MemberConnect is three-day professional development conference for the presenting sector, happening April 2–4, 2025 in Saint John, NB.
MemberConnect will take place at:
The Delta Hotel Saint John
39 King Street,
Saint John, New Brunswick
We have a special guest room conference rate of $169.00 plus taxes, subject to availability and valid until Friday, March 7th. Use this direct link to book your room online!
About MemberConnect
APA members are invited to join staff, board and fellow members for the first-ever APA MemberConnect event, happening April 2–4, 2025, in beautiful Saint John, NB. Taking place at the well-situated Delta Saint John in the city’s historic downtown core, MemberConnect will feature two and a half days of insightful conversations, impactful learning, and meaningful connections. Think of it as past Spring Retreats meets the in-person pitch sessions of old, meets Contact East-style networking fun.
Best of all, there is no registration fee! APA will be covering that for you, our valued members, along with several meals and snacks. Members will need to pay for their accommodations, some meals, and their travel costs. Subsidies for travel may be available pending funding.
For further inquiries about MemberConnect, please contact lisa@atlanticpresenters.ca.
Members and staff of the Atlantic Presenters Association live and work on the ancestral and unceded territories of the Mi’kmaq, Wəlastəkwiyik, Passamaquoddy, Beothuk, Inuit of Nunatsiavut and NunatuKavut and the Innu of Nitassinan.
MEMBERCONNECT 2025 Conference Schedule
DAY 1: Wednesday, April 2
9:30am - 10:00am AT
Delta - Trinity Room
Fuel up!
Coffee, tea, and light snacks will be provided.
10:00am - 5:00pm AT
Delta - Trinity Room
Block Booking & Affinity Group Meetings
WITH CRYSTAL LAFFOLEY (APA)
Is there an artist you’d love to book, but need other presenters on board? Our morning will be spent hearing pitches for artists you want to see in your communities and across the region next season and beyond!
After lunch, we’ll dive into a conversation on Block Booking, where members will have the opportunity to help APA evaluate & reimagine the function & use of the Block Booking program. We’ll wrap up the day with our newly-formed Affinity Groups, allowing participants to discuss shared issues, upcoming programming opportunities, and more.
Crystal Laffoley
Convergence24 Presenter
Crystal Laffoley
Convergence24 Presenter
Crystal Laffoley is the Block Booking Manager for the Atlantic Presenters Association.
1:00pm - 2:00pm AT
Delta - McAvity Room
Lunch Buffet
5:30pm - 6:30pm AT
Delta - McAvity Room
APA Networking Social
Enjoy some scrumptious snacks and great conversation before you head out on your own for dinner!
DAY 2: Thursday, April 3
9:30am - 10:00am AT
Delta - Trinity Room
Fuel up!
Coffee, tea, and light snacks will be provided.
10:00am - 3:00pm AT
Delta - Trinity Room
PD: Community Engagement
OWITH ROBIN SOKOLOSKI (MASS CULTURE), LISA GLEAVE (APA), SEDINA FIATI AND VELVET WELLS (THE BLACK PLEDGE COLLECTIVE)
This interactive workshop will enable participants to imagine what expansive community engagement can look like for their organizations. This workshop will help us see our communities not just as audiences, but as volunteers, artists, fellow organizers, and neighbours. Through participatory exercises, we will build collaborative maps of relationships and assets to help us respond to the questions: Who do you picture when you think of the word “community”? Who do you see at your theatre? Who don’t you see? Let’s dig deeper into how to connect and welcome diverse communities into performing arts spaces. There will be opportunities to discover and draw upon your strengths, examine your existing relationships and understand how those relationships can connect you to a broader community.
Includes two 15 minute breaks and a 1 hour lunch break.
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.
Sedina Fiati
MemberConnect Speaker
Sedina Fiati
MemberConnect Speaker
Sedina Fiati is a Toronto based social justice consultant and multi award winning artist for stage and screen. Proudly Black and queer, Sedina holds a BFA in Music Theatre from the University of Windsor and is a proud co founder and current Lead Producer of the Black Pledge Collective. Sedina was the 2nd VP of Membership Engagement for Canadian Actors’ Equity Association’s member council from 2015 - 2018 and was Artist/Activist in Residence at Nightwood Theatre. Recent projects: Strategic Planning with Nightwood Theatre and Confluence Concerts, Industry Consultant with Oya Black Arts Coalition Associate Producer - Equity, Diversity, Inclusion for Pretty Hard Cases Season 3, Toronto Fringe - Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Audit.
Velvet Wells
MemberConnect Speaker
Velvet Wells
MemberConnect Speaker
Velvet Wells (they/them) is an award-winning queer, Black, lyrical comedian and creator-producer based in Ottawa, unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation. They are the Strategic Partnership Lead for the Black Pledge Collective, and co-facilitator of the successful Beyond Black Squares workshop series. In 2024, they piloted their anti-racism/anti-oppression workshop “Practice Dismantling Racism”, designed as an interactive practice space using applied improvisation. They are the creator of the sold out “Ottawa Comedy Cabaret Cruise” series, the internationally toured “All Request Radio”, and they are a multiple award winning playwright for “(Re)Tired Magical Black Man.” They are proud of their Disability Files contribution “Accessibility, One Person at a Time.”
12:00pm - 1:00pm AT
Delta - McAvity Room
Lunch Buffet
3:30pm - 5:00pm AT
Delta - Trinity Room
Open Spaces Peer to Peer Learning Session
Hop around the room sharing knowledge and troubleshooting with your fellow APA members! Is there something you feel like you need advice on? Do you have knowledge to share? We will collaboratively generate topics important to you, and give you 90 minutes to share questions and expertise. We have so much collective experience and wisdom, and can always learn something new. This is a space for that to happen!
7:00pm - 10:00pm AT
Imperial Theatre - Main Stage
Bingo Pizza Party!
B-I-N-G-O and Dia was her name-o! That’s right, we’ve got the talented and entertaining local drag performer Dia Monde calling Bingo for us on the Imperial stage, where you can enjoy delicious pizza (on us) and a cash bar with signature MemberConnect cocktail and mocktail! Never fear, there will be vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free options.
DAY 3: Friday, April 4
9:00am - 11:00am AT
Delta - Trinity Room
Breakfast, Updates, and Key Insights
We’re excited to share the results of our member consultations with you over a delicious hot breakfast, and discuss the week’s key insights. No need to rush out—we’ve got the room booked until noon so you can stick around for any spontaneous meetings or catch ups!
Thank you to our Sponsors
Thank you to our Funders
