Overview

NOTE: This conference has now concluded. This area of the ISPA web site will remain as an archive of the conversation.

Conference Resources

• Read Ben Cameron's keynote speech
• View the slides and notes from the panel session on "The Unexpected Space"

The spectrum of Audience Expectations range from "predictable" to "surprise," while the spectrum of the various Actual Experiences range from "familiar" to "new."  Constantly moving, the intersection between "expectation" and "experience" defines the quality of "The Moment."

Seize "the moment" by joining ISPA for its 60th International Congress in January 8-10, 2008.

Hear Ben Cameron discuss seeing ourselves "less as a product to be consumed, more as a spring board to our audience’s own creativity"

Register Now!

• Congress will feature lively debates on the psychology of audiences to the imagining of new models/forms of presenting the performing arts.
• Opening Keynote in the Allen Room at Jazz @ Lincoln Center :
• Annual ISPA Awards Dinner at Tavern on the Green in New York’s Central Park
• New Works Pitch Session at New York University’s Skirball Center

The following are brief descriptions of the planned sessions but with your input, who knows how far reaching the discussion might become!

Lessons from Corporate Culture
There are numerous connections between for-profit and not-for-profit organizations but how much do we really understand each other?  We will explore what performing arts leaders can learn from corporate practice through presentation of compelling stories and a discussion of application of these lessons to the arts.

The Unexpected Space
We will hear from professionals who conceive and design new venues as well as from artists performing in them and administrators responsible for booking events.  What assumptions are we making about performance spaces, how are performance spaces evolving and how are expectations changing?

How Do We Measure Success
A popular business slogan is ‘don’t do what you can’t measure’.  Increasingly funders and sponsors are requiring ‘measurable outcomes’.  How do we use measurement to encourage great art as well as better business practices?

The Arts Experience Initiative
University of Pittsburgh Associate Professor, Lynne Conner presents her study of audience behaviors and how those behaviors are evolving.  Building on Lynne’s insights we will explore together how we can enhance our audience’s experiences.

Innovation
In today’s marketplace, innovation isn’t just a concept, it’s a necessity, sometimes even a brand.  How are social trends, technology and demographics shaping the performing arts and how are we responding?  What are the lessons to be learned from innovative businesses that anticipate and adapt to changes?  How do we fuel the spirit of innovation for ourselves and our colleagues?