As I write this, the sun is beginning to rise over the state of Florida and the fourth day of Bill Bailey's annual Winter Gospel Music Convention. Just a few miles to my left is the Gulf of Mexico and the projected high temperature for today will be around 80 degrees. (That entire sentence was inserted just to remind Jerry Kirksey that he's still in Winter's grip as he works in his Boone, N.C., office.)

As far as I know, with the exception of the National Quartet Convention, this event is the only six-day event in Southern Gospel music. And, in many regards, the format of the two events favor: a wide variety of talent, day-time activities of chapel services and showcases, vendors in the exhibit lobby and so forth.

Thus far, the week has featured Legacy Five, the Booth Brothers, Gold City, Jeff & Sheri Easter, Brian Free & Assurance, the Hoppers, the Kingsmen, the Palmetto State Quartet and many more. Yet to appear are Greater Vision, the Triumphant Quartet, the Talley Trio, the Inspirations, the McKameys, the Perrys, just to name a few. As you can tell, this is a "serious" event, spotlighted by many of Southern Gospel music's leading artists.

The audience in Palmetto is something of a unique mix. First, there's a huge number of "snowbirds" (those people from the North who spend their winters in warmer climates). All told, it appears that over 20 states are represented. There's also a fair gathering of Canadian fans who make the journey down for just the event. This year, Norway and Scotland are included in the attendance figures. And with my southern drawl and their native accents, you can only imagine us trying to have a conversation - I just hope they don't go back home and tell their friends, "You won't believe what happened to us!"

Last night, I had a few moments to sit back behind the table and relax. I grabbed an event brochure and as I ran down the list of talent, the calculator in my mind started working. The talent bill for this event is nothing to sneeze at and based on my years of experience with advertising costs, facilities fees and so on, it wasn't long before I realized the grand total of Bill Bailey's expenses this year is enough to know to cause me a few sleepless nights if it was my wallet that was on the line.

This is where one truly begins an appreciation for the concert promoter. Despite issues that creep up along the way, the fact remains that the promoter should be never be overlooked when it comes to their contributions to Southern Gospel music. After all, if you took the promoter out of the loop, there would be no Palmetto, no NQC, no Tulsa, no Fresno, no Blue Mountain. It doesn't require any rocket science to realize Southern Gospel music would be in serious trouble if there were no promoters willing to stick their neck to host events.

All too often, many fans don't have a clue who is promoting the event they are attending. In fact, some of those fans don't even care to know - until they have something to gripe about. Thank goodness, though, there are some fans who do take the time to tell the promoter they appreciate having Southern Gospel music in their town. After all, there is no rule that says every conversation has to start with "it's too loud," "it's too cold," "it's too hot," or "I don't like my seat."

With this in mind, the next time you're at a concert, note the positive aspects and let the promoter know you appreciate his or her efforts. Because, you know, people like Bill Bailey, Frank Arnold, Bob Brumley, Ray Flynn, Twila Roher, Tony Greene, Jerry Foster, Norman Bonds, Paul Shannon, Hayne Tatum, and yes, even the people involved with the NQC, could decide to put their time and efforts into something else and very quickly, the "Concert Billboard" section the Singing News would be very small.