Preview of ITEC 2019

[Mark Finley]

I'm here in Iowa city with the trombone festival, same place ITEC will be held next year. A few observations

The negative... No campus parking. All campus parking is gate controlled (that I've seen) so you have to park in parking garages in a retail district (very close to the music building) for $1 an hour

The positive... Just about everything else. The music building is amazing. There are a ton of places to eat within a couple of blocks. There is a clinic and drug store right across the street, several really nice hotels, (I'll probably stay closer next time to avoid the parking issue) and in general I really love this place.

Any questions?

[Three Valves]

Pay for parking??

In Iowa??

That’s why I never shop or eat in Bethesda, MD.

How about a contrabass trombone review, or three??

[Mark Finley]

Here's the elephant in the room... The elephant room

At ITF, the displays are mostly in one room, not that large, low ceilings, and very noisy. And that's for trombone. If they try to have the same room (in a hotel basement a couple of blocks away from the music building) I'm not sure that's going to be a good experience

If they have the elephant room in the music building (very large, tall rooms) but most rooms are polished unfinished concrete. Its a very live building and foyers, but there might be a couple rooms that would be OK. Interested to see what the powers that be do about this problem. I haven't seen the band hall yet, but maybe that would work?

[Mark Finley]

Pay for parking??

In Iowa??

That’s why I never shop or eat in Bethesda, MD.

How about a contrabass trombone review, or three??

Coming up!

[Peach]

What are the dates out of interest?

[bloke]

I enjoy meeting people, showing my products to them, and looking at others' products...but the "elephant room" noise is (frankly) really hard on me.
I'm not a full-time performing musician (i.e. I don't regularly perform/deliver 5-7 weekly services), but many of the elephant room festivals seem to be around the time that people like to pay me to make elephant noises (all by myself, rather than competing with forty other elephants). EDIT: The dates indicated in the next post indicate a time of year when "season finale" subscription concerts occur ~and~ band directors are contacting me about making repair pick-up appointments. I'm not sure that - frankly - displaying wares in elephant rooms (considering the considerable cost in money and time) really pays off...Maybe (??) it does. Some financially-successful manufacturers and vendors have come to the conclusion that it does not.
I do like hearing good music played well, but - for some reason - "tuba/euphonium recital music" (even though some of it is "good music" and - nearly always, at these conferences - it's "played well") just doesn't do it for me. I believe I may - simply - tend to crave "treble clef sounds" after a few minutes (??).
Accuse me of being a "snoot", but first, please re-read everything in line #1 prior to the three dots, and no, I don't view "my participation as an elephant room displayer" as "invaluable to attendees".

[Mark Finley]

What are the dates out of interest?

https://www.iteaonline.org/conferences/ ... TEC%202019

[Mark Finley]

I'll say this about ITF. The recitals and concerts have been amazing. Trombone choirs and quartets are one of favorite ensembles, so maybe it's the nature of the beast

Like bloke, I rarely get much enjoyment out of a solo tuba recital (especially "academically" programmed) but quartets are slightly more bearable.

[enhite]

Thanks for the update regarding the 2019 ITEC venue. Let's hope that the organizers can negotiate reasonable parking fees as they did for conferences at past venues.

[Mark Finley]

The problem is that the only lot close to the music building is a retail district lot. Even if they did work out something with the university, those lots would be three or 4 blocks away, not good for tuba players.

My two day parking totals so far are $19. Not TERRIBLE, but more expensive that the parking permits we had to buy in knoxville a couple years ago

[bloke]

Do the same thing I do when I play commencements on gridlocked university campuses...
Park off-campus, and bike in your your chewber on your back...
If a 61-year-old fat man can do it, you can do it...
...and hey...What do you need your chewber for...??
There are plenty of (well...Chinese ) ones there already.
Spit in those.

[Mark Finley]

I didn't take this side trip this time, but there's always next year. Only 90 minutes away

https://fieldofdreamsmoviesite.com/tours/

[DeclanLynch1]

The exhibits will not be held in the same location that the ITF exhibits were in this year. For ITEC 2019, everything will be in the Vox Building.

[Mark Finley]

Glad to hear that.

[bort]

Iowa City is a nice place. I think it's interesting that international conferences are there, because air travel is not particularly convenient (in my experience).

$1 per hour for parking sounds cheap for a retail district!

[Mark Finley]

It really adds up over several days though, I'm used to conferences being held on a university having University parking.

[JCalkin]

It really adds up over several days though, I'm used to conferences being held on a university having University parking.

There would have been plenty of parking at the old Voxman building, but it was farther away from downtown, not nearly as nice, and (most consequentially) NOT above the flood plain.

The U of Iowa has a very nice (and free) public transit system, Cambus (I drove for them as a student there). I'm certain folks could park in one of the large outlying lots and grab a bus to the music building. Perhaps John Manning already has a plan in the works for that. I'll double check with him.

[CC]

I was just there too for ITF a few weeks ago, parked in the garage across the street from the Voxman building in the mornings and stayed around as there were PLENTY of places to eat nearby and attended the evening concerts. After the concerts that usually meant a late night hang with friends so by the time I would go back to my parked car in that garage the gates were up and it cost me exactly $0 for parking that day. I think I paid $10 the whole week. Yes, if you aren’t able to do that then take a Lyft, stay at the conference hotel which will have a very convenient shuttle from what I’ve heard or bike/carpool in from an Airbnb. The cost is quite reasonable in my opinion actually. The amount of places to eat and hang so close to the school of music was really impressive so i’m looking forward to going back for ITEC!

[bloke]

suggestion:
Vendors fees INCLUDE premium/reserved parking passes, that are seen to ahead of time and supplied to vendors ahead of time.

huge negative:
unloading $XXX,XXX of merchandise, leaving it, parking blocks away, and hoofing it all the way back with the $XXX,XXX unattended.
carrying $XXX,XXX of merchandise to the curb at the end, leaving it unattended, and hoofing it (again) blocks away to get the van.