The ever-helpful Cultural Enterprise Office and The Scottish Arts Council are putting on two events – one each in Glasgow and Edinburgh – for bands thinking of showcasing at SXSW next March. Even if you’re only pondering the idea right now, we’d urge you to get down to one of them. Bands (including Scott from Sons & Daughters in Glasgow and Tommy & Ziggy from FOUND in Edinburgh) will regale you with tales of Texan fun, while managers, SXSW staff and other notables will give you invaluable advice on the tedious business of getting there, visas (worth it to learn this on its own), and all the other organisational stuff that, as a band, you are uniformly shite at.

Official blurb below:

The Scottish Arts Council and Cultural Enterprise Office will be holding two training events for artists, managers and others wishing to showcase at the SxSW Music Conference in Austin Texas in March 2010. This, the first event, will be held in Glasgow.

What to Expect
The event will give bands, artists and managers the opportunity to hear from artists and managers who have showcased at the event in the past; to meet staff from SxSW and hear how you go about applying; to understand the process for securing US visas; to find out about the ‘Showcasing Scotland’ events coordinated by the Scottish Arts Council and the funding which is available to support bands.

Speakers: Scott Paterson (Sons & Daughters), Una Johnston (SxSW), Francis Macdonald (Manager of Camera Obscura), Paul Grieve (Paul Grieve Management), Katie Ray (Traffic Control) Stuart Thomas (Scottish Arts Council).

Details of the second ‘Thinking of Showcasing at SXSW 2010 or 2011?’ event taking place in Edinburgh on Friday 18 September 2009 can be found here.

How to book
This event is free of charge but booking is essential. To reserve a place, please email events@culturalenterpriseoffice.co.uk or call 0844 544 9990.