Sept 8 - 11 | Oakland, CA

What Happens at WAA 

The WAA Annual Conference isn't a typical industry event. There are no endless PowerPoints or surface-level networking receptions. This is a high-energy, hands-on booking conference where real business gets done but not at the expense of relationships. Learn more about how we’ll spend our time together including professional development sessions.

Conference Sessions

Submit Your Idea

Deadline: Friday, Feb 6 at 5pm PT

Do you have an idea for conference session? Share your idea with us!

Strategy Sessions & Workshops
We seek to provide learning opportunities that balance future focused insights with the nuts-and-bolts. This year, both types of professional development sessions will be linked to one of the three conference circles. Keep reading for more information about this year’s themes.

FAQs
Learn more about the types of ideas we’re looking for and the selection process by reading our frequently asked questions.

FAQs

12pm, Jan 27. Info Session

12pm, Jan 27. Info Session

CONFERENCE INFO SESSISSION Wednesday, January 27 at 12PM PT
From performing in WAA’s Juried Showcase to leading a conference session, learn more about how you can take the stage at WAA this year and what it takes to apply.

Sign Up for the Info Session

CIRCLES!
See it.
Talk about it.
Book it.

When you join a Circle, you join a conference community made up of diverse colleagues with a shared passion. Each circle follows the same rhythm: See a showcase, talk about it at a professional development workshop, then book it during a networking session.

You can jump between circles or dive deep into one. Either way, you’ll leave with artists booked, strategies tested, and problems solved. 

Photo: Jésus Muños Flamenco, WAA 2025; credit: Farah Sosa

Arts & Entertainment Circle

Mainstream, commercial, tribute, and holiday shows are real cultural expression and real art. They reflect who we are, keep our organizations vibrant, and help fund the artistic risks and community programs we’re proud to present. Join colleagues who’ve mastered the art of crowd-pleasing with purpose, from nostalgia acts that deliver quality to holiday shows that become beloved traditions. Discover what fills the room, delights audiences, and strengthens your mission without apology.

CO-CHAIRS
Randall Vogel, Mesa Arts Center
Jacob Deaton, GPG Touring 

WAA STAFF LIAISON
Joshua Heim

Photo: 123 Andrés; credit: Keith Kesler

Youth & Family Circle

Inspiring, meaningful, hilarious, awesome: our first experiences of live performance, whether in a school auditorium or in a public park, can lead to a lifetime of arts attendance, arts patronage and even a career in the arts! Discuss and discover the range of works touring for multigenerational audiences, from familiar favorites to unknown adventures. Learn how to market to parents vs. educators, how performance can activate your venue’s open spaces, and how to integrate youth and family programming without siloing it.

CO-CHAIRS
Spring Karlo, Holden & Arts Associates
Ruth Juliet Wikler, Clark College Foundation  

WAA STAFF LIAISON
Makaveli Gresham

Photo: Pamyua, WAA 2019; credit: Corporate Close Ups

Beyond the Circle

Not sure how to market a Bharatanatyam/hip-hop dance company? Wondering if contemporary Indigenous performance will attract audiences in your market? Curious about classical musicians who collaborate with electronic artists? Circle up with colleagues who have successfully mastered genre fluidity and programmed crossover and fusion work. Learn which genre-blending artists tour reliably, how to market work that defies categories, and how to attract audiences beyond your usual subscribers.

CO-CHAIRS
Nadhi Thekkek, Co-chair
TBD, Co-chair  

WAA STAFF LIAISON
Jonathan Campbell