Convergence25 is a professional development conference for presenters happening October 22–25, 2025 in Kesputwitk/Yarmouth, NS, in partnership with Nova Scotia Music Week.
Interested in registering? Contact us at info@atlanticpresenters.ca.
About Convergence
Convergence25, presented in partnership with Nova Scotia Music Week, is your chance to experience four days of professional development, networking, and artist discovery. Designed specifically for presenters across Atlantic Canada, this unique gathering offers a rich blend of critical learning, hands-on skills development, and meaningful connection with like-minded peers.
Dive into curated, genre-spanning music showcases and pitch sessions, where you’ll discover fresh talent and connect with both emerging and established artists.
This conference combines the professional development focus of Shiftchange with the showcasing excitement of Contact East! Mix and mingle with fellow Atlantic presenters as well as the diverse roster of Nova Scotia Music Week delegates from near and far for a truly engaging and unique Atlantic Presenters Association event experience.
For further inquiries about Convergence, please contact lisa@atlanticpresenters.ca.
CONVERGENCE 2025 Conference Schedule
NOTE: EVENTS HIGHLIGHTED IN BLUE ARE BEING HOSTED BY NOVA SCOTIA MUSIC WEEK
DAY 1: Wednesday, October 22
1:30pm -2:00pm AT
Rose Purdy Friendship Centre
Fuel up!
Coffee, tea, and light snacks will be provided.
2:00pm - 4:00pm AT
Rose Purdy Friendship Centre
Presenter-to-Presenter Pitches, Block Booking
WITH CRYSTAL LAFFOLEY (APA)
Is there an artist you’d love to book, but need other presenters on board? Hear pitches from your fellow presenters for artists you want to see in your communities and across the region next season and beyond!
Crystal Laffoley
Convergence24 Presenter
Crystal Laffoley
Convergence24 Presenter
Crystal Laffoley is the Block Booking Manager for the Atlantic Presenters Association.
5:15pm - 6:15pm AT
Rudder's Seafood Restaurant & Brewery
Networking Reception
6:30pm - 8:00pm AT
Rudder's Seafood Restaurant & Brewery
OR
Marco's Grill & Pasta House
Hot Topic Dine Arounds
Hot Topic Dine Arounds are informal dinners at local restaurants that provide a hosted opportunity for topical networking, stimulating conversation, and peer learning.
Table 1 – Rudder’s Seafood Restaurant & Brewery, 96 Water St, Yarmouth, NS (10 spots available)
Rethinking Evaluation with Mass Culture
Hosted by Robin Sokoloski
Join Robin Sokoloski from Mass Culture for a conversation about reimagining evaluation as a relational, reflective, and learning practice. This table talk will explore how evaluation moves beyond compliance (grant reporting) to become a meaningful tool for insight, adaptation, and sharing impact.
Table 2 – Rudder’s Seafood Restaurant & Brewery, 96 Water St, Yarmouth, NS (6 spots available)
Keeping Your Staff (Happy)
Hosted by Cathy Green
What makes a happy workplace? How do you know your staff is thriving and feels valued? What are some alternative ways we can offer tangible benefits to our staff if group benefits are beyond our budget? Join Cathy Green from the Jack Byrne Sport and Entertainment Centre and APA’s Lisa Gleave for dinner and discussion on this vital topic.
Table 3 – Marco’s Grill and Pasta House, 624 Main St, Yarmouth, NS (8 spots available)
Unravelling the Many Mysteries of Ticketing
Hosted by Angela Campbell and Janet Larkman
Let’s talk pricing, CRMs, subscriptions, 2-for-1s, return policies, and more! It’s all on the table tonight with Angela Campbell from the Imperial Theatre in Saint John and Janet Larkman of the King’s Theatre, Annapolis Royal. Bring your ticketing questions, and be ready to share your ticketing answers.
Table 4 – Marco’s Grill and Pasta House, 624 Main St, Yarmouth, NS (8 spots available)
Funding and Managing Capital Projects
Hosted by Tim Yerxa
This conversation will cover the good, the bad and the ugly of wrangling the beast that is a significant capital project. If you have knowledge to share or questions to ask, this is the table for you. Hosted by Tim Yerxa, Executive Director at Fredericton Playhouse.
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Robin Sokoloski
MemberConnect Speaker
Robin Sokoloski
MemberConnect Speaker
Robin Sokoloski (she/her) is a dedicated arts and culture professional based in Tkaronto/Toronto with over two decades of experience in the field. Currently serving as the Director of Programs and Research at Mass Culture, she collaborates with academics, funders, and arts practitioners to mobilize the creation, amplification, and community-informed research to support the arts sector's growth and sustainability.
Robin currently serves on the Board of the Toronto Arts Council and as a member of Toronto Metropolitan University's Centre for Free Expression's Steering Committee. She recently taught a course on Art Policy, Equity, and Activism for Centennial College's Arts Management program. Additionally, she developed and taught a course on Cultural Entrepreneurship for MacEwan University's Arts and Cultural Management program.
Cathy Green
Secretary
Cathy Green
Secretary
Cathy (she/her) has over 13 years experience in the Sport and Entertainment sector. In her current role as Assistant Manager of Jack Byrne Regional Sport & Entertainment Centre, she is involved in the financial management, marketing & communications, human resources and special events programming for the facility. Cathy has served on multiple committees within her community and is currently Treasurer of the Atlantic Presenters Association. With her two boys pursuing their post secondary education, Cathy was inspired to return to Memorial University full time to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.
Angela Campbell
Past President
Angela Campbell
Past President
Angela (she/her) has over 17 years of experience in arts administration and professional fund development including coordination of large-scale events, donor development, organizational management, marketing & communications, human resources, artistic programming and curation, audience development, board development, strategic planning and financial management.
Angela is the Executive Director of Imperial Theatre, one of Atlantic Canada’s largest and most active Performing Arts Centres. Angela's core belief is that through partnership and collaboration we build strong communities. In her role as Executive Director she has worked to expand the Theatre’s networks locally, nationally and internationally, affirming Imperial Theatre’s role as a leader in performing arts with a mission to create a space dedicated to diversity, inclusivity and equity, while fulfilling a commitment to support artists and connect them and their work with audiences. Angela has served on multiple local and regional boards and committees and is currently the Past President of the Atlantic Presenters Association.
Janet Larkman
Past President
Janet Larkman
Past President
Janet Larkman (she/her) is honoured to serve as President of APA — an organization that challenges, inspires, and enriches what we do as presenters. She is grateful to live in the Kespukwitk region of Mi’kmaki/Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, where she has worked in community and the arts for the past 30 years. Janet is Executive Director of King’s Theatre, a 220-seat historic venue that uses contemporary technologies to present a packed schedule of year-round programming. Her work with both King’s Theatre and APA is focused on diversity, community engagement, and a passion for the performing arts. She loves being a part of the APA ecosystem, where all things are possible.
DAY 2: Thursday, October 23
9:00am - 9:30am AT
Rose Purdy Friendship Centre
Fuel up!
Coffee & tea will be provided.
9:30am - 11:30am AT
Rose Purdy Friendship Centre
Restorative Approaches: Developing Strategies for Positive Resolutions
WITH ROBIN SOKOLOSKI (MASS CULTURE) AND LISA GLEAVE (APA)
This peer-to-peer session, facilitated by Mass Culture’s Robin Sokoloski and APA’s Lisa Gleave, will introduce participants to essential concepts, skills, terminology, and agreements for engaging in equity-centred restorative practices with their staff, board, and volunteers. The goal is to empower participants to approach and manage workplace conflict with cultural humility and respect, supporting greater confidence in their conflict resolution strategies.
Robin Sokoloski
MemberConnect Speaker
Robin Sokoloski
MemberConnect Speaker
Robin Sokoloski (she/her) is a dedicated arts and culture professional based in Tkaronto/Toronto with over two decades of experience in the field. Currently serving as the Director of Programs and Research at Mass Culture, she collaborates with academics, funders, and arts practitioners to mobilize the creation, amplification, and community-informed research to support the arts sector's growth and sustainability.
Robin currently serves on the Board of the Toronto Arts Council and as a member of Toronto Metropolitan University's Centre for Free Expression's Steering Committee. She recently taught a course on Art Policy, Equity, and Activism for Centennial College's Arts Management program. Additionally, she developed and taught a course on Cultural Entrepreneurship for MacEwan University's Arts and Cultural Management program.
Lisa Gleave
Lisa is the Director of Operations and Programs for the Atlantic Presenters Association. She lives and works in Rose Bay, on the Atlantic-facing south shore of Mi'kma'ki, the unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq people, land now known as Nova Scotia. APA is the non-profit arts presenters’ organization for the four Atlantic Provinces. Our members are festival, venue, series, and event presenters. Annually we produce Contact East, a showcasing, networking and professional development conference, taking place in a rotating Atlantic Canadian destination. The conference brings together performing arts presenters and tour-ready arts performers for showcases featuring a diverse range of performance genres and provides opportunities for relationship building as well as impactful learning. APA also produces professional development activities provides networking opportunities for members, and coordinates a regional touring network. Lisa is grateful to live and work in Mi'kma'ki, the unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq people and each day goes out on the land where she lives, between the forest and the ocean, and pays her respects to the elders past and present.
11:30am - 12:30 pm AT
Rose Purdy Friendship Centre
Lunch
12:30pm - 2:30 pm AT
Rose Purdy Friendship Centre
Building a Data Strategy: Starting From Our Shared Values
WITH ROBIN SOKOLOSKI (MASS CULTURE)
Join Robin Sokoloski for a hands-on, participatory session that uses the community agreement developed earlier in the day as a case study to walk through the steps of building a values-driven data strategy. Together, we’ll explore practical questions like: What questions do we need to ask? What data do we need to collect? How do we make sense of it? And how might it be shared? This session will introduce the foundational elements of a data strategy rooted in care, accountability, and usefulness, connecting our shared values to real-world data practices.
Robin Sokoloski
MemberConnect Speaker
Robin Sokoloski
MemberConnect Speaker
Robin Sokoloski (she/her) is a dedicated arts and culture professional based in Tkaronto/Toronto with over two decades of experience in the field. Currently serving as the Director of Programs and Research at Mass Culture, she collaborates with academics, funders, and arts practitioners to mobilize the creation, amplification, and community-informed research to support the arts sector's growth and sustainability.
Robin currently serves on the Board of the Toronto Arts Council and as a member of Toronto Metropolitan University's Centre for Free Expression's Steering Committee. She recently taught a course on Art Policy, Equity, and Activism for Centennial College's Arts Management program. Additionally, she developed and taught a course on Cultural Entrepreneurship for MacEwan University's Arts and Cultural Management program.
2:30pm AT
Meet at Tru parking lot
Transportation to Rodd Grand
3:00pm - 3:50pm AT
Rodd Grand - Yarmouth / Shelburne Room
5-Minute Pitches
Artists have five minutes on stage with only one microphone and DI to showcase why they have what it takes to get booked, signed, synced, or played.
5:00pm - 6:30 pm AT
Brunswick Lanes
Bowling with NSMW delegates
6:30 pm AT
Dinner on your own
6:30pm - 12:00 am AT
Various locations
NSMW Evening Showcases
DAY 3: Friday, October 24
9:00am - 9:30am AT
Rose Purdy Friendship Centre
Fuel up!
Coffee & tea will be provided.
9:30am - 11:30am AT
Rose Purdy Friendship Centre OR Tru by Hilton (check description for location)
Knowledge Cafe Presented by CAPACOA
The Knowledge Café is a conversational process that brings a group of people together to discuss relevant topics, share experiences, build relationships, and make sense of a rapidly changing and complex arts and culture sector. The purpose is to discover the group’s collective knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of each topic. The Knowledge Café is a relaxed, informal, and conversational environment that fosters open dialogue and learning.
NOTE: Participants will have to choose two out of the three topics for discussion.
Discussion tables:
Table 1 – Rose Purdy Friendship Centre
Board Governance 101- Who Is Working for Whom Here?
Hosted by Tim Yerxa: Executive Director of the Fredericton Playhouse
Working with a volunteer board of directors can be both rewarding and challenging. Join Tim Yerxa in a lively discussion that will demystify the roles and limitations of a board and offer practical tips on how you can support your board in its governance of your organization.
Table 2 – Tru by Hilton
AI and Performing Arts Presenting Organizations: Are We Friends or Foes?
Hosted by Sarah Garton Stanley: Cultural Strategist, Creative Leader
How can AI benefit your organization? Or are the concerns, like environmental impact, and well, robots taking over, compelling enough to deter you from using this tool? At what point does AI support turn into AI leading? These questions and more will be up for debate at this thoughtful discussion hosted by Sarah Garton Stanley.
Table 3 – Tru by Hilton
What’s the Worst That Could Happen- Understanding Risk Assessment
Hosted by Spencer Shewen: Artistic Director of the Mariposa Folk Festival
With threats such as the effects of climate change and political unrest increasingly making their way into the headlines, festivals and venues must consider all possibilities when it comes to risk assessment and potential impacts on their events and activities. This conversation, hosted by Mariposa Folk Festival’s Artistic Director, Spencer Shewen, aims to take a critical look at how we can plan more effectively, safely, and intelligently.
11:30am - 12:30pm AT
Rose Purdy Friendship Centre
Lunch
12:30pm - 2:30pm AT
Rose Purdy Friendship Centre
Affinity Groups
Affinity groups allow presenters of a similar size, genre, or focus to discuss common challenges, ask questions, share opportunities, and more!
2:30pm AT
Meet at Tru parking lot
Transportation to Rodd Grand
3:00pm - 3:50pm AT
Rodd Grand - Yarmouth / Shelburne Room
5-Minute Pitches
Artists have five minutes on stage with only one microphone and DI to showcase why they have what it takes to get booked, signed, synced, or played.
4:00pm - 5:30pm AT
Rodd Grand
Break - Check out NSMW programming!
5:00pm - 6:00pm AT
Rodd Grand - Yarmouth / Shelburne Room
NSMW Welcome Reception
Join Music Nova Scotia as they officially open the 27th annual Nova Scotia Music Week!
6:30pm AT
Dinner on your own
6:30pm - 12:00 am
Various Locations
NSMW Evening Showcases
DAY 4: Saturday, October 25
9:30am - 10:30am AT
Tru by Hilton
Breakfast, wrap up, and artist discoveries
Collect breakfast from buffet and meet in the conference room.
10:30am AT
Meet at Tru parking lot
Transportation to Rodd Grand
11:00am - 12:30pm AT
Rodd Grand - Yarmouth / Shelburne Room
Regional Buyers 1:1 Meetings
Artists showcasing at Nova Scotia Music Week and their teams are invited to partake in one-on-one meetings with invited NSMW International and Domestic Delegates. Note: only for those who have meetings pre-scheduled by Music Nova Scotia.
Thank you to our Sponsors
Thank you to our Partners & Funders
