-Breaking into Tour Management

One of the most diverse and multifaceted jobs in the music industry is that of the tour manager. As the person responsible for making sure everything on tour runs smoothly, this position may seem daunting, and it is not for the timid. But, for the right candidate, this can be a very rewarding, unforgettable job. The tasks performed by a tour manager are extremely diverse, and vary from band to band. One tour manager I spoke to described her duties as: “Basically, my job was to manage the band on the road. Anything from babysitting them, making sure they got to their press on time, dealing with managers of clubs, collecting money, handling promotion, driving, finding hotels, and making sure the rooms were ready for us; you do a bit of everything. Also, with smaller bands, I would set up the merchandise, so doing inventory before and after – just taking care of selling their stuff.”

Before we get too far into what the job entails, we should actually discuss getting the gig in the first place. Again, this varies from person to person, but everyone agrees that amazing networking skills are the single greatest asset an aspiring tour manager can have. Speaking from experience: “It all started just with local bands. I went to a show, in my hometown, for a local band that I was friends with. They ended up doing a show with My Chemical Romance, before they were signed, and I had kept in contact with them, so they hooked me up when they were going on tour. Networking is key, though; if you don’t know people in the industry, you can’t be a tour manager.”

Once you’ve landed the job, get ready for the real fun and excitement to begin. Travel is going to be your new middle name, for the next few months. While seeing new cities, meeting new people, and watching amazing shows every night are definitely some of the perks of the job, don’t forget you’re there to work. The band may go out partying after a show, but keep in mind you’re the one who has to be responsible and get them all up and moving, come morning. I asked one tour manager what the most challenging aspect of the job is: “Being on the road for that long of a time, especially, with smaller bands. Being in a cramped van with no privacy, and being away for long periods of time. It’s survivalism, bare necessities, you shower when you can. But on the flip side, that’s my favorite part: seeing different cities and being able to go see good live music every night.”

As far as the economy goes, tour managers need not worry. As long as bands keep on making and performing music, and people keep on listening, then this is one industry that won’t suffer. As one tour manager puts it: “A friend of mine just got into tour managing, and she picked something up pretty fast. Bands are still touring so there’s still a need for it, the same if not more.”

What’s the best advice for all the up and coming tour managers out there?

“Have a passion for it, you can’t do this job without complete passion and hard work. You can always learn along the way. Start as an assistant or merchandise person. With small bands, you’re learning with them, so it’s a nice learning curve you have together. So networking skills are key. Get to know your local bands, go to shows and start talking to people.”

Control Spending with Travel Expense Management Software

Travel expense management software simplifies the process of tracking and reimbursing travel expenditures. Managing company travel expense is no easy task. For those companies whose key team members need to travel the country or the globe to visit clients, network with coleagues and prospects, or visit work sites, making wise travel spending decisions is vital. As a matter of fact, if your staff travels frequently, this type of expenditure may eat up a large chunk of the company’s outgoing cash.

Travel Expense Management – It is always a balance for traveling executives to procure what they need for successful business trips, while keeping the firm’s expenses within budget. By choosing to implement travel expense management software from ExpenseWatch.com, smart business owners are able to manage these expenses with ease.

Company travel expense management software from ExpenseWatch.com provides a comprehensive expense reporting tool no business should be without. Thorough tracking of submitted travel expense helps reduce unnecessary spending, curbs careless reimbursement requests and helps in planning future company travel spending plans.

This Internet-based tool offers you complete control of exactly how cash is being spent. Traveling staff members can access the software on any web-connected device to create expense reports and submit them anytime from anywhere. Approvers instantly have access to these submitted travel expense reports, at which point they can decide whether or not to authorize the expense.

The time and hassle that is cut out of the company travel expense management process is valuable to your company in multiple ways. Time-sensitive decisions regarding the way travel funds are distributed throughout the company can be made faster than ever. As well, ExpenseWatch.com business travel expense management software facilitates a new level of visibility into your company’s spending habits. Areas of abuse can be examined and addressed with ease.

Invoice Processing – An important element built-into the ExpenseWatch.com business travel expense management software is the ability to flag those expenses that fall outside of the company’s travel expense policies in real time as expense requests are entered into the system. Trusting ExpenseWatch.com software for travel expense management helps companies gain control over company travel spending.

About the Author:

Travel Expense Management – ExpenseWatch.com delivers spend management products & services for businesses that automate manual, time consuming paper-based processes for company purchases, payable invoices and expense reports, while enabling visibility and control of all company spending.

Time Management Basics for The Aspiring Internet Marketer

As a future Internet Marketer you need to make sure you are committed to the goals you set for yourself. If you want to be successful within the Internet Marketing industry, you need to make good use of your time and stay focused on the objectives you’ve put in place for yourself. Time management needs to be a priority for you, no matter what your financial or long term goals may be. Almost every single one of the successful IMers out there understand how to properly manage their time and that is the reason that they are successful. If you do not watch your productivity, it is going to deflate and you will fall really far behind. Here are a few easy to apply time management tips that you can use to make sure that you’re getting as much as possible from the hours that you are putting in.

If you’re doing something that doesn’t require you to use the Internet, then unplug it. Take your laptop to a calm place like a coffee shop where you won’t be disturbed. This is particularly important when you are dealing with the section of your IM venture that entails content creation. Even when you’re planning things on paper, you don’t really need the Internet. Now you will be less tempted to deviate from the work that needs to be done. When you have restricted your access to the internet, you will be able to concentrate on work instead of play. This will supply a spot for you to do your work in peace with no interruptions.

Your to-do lists need proper management and that is a really important aspect of time management. If you don’t then it can get out of control. Assigning time to the things you think are important is a no-brainer. You can’t just go ahead and do it whenever you want to. It’s a good idea to organize your to-do list according to priority. It’ll give you a clear idea as to what you want out of your time. How you approach your time management processes will be determined almost entirely by the amount of clarity it offers you. So make sure you’re putting in the effort to manage your to-do lists in the best possible way.

When you are in business, the important thing is that you have to communicate with all kinds of people, usually. Everybody needs to take care that everything they say is easily understood and there is no room for error. You cannot afford to have any missteps here because it can cost you money or time. Obviously the worst thing is damage control, and it could be serious depending on the circumstances. Nobody ever wants these things to happen, but it can and does from time to time. The hardest part for so many people is getting started, and there are million things that need to be done. Jumping back and forth from one thing to the next all day long is very inefficient and causes mistakes to happen. When you commit to acquiring time management skills, then you are committing to your business growth. Nothing hard or strange about time management, and it is just a collection of proven methods many people have found to work wonders in their businesses.

Johanivo Gustavy is a rising star in the blogging world who writes articles on affiliate marketing, advertising and MLM. Her passion for blogging draws readers all over the world. Checkout her article on celebrating home training and on WorldVentures scam

Do’s & Don’ts In Contract Management Scope Creep

Where project management is concerned, a scope creep is a regular problem and finding ways to deal with it can be difficult for the team leader, and everyone else involved. What is refers to is when the projects scope, or vision, is impaired by uncontrollable changes.

Often, this happens when a project is not properly organized. It needs to be controlled, documented and defined to lead to as smooth a process as possible. Generally, it is a negative thing that needs to be avoided, but often this is easier said than done. Often, businesses work in tandem with their contract management supplier to help them create a thorough plan.

Things that tend to lead to a scope creep include: poor change adaptability, poor management, lack of communication and weak objectives.

The issue with Scope Creep

The implementation of contract management can be undermined before the process even begins through the scope creep deadly sin. Although it is widely-known that by scope creeping you can risk project success, not many people understand that this stage starts before the customer begins a discussion with the vendor.

When at the requirement gather stage, there needs to be collaboration for what is required of the content management provider and choosing a good system requirement. To do this, it is imperative to define what a companys business goals are for the implementation of a contract management system. By doing this the company will know the plan and goals, which will lead to a more disciplined approach which leads to a better knowledge on priorities for the implementation process.

Within large companies, prioritizing what business goals suit each department can be tough. It is a challenge because each department will require a different specification of contract management system. But, its important to not let the full spread of requirements obscure the core values of each team so that your business runs even more smoothly than usual.

The experts would point out that when you fail to plan properly then the end result is that you have mammoth proposals from providers, and this leads to an over complicated system that can need more than a year to implement. With this in mind, the project could well lose the momentum it needs through the delay that this would cause.

With this in mind, the ideal scenario is for the company to come up with a tangible and manageable list of goals for your business system and work in tandem with a contract management provider.

A tip that is often given is to develop Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 lists that add value to your goals across the short, medium and long-term. Your potential contract management provider can help you with this. Fundamental questions to ask are:
Do I know all the dates when contracts expire or need to be renewed?
Do I know contract status?
Am I over budget?

Prosthodontic Management of Ectodermal Dysplasia with Iliac bone graft and endosseou

Illica crest bone graft Ectodermal DysplasiaProsthodontic Management of Ectodermal Dysplasia with Iliac bone graft and endosseous implants : A case report

Dr Neeraj Nagpal , Dr K L Gupta, Dr Ruchi Nagpal, Dr Dhruv Sharma

ABSTRACT : Ectodermal dysplasia is a rare congenital disease that affects several ectodermal structures . Persons suffering from ectodermal dysplasia may have various manifestations of the disease that differ in severity and may or may not involve teeth, skin, nails , seat and sebaceous glands. The most common form of ectodermal dysplasia syndrome is hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia and is usually inherited as an X- linked recessive trait .Female carriers have a variable degree of clinical manifestations . This case report discusses prosthodontic management of an 18 year old female suffering from ectodermal dysplasia . Clinical management consisted of iliac crest autogenous bone graft to augment premaxilla . Later 2 endosseous implants placed in premaxilla and 2 endosseous implants placed in parasymphysis region of the mandible. After Osseointegration of the implants a four unit fixed partial denture placed in maxilla and an implant supported over denture fabricated for mandibular arch. Keywords : Ectodermal dysplasia , Christ Siemens syndrome ,Hypohidrosis , Hypotrichosis , Hypodontia . Introduction : Ectodermal dysplasia is a hereditary disorder manifested as dysplasia of tissues of ectodermal origin primarily nail, teeth skin and occasionally dysplasia of mesoderm derived tissues . As defined by Freire – Maia the nosologic group of Ectodermal dysplasia is any syndrome that exhibits at least 2 of the features ,that is ,abnormal hair (trichodysplasia ) , abnormal dentition , abnormal nails (onchodysplasia ) and abnormal or missing seat glands (dyshidrosis ) [1]. More than 150 different variants of Ectodermal dysplasia have been described [2]. Hidrotic and hypohidrotic are the 2 forms of Ectodermal dysplasia . In both types teeth and hair are similarly affected , but manifestations in nails and s eat glands and the hereditary pattern tend to differ [3] . The X- linked hypohidrotic form or Christ Siemens syndrome is characterized by clinical triad of hypohidrosis , hypotrichosis and hypodontia . Hidrotic form is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait and affects teeth , hair , and nails but usually spares the s eat glands .Prosthodontic rehabilitation is of paramount importance in patients suffering from Ectodermal dysplasia for functional , physiologic and psychologic reasons [1]. Case Report : An 18 year old female named Reena reported with multiple missing teeth since birth. Her parents reported in difficulty in getting her married due to poor look resulting from several congenitally missing teeth. After clinical and radiographic examination the case diagnosed as Anhidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia . Family history of Ectodermal dysplasia as negative . The young lady as moderately built with hypotrichosis , scarce eyebrows and scarce eyelashes , dry anhidrotic skin , depressed nasal bridge , thin lips ,dark pigmented skin around periorbital area and nose , facial height as reduced ( fig . 1 ) She reported absence of eat and that her lips and tongue remain dry in all climates . There was no relevant effect on the nails . Intraoral examination revealed presence of partially erupted four teeth in the region of 13, 16, 23 and 26 ( fig 2, 3 ). The edentulous ridge as atrophic with decreased height . the palate as shallow , oral mucosa as normal and dry due to less saliva , the tongue as relatively large . OPG X ray depicted poorly developed premaxilla and completely edentulous mandible .( fig 4 ) Surgical and Prosthodontic Management Initially the impacted canine in the mandibular arch as surgically removed ( seen in the OPG fig 1 ). The ridge augumentation of the premaxilla was done with the help of an autogenious bone graft taken from the patients iliac crest( fig 2 ). Hence, the residual alveolar ridge made suitable for the implant placement .Three implants were placed in the mandibular arch in C,B and D positions , followed by the fabrication of an implant supported mandibular overdenture .

In the maxillary arch ridge the ridge augumentation was done with the help of a iliac crest graft Henceforth , a tooth supported fixed prosthesis i.r.t 24,25,26 as fabricated . Followed by the placement of 2 implants in the premaxillary segment .After three months of osseointegration , a four unit implant supported fixed prosthesis replacing 11 ,12 ,21 and 22 as fabricated .

An iliac crest bone graft as harvested ( fig 3 ) and stabilized to augment the premaxilla ( fig 5 ) .The iliac crest is preferentially selected because it is an autogenous cancellous bone graft and is easily harvested and has predictable acceptance and biointegration . After 2 months of bone augmentation 2 endosseous implants were placed in the augmented premaxilla( fig 6 ). Osseointegration of the implants as allowed for four months , followed by fabrication of four unit fixed partial denture prosthesis in 11, 12, 21and 22 regions. Impression as made using elastomeric impression material by putty ash technique .Abutment analogues and implant analogues were placed in the impression . The impression as poured in die stone by split cast technique. Later three endosseous double stage implants were placed in the mandibular arch ( fig 7 ). After four months of Osseointegration , the implants were uncovered , the abutments ere attached and a customized impression as made , after border molding , in rubber base impression material. The mandibular arch rehabilitated with implant supported overdenture ( fig 8 ) due to economical constraints and ease of rehabilitation .The denture as fabricated from heat cured P.M.M.A. (Trevalon powder and liquid , Dentsply ) .The intaglio surface of the denture as relieved and the female housings of the implant attached using autopolymerising acrylic resin P.M.M.A. (Dentsply ) There as marked improvement in speech and the facial esthetics . Discussion The treatment for a patient of Ectodermal dysplasia varies and generally depends on the persons age , dental agenesis , degree of malformation of teeth , the growth and development of the stomatognathic system of the patient and patient’s motivation . According to Nowak [1] treating the ectodermal dysplasia patient requires the clinician to be knowledgeable in growth and development , behavioral management , techniques in fabrication of prosthesis , the ability to motivate the patient in the use of the prosthesis and the long term follow -up for the modification and/ or replacement of the prosthesis . Prosthodontic treatment for ectodermal dysplasia includes removable partial denture or complete denture , overdenture and implants .These approaches may be used either individually or in combination to provide optimal results . Early prosthodontic treatment is generally recommended from the age of 5 years . This early restoration of facial appearance is essential for normal psychological development . [1] . Rapid growth in early life dictates the use of removable partial or complete dentures for these patients. When full growth is reached, treatment planning may include dental implants to retain, support, and stabilize prostheses. Osseointegrated implants offer an alternative that will provide major improvement in the long-term prognosis for oral rehabilitation. In treatment planning for implant dentistry in these patients, extra care must be taken to determine whether adequate bone level to receive the implants is present and whether there is adequate vertical dimension of bone to support the implants. Diminished bone volume may limit the success of implants, especially in the maxilla . The problems associated with complete denture placement in an ectodermal dysplasia case are mainly associated with periodic adjustment due to growth changes and difficulties in achieving good retention and stability [5] .Difficulties in achieving adequate resistance to lateral and anteroposterior displacement of the denture in hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia patient are due to dryness of oral mucosa and underdevelopment of maxillary tuberosities and alveolar ridges .[6] If few teeth are present in the mouth, overdentures are the most desirable treatment options [1,3].Overdentures help in preservation of the alveolar bone . Due to decreased number of abutments conventional fixed prosthodontic treatment needs to be altered . Dental implants may be placed in specific areas of the alveolar ridge to gain support for the FPD . For adult patients with ectodermal dysplasia , dental implants are the treatment of choice because growth has stabilized and implants may be used to support , retain and stabilize the prosthesis [1]. In this case of an 21 year old female and the premaxilla being poorly developed . Hence, an iliac crest autogenous bone graft used to augment the premaxilla followed by placement of 2 endosseous implants . The implants were later rehabilitated with a four unit porcelain fused to metal fixed partial denture . The treatment not only improved the patient- s functional and esthetic status (fig 7 ) but also improved the psychological wellbeing and the social life. Conclusion The study discusses the management of a young lady with Anhidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia having multiple missing teeth and atrophic partially edentulous maxilla and edentulous mandibular ridge . A prosthodontic rehabilitation consisted of bone augmentation of premaxilla with iliac crest autogenous bone graft . Subsequently , 2 endosseous implants were placed to support a four unit fixed partial denture . An implant supported overdenture fabricated for completely edentulous mandibular arch . Hence , physical , physiological and psychological status of the patient as optimally restored . References 1.Pigno MA , Blackman RB ,Cronin RJ ,Cavazos E (1996 ) Prosthodontic management of ectodermal dysplasia :a review of literature . J Prosthet Dent 2.Pinheiro M ,Freire-Maia N (1994 ) Ectodermal dysplasias : a clinical classification and a casual review . Am J Med Genet 53 : 153- 162 3.Bonilla ED , Guerra L , Luna O (1997 ) Overdenture prosthesis for oral rehabilitation of hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia : a case report . Quintessence Int 28 (10): 657-661 Tarjan I , Gabrir K , Rozsa N (2005 ) Early prosthetic treatment of patient with ectodermal dysplasia : a clinical report J Prosthetic Dent 93 : 419-424 REFRENCES

1.Hickey A, Vergo JR TJ: Prosthetic treatments for patients with ectodermal dysplasia. J Prosthet Dent 2001;86:364- 368. 2.Guckes AD, Scurria MS, King TS, et al: Prospective clinical trial of dental implants in persons with ectodermal dysplasia. J Prosthet Dent 2002;88:21-25. 3.Dhanrajani PJ, Jiffry AO: Management of ectodermal dysplasia: a literature review. Dent Update 1998;25:73-75 4.NaBadalung DP: Prosthodontic rehabilitation of an anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia patient: a clinical report. J Prosthet Dent 1999;81:499-502 5.Pigno MA, Blackman RB, Cronin RJ, et al: Prosthodontic management of ectodermal dysplasia: a review of the literature. J Prosthet Dent 1996;76:541-545 6.Blattner RJ: Hereditary ectodermal dysplasia. J Pediatr 1968;73:444-447 7.Davarpanah M, Moon JW, Yang LR, et al: Dental implants in the oral rehabilitation of a teenager with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia: report of a case. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants 1997;12:252-258 8.Bolender CL, Law DB, Austin LB: Prosthodontic treatment of ectodermal dysplasia. A case report. J Prosthet Dent 1964;14:317-325 9.Snawder KD: Considerations in dental treatment of children with ectodermal dysplasia. J Am Dent Assoc 1976;93:1177-1179 10.Guckes AD, Brahim JS, McCarthy GR, et al: Using endosseous implants for patients with ectodermal dysplasia. J Am Dent Assoc 1991;122:59-62 4. Sha RM (1990 ) Prosthetic management of hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia with anadontia : case report . Aust Dent J 35 : 113-166