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Interactive Sessions: Behind the Scenes of Live Music

TIME: 1:00 PM

LOCATION: MNP District Lounge at Canada Life Place • 99 Dundas Street • London, ON

Go backstage. Get hands-on. Discover what it really takes to make live music happen during these interactive sessions.

From Load-In to Lights Up: The Roadie Olympics

Every great live performance depends on a skilled workforce behind the scenes. From stage technicians and audio engineers to backline crews and production managers, these professionals are responsible for transforming an empty stage into a flawless live music experience.

The Roadie Olympics offers delegates a rare opportunity to step behind the curtain and gain a firsthand understanding of how live music production works. Through a fast-paced, interactive competition, participants and spectators will experience the challenges, technical expertise, problem-solving, and teamwork required to deliver a successful show from load in to load out!

Teams battle head-to-head in a race against the clock, tasked with load in, stage build, troubleshooting, operating, and striking a live stage setup. Along the way, delegates will learn how production crews interpret stage plots and input lists, manage equipment, conduct soundchecks, and prepare artists for performance. Whether you're an artist, venue operator, festival organizer, policymaker, funder, or music industry professional, this session provides valuable insight into the essential production workforce that powers the live music sector and will help you better understand how a touring artist interacts with a local community.

Green Room Experience

Attendees at the 2026 City of Music Conference will have a unique opportunity to experience artist green rooms at Canada Life Place (CLP) and learn what it takes to make them happen. A local guide (Brandon Eedy) will take groups through a real artist green room of recent performing artists of CLP to give participants a behind-the-scenes look at what artists put on their riders, and the work that goes into putting together a distinctive room. Participants will learn how green rooms are set up, from rider requests to runners filling shopping carts, and the importance of integrating community partners, from food to merch, to create an unforgettable experience. Eat and drink like the stars with a coffee and snack here.

Speakers

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