Delegate Guidebook

chocolate in previous festivals, for
example – give it to them in the refectory
or similar, not a pitching situation!
Also, make sure you know your
logline INSIDE OUT and can deliver it
CONVERSATIONALLY and deliver it
to all who ask, whether you’re pitching
it formally or not. Remember, a logline
is a short description of the plot of your
story. Whatever you do, do NOT confuse
a logline with a tagline, which is the
strapline on the front of a poster or DVD
box, ie. “In Space No One Can Hear You
Scream.”
Taking meetings
Want to meet someone specific at
LondonSWF? The advice is simple:
Email him/her before the festival and
arrange IN ADVANCE.
This advice applies whether it’s a fellow
tweeter or an industry pro, btw. What’s
the worst that can happen? S/he says
no, too busy. You’ve lost nothing.
If that person emails back and says
yes, they’d be delighted to accept your
invitation for coffee, be sure to pick a
SPECIFIC TIME AND DATE. I’ve lost
count of the number of times writers
have said, “Let’s have coffee at LSF!”
and I’ve said yes, only to not see them
ONCE, despite sitting in communal
areas for ages (as I always do). FYI - If
you don’t make an appointment with me,
that’s fine – tweet me at @Bang2write,
and I’ll try and make it to see you. DON’T
email, DM or PM me please, these don’t
always come through in time.
If you’re not on Twitter, check out the
tweet board. I and other speakers will
be using the #LondonSWF hashtag too
and mentioning where we are at various
intervals, which will flash up on screen.
Getting there and back
Leave your home or hotel in plenty of
time. Each day of the festival starts
around 9am, so be sure to arrive before
this; lots of LSF delegates like to have
breakfast or coffee together in the
refectory around 8am. Each day finishes
around 7.30pm officially, though there’s
opportunity to network in the bar ‘til late
into the night.
Some delegates have to leave earlier
than others on the Sunday (especially
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