Miami Winter Music Conference : 20eleven

Year after year, this monster festival has been the highlight for dance culture mavens world wide. The reason behind it is: It just is. The Winter Music Conference is the pinnacle of any dance music festival stretching over a week of madness with the best  in music, technology and sizzling people. (I'm not joking!)

photo by: ilovedjme.com

It's strange for me to be writing about WMC, as I have never actually been. Next year will be the first time for me, as press, to be attending the event to provide you guys with mad coverage. For now, I'm just gonna tell you what is going on, what the main events are, and what to expect according to my peeps who have been down every year!

From the outside, the WMC looks like a huge party that never stops. However, what most people don't know is that it is so much more than a party. They didn't call it a "conference" for nothing. The week is full of opportunities to learn and network for people looking to break into the business. Dj's, producers, managers, journalists, and musicians alike gather here for education and serious schmooze time. 

For the more academically inclined there are seminars and panel discussions which address and discuss issues facing the industry these days. This years panel discussions topics include: Music and the industry, innovations in DJ and production technology, distribution, radio exposure, legal issues and advice, media, foreign markets, and revenue streams. Beyond these panel discussions, there are the South Beach Sessions (SBS) which present a "bold new perspective on the traditional panel program". Their mission here is to create greater exposure for artists and ideas, bringing together the most influential people in music, fashion, technology, business , education, and the environment. (I love this idea!)  

photo by: housejunkz.net

Beside all this , there is the more hands approach through workshops help throughout the WMC. These include remixing and editing workshops as well as demo listening workshops. There are exhibits of new technology, the WMC Record Collectors Show, a DJ Spin-Off, parties and networking events, not to mention the club events!

Perhaps the most prestigious event at WMC are the International Dance Music Awards (IDMA) If you get tickets for this one, you're set. Celebrity performances in the past have included Lady Gaga and Rihanna. This awards show is the only one of its kind on the entire planet, and you can expect a myriad of surprises. This years host is Daniel Glass along side Naughty Natalia de la Cruz. It's always a star studded night!

As you can see, there is so much more to the WMC beside the parties (and how we LOVE the parties!!)   It's going to be heaven on Earth for those of us who adore dance music !

Check out : http://wintermusicconference.com/ for more info and tickets!