I survived the band trip to Munich, and it was pretty much what I expected. Since we hadn’t been in Europe since 2019, people were really excited to see us (many had never seen us and only knew us from our two decades of CD releases), so there was a certain rock star vibe about the gig, while at the same time the three day festival was also a massive pain in the ass. While everything went smoothly, it was very physically demanding - we alternated stages with many other bands, so there was a ton of packing up and moving over and over again in one night, plus a lot of waiting around, and the venues were often a long walk from our hotel on crowded, construction-filled sidewalks. I was in charge of the band’s suitcase full of 50 lbs of charts, which meant lots of hauling this suitcase over cobblestone streets in the cold while also in a vintage dress and questionable shoes, then struggling through packed, sweaty crowds up and down stairs and through extremely heavy doors to get to the next stage. The last two nights were also extremely late, ending Sunday night at about 4 AM and then having to get up at 8 AM for our flight (and having to find our way to the airport using public transport, so again, hauling giant heavy suitcases up and down stairs, down uneven streets with tons of pedestrians and bicycles, etc etc). Anyway, suffice it to say it was exhausting and I’m extremely glad it’s over. I knew it was going to be like that, hence my creeping dread in the weeks leading up to it. Thankfully everything went well here - Bobby made it to his trip take off on time, kids got to and from school each day, and the H didn’t leave the house a mess for me when I got home. Our next big band trip isn’t until July when things won’t be anywhere near as complicated as far as kids doing school stuff. So that’s a relief.
Now I focus on final tax calculations before my appointment in two weeks, cleaning up the mess left after my Feb 1st contest registration opening, and trying to get more participants for my podcast (I’m officially out of interviewees).
My contest registration went well except that the system did not honor pre-set limits on registrations for some reason - thankfully I was monitoring it and shut each contest down when I saw they were selling over the limits; but the damage is done. I currently have 17 showcase routines when we only have time for 12, and several other contests have similar issues. I know with people dropping out we should be fine by the time the event rolls around, but it gives me no wiggle room to let in scholarship folks or volunteers or anyone else who doesn’t sign up using normal channels. I’ve addressed the issue of the system failure with the registration company but as of yet have heard nothing. I’m considering switching companies next year because their customer service is pretty non-existent.
After seeing how quickly the contests sold out (some in just minutes - we’re back to pre-pandemic levels on that, finally), and facing a couple of other dilemmas such as not having time for the now very important cultural panels, I’m considering a radical step, which is adding a day to the event moving forward. Right now we start on Friday night; I’d like to start Thursday night instead. I crunched some numbers and although it will cost more, it isn’t prohibitively expensive. While I personally loathe the idea of being there an extra night and day, I also think taking the pressure off our current over-packed schedule would make the time I am there less stressful. It will also allow me to have ample time for the cultural presentations, decent meal breaks, and allow me to add in a few contests that will help allow more participation (we desperately need intermediate level contests, not just Am and Advanced). I don’t intend to raise prices, so I would hope despite the inconvenience of having to stay an extra night at the hotel and take another day off work that people will be into it. The only people I haven’t consulted are the hotel, so it’s not confirmed yet. But I’m hoping I can implement this for 2025. It’s going to be a big change - it’s probably been more than 20 years since I added a day to this event. I guess needing to expand isn’t a bad thing, right? A year ago I thought I’d have to cut everything back! Just goes to show how unpredictable this industry is.
Here’s a picture of our desert place with the front overhang that was installed while I was away.
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