Dear TAXI,

When are you going to post the schedule for this year's Road Rally? I have never been to one, but I'm trying to make this year my first because I hear that the hotel rooms are cheaper because of the economy. Do you have any information yet?

Thank you,
Laura Levy

HI Laura,

We're finalizing the schedule as I type this, and we should publish earlier this year than ever before. Until then, here's some great info for first-timers from our forum.

From TAXI Forum member Vikki Flawith (with some edits for this newsletter):

Hey — I've had some e-mails from folks asking questions about the Rally so I figured, let's start a thread where we give out some general info on what happens at the Rally & stuff. Ask questions too.

WHERE DOES IT HAPPEN?
At the Westin Hotel near LAX airport in Los Angeles, CA. It's really nice — not a typical airport hotel.

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO IF I'M GOING?
First of all, you must be TAXI member or the registered guest of one. Each TAXI member attending is permitted to bring one guest, and you must pre-register the guest at the same time you register yourself. Don't wait too long — there are a limited number of tickets.

Pre-register here, or call TAXI's toll-free number, 1-800-458-2111.

After you register for the Rally, you can book your hotel room on-line as well — I think there is a link after the Road Rally registration form.

WHEN DOES THE RALLY START/END?
The Rally opens officially at 5 p.m. on Thursday Nov 5, for registration. There are two open mics that night as well. The "official" open mic in the big ballroom, where you put your name in a big box & get to play if they pull it; and a small, casual open mic in one of the meeting rooms with a sign-up sheet. The Rally usually ends at 6 p.m. on Sunday. This year, that will be November 9.

TAXI MEMBERS NOTE: One of the things you get for being a TAXI member at the Rally is a FREE 15-minute appointment with the mentor of your choice. These appointments go fast, and you make them on-site immediately after you register & pick up your registration materials. (The actual appointments happen on Friday.) That's why people start lining up an hour or more before registration opens. This will be good time to meet other people in the line-up, something you'll be doing a lot of! So, although you can register & get your name tag at any time during the Rally, if you want a free mentor appointment, you likely need to register on Thursday night.

CHOOSING A MENTOR:
TAXI will provide you with registration materials when you register that include the schedule of panels, classes, and a list of mentors & other activities. They also provide this info online a couple of weeks before the Rally. I strongly recommend you print this information off and take it with you on the plane as you need to do some pre-planning to make the most of your time.

CLASSES & PANELS: There are TONS of classes and panels at the Rally. Like I mentioned with the Mentor info, I print off a copy of the schedule before I leave home. Some of the classes are only given once and several classes run at the same time, and there are always Panels in the main Ballroom. I look carefully through the schedule and mark off events I definitely want to get to and try to figure out a schedule for myself. It's impossible to get to everything... so please take notes from the classes you attend! We all come back from the Rally and post our notes on the forum to pass along what we learned to each other and to the members of the Forum who couldn't make it.

In addition to the Classes & Panels, and the member-only Mentor Appointment, there are also member-only Mentor Lunches on Friday and Saturday. You need to buy your tickets for this in advance of the Rally, I'm sure TAXI will send out an e-mail to all registrants when they are ready. Last year it was... $35 ea. What you get is... a lovely lunch that would likely cost more if you ate at a local restaurant, and the opportunity to meet Mentors in person. I've spoken with Pat Pattison, Michael Anderson, John Braheny, Fett, and many others at the lunches. There are 30 mentors there, and they shift from table to table so you get to meet several. Of course, you share your table with other TAXI members, and everyone gets to ask a question or two of the mentors. It's really not about socializing, it's about getting the most out of the 15 minutes your group gets to spend with each industry professional that comes to your table.

WHAT YOU SHOULD BRING:
A notebook! Many bring CDs of their music to pass out/exchange with others. Definitely bring 3 or 4 CDs to enter into the Panel drawings... each listening panel (there are usually 4-6 of them!) draws music from genre boxes & gives feedback in the moment. You are permitted to enter one song on one CD per panel. And business cards if you have them. Some folks do bring guitars... sometimes there are jams going on all over, ha ha.

OPEN MICS:
There are two open mics per night — Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. They provide sound, electric & acoustic guitar and a keyboard. Or bring your own. Check your registration materials for more info.

ABOUT MEALS:
Based on my experience last year, the best value at the hotel is the buffet. If you eat a la carte, watch the prices, it can mount up. There is a Denny's just down the street to your left, and to the right is MacDonalds and a little cafe. There's a Starbucks bar in the hotel lobby that serves coffee & muffins & stuff every morning.

MISC:
Get caught up on your sleep before you come. The Rally is intoxicating, exciting, overwhelming, inspiring... you might talk so much you lose your voice by Sunday!

IS IT WORTH GOING TO?
That's a decision only you can make. But I talk a little about my own personal experience on this thread.

So, if you have any other questions, please post them and we'll try to help!

Here's the Road Rally section of the Forum:
http://taxi.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=rallyopen

cheers
Hummin'bird