Live sound for your conference, retreat or company event

Sound meditation that settles a room, from a small team to a full conference, at resorts, hotels and venues across Scottsdale and Phoenix.

Over a decade of company events and retreats, nearly all of them booked by referral.

A dark concert hall full of people seated on mats in pink and blue light, mirror balls overhead and a round lit stage behind them, at Walter Studios

An hour where nobody has to do anything

Planners often book this as a sound bath. Hamid calls it sound meditation, because the people in the room are participating rather than receiving.

The group sits in chairs or lies on mats while Hamid plays gongs, bowls, flutes and other instruments from around the world, live, for about an hour. Nobody needs experience, and nobody is watching anybody.

It asks nothing physical of anyone, so a whole company can take part in the clothes they came in, whatever their age or fitness.

A well played gong throws off a wall of overtones that settles the mind faster than most people expect, which is why it sits at the center of his work. Many of the other sounds he learned on his travels, from the Andes to the Amazon and Thailand.

What to expect

LengthAbout an hour, or 20 to 30 minutes to open a conference.
Sitting or lyingEither. Chairs work well, and mats are there for anyone who wants to lie down.
ExperienceNone needed, and nothing to prepare.
ClothingWhatever the day already calls for.
Setting upAbout an hour in the room before the group comes in, for Hamid to set up the instruments.

Where it fits in your program

Meeting planners report that early morning wellness sessions draw few people. A session later in the day, at a natural pause, fills the room.

Before the closing session

After lunch, when attention is lowest, and before the last general session of the day.

Late afternoon

Around half past four, with time left to change before dinner.

In place of a reception

An evening for the guests who would rather not stand around with a drink.

A retreat's first or last night

To arrive together at the start, or to finish together at the end.

Opening a conference

A session of 20 to 30 minutes to settle a ballroom before the first speaker.

A resort's own guests

A live gong evening on the resort's calendar, for the guests and groups staying in.

What the room needs, by the size of your group

Up to twentyA meeting room, a suite or an office. Chairs are fine, and mats if people want to lie down.
Twenty to fiftyA large meeting room or part of a ballroom, set with chairs or mats.
Fifty to a hundredA ballroom, usually with the hotel's microphones, speakers and a technician, so the back of the room hears what the front does.
Over a hundredPlanned well ahead with you and the hotel's audio team.

Hamid brings the instruments. The room, the chairs or mats and, for larger groups, the sound system come from you or the venue. Most hotels provide all of them.

The fee is set by the size of the group and the length of the session. Send the date and the headcount for a quote.

A long studio room full of people on mats with blankets and bolsters, settling in for a sound meditation, a gong on its stand at the far wall

A live gong evening for the groups you host

For resort event teams and destination companies

Destination companies and resort event teams build the menu a visiting company chooses from. Hamid can be a line on it.

A spa's sound class suits a few guests at a time. This is for the whole group: a general session of two hundred, an evening in place of a reception, or the close of the last day.

Most of Hamid's corporate work already comes by referral from planners and venues.

A regular program, through one contract

For venues and companies that want sound more than once

Hamid has a network of several hundred graduates of his trainings. For a regular program, or sessions in several places at once, he sends practitioners from that network and acts as the main contractor.

This is how he programs sound events at Desert Botanical Garden. Some of his graduates are listed in the practitioner directory.

Who leadsA practitioner Hamid has trained, or Hamid himself
Who you deal withHamid, for every session
The paperworkHandled by Hamid
Hamid sitting on a studio floor in front of a large gong, striking it with a soft mallet, with someone lying down behind him in the window light

Who leads the session

Hamid Jabbar went to NYU on a music scholarship and has been studying gongs, singing bowls and flutes since 2012. He has led sound for company groups for over a decade.

He has taught sound since 2018, and he trains sound practitioners in person and online, so the session is led by someone who teaches others how to lead one.

Read his storyHear his recordings

Questions planners ask

Is this a sound bath?

It is what most planners and resorts call it. Hamid calls it sound meditation. Either way it is an hour of live gongs and other instruments while the group sits or lies still and listens.

Do people have to lie down?

No. Chairs work well, even a ballroom set in rows. Lying down is there for anyone who wants it, where mats are provided.

What does Hamid bring, and what does the venue provide?

Hamid brings the instruments. The venue provides the room, the chairs or mats, and for larger groups the microphones, speakers and a technician. Most hotels have all of these on hand.

How many people can take part?

From a small team to a full conference. Above fifty, the hotel's sound system is usually needed so the back of the room hears the instruments. Above a hundred, the session is planned well ahead with the hotel's audio team.

How long is a session?

Most run about an hour. A session of 20 to 30 minutes suits a conference opening or a break between speakers.

Can you run a regular program, or several sessions at once?

Yes. Hamid sends practitioners he has trained and acts as the main contractor, so you deal with him for every session. This is how he programs sound events at Desert Botanical Garden.

Where does Hamid go?

Resorts, hotels and offices across Phoenix and Scottsdale. Events elsewhere are arranged on request.

How far ahead should we book?

There is no set lead time. About a month ahead usually works well, and Hamid can often take a date at short notice.

Can we hear it before we book?

Yes. Hamid's public events are on the events page, and his recordings are on the music page.

How is the fee set?

By the size of the group and the length of the session. Send the date and the headcount for a quote.

Tell Hamid about your event

How many people, and whether it is one event or a series, are enough to start. The date and the venue can come later.

Hamid seen from behind in a green shirt, seated on the floor with his guitar, facing a bright room of people lying on mats before tall windows