#otwsafety

We love FestForums! From the opening words, through all the handshakes and conversations to the larger perspective we were able to gain, FestForums was truly impacting to our team and our business.

At OTW Safety, we’ve never managed a mega-star world tour, founded an international group of conscious restaurants, or organized the Democratic National Convention, yet we were made to feel welcomed, valued and important by those who have. Throughout our stay in Santa Barbara, our team learned the key fundamentals and nuanced trade secrets of the festival world, while also connecting to new friends and partners on a more authentic level than I have ever experienced at a professional conference.

The day-to-day of business operations can be consuming and at times down right frustrating. It is even more aggravating to attend a conference that does little to move away from that dynamic. Without question FestForums [www.FestForums.com] succeeded in giving its sponsors, speakers and attendees the opportunity to step away from the normal grind and elevate themselves onto a different plane.

It’s a bold move to open a professional conference with a Rumi poem but FestForums did just that, setting the tone for authentic connections and community convergence. This kick-off let me know from the start that I was now in a space where I could allow my better and deeper inclinations to rise up and be shared outward. This is not to say that the conference became something other than extremely down-to-business and professional, just that there was a personal element that let you know the directors, staff, mentors and contributors sincerely cared about everyone involved.

Our entire team was astounded by the number of people we met who were truly happy and passionate about their work and goals. The collective gathering was not simply a gaggle trying to sell their products and services in search of the bottom-line. Rather, we experienced people dedicated to their craft and art, working toward improvement and evolution.

I’ll admit I am often a challenging person to work with. For example, I can let lapses in communication frustrate me, even though I am occasionally not transparent enough with my team. I can be rigid in how I expect job functions and reporting structures to be established. Yet, I also can be very rewarding to work with. I believe that how something is done is ultimately more important than what is accomplished; the journey often outweighs the destination. I strive to create balance in my own life and want people to be whole as people, and then strive to be effective at their work.

FestForums as a whole gave me the perspective to really examine how we conduct business and what we are doing for the larger community. As a counter balance to such realities of the business world like litigation, FestForums encouraged us to become more open, flexible and giving. It codified our standing practice of donating our conference demo barricades to a local and worthy organization. The conference reminded us of our strengths and capabilities while motivating us, through exposure to great industry mentors, to expand our horizons. They also equipped us with practical tools to do so!

Laurie and Stuart gave us what a festival conference should - a positive and impactful experience. Along those lines I have to extend a special Thank You to the Dave Mason show, numerous activities, but most of all the Best of Fest Awards. Any organization that takes the time to recognize others is worthy of the same praise. FestForums took the time to award some industry greats like Shep Gordon and Dave

Mason, who accepted in person, presenters such as Malcolm McDowell and Alice Cooper, and some outstanding smaller players like ProjectNextUp [LINK http://www.projectnextup.com/] too.