Checklist

Mark Your Calendar!

Here are some important dates to mark in your calendar to make sure you get the most out of WOMEX! Remember you can sign up to our newsletter to be reminded at each of these points.

• Call for Proposals– is now closed! It will open up again in early 2024 for WOMEX 24.
  The programme is chosen by our independent, international jury.
• Register and Book a Stand – Be a part of WOMEX!
  Registration is now open.
• WOMEX 23
  WOMEX 23 will take place in A Coruña, Spain on 25 - 29 October 2023.

Organise Your Travel and Accomodation

We are offering accommodation recommendations and special deals for WOMEX delegates from our local partner, as well as travel tips for getting to our destination and to all WOMEX 23 venues including other useful local information.

• A Coruña – Getting there and around
• All WOMEX 23 venues with map

Before You Go – Preparing Your WOMEX

Here's a great guide for how to prepare for your business at WOMEX and how to make the most of your time while you're there, courtesy of the veteran WOMEXican Dmitri Vietze:

• Schedule meetings. The biggest mistakes less experienced conference-goers make is not having some meetings scheduled in advance. There are plenty of panels to attend and trade fair stands to visit, but if at all possible try to schedule meetings related to the business you hope to conduct in advance. The more in-demand people may not have time to meet on the spot. Use virtualWOMEX to identify and contact possible business contacts. Try the Advanced Search if you are not sure who to contact; you can still filter by country, company type, and role. Scan panel presenters for contacts of interest as well. If you do not succeed at scheduling meetings, schedule yourself for Mentoring sessions offered by WOMEX, and put the most valuable-looking panels on your schedule. Schedule more of your meetings earlier during the expo so that you are available to schedule impromptu meetings later during WOMEX.
• Prepare materials. A lot can be done with a meeting. But you may not have enough time to explain or demonstrate everything you need to. Information about what you might bring:
  • Recordings. A few years ago everyone brought CDs. Popular label or festival directors literally filled entire suitcases with CDs. Only the most organised person was able to process and audition that many recordings before their next conference. Nowadays, people still bring full CDs, but others bring download cards, flash drives, or flat CD sleeves. It is good to have something physical to hand out, something to be remembered by. But your goals should dictate what format. If you have a large roster and a few targets, flash drives make a lot of sense. If you represent a single artist, you might consider a combination of CDs for DJs and journalists, postcards with web links for festivals, and nicer special packages for key targets. Having a variety of formats of audio means you can give the recipient exactly what they prefer. Preferences vary quite a bit from person to person. Someone hearing your music for the first time may not want a ten CD catalogue plus three DVDs in long boxes in their first meeting with you. Sampler discs can be useful for that first meeting. But when you meet that right person who is already a fan and can make a difference in your career, having a full CD on hand can make or break an offer.
  • Postcards. Think about who your target is and prepare postcard information for that audience. If you are an artist looking for festival bookings, include compelling information about the live touring act as well as career highlights. Also include what territories you are hoping to tour and when you are available (month and year). Avoid hype and clichés. Include musical styles, country of origin, key web links, and contact info. If you are an agent with a larger roster, include shorter blurbs. Compelling photos will always catch people’s eyes.
  • Stickers and badges. These are a great inexpensive gifts you can hand out to people you meet.
  • Gifts. It is not uncommon for people to bring small gifts to give to people they meet along the way. Candy, local beverages, and handicrafts are common. But you may consider something even more valuable as a thank you for someone who has helped you in the past.

Apply for a Free Mentoring Slot

WOMEX 23 will once again feature Mentoring sessions with experts from various fields within the industry, which will take place in both One-to-One and Roundtable formats. Ask all your burning questions, exchange ideas with your peers about innovative ways to present the arts, and get practical tips on effective strategy.

Schedule Your Meetings

In order to make the most of your time at WOMEX, we recommend setting up appointments beforehand to ensure you do not miss out on meeting with those that are most important to your work. Remember: be succinct and be mindful that some people's schedules might not be as flexible as your own.

Use an app, your mobile phone calendar, a diary, a date book, a notebook…but start thinking about who you want to meet.

You can search all delegates alphabetically in our online networking platform virtualWOMEX. This lists every delegate and company and you will also be able to search for those who have registered (and paid) for WOMEX 23 when registration goes live. Who do you want to meet? Who do you need to see? Find contact data of every delegate at virtualWOMEX and arrange your meetings.

Tips for Artists

Chances are that you have decided to attend WOMEX partly for fun, partly to check the pulse of the scene, and mostly to move your career forward. The types of opportunities artists may find at WOMEX include getting a booking agent or manager, getting a deal with a record label, getting bookings at theatres or festivals, getting media coverage or radio airplay, connecting with other artists for collaborations, working with a government or other agency, etc. You will find that some music industry professionals do not want to work with an artist directly. In this case, the best strategy is to act as much like a professional as possible. Record labels at WOMEX typically are not looking for new acts. They tend to have in house producers who like to find and produce/record albums for their artists, though some license tracks or full albums from territory to territory. Many festivals and concert promoters have "go to" people in each country of interest such as booking agents, record labels, or managers who they rely on for new programming material. But most will accept music from anyone. It can be very tough to pitch a booking agent at a conference because agents at these events tends to be in "selling" mode, not "buying mode". Most will still be receptive to quickly taking a CD or download card for future consideration. You may have to catch them at a less formal time, such as at showcases so they have enough time to talk.

After WOMEX

No matter what you do at WOMEX, it will be worthless if you do not have a plan to follow-up afterwards! Before you go, put a couple of follow up days in your calendar about 1-4 weeks after WOMEX. Or else you have wasted your investment in WOMEX. If you use a smart phone, get an app that lets you scan and archive business cards. (By the way, virtualWOMEX is a great resource. If you lose a card or for whatever reason need to find someone later, you can usually find their contact info in the WOMEX directory.) Plan on creating a spreadsheet with all the contacts and what the next step and due date is. Do this, do this, do this!

Packing up your Trade Fair Stand Material

The Trade Fair will close its doors on Saturday evening at 18:00. Exhibitors will have to pack everything together and clear the venue before midnight. Goods can be left at your stand, to be picked up by your transport company on Saturday until 22:00 or on Sunday between 08:00 and 20:00, at your own risk.