At the end of October each year, we ask our delegates to tell us how we can improve the conference experience, while still keeping it affordable for everyone. With that in mind, FMO will be making the following changes in 2014:
- Official showcases will start on Thursday. FMO will present six showcases in one room on Thursday evening. Friday and Saturday will still each have twelve official showcases – six in each of two rooms, with staggered starting times.
- Sponsored showcase slots will be available for booking on Thursday night (after the official showcases), Friday lunchtime and Saturday lunchtime. Private showcases will still be held only on Friday and Saturday night. There won’t be any overlap between sponsored and private showcases, so they will not be competing for each other’s audiences.
- The conference will no longer include a gala dinner. Instead, Folk Music Ontario will provide complimentary breakfast food on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings, and will provide complimentary coffee and tea throughout the conference.
- The awards that were presented at the gala dinner in the past will now be presented at an Awards Brunch on Sunday morning, followed by the Estelle Klein Award interview. A ”Sunday only” daily conference registration rate will be added to the daily rates already available for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.