Save The Date

"Everything I Learned About Management, I Learned from Rock and Roll"
Wednesday, April 15 at 7PM. Breck Suite, Wright Hall
Bay Path College, Longmeadow, MA

A panel featuring: James M. Wilson III, assistant professor of business at Bay Path College and Gregory Jones of Cannes Associates concert production management. Wilson and Jones discuss how event management (specifically about rock & roll concert management) contributes to organizational theory.

Greg Jones and I have worked together for over ten years producing special events and consulting for various clients including 88.5FM/WFCR and The Academy at Charlemont. We've worked with a variety of artists, NPR authors, and NPR programs. Among the roster: "A Prairie Home Companion", "This American Life" and "Says You!"; authors Scott Simon, Terry Gross, Andrew Weil, Augusten Burroughs, and musicians the Paul Winter Consort, Jazz Mandolin Project, The Pittsburgh Collective with Matt Haimovitz.

Greg offers some cool insights, and this is an unusual opportunity to hear him speak.

Cross-Culture Journeys Featured in Washington Post

A 1/30/09 article in the Washington Post's Travel section featured Cross-Culture Journey's barge tours to Belgium.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/30/AR2009013001746.html

WFCR Travel Programs: 2009

***Venice, Verona and Vicenza
with WFCR General Manager Martin Miller
June 25-July 3
produced for WFCR by Cross-Culture Journeys

***Santa Fe Opera Tour
with WFCR Classical Music Host John Montanari
August 10-14
produced for WFCR by Tours of Distinction

both itineraries online at: http://wfcr.org/WFCREVENTS/index.php

Facebook: Better Late Than Never

I signed up on Facebook months ago, and the account lay dormant, until a friend posted photos of a friend's wedding, and I had to log in to capture the images. Well, after a recent snow day, I surfed Facebook, reactivated my account, and found that my list of friends grew rapidly overnight. It's such a distraction. But, I see its marketing potential. It certainly will make my life as Northfield Mount Hermon '68 Class Secretary easier.

And my Facebook comment for Inauguration day: "The end of an error". Seriously, I was so impressed by the majesty of the Inauguration, the panoramic photos of the millions of well-wishers, and the stature of Obama. I feel an amazing amout of optimism and patriotism, something missing in my life in the last eight years.

Two Clients Partner: Cross-Culture Journeys Develops Venice Biennale Tour for WFCR

WFCR/WNNZ presents
VENICE, VERONA, VICENZA
THE HISTORY AND ROMANCE OF THE VENETO
With WFCR General Manager Martin Miller
June 25 – July 3, 2009
9 days, 7 nights

WFCR General Manager Martin Miller and a small group of WFCR travellers head to Italy for an in-depth visit to the Italian region called the Veneto, between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea. Travel partner, Cross-Culture Journeys, has designed an itinerary that captures the essence of Italy's arts, history and cuisine. Welcome to the Veneto, or Venetia, and four of its cities, each a treasure trove of art and fine living. Venice, with its signature palaces, canals and squares is a focal point of contemporary arts this year during the Biennale exhibitions. Verona, home to Romeo and Juliet, has the world's largest opera stage in its 2,000-year-old-arena, where you’ll attend the sumptuous Zefferelli production of "Carmen".  Vicenza is graced with master architect Palladio's villas that still set the standard for elegance and harmony. Padua houses some of Giotto’s loveliest frescoes.

The itinerary and pricing information will soon be online at: http://wfcr.org/WFCREVENTS/venice.php

For a complete, in-depth itinerary, registration forms, and terms and conditions, contact Christopher Daly at WFCR, 413-545-3372 or csdaly@wfcr.org.

A Few of My Favorite Things. (Websites)

No, not raindrops on roses nor whiskers on kittens...

I can't get through the day without surfing through several places on the web. These are some current bookmarked favorites.

Airliner Routes Updates: I don't know who manages this blog, but that person should get free air tickets for life. It's an up-to-the-minute report on which airline has inaugurated new routes, new aircraft, etc. A good resource for frequent flyers and people who market travel. http://airlineroute.blogspot.com/

All That Chat: A message board for Broadway drama queens and amateur critics, fans of theatre, and theatre community. Some of the posts are passionate; some are snarky, but it's a good barometer of what real theatre fans are thinking. This year: lots of Patti-chat, Liza-swoons, and mentions of others beloved (often first name only). http://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/

Law & Order SVU: Show by Show: Whoever keeps this site up gets a personal Emmy Award from me. It lists all of the episodes, a one sentence plot summary, and the casts. And, I never knew that specific episodes had titles...http://www.geocities.com/lawandordervictims/

Skytrax: Frequent flyers from around the world rate their most recent airline, airport, airport lounge, experiences. We all know customer service globally is at an all-time low, but it's fascinating to see some reactions. http://www.airlinequality.com/

Today in the Sky: Everything one could want to know about US commercial aviation scene, compiled by USAToday's reporter Ben Mutzabaugh. On Wednesdays at 1PM ET, Ben hosts a chat for frequent flyers. He posts the transcripts for those who can't get there in time. http://blogs.usatoday.com/sky/

Towleroad: One of the BEST sites for news of interest to the gay community and a 2008 Weblog Award. Andy Towle has guest columnists covering music and theatre, and he and his colleagues got it right with indepth coverage of the Democratic convention and the Campaign. And, he uses some incredible photos to create a homepage banner. http://www.towleroad.com/

Grand Opening: WFCR in Springfield

It was a long time in coming, but worth the wait. WFCR held a ribbon cutting for its Springfield Broadcast Center, to be named in honor of local philanthropists Peggy and David Starr, on January 14. the new digs are in the broadcast studios of public TV station WGBY on Hampden Street in downtown.

I first worked on the Capitol Campaign back in 2000. The dream of WFCR at that point was a new tower (done), digital broadcasting (done), and a new station (now almost done in a different format than originally dreamed of).

It was nice to see some old friends and faces among the celebrants, and nice to see the Starrs step to the plate in helping to fund the new center.