Posted by Wayne Parham [ 192.35.232.241 ] on June 09, 2006 at 11:53:19:
Last night, Fred and Linda Thompson and I went to see their sons' band, "Low Rent", who performed in Austin. Awesome, Andy and Matt are excellent! Not just saying that either, they are really good. Can't wait for the CD.
Anyway, while eating before the show, we discussed the possibility of moving GPAF to Dallas for next year's show. The venue is larger and we would likely have a larger turnout. I'm happy with how GPAF has been the last two years, but a bigger show in Dallas would be good too. Maybe we could alternate venues every year, I dunno. So I'm throwing this out to you all for feedback.
What I would really like to retain is the grass roots "Woodstock" feel of the show, and the absolute lack of fees. I don't like the idea of a promoter turning the show itself into a revenue source. I like the idea of a venue where the smaller niche companies can set up and show up, and a thousand dollar entry fee added to the transportation costs is prohibitive. So I would like to see free admission for exibitors retained no matter where the show is done.
The thing is, if we move to Dallas, we'll need a "point man" or two. Fred volunteered, but he lives in Houston. So we thought we could maybe ask Jim Rivers, and since he wasn't there to defend himself, he was an easy target. 
Or maybe Russ or someone else, or maybe a few people could get involved.
It's a big job, to tell the truth. You have to arrange with the folks at Embassy Suites and you have to send out press releases. I bought a bunch of signs and set them around the city, that helps a lot too. But planning and organization isn't a trivial amount of work, even when as loosely done as GPAF always has been.
I'd be willing to host the web space, same as I've always done. I've already obtained a "LoneStarAudiofest.com" domain name in anticipation. We can tie it to the GPAF and ART website, probably link in the Texas clubs sites too.
So now I'm looking for feedback from everyone. What do you all think? Could we find support for this? Is it something we're interested in doing? We'll definitely have GPAF next year, first weekend in May. The only question is where. Would it be better suited for a larger venue like Dallas, maybe morph it into a LSAF? Or do we leave it as it is, and keep GPAF in Tulsa? Let me know your thoughts.
[ General Forum ] [ Help ]