CONFERENCE EVENTS
Friday, September 12th - "KICK OFF" Event at CIBO Restaurant & bar, 3398 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94306
Tel. 650.494.2426 6pm-10pm. Free entry for Conference Registrants, $10 for friends. No-host dinner and drinks with our guests. Guest Performers!
You can pick up your Conference Regisration package.
CONFERENCE DATE/TIME
Saturday & Sunday September 13th & 14th, 2008
10:30am-6pm Saturday & 10:30am-5pm on Sunday (Sunset Concert Saturday, 6:30pm)
REGISTRATION OPEN TIMES
8:00am - Volunteers
8:30am - Preregistered Attendees
9:00am - All Other Attendees
WEEKEND EVENTS
Getting The Most Out Of The Conference/Welcome -
Dan Kimpel- 10am in the Library Quad
Seminars and Panels on the craft and business of songwriting will take place from 10:30am to 5:30pm on Saturday and 10:30am to 4:30pm on Sunday (lunch break Noon to 1pm).
Song Screening Sessions: 10:30am-4pm on Saturday and 10:30am-3pm on Sunday
Performance Showcases: 10:30am-4pm Saturday and 10:30am-3pm on Sunday
Ongoing Open Mic In-The-Round: 10:30am-4pm on Saturday and 10:30am-3pmon Sunday
Noontime Acoustic Concerts: Noon-1pm daily
Sunset Concert: 6:30-8:30pm., Saturday only
PARKING
There is ample parking at Foothill. Please park in Parking Lot 6. Parking is $2 per day (in quarters or dollars) for the Conference weekend. Follow the signs directing you to the parking area and then to the Registration/Check-In areas and Instrument Check.
FOOD
Breakfast -Coffee and breakfast treats will be available each morning from 7:30am to 10am.
Lunch - Included in Conference fee. Provided in Library Quad Noon-1pm daily
Saturday Evening Dinner-Provided in the Library Quad 4:45pm
LOCAL HOTELS Prices Range from $60-$140
Creekside Inn (650) 493-2411 - SPECIAL $95 RATE - Main Hotel
The Hotel California (650) 322-7666
The Palo Alto Oaks (650) 493-6644
Country Inn Motel (650) 948-9154
The Glass Slipper Inn (650) 493-6611
Dinah's Garden Hotel (650) 493-2844
INSTRUMENT CHECK
Secure storage of your instrument in Room 6403 Instrument Check opens at 7:30am and closes at 5pm each day so that you may choose to check your instrument before heading to Song Check-In.
THE PROGRAM
Seminars - 3403, and 3404 (both days)
Song Screening Sessions -Rooms 3015, 3201, 3203, 3204, 3206, 3301 (both days). In these 60/90-minute sessions, songs will be played over a sound system so that everyone can hear each song and the publishers comments. Hand your CD to the DJ when your name is called.
One-on-One Consultations One-on-Ones are held in 3300-3308 . These are 15-minute personal meetings with publishers, producers, A&R representatives, or other industry professionals. Format (discussion, live or CD performance) is left to attendee to architect. Cost is $20 each (in addition to basic conference fee), payable only on the day of sign-up. Maximum of one per weekend unless more unexpectedly become available. The first pre-registered WCS members who requested One-on-One appointments on their pre-registration forms received notification before the Conference. Sign-up for Saturday's appointments is on Saturday; sign-up for Sunday's appointments is on Sunday. Sign-up takes place at the One-on-One table, across from Tape Check-In in the library quad. Appointments are made on a first come, first served basis; Because of their popularity, and the fact that there are a limited number, there is no guarantee that you will get your choice.
Performance Showcases - scheduled for Room 1401. Please bring your instrument and be punctual! Sessions last exactly 20 minutes. ALL Performance Showcase sign-ups are done on Saturday morning, adjacent to the One-on-One table. The first pre-registered WCS members who requested Performance Showcase appointments on their pre-registration forms received notification and sign-up numbers before the conference. Cost is $20 each (in addition to basic conference fee); maximum of one appointment per act per weekend. No guarantees of getting your choice of guest.
PRE-REGISTERED ATTENDEES
Pick up your registration package on Friday at the Kick Off, or Go to the Pre-registration area on Saturday (directly as you enter from Lot 6 - see Handbook map) to pick up your conference badge and information packages.
IF YOU ARE REGISTERING ONSITE
Go to the Registration area just off lot 6. Fill out a registration form and pay the volunteer. We accept cash, checks, money orders, and VISA¨/MasterCard¨/American Express¨/Discover Card¨. You will receive your badge and package of conference information at this time. To save time at registration you could go to our website at <www.westcoastsongwriters.org> and print out the Conference registration form (see home page), fill it out and bring it with you. If you arrive after 9am, registration will be in the library quad at the WCS center.
SONG CHECK-IN (8:30- 9:30am)
Song Check-In after the initial emailed sign-ups, will be held in the Library Quad. You are guaranteed two listens per day in Song Screening Sessions. Submit songs for screening sessions during Song Check-In Time, from 8:30am to 10am only each day. Songs are taken on a first-come, first-served basis, so it's best to arrive early to increase the chances of getting your choice of publishers, A & R Reps or Producers.
Songs must be submitted on CD (one song per submission) with a legible lyric sheet (preferably typed). If there's more than one song on the CD make sure to mark the track number you want played.
Get in the appropriate line for the first session you wish to register for (see program). Remove your badge from its plastic holder and present it to the volunteer. The Volunteer will note on your badge the order in which the song will be played. Once you're checked in, you'll will bring your CD to the session and hand it to the DJ. When your first CD has been registered, get into line for your second choice submission.

Approximately 9:30am, it will be announced if there are openings for any additional song submissions.
Song Check-In will close for the day at 9:50am.
CD's not taken by screeners will be available after song screening sessions outside of the Room. CD's may not be retrieved during sessions, so make sure you have brought plenty of demos. At the end of each day, they will be brought to the WCS Center.
Song/Lyric Evaluation Check-In
Song/Lyric Evaluation Check-In is held in the Song Check-In area, in the Library Quad. There is a separate line in the Song Check-In area for all Song/Lyric Evaluation sessions. Song/Lyric Evaluations count as Guaranteed Listens . Space is limited and they will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. Please bring your CD and 12 copies of the lyric to the room, so that others in the room can follow the plot.
One-on-One Consultation Sign Ups
One-on-One sign-ups are done by email. Payment is in the Library Quad (see info in previous column).
Ongoing IN-THE-ROUND
Sign-ups will be done by email in advance of the event. Any open slots can be signed up for at 8:30am, across from the Song Check-In area. Bring your instrument and store it in Instrument Check-In (Room 6403Ñ open 7:30am/closed 5pm each day). Performances are scheduled from 10:30 each day Each performer shares a 50 minute performance slot.
The Industry Exhibitors - Located in the Library Quad.
The WCS Center
In the Library Quad, the WCS Center offers a wide array of services and products:
Latest Conference event updates/Raffle tickets/info and the drawings winner names
WCS membership information & Late Registration
Our new tee shirts, plus previous-editions of WCS t-shirts, WCS Compilation CD, Conference attendees' CDs/Cassettes, industry guests' books/CDs, and Conference Seminar & Sunset Concert CD order forms (available at a discount if ordered onsite!)
Listening stations for CDs on sale, and maps of the Conference event locations.
Lost and Found