Coffee Klatch

"Coffee Klatch" (/ˈkaf-fee-klach/) connects you with up to 10 delegates in-person for an informal and intimate discussion. Discussion topics are submitted by delegates and conversations will be delegate led as well!

Tuesday, January 10, 2023

  Tea, coffee, and light refreshment provided!

Coffee Klatch and Venue Tour sign-up is now closed. There are openings at certain themed tables, please speak with the table host before taking the open seats. Additional Open Discussion tables are available for walk-ups. 

Coffee Klatch Topic Listing

Coffee Klatch 1 | Network Building in a Hybrid World
Although the past year saw a joyful return to many in-person networking events, costs and consequences of travel remain. Can continuing to develop hybrid models support committments to equity and sustainability? Can we evolve hybrid formats so that we retain deep relationship-building? How effective are hybrid programs in different regions of the world?
Host: Julia Amour (Festivals Edinburgh)

Coffee Klatch 2 | Touring in a Changed World
At the peak of the pandemic it was difficult to anticipate what a return to touring would look like, and many companies resumed touring as soon as it became possible. Together, we will discuss the new challenges touring companies are facing and explore what might make a return to touring feasible and financially sustainable.
Host: Catherine Jacques (Flip Fabrique)

Coffee Klatch 3 | The Evolving Role of Independent Producers (Table 1)
The events of the past three years have further affirmed the need for independent producers to be able to network with one another on a global scale. Members of CIPA (Creative & Independent Producers Alliance) will introduce a discussion about how independent producers can evolve the craft of producing across boundaries, develop artist partnerships, and expand the creation and distrubution of new work.
Host: Thomas Kriegsmann (ArKtype)

Coffee Klatch 4 | The Evolving Role of Independent Producers (Table 2)
The events of the past three years have further affirmed the need for independent producers to be able to network with one another on a global scale. Members of CIPA (Creative & Independent Producers Alliance) will introduce a discussion about how independent producers can evolve the craft of producing across boundaries, develop artist partnerships, and expand the creation and distrubution of new work.
Host: Alisa Regas (Pomegranate Arts)

Coffee Klatch 5 | Exploring Work with Indigenous Artists (Table 1)
A facilitated conversation about welcoming Indigenous artists and connecting with Indigenous communities.
Host: Andre Bouchard (Indigenous Performance Productions)

Coffee Klatch 6 | Exploring Work with Indigenous Artists (Table 2)
A facilitated conversation about welcoming Indigenous artists and connecting with Indigenous communities.
Host: Merindah Donnelly (BlakDance)

Coffee Klatch 7 | An Introduction to Sensory Theatre
What is sensory theatre? What makes it accessible? Who are audiences with profound and multiple learning disabilities? What does an accessible venue look like? Who is working with sensory theatre, and how can you learn more about it?
Host: Amber Onat Gregory (Frozen Light)

Coffee Klatch 8 | Moving Beyond Conflict
Geo-political events can alter our beliefs and perceptions in a way that impacts collaborations across borders. Performing arts leaders are tasked with difficult conversations that don’t always result in agreement. This is an opportunity to share experiences of difficult conversations and discuss productive ways to navigate disagreement.
Host: Nazli Tabatabai-Khatambakhsh (Guildhall School of Music and Drama)

Coffee Klatch 9 | Marketing Algorithms – Friend or Foe to Programmers?
We live in a world of behavior-influencing marketing algorithms, where buying a saucepan online swamps our social feeds with a torrent of other saucepan ads. Algorithms may be useful for saucepan companies, but how do they affect the arts? How can arts organizations continue to broaden peoples’ horizons and reach new audiences while algorithms narrow consumers’ choices?
Host: Anthony Sargent CBE (Koffler Centre of the Arts)

Coffee Klatch 10 | Artist Friendly Venues
How have the pandemic and evolved approaches to performance changed what a venue needs to offer? How can we optimize venue design and facilities to support both artists and audiences?
Host: Todd Hensley (Schuler Shook)

Coffee Klatch 11 | Community Engagement through Community Arts
While community arts are often viewed as being of lower quality or inferior to “high arts”, they are also an effective tool for engaging new communities and building deeper mechanisms for participation. How can organizations balance both programming strategies to create a true cultural democracy?
Host: Pamela Lopez (Cultural Management Consultant)

Coffee Klatch 12 | New Economic Models (Table 1)
There is much agreement that we as an industry need to reimagine our economic models and look to the monetization of new technologies. How do we create these new models and approaches?
Host: Magnus Nordberg (Nordberg Movement)

Coffee Klatch 13 | New Economic Models (Table 2)
There is much agreement that we as an industry need to reimagine our economic models and look to the monetization of new technologies. How do we create these new models and approaches?
Host: Terence Fernandez (TerryandTheCuz)

Coffee Klatch 14 | Who’s in the House? (Table 1)
As distribution models for the consumption of the performing arts were radically changed, how are we now encouraging participation in the arts? Is there one model? Are hybrid approaches the answer? How do we continue to ensure live (in-person) audiences?
Host: Caecilia Thunnissen (Oorkaan)

Coffee Klatch 15 | Who’s in the House? (Table 2)
As distribution models for the consumption of the performing arts were radically changed, how are we now encouraging participation in the arts? Is there one model? Are hybrid approaches the answer? How do we continue to ensure live (in-person) audiences?
Host: Louise Bezzina (Brisbane Festival)

Additional Coffee Klatch Tables | Open Discussion
Take this opportunity to raise an issue or opportunity that you’ve been thinking about. A non-facilitated opportunity and open to all!