New corps directors and administrators gathered at Drum Corps International headquarters in Indianapolis on Wednesday, a day in advance of the 2020 DCI Annual Meetings and Rules Congress, for an all-day orientation.
Held annually, the session gives first-year directors and administrators an opportunity to not only learn more about what’s in store for them at the DCI annual meetings, but also to gain insight into the tremendous variety of services and resources available to the corps with the assistance of the Drum Corps International professional staff.
“They went over so much today,” Santa Clara Vanguard director Ivan De La Cruz said. “We got to meet a lot of new directors and go over some of the minutiae of what our job is and what it entails, everything from navigating the website, the channels that we can communicate through to get our jobs done and the resources that are available to us.”
Fifteen individuals in attendance representing 11 different World and Open Class corps kicked off the day with opening remarks from DCI CEO Dan Acheson and board chair Kathy Black.
In a “getting to know you” session, attendees took part in a tour through the office, providing them with the opportunity to meet and interact with each of the departments staffed by DCI’s full-time team.
Afternoon sessions centered on corps compliance and summer tour logistics as well as an in-depth look at the event, operations, marketing communications and business development operations of Drum Corps International.
2020 DCI Annual Meeting and Rules Congress overview
New directors will join other annual meeting attendees this week beginning Thursday for sessions covering numerous business, professional development and other agenda topics.
Wednesday’s day-long program provided an immersive opportunity for an energetic group of individuals transitioning into new leadership roles within the drum corps activity to work together with others in similar roles, before the busy days of meetings get fully underway.
“You’re almost in your comfort zone,” Crossmen CEO Natalie Steele said. “You have folks you can lean on. You can ask questions, there’s trust in the conversation.”