I was hoping to have time to explore the city, write some blog posts. I was so wrong.
 
I learnt a lot about how to work a showcase event from a band’s perspective: trying to get people to shows; going to conference sessions; pre-show flyering; and following up afterwards.
 
Anyway, after some dodgy jetlag,  promo emails and stealth-flyering, there were some really great shows, and important contacts made. Here are some tips from what we learnt on this trip:
 
Be prepared. Contact people in advance, try to set up meetings or work on getting some radio play. It pays off.
 
Have some promotional materials to hand out including your social handles, contact email, free download… whatever works for you, just makes it accessible and eye catching.
 
Make friends with other bands. Find out who you’ll be sharing a stage with that evening. Talk to them, stay around to listen, congratulate them on a great show – they’ll do the same for you.

Make sure you get your tech spec to the sound technician in advance, then you all know what to expect and everyone's prepared.
 
Practice your get in/ get out like it’s a military operation. Nobody likes those people that are on the stage ffaffing for 50 minutes before they play.  After you’re done people will want to talk to you, so get off quick and let people tell you how awesome you were.
 
Show respect. Turn up on time and don’t go over your sound check or set times.  Remember - you’re a professional.
 
Listen to your mind and body. If you’re a jet-lagged mess and have a show to play the next day, it’s probably a good idea to get some sleep. If you’ve been talking to people all day and you need to be quiet for an hour, go for a walk or go be by youself for a while – it’s fine. Do what you need to do to stay sane. Same goes for food. You'll be eating out a lot, go for lighter options sometimes, head to the supermarket (saving money too), don't rely on junk food!
 
And top tips from being in Toronto:
Get a great view of the city from Kingston car park. Head to the top floor and enjoy! (Fortunately, this was right where the conference was, we didn't have time to do anything else that resembled sightseeing!)
 
Eat, eat eat! There are so many great places for greedy people (hands up, I’m one of them). From super tasty Mexican eats (Milagro, Playa Cabana Cantina) to clams in a bag and delicious lobster roll (with bacon, which was a bit wild - not sure how I feel about it) at The Captain’s Boil. Sushi at To-Ne Sushi in particular was delicious, and we found Kim’s Vietnamese place to enjoy huge bowls of warming soups. Good times all round!