Are you interested in presenting a workshop in 2023? We invite you to submit a proposal online. Click here for the form. 

Below is our schedule from our 2022 conference.

Monday, October 10  2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Hot topics

Venice Ballroom 1 

A fast-paced exploration of relevant topics in 2022. Each table will have a different subject and a leader that will kick off the discussion. You will either briefly share your insight or listen and learn! Hot topics may include subjects such as streaming rights, negotiations, ticket refunds, and stakeholder communication.

Tuesday, October 11 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM

Attracting Latinx, Hispanic, Spanish Origin Audiences to Concerts: Engagement Strategies

Cavallino Room

Workshop Leader: Marian Liebowitz

Presenters, artists, and agents can benefit from information regarding the successful artistic, financial, marketing, and outreach practices we are using to attract Latinx audience members to the concert hall, much of which is transferable to other BIPOC audience initiatives.

“I can’t believe it’s not Better!”

Torcello Room

Workshop Leader: Ray Solley, Tower Theatre

The expectations and definitions of success for presenters, agents, and artists have been in ceaseless flux for nearly three years. We replaced healthy ticket sales and guaranteed fees with emergency grants and one-time donations. The mantras have gone from "Just survive and break even" to "Is half-a-house the new normal?" We hear theories about pent-up patron demand, yet experience waves of unexplainable no-shows. PAC programming staples wrestle with sluggish responses. Are we doing something wrong? Has the audience changed? Can what worked in the past again be the formula for future triumphs? How long will it take to get back to 2019? This workshop draws on participants' recent 2022 experiences as springboards for determining more realistic targets and confronting the soft addiction of low expectations.

WESTAF 2022

Burano Room

Workshop Leaders: Anika Tene, Ashanti McGee

Do you live in the Western States? Be sure to attend this session to learn the latest updates to TourWest, including guidelines, award amount changes, and when to expect the next cycle opening for applicants. You will also learn about other products and services WESTAF offers the region. (continue next page) WESTAF will be available to discuss TourWest at ArtsNorthwest. TourWest is a competitive grant program that provides subsidies to nonprofit arts and community organizations for the presentation of out-of-state touring performers. The program funds presenters to subsidize touring performances within the 13-state WESTAF region and Pacific Jurisdictions. More information regarding the grant guidelines can be found at tourwest.gosmart.org.

Wednesday, October 12, 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM

Building a Better Board

Cavallino Room

Workshop Leader: Jason Hodges, Anchorage Concert Association

Regardless of the size of your nonprofit or how many staff you may or may not have, having a functional board of directors is important to the future success of any nonprofit organization. COVID and the pandemic have made maintenance of a board more challenging with remote meetings, less time together, and all of us being pulled in multiple directions. As a result, the basics of effective board management are more important than ever. If you are struggling with keeping your board engaged or if you are just wondering about the basics of good board management, this session is for you. Effective boards do not happen by accident. They happen because of good planning, strong leadership, and commitment to the mission. The Anchorage Concert Association's Executive Director Jason Hodges will discuss the methods and means to building a better and stronger board of directors and best practices for accomplishing this. He will discuss the roles of the board and staff and how the board and staff can work optimally together to further the mission of the organization, especially while trying to navigate significant disruptions. Attendees will walk away with concrete tips for better board recruiting, successful relationships between board and staff, how boards can develop their own working capacity, and how to engage a board at this moment as we emerge from the pandemic. This is session is targeted at both staff and the board.

The Future is Now Here: Digital Advertising, Changing Demographics of the PAC and how to engage them.

Torcello Room

Workshop Leader: Jacob Deaton

This session will explore the following topics: The Numbers: What Digital Marketing Will and Won't Do The Audience of 2022 and beyond: Who is the future of your theatre? What are the problems you'll face in implementing these new strategies and how to avoid them in the board meeting Why this will be the life or death of your community theatre Q&A to follow

The Arts of Access in the Art

Burano Room

Workshop Leader: Samuel Hobbs

Push/Fold Dance A 90-minute, audience interactive presentation—” How do we create a dynamic and responsive foundation within our organizations to ensure advocacy and access are byproducts of our internal actions, as opposed to addendums and line items to be included if determined financially viable?”

U.S. Visas: What Performing Artists Need to Know

Ballroom 1

Workshop Leader: Will Spitz

Immigration Attorney Getting a working visa to the U.S. has always been difficult and expensive, but as the U.S. reopens for touring, artists are discovering a world of new issues and problems. Will Spitz, an immigration attorney whose practice focuses on performing artist visas, will talk about when you need a visa and when you don’t, provide an overview of the U.S. artist visa process, and give and update regarding some of the major problems artists are currently encountering.