Knowledge Café

Returning to the CAPACOA 2025 Conference is the mainstay program, the Knowledge Café. Facilitated by industry experts, this program allows conference participants to join small roundtable discussions and share their experiences on a range of topics.

The event will feature two rounds of discussions, with topics repeating in the second round. Each round will accommodate 7 to 8 participants at each table. Attendees are encouraged to move between tables during the rounds to engage in different discussions. Each round will begin with facilitator introductions, followed by group discussions to share knowledge and insights.

Board of Directors - Models and Challenges

  • This roundtable examines whether common Board of Director models genuinely support today’s arts organizations. Participants can share challenges and explore successful strategies and solutions for working with their boards. The session offers a candid space to evaluate governance practices, share knowledge and develop actionable approaches for building a board that is effective, respectful, and mission-aligned.

  • Jeanne LeSage

    •  Founder of LeSage Arts Management

    Angela Campbell

    • Executive Director, Imperial Theatre 

Naming Rights

  • This practical roundtable explores how arts organizations can strategically use naming rights to diversify and strengthen revenue streams. Discussion leader, Tim Yerxa, Executive Director of Fredericton Playhouse Inc., has successfully raised over 10 million dollars for the new Ron & Erma Hawkes Centre for the Arts. Learn actionable strategies to leverage naming rights as a sustainable funding tool that supports both artistic vision and financial resilience.

  • Tim Yerxa

    • Executive Director, Fredericton Playhouse

Climate Change Initiative

  • This timely roundtable invites arts presenters, producers, and performers to share how climate change is reshaping the way live events are planned and delivered. Participants will discuss real impacts—extreme heat, smoke, storms, floods, and shifting seasonal patterns—and how these conditions affect audience safety, artist wellbeing, technical operations, and venue reliability. By exchanging experiences and solutions, attendees will better understand emerging risks and identify practical steps to protect performances, audiences, and artistic continuity in an increasingly unpredictable climate.

  • Ian Garrett

    • Professor of Ecological Design for Performance at York University

    Erin Kennedy

    • Conference Coordinator, CAPACOA

AI Tools

  • The performing arts sector has spent the last decade catching up to a digital baseline— better websites, nuanced social media, some streaming, new kinds of CRMs. But we have already entered a fundamentally different phase. The next five years will be shaped by AI-native tools, new immersive audience experiences, networked performance, and ultra-high-speed connectivity. Come explore AI tools and the future!

  • Inga Petri

    • Founder, Strategic Moves

    Dessa Hayes

    • Digital Transformation Agent, CAPACOA

Care and Caregiving on Tour: Strategies for Presenters, Agents, and Artists

  • • Do you have knowledge to share on care-centred slow touring practices?

    • Are you a presenter/organization looking to explore low-cost options for family-inclusive support?

    • Are you an agent negotiating access needs for artists on tour?

    • Are you an artist touring with your baby?

    Come join Susie Burpee, Executive Director of Balancing Act Canada and Pam Patel, Artistic Director of MT Space, in a learning exchange chat inspired by real-life case study examples from Balancing Act’s network - and you!

    Let's unpack how to pack for care on tour! 

    Balancing Act Canada is a national organization that advocates for artist parents and caregivers and supports organizations to develop care-centred practices that promote gender equity and work/life balance. www.balancingactcanada.com

  • Susie Burpee

    • Executive Director, Balancing Act

    Pam Patel

    • Artistic Director, MT Space

Presenting From Place

  • Can a connection to place transform how we present artists and art? Can touring and presenting models shift to centre Indigenous worldviews, leadership and creativity? Let’s gather in-circle to share stories and explore how grounding presentations in place, protocol and care can strengthen programming and create deeper relationships with artists and communities.

  • Denise Bolduc

    • Curator - Connector - Creative Producer

    Nathan Mudge

    • Producer

RCR - Engaging Social Initiators

  • This dynamic roundtable explores how arts organizations can better recognize and support social initiators—individuals who organize cultural outings for their friends, families, and networks. Participants will discuss strategies for identifying these key audience drivers, strengthening their sense of loyalty and affiliation, and integrating them more intentionally into coordination and purchasing processes. The session offers space to think creatively about relationship-building and to brainstorm approaches that empower initiators, enhance engagement, and help grow more connected, sustainable audiences.

  • Julia Felgner

    • National Communications and Special Projects Officer, CAPACOA

    Élodie Santos

    • PhD student in Marketing at HEC Montréal

RCR - Rethinking Membership Models

  • This innovative roundtable examines the evolving role of membership programs in cultivating audience loyalty and strengthening organizational affiliation. Participants are invited to share their experiences—what has worked, what hasn’t, and the challenges they’ve faced in designing or implementing membership models. The session offers a collaborative space to reassess traditional models, identify emerging opportunities, and explore how membership can provide meaningful value for both arts organizations and the communities they serve.

  • Renaud Legoux

    • Professor of Marketing at HEC Montréal

More sessions to come!