Touring Tip Tuesday #2: White Boards

Alright, welcome to the second installment of Touring Tip Tuesday (or T3 as it will now be called.) Last week I talked about some general touring ideas, but this week I want to start to hunker down on specifics. And, when you get specific enough, it's always best to start at the beginning. Wouldn't you agree? Good. Let's go then:

You've seen white boards in various places; they are those wonderful dry erase walls that allow you to brainstorm, list, and doodle aimlessly without penalty. They come in a ton of shapes and/or sizes, but I highly recommend getting the largest one you can afford. This white board will be one of the most used, most clutch pieces in your entire band arsenal (not just touring, but primarily for touring.)

When you purchase the white board I suggest you hang it in the band office (usually the same place that you practice.) Be sure you hang it somewhere that everyone in the band has access to at all times; this is a group effort and should be treated as such at every point. Also, make sure everyone in the band knows to use dry erase markers only on the board (these boards ain't cheap!)

We'll get into more of what you'll need the board for in other T3s, but let me just point out a short bit:

1. Tour Pre-Planning (Timeframes, Cities, Venues, etc)
2. Tour Specifics (Dates, Cities, Venues, Load-ins, etc)
3. To Do Notes (Who to call, when to call back, etc)
4. Mileage Specifics (How far each destination can be, written in plain sight!)

This is just the tip of how important this board is!!! I'm not kidding. If you don't have one, go out to Staples or Office Max and buy a big one right now! Let me know when you get yours.