[New] THE CONFERENCE: LIVE AT LITITZ

In a bid to ‘make the industry better than we found it’, touring veterans, Charlie Hernandez, Jake Berry, Marty Hom, and Stuart Ross partner with the Rock Lititz community to present an unprecedented three days of programming for the wider live entertainment industry.

Words: Jacob Waite Photos: Paige Durborow

After decades working with some of the biggest names in live entertainment, four industry veterans, CJMS – Charlie Hernandez, Jake Berry, Marty Hom, and Stuart Ross – enlisted the support of the Rock Lititz community to launch a unique conference for over 600 industry professionals.

Taking place from 7 to 9 December 2022 on the Rock Lititz campus in Lititz, Pennsylvania, THE Conference: Live at Lititz delivered interactive, dynamic content in the company of key decision makers to foster the next generation in live entertainment production.

With a diverse range of panels (43% women speakers), discourse, interactive workshops, product demonstrations, facility and bus tours, as well as themed social events each night, attendees were met with mindful ways to take the next step in their live-music production careers.

At THE Conference: Live at Lititz, charity organisation Just A Bunch Of Roadies [JABOR] launched the John Campion and Lori Tierney Memorial Education Grant as well as partnering with attendees and Rock Lititz to operate a Christmas toy drive for the local community.

“We need these challenging discussions to move forward and push the envelope to promote engagement and brainstorm solutions,” said President of QED Productions, Charlie Hernandez – who has produced and consulted on events with artists and organisations such as Sting, The Police, Aerosmith, David Bowie, WWE, and Farm Aid. “We were cognisant about selecting speakers who would provide the most thoughtful, ethical way of thinking when it comes to health, welfare, sustainability, inclusion and inspiring the nextgeneration of touring professionals.”

A Greener Festival’s (AGF) Claire O’Neill and Jamal Chalabi presented a case study on the best practices, challenges and lessons learned from Bring Me The Horizon’s Post Human Tour [see TPi #266] to demonstrate how touring can become more sustainable.

“I broke my no fl ying r ule to attend t his conference,” O’Neill said. “The excellent team at THE Conference: Live at Lititz gave the opportunity to help some of the world’s leading touring production companies to change business as usual and reduce emissions. It costs two tonnes of carbon to get there and back, so we must prevent at least 10 times that amount with the touring industry this year ahead as a result. We’ve made some amazing connections w ho c an effect significant change, share what we have learned, and are positive about what lies ahead.”

One of the biggest names in tour production management, over the years, Jake Berry has overseen mammoth productions for the likes of U2, Metallica, The Rolling Stones, Shakira, Madonna, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, the Electric Daisy Carnival, Coldplay, and many others.

“Our three founding principles for this event were simple – no awards, no golf, and no dinner,” he underlined, speaking to TPi on the final d ay of t he conference. We have never

THE Conference: Live at Lititz co-founder, been conference organisers – we’ve attended, we’ve watched, and we’ve criticised. The hardest part about putting this event together is being aware of and open to criticism.”

With a tough crowd to please, many of which have put on some of the biggest live shows in the world, the daunting task was not lost on Berry. “Personally, watching people enjoy the panels and getting involved in the conversation, as an organiser, was a privilege. Despite our years of experience putting on spectacles, we were unsure of what to expect and worried about people’s reactions.”

Despite having over a century of collective touring experience, Berry explained that CJMS are much more accustomed to coiling cable and loading trucks than being on-stage with a microphone. “We’ve been overwhelmed by the positive response; we are aware of some tweaks we need to make, and are already looking forward to next year’s event,” Berry concluded. “We have to make this industry better than we left it.”

Fellow organiser, Marty Hom – a 40-year concert touring veteran who has worked as tour director/manager with The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Barbra Streisand, Stevie Nicks, Shakira, Beyoncé, Lionel Richie, Van Halen and Justin Bieber, among others – concurred. “This isn’t about us,” Hom stated. “We all made a point to attend the panels, support the speakers, go to meetings, and be visible at the bar afterwards with no degree of separation between organiser and attendee. The people attending this event are our friends. I believe this conference is unique because there is no strict structure, attendees are free and encouraged to move around and explore all corners of the Rock Lititz community, making it all the more engaging.

“T his conference was for our attendees and we’ll endeavour to learn, evolve and improve in time for next year’s event,” he added. “Our goal is to increase the number of young people attending and inspire them to become engaged in what is undoubtedly one of the greatest businesses on earth.”

Co -organiser, Stuart Ross – former COO of Festivals at Goldenvoice/AEG, who has over 40 years in the live entertainment industry, where he has worked with personalities such as Tom Waits, Metallica, George Michael, Weezer and Spinal Tap, among others – highlighted the collaborative nature of the project.

“W hen the four of us got together and decided to put on a conference, our first two questions were – when and where? The former was easy to narrow down and Lititz, we discovered, was the perfect place.

“As a young person, it may take you a decade to be fortunate enough to bring a tour here,” he continued. “Imagine being a young attendee and being able to tour Clair’s HQ with Troy Clair, or sit at the bar with Michael Tait. These are, by definition, legends in their field.” He went on to praise the support of Andrea

Shirk, Emily Cassidy, Suzi Meyer and Rachel Pfennig Hales as well as the wider Rock Lititz community. “The entire Rock Lititz team came to the table; we simply could not have done this without them.”

‘COMMUNITY

AND COLLABORATION’

No conference is feasible without an army of ground staff. In order to get this ambitious project off the ground, the organisers and the Rock Lititz community had to tap into their vast network of sponsors and supporters – namely, Private Jet Services; Live Nation; Rock-It Global; EPS; Hemphill Brothers; Special Event Services and subsidiaries – Special Event Transportation, Musical Coaches, G2 Mobile Structures, G2 Structures, and Guardian Barrier Services; Clair Global; d&b audiotechnik; TAIT; Solotech; Choice Live; Pyrotek; ATOMIC; 4Wall Entertainment; Cube Services; Aurora Films; Screenworks NEP; Rock Labor; Yamaha; DiGiCo; L-Acoustics; Walz Group; Maple House Records; Sunbelt Rentals; Nighthawk Video; The Lititz Technology Academy at Rock Candy; Beat the Street Bussing, Stageco, Ego Trips, Road Radios, and Cashet.

“It was incredible to see the campus buzzing with so many industry voices. CJMS and Rock Lititz are excited about this ongoing partnership, and the opportunity to continue this conference for years to come,” commented Emily Cassidy, Conference Director at Rock Lititz. “This truly was a team effort and we are grateful for the hard work from CJMS, the Rock Lititz team, the Rock Lititz Community, our vendors, and our sponsors.”

TAIT provided access to Lead Production Designer, Adam Byrne, and Principal Sustainability Advocate, Carol Scott, who advised the conference on sustainability. In addition to the stage and gear in Studio 2, TAIT sponsored and ran the concierge desks in Studio 2 and Pod 2.

Ad am Davis, CEO of TAIT Group and one of founding partners of Rock Lititz, highlighted attributing the attendees list to something akin to a ‘family gathering’.

“T his is a collective group of people I’ve never seen in the same place, at the same time, all having an experience together, which has been crafted for them,” he noted. “It’s remarkable that we have got this amount of thought-leadership in one place to take stock of where we are and where we want to go.”

Having left Pennsylvania feeling invigorated, mindful of the challenges and hopeful of the opportunities for the next wave of touring talent