VO Atlanta 2021

VO Atlanta Virtual 2021 wrapped up at the weekend and I really need to congratulate all those involved for putting their best feet forward. Too many to name them all but Gerald Griffith, executive producer of VO Atlanta, needs a medal for pulling this off. With dozens of speakers and oodles of sessions across a full week, I do wonder if he ate or slept at all!

This year I was both a presenter and an attendee. It was my first time hosting a breakout at VO Atlanta and I have to say it was humbling to see so many people sign up to my review about what it can mean to win an award or to gain a nomination for your work. I hope some of what I shared will help the attendees prepare and succeed in gaining recognition. On Sunday, the generosity of the VO community was once again made visible by so many impressive giveaways. I was also pleased to personally sponsor an attendee to enter a SOVAS award and to give a little back myself.

Across the week I attended many breakout sessions and a couple of X-Sessions. 4-5 days later, I am still coming to terms with all the valuable content, advice and experiences that were on offer.

I’ve not even started to consider which of the breakouts I missed or which I will watch back first but am completely confident there is a wealth of information still to be uncovered.

But I do have some thoughts on what I should be doing, which leads to the question in the title:

Should What Happens in Conference Stay in Conference?

Surely the answer is a resounding NO!

Why, because if I ask myself....

Did I pick up any Performance or Audition tips?

Did I meet people I want to connect with?

Did I pick up any Marketing or Business savvy from those in the know?

It is a resounding Yes to all!

Attending a conference is, of course, a wonderful social occasion and even virtually, VO Atlanta 2021 was no different. There were plenty of opportunities to chat, to drink and to sing karaoke but it’s so easy to procrastinate and miss the opportunities created.

For myself, I’ve learned more about the Reaper DAW which has made me more confident to use it to its potential, I picked up some audition tips and tricks which I’m already trying out, and I met several people I am now in touch with outside of the conference, some of these are voice casters.

In the past, I’ve attended many of these types of events and at every single one I can identify something or someone that has led to my business growing. Time will tell if this holds true for VO Atlanta 2021 but I feel confident that it will and I’m already looking forward to next year.

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