We want to thank all of our hosts for hosting. Private Showcases take place from 10:30 PM to 2:30 AM Thursday, Friday & Saturday night time (which is more accurately Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning but for our purposes it’s still night time). It’s possible that rooms will be hosted by different folks on different nights. See the new Private Showcase program for complete listings.

Hosts may have their own rules in addition to this but here are a few reminders.

PLEASE BE COURTEOUS!

• Watch your volume: We certainly want you to be enthusiastic but remember that there are performers right next door and we want everyone to have the best opportunity to be heard.
• Watch your time: This may seem obvious but please arrive on time, end on time and get out of the way for the next performer. We ask that you do your pre- and post-set networking and socializing as quietly as possible or better yet, out in the lobby.
• Plan ahead: Prepare your set in advance and time it so you know how long it will take and then pad it for talking or tuning.

PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL!
Hosts are responsible for the condition of their rooms. Snacks and beverages are allowed; however, if you partake in a room’s offerings, not only do we expect you to clean up after yourself, we trust you’ll stay for at least one showcase!

NO AMPLIFIED INSTRUMENTS!
These are designed to be all acoustic performances (no mics, PAs, etc) so please plan accordingly.  The only exceptions are instruments that need amplification to be heard like a keyboard or electric guitar, but they must be kept at a low volume — the equivalent of an unamplified human voice.

ADVERTISE  YOUR SHOWCASE! We encourage you to spread the word about your showcases. It’s appropriate to make small handouts with your showcase schedule but don’t make so many that you waste a lot of paper. Get creative!!

PLEASE HAVE FUN!!
This is primarily for audience members but we hope our performers will have fun as well! We trust you’ll have a hard time deciding where to go, but make sure you schedule in some acts you’ve never heard before. Discovery is the best part of any conference!

• The fee for hosting a Private Showcase is $75 per night.
• Full conference registration is required for ALL performers, hosts, and host helpers. Hosts cannot book artists that are not already registered.
• Once you have been confirmed as a host, you will pay your Private Showcase hosting fee via PayPal: https://paypal.me/midwestfolk. This fee must be paid by July 30.
• All Private Showcases are held in large conference rooms. This allows performers and attendees a more open space to enjoy the showcases and a better opportunity to protect their health.
• Please note that FARM WILL NOT be providing hosts with rooms where they can sleep. Hosts need to lodge in a hotel room separate from their Private Showcase room. Hosts also need to plan for any storage needs. Private Showcase rooms will be made available to hosts at dinnertime on the day of their showcases. Rooms must be cleaned up following each night’s performances to allow for other activities in those rooms during the daytime.
• Each showcase room will have plenty of chairs.
• Private Showcases begin at 10:30 PM and end at 2:30 AM on Thursday, Friday & Saturday nights. You are free to start later or end earlier within this timeframe. 
• Absolutely NO amplification will be allowed, and all rooms must be quiet after 2:30 AM.
• Some Private Showcase hosts may choose to charge the showcasing artists a small fee to help offset the cost of their room, refreshments, and advertising. This option is at the discretion of each individual host. Set times and number of performers “in the round” per set is also at the discretion of each host.
• Three Showcase Limit: Our goal is to make sure everyone who wants to perform has at least one opportunity. To that end, we ask artists to limit themselves to no more than 3 showcases (this includes Official Showcases, DJ Showcases, Private Showcases and Performance Lane). We also expect Private Showcase hosts to ask each performer whether they have already booked three showcases and not book performers who reached the limit of three. 
• FARM will once again host a First Timers Room, free of charge to musicians. A performance in this room DOES count towards the 3 showcase limit.

We need your final lineup by August 26. You will be provided with a template since we need the information in a very specific format.

Private Showcase Host contact information will be shared by July 15 via our Whova conference app.  You must be registered for the conference in order to access our list of private showcase hosts.

Click HERE for info on how to join our listserve, which is the primary communications tool for soliciting gigs in private showcases.  And while you’re on that page, sign up for the newsletter email list (if you haven’t already).  The newsletter will keep you very informed regarding the conference and all FARM activities.

Once you are signed up for the listserve and hosts are announced on July 15, performers and hosts can send emails to everyone else on the list serve, stating your interest in performing in a private showcase room.

Performers may also contact the hosts directly by email once the host emails have been announced (July 15).

Some Private Showcase Hosts may choose to charge the showcasing artists a small fee to help offset the cost of their room, refreshments and advertising. This is optional and at the discretion of each individual host.

ABSOLUTELY NO guerrilla or any other type of in-room showcasing will be allowed in any other rooms or at any other times.

NOTE: Three Showcase Limit
It is always the goal at FARM to make sure everyone who wants to perform has at least one opportunity to do so. To that end, and to avoid over-booking the same artist, we are asking artists to limit themselves to 3 showcases (this includes Official Showcase, DJ Showcase, Private Showcases AND Performance Lane). We expect that when booking, Private Showcase hosts will ask each performer if they have already booked 3 showcases and not book them if they have; and we expect performers to be aware of the number of showcases they have booked and not seek further bookings once they have three.

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