are available at an extra charge. Specific details for exhibiting and showcasing are in the Exhibitor Contract and Terms of Agreement and therefore are an integral part of this application.

To print application: Click on the image below. Print the page as it appears in your browser. It appears unreadable, but will print as a standard sized page. Follow instructions from there. Please contact Craig Delk for further instructions or questions. 843.278.4978 or craig @cameopublishing.com

Showcase Application:

 

Exhibit Application: