As we’re getting ready to announce the first round of speakers for our next two Sync Summits in NYC on October 5-6, 2024 and LA from February 3-6, 2025, our new AI Music Conference on November 14th in NYC and to launch our two 21-week Sync Summer Sessions Courses (starting on July 14th and July 27th) which include a number of live listening sessions where you’ll meet and connect with over 20 decision makers, I wanted to take a few minutes to provide you with some pointers on how to make the most out of any event you attend.

Attending conferences, where they are in person or online costs you time and money, and if you are going to get the most out of any event you attend – whether it is one of ours or another organizer, you need to take some time to prepare yourself and your music so you can network and learn.

And, as someone who’s organized over 1000 events and probably attended double that amount in my life, I’ve learned a few things about how to make the most out of my time at events, which I’ll now share with you.

  1. Research the event. Before you attend an event, learn a bit more about the event.  Who are the organizers?  What is the mission of the event?  Who’s speaking?  And if speakers aren’t announced yet, has the event been held before, and who were some of the past speakers? Does the event have ways to help you network before, during and after the event like an online portal, personal help meeting attendees and speakers, do they share speaker contact info?  What is the format of the event? Are there networking elements or just keynotes and panels?  Are there songwriting camps or showcases?  Asking and answering all these questions before you decide to attend is crucial to your knowing how to best take advantage of your time at the event.  And, if you have any questions or needs, get in touch with the organizer directly and get help. 

  2. Prepare yourself and the music (and or company) that you plan to present. Now, once you’ve researched the event, it’s time to get prepare to network and learn. If you are a musician or represent music, this preparation includes things like putting together at least one playlist of five mixed and mastered songs in a link that allows downloading, streaming and doesn’t expire using disco.ac, bridge.audio or box.com, and making sure all of your metadata is correctly included in your music including ownership and contact information.  Also, make a Electronic Press Kit (we give each attendees of our events a free EPK on our website, something most other events don’t do, so make sure you create your own using a tool like squarespace) that includes a bio, links to your music, a photo and your contact information.  Also, make some business cards with your links and contact info for the event. And have an up-to-date website.  If you’ve had some syncs in the past, make sure they are listed in your materials. Bring a notepad or an electronic device to take notes.  By having these materials ready before the event, you’ll be able to network and present yourself and your work or business much more effectively than if you just show up.

  3. Map out who you want to talk to at the event before you attend the event, research who they are and what their needs are. This is crucial.  Now you’re ready to present yourself, start researching who you want to present to.  Look up the speakers on IMDB.com, Linkedin.com, on social media and your favorite search engine – understand who they are, what they do and what kinds of music they’ve used in projects.  Go onto ispot.tv to check out ads and on Youtube to check out trailers. Go to tunefind.com to see what music has been used in their shows. Doing all of these things will help you to know what the speakers do, and what kinds of projects they work on, which will help you to fine-tune your approach when you make contact and meet them at the event.

  4. Create and rehearse your pitch. Now you’ve done your research and prepared your music or company info to present, it’s time to come up with a quick verbal pitch of yourself and your music in person. Put together a 30 second to one-minute introduction of yourself that includes who you are, what you do, describe your music or company and your contact info.  Here’s how I would present myself: “Hi, my name is Mark Frieser, and I am the founder of Disconic, a music licensing and music supervision agency that represents music from individual artists and major labels from across the world, including music from India, Japan, Korea, the US, Latin America, Southeast Asia and other countries. This includes K-Pop, J-Pop, indie music, pop music, classical, Jazz, country and other genres. Most of our music is one-stop or easy clear, our website is https://disconic.com, and I’d welcome the opportunity to learn more about how I could be of service to you and your projects.” Simple as that. Feel free to use the above as a template, and once you have your pitch ready, rehearse your pitch and be ready to use it as an introduction.

  5. Get in touch with the conference organizer and ask them for networking help if they don’t specifically offer it as part of your attendance. This is something most people never do, but I strongly advocate everyone do this – get in touch with the organizers of the event and ask them what networking help they have available for attendees.  Ask them about showcase opportunities and offer yourself or your artists up for a showcase.  If you’re a company, explore potential sponsorship. If you want to get in touch with a specific person, ask them if they can share how to contact a speaker, or if they can broker an introduction. Most organizers want you to get the most out of their events and will try to help you to some degree.

  6. Find out what sponsors are there, and what satellite or associated events may be taking place. Another idea, and this is especially important for bigger events like SXSW or NAMM, look at the sponsors of the event, and research whether they are holding any parties at or around the event.  These are usually amazing opportunities to network. Ask the conference organizer if they can help connect you, research and then get in touch with the sponsors themselves and ask for an invite and ask your friends who are attending the conference as well if they know details about any related events.

  7. If there are songwriting camps or challenges, consider entering them. Our event and others have songwriting camps and listening sessions where you can work or submit to live opportunities to get your music used by a music supervisor in their projects. And, so long as you’ve done the background work to get your music ready, you’ll be able to participate. If possible, bring instruments and your laptop with a DAW installed so you can create on the fly.

  8. Let people know on social media and in your communications if you have an email or newsletter you send out what events you are attending. This is simple – let people know you’re going to an event. Find out if anyone you know is going to the event.  Post on social media, in your newsletter (if you have one) and in your letters to fans or your mailing list – spread the word that you’ll be at the event – this will help you in your networking efforts and visibility of your music or company in general.

  9. Dress for success – be memorable. This is something people don’t consider nearly enough at events.  And I’m not talking about wearing a suit if you’re a man or a semi-formal dress if you’re a woman (unless you want to). What I am talking about is pay some attention to your style and appearance. If multi-colored hair is your thing, do it.  If it’s a vintage t-shirt, great.  An 80s throwback pair of spandex, great.  Just something that is memorable and makes a lasting impression.  People are to some degree visual and they’ll remember you better if you think a bit about your style before you get to the event.

  10. At the event – politely wait for the opportunity to connect with speakers – and ask for help from the confrerence organizer during the event. All events should give you the opportunity to meet and briefly connect with speakers – whether after a panel or during the event itself.  Be polite, and when you do have the chance to connect with them, be ready with your introduction and your materials so you can make a connection and leave them with the information they need to access your music or company information and links. Be brief, be respectful of their time, and make sure your get their information if possible for any follow ups.

  11. If there are speed meetings or any meetings at all, attend them. These are great opportunities for networking. Sign up for these, bring your materials and bring an MP3 player and some headphones for the person you’re speaking to listen to your music.  Remember to present yourself briefly and be respectful. Make sure you leave them any materials and links.

  12. Meet the other attendees.  Find out what they do, who they know, and discover if they can help you to make connetions. At the event, or before, connect with attendees – there may be some who can be of help to you in knowing the event better and to network. Ask the organizer to share a list of who’s coming, or check out the event’s social media. Ask people who they’re talking to, who they know and if they do know someone, whether they can help you make a connection.

  13. Take advangae of the knowledge shared by the speakers during the panels and keynotes, take notes and have quesitons ready for the QA. Asking quesitons is a great way to get noticed by speakers.  Make the questions contextural, make them to the point and brief. Not only will this help you learn, it’ll give you something to speak about with the speaker and attendees at the event and in youyr follow ups.

  14. Make sure you attend the networking events around the event itself. If there are any lunches, receptions, hangs that are directly part of the event, attend them – they are great places to connect with speakers and attendees in a more informal way, and really get to bond with people you can work and collaborate with in the future.

  15. After the event, ask the organizer if you can get contact information for speakers and attendees. We provide attendees contact information on all our speakers and attendees once the event is over so you can follow up. Most events don’t do this, but you should ask the conference organizers if they can connect you to some of the speakers from the event.  They may or may not help. If they do, this gives you another follow up resource.  

  16.   Follow up with all the people you met in person within 72 hours. This is important. Make sure you follow up with everyone you met – even if it is a brief letter thanking them for their time and linking to your music and EPK. The longer you wait to get in contact, the less a chance they’ll remember you.

  17. Know what events are taking place – here’s a start: Now with all the advice out of the way, here’s a few events we like that are worth considering attending:

    Our events. We have three events coming up. 

    Two of them are our Flagship Sync Summits – both of which take place online and in person, the Sync Summit NY taking place from October 5-6, 2024 and our LA Sync Summit, taking place from February 3-6, 2025. Both of these events cover ads, film, brands, TV, games, trailers social media and interactive projects and include keynote conversations, panels, networking opportunities before, during and after the event, an EPK for each attendee on our website, sharing of music playlists with and the sharing of contact information from all attendees and speakers after the event, with the focus always on learning and making connections.

    And, until July 10th, we’re extending our sale on both events with a $500 discount on attending in person and $250 on attending online. To sign up go to:

    https://syncsummit.com/24flashsale/

    Beyond this, we’re going to hold a new one-day event, the AI Music Conference, on Thursday, November 14th online and in New York City at the Hard Rock Hotel. This event is going to be a discussion on the companies, the impact of and the evolution of AI in the music industry. The event will feature conversations on the challenges and opportunities AI represents to everyone in the music industry and will feature key speakers and companies creating and using AI to automate and evolve music creation, production, discovery, automation, curation and distribution. The event will also focus on the impact of innovation, machine learning and how the music industry is reacting to the opportunities and challenges of AI to their businesses and careers and opportunities to connect with industry innovators and decision makers.   

    Early registration is open at the rate of $199 ($400 off the standard rate) and online registration is available at $99 ($200 off the standard rate. To register, go to:

    https://syncsummit.com/aimusicon/

    Non-Sync Summit Events – this is not an exhaustive list and we are going to add to it over time. But, with that said, here’s some of the events we think are most useful and relevant.

    – The Guild Of Music Supervisors “State Of Music In Media Conference,” (https://www.gmsmediaconference.com/) – August 17th, 2024, Los Angeles.  This is the 10th edition of the Guild’s one-day event, and it is really worthwhile.  You’ll see and get to connect with the crème de la crème of film and TV music, learn how music supervisors work their craft and can learn industry fundamentals and make great connections.

    – Mondo – https://www.mondo.nyc/ – October 15-18, 2024, New York. Mondo is an amazing event covering all aspects of the music industry, with a particular one-day focus on sync. They partner with the Guild to put on a series of panels and networking opportunities.

    – Music Biz – https://musicbiz.org/ – May, 2025, Nashville. This is a huge event covering all aspects of the music industry, with some sync aspects and panels.

    – Canadian Music Week – https://cmw.net – June 2025, Toronto. This is the SXSW of Canada and a music-attend event. A lot of the Sync industry is in Canada, and we’ve been partnering with Canadian Music Week for over a decade to host and program panels and we’re the founding sponsor of the Canadian Guild’s Sync Awards.  There are great opportunities to learn and network, lots of showcases and satellite, speed meetings and lots of non-sync panels and keynotes throughout the event.

    – A2IM Indie Week – https://a2im.org – June 2025, New York. Another great event organized by the American Association of Independent Music.  This covers all elements of the music industry from an indie label and artist perspective and sync is a big element of the event.

    – AdWeek – https://adweek.com – October 2024. If you are interested in getting into the worlds of sonic branding, music creation, music licensing and experiential marketing as it relates to the ad industry and brands, this is a great place to learn and connect with industry players.

    – Clio Events – https://clios.com – https://musebycl/io – Various times and cities.  The Clios are the main organization bringing people together and recognizing excellence in every aspect of branding and advertising.  We do a lot of work with them, they are awesome and have a number of ongoing events throughout the year.  Also, they have a great resource called Muse By Clio where you can learn a lot about the industry.

    – Cannes Lions – https://www.canneslions.com/ – June 2025, Cannes, France. Perhaps the biggest event in branding and advertising in the ad industry, Lions brings together every aspect of the ad industry to celebrate and discuss excellence in ads and brands. It’s a huge event, and an amazing one, where music is one of its central elements.

    – FIMPRO – https://fimguadalajara.mx/ – February 26 – March 1, Guadalajara, Mexico. This is an event we’ve partnered with for over a decade, and it’s a nexus for the Latin American music industry.  Sync is a huge part of the event – we host keynotes and panels there every year, and the new Latin Music Supervisors Association launched there in 2024. If you want to do anything serious in the LATAM market, you music attend this event.

    – Music Matters At Creator Week – https://www.branded.live/music-matters – May 2025, Singapore. Another event we’ve partnered with for years, this event brings together music people from across Southeast Asia and the world, incorporating live, distribution, online, sync and AI. It’s a fantastic event.

    – Trends Brasil Conference –   https://www.trendsbrasilconference.com.br/  – Rio and Sao Paulo. This is another great event that we’ve partnered with.  Sync is always a prominent part of the event, and for the Brazilian market, it is a must attend event bringing together musicians and the music industry in Brazil and beyond.

    – TIMM – The Tokyo International Music Market – https://www.timmjp.com/en/ – November 2024, Tokyo.  Another great event we’ve partnered with, this event is the main event for the Japanese music industry, and sync is always a part of it.  Japan is the second largest market in the world, and there are some companies and great people there who want to connect with the rest of the world, so if you’re interested in the market, this is a must- attend.

    – The Golden Melody Awards and Conference – https://gma.tavis.tw/gm35/GMF/Conference_en.asp?P=2&PID=2  – June 2025, Taipei, Taiwan. Another international partner of ours and the main event for Chinese language music industry, and sync is always a part of it. If you want to meet a worldwide group of music industry people there and connect with the Chinese speaking market, this is a must-attend.  It’s worth the trip.

     – Durango Songwriters Expo – https://durango-songwriters-expo.com/ – October 3-5, 2024, Broomfield, CO. This is one of the bet events out there for sync and songwriting.  Twice a year, in Venture, CA and Colorado, music supervisors and musicians gather to play music, write music, network and hang out and really get to know each other. Music supervisors and attendees are all in the same place for the entire event.   

    – Future Echos – https://futureechoes.se/ – March 27-29, 2025, Norrköping, Sweden. This is a great event bringing together speakers and bands from across the world for showcases and a conference where sync features prominently.

    – Mama Music Convention – https://mama-musicandconvention.com/en/ – October 16-19, 2024.  This is another great event, taking place in Paris and highlighting speakers from across the world and France.

    – AIM Sync – https://www.aimsync.co.uk/ – London. Probably one of the key events in sync in the UK, hosted by the UK’s Association of Independent Music.

    – What Up Pitches “Wup It Up” – 2024-2025 dates to be announced. https://www.whatuppitches.com/wupitup: This is an event put on by our friends What Up Pitches in Chicago and LA.  The focus is on networking and the needs of individual artists in the sync industry. It’s a great event, and you can get in touch with WUP personally to learn more about when they are holding their next events.

    – SXSW (South By Southwest – https://sxsw.com) – March 7-15, Austin, TX. You know this event.  They do events in London and Sydney now too, but we’ll focus on their big event in Austin.  There’s always a series of sync and sync-adjacent panels, and a lot of great parties for networking. If you go, you really need to research what you want to see and who you want to network with to get real value out of it.

It is my hope that this Conference primer will be of value to you whether you’re attending of our conferences or another event, and you now have a good snapshot of some of the main events out there.