FestForums returns to Santa Barbara for a three-day conference at the Fess Parker Doubletree Resort, November 16-18th. The event is described as “a festival conference for food, beverage, music, and film festival industry leaders. Addressing cutting-edge technology, talent, ticketing, sponsorships, scheduling, merchandising, operations, sustainability, charitable work, innovation, and safety, FestForums® brings together festivals and events of all sizes for collaboration and professional development.”

But what the conference which takes place in New York and Santa Barbara every year, really strive to be is a think tank for new ideas and innovations in the organization of festivals of all kinds. Whether attendees are young students looking to get into the industry or veteran promoters looking to expand their productions, the festival has seminars of interest to all.

In addition to the many seminars, attendees will be treated to a multimedia extravaganza, including the Cinetransformer. “Attendees will relax and enjoy this one of a kind cinematic experience with complimentary movie theater snacks in an ultramodern “cinema on wheels." Cinetransformer was recently recognized by the Golden Trade Leaders in Paris with a Golden Trophy in Technology and has partnered with leaders in the film industry such as Warner Brothers, Paramount, Universal, and Disney XD.”

The festival will also present a screening of the film, American Epic with a Q&A featuring the producer and director. The film was executive produced by Jack White, T. Bone Burnett and Robert Redford and examines forgotten American musical history and reconnects it with some of today's musical pop stars. The event, situated in the Fess Parker resort on the edge of the Pacific Ocean will also feature plenty of time for networking and socializing with gourmet meals, happy hours and entertainment scheduled for the three-day conference.