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Musical Theatre Marketing: Reach. Get. Keep. Repeat.

March 31 - April 2, 2016

Dallas, TX

Join us in Dallas, TX for an in-depth look at the challenges facing musical theatre marketers in 2016 and the tools you can use to meet them. Topics will include the state of subscriptions, best practices for data management and CRM, strategies for branding and selling your theatre as a destination, and more. We’ll hear from other Dallas arts organizations and businesses about what drives them to buy — and to come back. Through expert speakers, case studies, panel discussions and group brainstorming, we’ll give you concrete ideas you can take home to your theatres and implement right away. NAMT’s conferences are known for their energy and intimacy, and for giving attendees plenty of opportunities to network with new friends and old.

The Conference will be hosted by Dallas Theater Center at their state-of-the-art Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre and Dallas Summer Musicals at the historic Music Hall at Fair Park, along with Uptown Players, who invite attendees to their opening night at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. This is an amazing opportunity to visit and learn from NAMT’s Dallas members.

Who Should Attend The Conference

Executive management, artistic directors, marketing directors and staff, board members and anyone at your theatre involved with marketing and audience development. NAMT conferences can be a great perk for engaged donors who are interested in learning more about how things work behind the scenes! All employees of a member organization are NAMT members!

Conference Program

Your Spring Conference registration will include:

  • Two full days of panels, speakers, sessions, brainstorming and networking!
  • Meals
    • Breakfast, lunch and breaks are included on both conference days.
  • Networking Events
    • Kick-off cocktail party on Thursday, March 31
    • Opening night reception at Uptown Players on Friday, April 1
  • Performance at a NAMT Member Theatre
    • Tickets to the opening night performance Uptown Players’ regional premiere production of End of the Rainbow
Detailed Agenda

Registration, Rates and Deadlines

  • The NAMT Spring Conference is open to NAMT members in good standing and invited guests. If you are not a NAMT member (or are unsure of your membership status) and would like to attend the Spring Conference, please email Membership Director Adam Grosswirth  or call (212) 714-6668 x15.
  • The more people you bring, the more you save!
    • Member registration rates are $605 – $530 per person.
    • Additional options are available for single day rates, Associate Members and invited non-members.
  • (Early registration discounts ended on February 22.)
Details

Accommodations

Our discounted rate at the Magnolia Hotel expired on March 11, however you may check the Magnolia directly for availability, or search for nearby hotels that may have availability here.

Thanks To Our Sponsors

We are very grateful to the sponsors and exhibitors of the 2016 Spring Conference. Learn more about supporting NAMT and the benefits of sponsoring or exhibiting at our events.

Sponsor or Exhibit at the Conference
Educational Resources Committee

Phil Santora, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley (CA), Chair
Michael Ballam, Utah Festival Opera Company (UT)
Wayne Bryan, Music Theatre Wichita (KS)
Kathy Evans, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat (NY)
Mark Fleischer, Pittsburgh CLO (PA)
Donna Lynn Hilton, Goodspeed Musicals (CT)

Spring Conference 2016 Committee

Steven Box, The Human Race Theatre Company (OH)
Paulette Hopkins, Dallas Summer Musicals (TX)
Tony Joy, Dallas Summer Musicals (TX)
Darcy Koch, Dallas Theater Center (TX)
Greg Patterson, WaterTower Theatre (TX)
Brad Pritchett, Dallas Theater Center (TX)
Jeff Rane, Uptown Players (TX)
Steve Tate, Atlantic Theater Company (NY)
Nena Theis, North Carolina Theatre (NC)

Agenda

Thursday, March 31, 2016 (All times CT)
6:00 - 8:00 pmKick-Off Cocktail Party

The Tower Club
1601 Elm Street (Thanksgiving Tower)
48th Floor
Dallas, TX 75201

Join us for drinks and hors d’oeuvres with your colleagues as our hosts welcome us to Dallas! This networking event is part of the conference and included with your full or Friday-only registration.

Sponsored by Dallas Summer Musicals

Friday, April 1, 2016 (All times CT)
8:00 - 9:00 amNetworking Continental Breakfast

Magnolia Hotel
1401 Commerce Street
Griffin Room (3rd Floor)

Sponsored by Dallas Theater Center

9:00 amBus to Dallas Theater Center

Magnolia Hotel
1401 Commerce Street

9:30 - 10:15 amWelcome Remarks and 30-Second Success Stories

Dallas Theater Center
Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre
2400 Flora Street

Potter Rose Performance Hall

10:15 - 11:15 amKeynote Speech: "The Intersection Between Always and Never"

Potter Rose Performance Hall

Margie Johnson Reese is an arts advocate with wide-ranging experience in Dallas, nationally and abroad. She will speak on her vision for eliminating barriers to creative expression, arts innovation, and changes taking place on the national level.

Reese is currently Executive Director for the newly created Wichita Falls (TX) Alliance for Arts and Culture. Previously, she was Vice President for Programs at Big Thought, where she leveraged public and private sector resources to provide arts education experiences for children and their families; Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs for the City of Dallas; General Manager for the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs; and advanced cultural projects in West Africa for the Ford Foundation.

11:15 - 11:45 amNetworking Coffee Break

Wyly Theatre Lobby

11:45 am - 12:00 pmA Word From Our Sponsor: Theatrical Rights Worldwide

Potter Rose Performance Hall

12:00 - 1:00 pmIt's Still All About The Patron

Potter Rose Performance Hall

At last year’s Spring Conference on fundraising, we discussed the fact that most patrons don’t see your theatre as a collection of departments, simply as a theatre. The same principle applies to marketing and audience development. How can your whole organization work together to get people in the door and keep them there? Where do the lines get drawn when something falls into multiple jurisdictions, like community engagement?

Moderated by Phil Santora (TheatreWorks Silicon Valley), with Angela Cassette (Music Theatre Wichita), Cheryl Farley (Ogunquit Playhouse), Darcy Koch (Dallas Theater Center) and Greg Patterson (WaterTower Theatre).

1:00 - 2:30 pmLunch

Wyly Theatre Lobby

Sponsored by R&H Theatricals

2:30 - 2:45 pmDallas Theater Center Tours
2:45 - 3:45 pmConcurrent Breakout Sessions

Concurrent breakout sessions.

Marketing and Community Outreach
Where do these two areas overlap and how do they differ? Where is the line between education and audience development?
Education Center (9th Floor)

The Culture of Discounting
Have patrons come to expect discounts to everything? Are we setting our prices just so we can discount them later?
Sky Lounge (10th Floor)

Collaborating With Other Institutions
From list-sharing to connected programming, how do theatres work with other arts organizations in their communities? What are the benefits and the pitfalls?
Potter Rose Performance Hall

Marketing on a Budget
Tips, tricks and commiseration on getting the most bang for your marketing buck.
Wyly Theatre Lobby

3:45 - 4:45 pmMaking the Most of Your Data

Potter Rose Performance Hall

We all know how powerful and useful data can be — and also how easy it can be to get buried under it. As technology and tools evolve, how is your organization keeping up and using information to better serve your customers and find new ones? How can theatres pay for new systems and the people to run them?

Moderated by Buck Mason (McCoy Rigby Entertainment), with Drew Francis (Red Mountain Theatre Company), Shyam Oberoi (Dallas Museum of Art), Maura Sheffler (The Arts Community Alliance) and Zannie Voss (National Center for Arts Research).

4:45 - 5:30 pmDrill-Down Breakout Sessions

We’ll break into groups for further discussion of each of today’s topics. Pick the one that most interested you or that you want to learn more about.

It’s All About The Patron
Wyly Theatre Lobby

Making The Most of Your Data
Potter Rose Performance Hall

5:30 pmBus to Uptown

Buses will drop those attending End of the Rainbow at the Kalita Humphreys Theatre prior to the show for dinner on your own. It is a short walk to a wide variety of restaurants (directions and recommendations will be in your conference packets).

8:00 pmEnd of the Rainbow

Uptown Players
Kalita Humphreys Theater
3636 Turtle Creek Blvd

Uptown Players invites us to the opening night of their regional premiere production of End of the Rainbow. Written by Peter Quilter, End of the Rainbow is a musical drama of Judy Garland’s “comeback” concerts during December 1968. With a six week booking at London’s Talk of the Town, it looks like Judy Garland is set firmly on the comeback trail. The failed marriages, the suicide attempts and the addictions are all behind her. At 46-years old and with new flame Mickey Deans at her side, she seems determined to carry it off and recapture her magic. But lasting happiness always eludes some people, and there was never any answer to the question with which Judy ended every show: “If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, why, oh, why, can’t I?” End of the Rainbow is a savagely funny drama featuring a glorious ensemble of Judy Garland hits and infused with the glamour and the melancholy of stardom. This production will star Janelle Lutz (The Boy from Oz) as Judy Garland.

This event is part of the conference and included with your full or Friday-only registration, though registration is required when you register for the conference to guarantee tickets.

10:30 pmUptown Players Opening Night Reception

Uptown Players
Kalita Humphreys Theater

Sponsored by Uptown Players

Transportation will be provided from the theatre back to the Magnolia Hotel in at least two shifts, following the performance and later in the evening for those who wish to stay for the reception.

Saturday, April 2, 2016 (All times CT)
8:00 - 9:00 amNetworking Continental Breakfast

Magnolia Hotel
1401 Commerce Street
Griffin Room (3rd Floor)

Sponsored by The Hollywood Pantages

9:00 amBus to Dallas Summer Musicals

Magnolia Hotel
1401 Commerce Street

9:30 - 10:30 amMaking Your Theatre The Attraction

Dallas Summer Musicals
The Music Hall at Fair Park
909 1st Ave

M Dining

Shows come and go, but your theatre is constant. How do you make it the star? More importantly, how do you position theatre as a thing to do on par with other attractions in your area, with people who may not know they love theatre yet?

With Michael Ballam (Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre), Dan McMahon (Goodspeed Musicals) and Michael Murphy (The Old Globe).

10:30 - 11:30 amThe State of Subscriptions

M Dining

For years we’ve been hearing that the subscription model is dying, but is it? What’s the current state of subscriptions among NAMT members? We’ll hear case studies from theatres with successful subscription programs and those who are trying new models.

Moderated by Wayne Bryan (Music Theatre Wichita), with Robert Fleskes (Ticketmaster), Jeff Loeb (The Hollywood Pantages), Jeff Rane (Uptown Players) and Nena Theis (North Carolina Theatre).

11:30 am - 12:00 pmNetworking Coffee Break

Music Hall Center Foyer

12:00 - 1:00 pmAudience Loyalty and Retention: Customer Service and Beyond

M Dining

Getting new subscribers is just the beginning; how do we keep them? What about single ticket buyers? Are our theatres welcoming spaces? What do audiences really want and expect from us?

With Lindsay Anderson (TRG Arts), Garrett Collins (Center Theatre Group), Brad Pritchett (Dallas Theater Center) and Danyel Siler (Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma).

1:00 - 2:30 pmLunch

Dallas Summer Musicals
The Music Hall at Fair Park
909 1st Ave

Sponsored by Music Theatre International

2:30 - 2:45 pmDallas Summer Musicals Tours
2:45 - 3:45 pmOld and New Ways of Creating Buzz

M Dining

How has the shifting media landscape affected your ability to get preview press, reviews and word-of-mouth? Have digital publications, content marketing and social media made up for the loss of print critics? Have your methods for reaching audiences evolved in recent years?

Moderated by Kwofe Coleman (The MUNY), with Steven Box (The Human Race Theatre Company), David Dombrosky (InstantEncore), Amanda Farrow (Dallas Summer Musicals), Tony Joy (Dallas Summer Musicals) and Craig Lynch (Uptown Players).

3:45 - 4:30 pmDrill-Down Breakout Sessions

We’ll break into groups for further discussion of each of today’s topics. Pick the one that most interested you or that you want to learn more about.

Making Your Theatre The Attraction
The State of Subscriptions
Old and New Ways of Creating Buzz
NAMT’s New Strategic Plan

4:30 - 4:45 pmWrap-Up

M Dining

4:45 pmBus to Magnolia Hotel

Transportation from Dallas Summer Musicals to the Magnolia Hotel.

6:30 pmClosing Dinner

Iron Cactus
1520 Main Street

If you’re staying in Dallas on Saturday night, join your colleagues and the NAMT staff for dinner for some final networking and socializing time before heading home. This is an add-on event for attendees who are staying this evening; you will be able to sign up and pay for dinner when you register for the Conference.

(Iron Cactus is next door to the Magnolia Hotel.)

As of 3/18/16. Subject to change.

Map, Dining & Attractions

The fare for Dallas’ DART light rail is $2.50. Tickets can be purchased at stations or using the GoPass iPhone or Android app. Buses to the trains at the airports are free.

Directions from Love Field to Magnolia Hotel

Public Transit:
about 35 minutes travel time

524 bus (inside airport) to Inwood/Love Field DART rail station
Green Line towards Buckner or Orange Line towards Parker Road to Akard Station
Walk about 4 minutes

MAP

Cab:
20-25 minutes travel time
approx. $21 fare

Directions from Dallas-Fort Worth Airport to Magnolia Hotel

Public Transit:
about an hour and 10 minutes travel time

Orange Line DART rail from DFW Station towards Parker Road to Akard Station
Walk about 4 minutes

MAP

Cab:
30-35 minutes travel time
$45 flat starting rate, up to $65 with traffic

We will provide transportation from the Magnolia Hotel to Dallas Theater Center on the mornings of Friday, April 1, and to Dallas Summer Musicals on Saturday, April 2. If you would like to join us later in the day, the hotel offers a courtesy shuttle you may take, or you may use Dallas’ light rail system. Dallas Theater Center is also very walkable.

Transit Directions from the Magnolia Hotel to Dallas Theater Center
Walk to Akard Station, around the corner from the hotel
Take the Green Line towards Bruckner, the Red Line towards Parker Road, the Blue Line towards Rowlett or the Orange Line towards LBJ to Pearl/Arts Center Station

About 15 minutes travel time

Transit Directions from the Magnolia Hotel to Dallas Summer Musicals
Walk to Akard Station, around the corner from the hotel
Take the Green Line towards Bruckner to Fair Park Station

About 20 minutes travel time

Attendees

Actors' Family
Mandy Yiu
Executive Director
Actors' Family
Victor Pang
Artistic Director
Actors' Family
Chris Shum
Lyricist
Actors' Family
Joyce Lee
Marketing Manager
Actors' Family
Cynthia Wong
Composer
Broadway Dallas
Tony Joy
Marketing & Patron Services Manager
Broadway Dallas
Francisco Chairez
Public Relations Associate
Broadway Dallas
Haley Harrington
Marketing & Customer Service Associate
Broadway Dallas
Luke Sawyer
Concierge Manager
Broadway Dallas
Paulette Hopkins
Director of Marketing
Broadway Dallas
Michael Jenkins
President, Starlight Entertainment
Broadway Dallas
Amanda Farrow
Marketing and Social Media Coordinator
Broadway Rose Theatre
Alan Anderson
Marketing Director
Broadway Rose Theatre
Sharon Maroney
Producing Artistic Director
Casa Mañana Musicals
Lizz Larsen
Director of Marketing
Center Theatre Group
Garrett Collins
Senior Marketing Manager, Strategy & CRM
Cinevative
Mark Ciglar
CEO
Dallas Theater Center
Kevin Moriarty
Executive Director
Dallas Theater Center
Travis Ballenger
Associate Artistic Director
Dallas Theater Center
Darcy Wallace
Interim Director of Marketing & Communications
Dallas Theater Center
Brad Pritchett
Director of Marketing & Communications
Fredericia Musicalteater and Portal Nordic Musical Development
Soren Moller
Artistic Director
Fulton Theatre
Adam Andrusky
Director of Sales
Fulton Theatre
Aaron Young
Managing Director
Fulton Theatre
Eric Pugh
Director of Marketing and Communications
Goodspeed Musicals
Donna Lynn Hilton
Artistic Director
Goodspeed Musicals
Matt Tolbert
Goodspeed Musicals
Dan McMahon
Director of Marketing & Public Relations
InstantEncore
David Dombrosky
Chief Marketing Officer
Leap Event Technology
Jake McIntyre
Account Executive
Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma
Matthew Sipress
Production/Company Manager
Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma
Michael Bratcher-Magallanez
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma
Catherine Warren
Director of Development
Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma
Danyel Siler
Director of Marketing
Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma
Allie Tabberer
Marketing Associate
Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma
Siobhan Morava
Development Officer
Maine State Music Theatre
Carol Marquis
Director of Marketing and Communications
Maine State Music Theatre
Curt Dale Clark
Artistic Director
Maine State Music Theatre
Stephanie Dupal
Managing Director
McCoy Rigby Entertainment
Buck Mason
MJR Partners
Margie Reese
Principal Consultant
MogoARTS Marketing
Amanda Deely
Strategic Client Partner
Music Theater Works
Bridget McDonough
General Manager, retired
Music Theatre International
Richard Salfas
Vice President, International Licensing & Concert Presentations
Music Theatre International
Matthew Boethin
Professional Licensing Director, N. America
Music Theatre Wichita
Angela Cassette
Managing Director
Music Theatre Wichita
Wayne Bryan
Producing Director
Musical Theatre West
Michael Betts
BO manager/Marketing Manager
National Alliance for Musical Theatre
Adam Grosswirth
Member Services Director
National Alliance for Musical Theatre
Jen Whitton
Development Associate
National Alliance for Musical Theatre
Betsy Militello
Executive Director
National Alliance for Musical Theatre
Karin Nilo
Program Manager
NC Theatre
Nena Theis
Director Of Sales
NC Theatre
Angela Grant
Director of Sales
Ogunquit Playhouse
Brad Kenney
Executive Artistic Director
Ogunquit Playhouse
Cheryl Farley
Director of Marketing and Communications
Patron Technology
Robert Friend
Vice President, Nonprofit Sales
Pittsburgh CLO
Van Kaplan
Red Mountain Theatre
Drew Francis
Director of Operations
Red Mountain Theatre
Keith Cromwell
Executive Director
Riverside Theatre
Jon Moses
Managing Director, COO
Rodgers & Hammerstein
Michelle Yaroshko
Senior Vice President, Professional Licensing (North America)
Rodgers & Hammerstein
Dana Siegel
Vice President, Marketing and Business Development, Publishing
Samuel French, Inc.
Amy Rose Marsh
VP, Acquisitions and Artistic Development (North America)
SD&A Teleservices, Inc.
Mary Jane Avans
Vice President, Business Development
Spektrix
David Ciano
Account Executive
Starhawk Productions
Wendy Gillespie
President & CEO
The Dramatic Publishing Company
Bradley Lohrenz
Vice President Professional & International Licensing
The Hollywood Pantages
Jeff Loeb
President
The Human Race Theatre Company
Steven Box
Director of Marketing and Communications
The Muny
Denny Reagan
Consultant, Past President & CEO, The Muny
The Muny
Kwofe Coleman
President & CEO
The Old Globe
Michael Murphy
Theatre SilCo
Chris Alleman
Producing Artistic Director
Theatre SilCo
Joshua Blanchard
Executive Director
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
Phil Santora
Ticketmaster
Robert Fleskes
Client Development Director, Arts & Theatre
TRG Arts
Lindsay Anderson
COO
TRW
Dyan Flores
Director of Professional and International Licensing
TRW
Sean Cercone
Founder/CEO
University of Northwestern St. Paul
Jennifer Hunter
Artistic Director and Professor of Theatre
Uptown Players
Phillip Hearne
Production Associate
Uptown Players
Jeff Rane
Artistic Producer
Uptown Players
Craig Lynch
Producer/Director of Marketing
Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre
Michael Ballam
Founding General Director
Village Theatre
Diane Wright
Director of Finance
Village Theatre
Jamie Lilly
Director of Marketing
Village Theatre
Robb Hunt
WaterTower Theatre
Gregory Patterson
Managing Director
WaterTower Theatre
Terry Martin
Producing Artistic Director
Woodminster Summer Musicals
Harriet Schlader
Producer/Executive Director
Worldwide Ticketcraft
Robert Zingarelli
Business Development Manager
Worldwide Ticketcraft
Kevin Longueil
ZACH Theatre
Elisbeth Challener
Producer/Owner
Kathy Evans
Founding Executive Director
Sarahbeth Grossman
Susan Lambert Hatem
Judy Loseff
Commercial Producer

This page was last updated on 07/18/2020