The wholesalers of culture meet before the world gets the goods.

observation — attributed to Laurie Kirby

Programmers, buyers, bookers, curators, city negotiators, technical directors — they decide what the rest of the world will call the scene six months later. A convening that catches them upstream sees the next season early. Most conferences chase celebrity. The leverage is upstream of celebrity, in the spreadsheet rooms where the lineup gets locked. The wholesalers do not need applause. They need a room where they can compare notes before the world gets the goods.

For anyone trying to understand where cultural decisions actually get made.

upstream, scene, programmers, buyers