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FC NOW: The Fast Company Weblog

March 31, 2005

Interlude: Freedom to Connect

When you're organizing a conference, the little things matter. And I'd like to note two of Freedom to Connect's details that have really made the gathering a rich experience. First of all, the venue. Held at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in "downtown" Silver Spring, just outside of DC, the conference has benefited by the theater's facilities, design, and atmosphere. They even added the event to the scrolling digital marquee out front.

And musician in residence Andy Stein has been a real highlight. A founding member of Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen, Stein has also played with Asleep at the Wheel. And on April 2, he's playing a sold-out Prairie Home Companion show in New York City. His punctuation music, traveling music before and after sessions, alerting participants that things are about to begin -- as well as a Cajun duet yesterday with Terry Huval, who's an accomplished fiddler in his own right -- have contributed a lot to the overall vibe of this high-minded covention of telco visionaries.