It’s hard to move 600 people around every day on tour.  Just ask Barry Anderson, Administrative Manager of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  But, his philosophy in the process of planning tours is “to pick venues and go out and make a splash!”  And he makes it look easy.

“There are some big things we have learned over the years,” Anderson who is charge of all the logistics for Choir tour, explains.  In past tours, the Choir has performed, then packed up, put their bags out, slept a little, gotten up early and onto the bus, traveled, and performed again.  You can see the pattern executed day after day.  This year, the Choir is using a home base hotel so that the singers can come back after the concerts and get their rest so they will be ready to perform without the incessant travel from one location to another.  The plan requires some travel during the day but this year should be less taxing.  With a rested Choir, the music will flow freely, Anderson contends.

He has five things he worries about when planning and executing the tour: 

• Performance venues
  
• Target audiences
• Hotel accommodations
• Daily Meals
• Safety

And everything in between.  He has been in charge of tours for more than a decade.  In addition to the Choir and Orchestra, the nearly 600 people entourage this year includes some guests, staff, and Church representatives. “What I have to do,” he explains, “is figure out the best plan using the five criteria and make sure that I can get everyone on stage with a safe place to sleep, well-fed, well-rested and with a group this size, you don’t want to be changing your plan.

Watch and listen to Anderson walk you through all the issues he has to juggle in planning and executing the travel plan for tour.