Friday, October 13, 2023 - 9:30am – Noon
Mt Boucherie Room
Bob D’Eith has served as the MLA for Maple Ridge-Mission since 2017. Currently, he is the Parliamentary Secretary for Arts and Film. He previously served as Caucus Chair and was Chair of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services.
For twenty-eight years, as an entertainment lawyer, author and music consultant, Bob D’Eith has helped Canadian musicians achieve their dreams. For over a decade as Executive Director of Music BC, he was a fierce advocate for the music industry and co-creator of the award-winning artist development program “The PEAK Performance Project.” Additionally, Bob spent many years serving the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Arts Council.
Bob is a two-time JUNO Award nominated recording artist and founding member of the musical group “Rymes with Orange.” For 20 years, Bob has produced, written, and performed with the duo “Mythos,” a group that had major label releases and achieved Top 20 status on the Billboard Charts.
Bob has lived in Maple Ridge-Mission with his wife and children for the past 19 years.
Interviewer: Parliamentary Secretary Bob D’Eith
Erin Benjamin, President and CEO of the Canadian Live Music Association, has been a highly-regarded leader in the music industry for over 25 years. In her informative keynote interview Erin will touch on the state of the live sector prior to the pandemic, discuss the impacts, the incredible challenges, the successes and where we need to focus as we look forward.
Erin Benjamin – (President and CEO of the Canadian Live Music Association) An award-winning community builder and driving force in Canadian Association leadership, Erin Benjamin has worked in the music industry for over 25 years. Originally a touring and recording artist and then as executive director of both Folk Music Ontario (2001) and the Canadian Arts Presenting Association (2008), today Erin continues her work as the first and only President & CEO of the Canadian Live Music Association (since its founding in 2014). An unflagging champion for the live music sector, particularly during COVID-19, she currently serves as a board member for the Ottawa Board of Trade, the United Way Eastern Ontario and the Ottawa Film Commission. Over the years she has served a wide variety of organizations as a board member including The Unison Fund, Folk Alliance International, the Songwriters Association of Canada, the National Arts Centre’s Creation Fund, RBC Ottawa Bluesfest and others.
She is the proud recipient of several awards including the Jackie Washington Award (NLFB, 1998), Ontario 150 Award (2017), the United Way’s Community Ambassador Award (2019), Tourism Industry Association of Ontario’s Resiliency Award (2021), and the Spirit of Folk Award (FAI, 2022), and the Estelle Klein Lifetime Achievement Award (FMO, 2023) all in recognition of her service to community.
Erin lives in a vibrant Ottawa neighbourhood with her amazing kids and perfect pandemic puppy and can often be found on the golf course in the pursuit of happiness.
(World Café style discussion in collaboration with the Canadian Live Music Association)
Table Hosts: Maddy Oliver (CLMA), Anna Hilliar (Bass Coast), Spencer Sacht-Lund (Laketown Ranch Festivals & Laketown Education Program)
This session will be a deep dive conversation into one of the most talked about topics in our industry: labour shortages. Whether it is around staff, contractors or volunteers, this discussion will focus on the recruitment, retention, and succession plans needed to ensure a more sustainable festival industry.
The information and data collected around this topic will be compiled by the Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA) to inform next steps. Our goal is to continue to collaborate together to apply learnings from the data for the purposes of creating professional development opportunities for the live music sector.
Maddy Oliver – Maddy works in music advocacy with a special interest in economic and industry development. She has helped to power the Canadian Live Music Association through one of the industry’s most trying periods, seeing successes such as the first-ever live music funding in the Federal Budget, industry relief programming like Kinaxis InConcert, and the nationally renowned #ForTheLoveOfLIVE campaign. She previously worked with the City of Toronto’s Music Office, a unit of Film & Entertainment Industries, Economic Development and Culture, which nurtures the city’s music community through policy, recommendations, and advocacy.
Anna Hilliar – Anna has 20+ years experience producing arts and music events. She has worked on a range of events, from organizing grassroots festivals like Under the Volcano and Sistahood Celebration, to working large scale music festivals. Her expertise is wide ranging and includes artist hospitality and management, booking small and large venues, volunteer management and programming multidisciplinary events with a focus on community engagement. She currently works as a promoter rep for Timbre Concerts, the Production Manager for Bass Coast Festival and a founding member of the BC Music Festival Collective. As the Production Manager for Bass Coast, Anna brings dedication and expertise to all projects, including the management of artists, building strong relationships and fostering effective communication.
Spencer “Kanaka” Sacht Lund – Spencer is a Vancouver Island based freelancer with a passion for the arts and live events. Spencer is the production manager for Laketown Ranch, which hosts and produces Sunfest, Laketown Shakedown, and the Laketown Rock music festivals. Spencer has worked and lived in several different countries managing crews for various music festivals, tours, events, and film productions. Spencer is an IATSE 168 member and Director for VSI, the local stage labour company. Spencer also holds an education degree and acted as program facilitator and director for both the Laketown Education Program and the Tiny Lights festival mentorship program , in addition to sessional instruction roles at Vancouver Island University.
Saturday, October 14, 2023 - 9:30am – Noon
Mt Boucherie Room
Round Table discussions with Katharine Pavoni and Dagan Nish (Actsafe Safety Association), Stacey Forrester (Good Night Out) and David Gonella (Salmon Arm ROOTSandBLUES Festival)
Join us for conversations around safety and climate focused topics affecting the performing arts industry. The objectives of these discussions are to share learned experiences, understand more about resources available to assist employers and workers, manage these new challenges, and identify actionable next steps that can help support the industry to address ongoing concerns.
Katharine Pavoni – Katharine joined the team at Actsafe in 2023 bringing 15 years of experience in the BC arts and entertainment industry, primarily in the motion picture industry. Katharine has worked in many different aspects of production and adjacent roles and has a passion for solving problems and working with people. Previously, Katharine acted as Manager of Community and Industry Affairs, at CreativeBC, leading a team responsible for stakeholder relations, industry initiatives and sustainability. Her experience leading several industry committees and task forces allowed her to collaborate with many different stakeholder groups in order promote growth and change across the creative arts sector. She is committed to continuing along that road with a renewed focus on the health, wellbeing and safety of the arts and entertainment industry.
Dagan Nish – Dagan has about 12 years of experience in the motion picture industry, an acting background, a Bachelor of Arts degree (Emergency & Security Management) from JIBC, and was recently certified as a Workplace Psychological Health & Safety Advisor. He has led health and safety departments as an OHS Consultant for several episodic series and an independent feature film. Dagan has volunteered with several organizations such as Vancouver Rape Relief, Gathering Place Community Centre and North Shore Emergency Management. Dagan has been actively participating in several Performing Arts working groups and events since joining the team this year and is currently working on an initiative focused on mental health and psychological safety.
Stacey Forrester (she/her) is the education director of Good Night Out Vancouver. Stacey is a former community health nurse and current educator and consultant with a passion for creating safer, more equitable arts and culture communities. Stacey is the co-founder and Education Director of Good Night Out Vancouver (founded in 2016), facilitating interactive and engaging workshops about sexual violence prevention and response for the nightlife, hospitality and live music sectors. She is also the Harm Reduction Manager for Bass Coast Music and Arts Festival, a position she has held for 10 years. Stacey was recently nominated for a Live Music Industry Award in the area of Community Impact.
David Gonella, leading the Salmon Arm Folk Music Society and ROOTSandBLUES Festival since 2007, is driven by a deep passion for the organization’s cultural and financial success. He firmly believes in fostering strong connections with the Shuswap’s local communities
- Dances With Climate: Decolonize Decentralize Decarbonize
Presented by Meeka Noelle Morgan
Meeka Noelle Morgan, M.A. (SFU) (Secwepemc and Nuu-Chah-Nulth), co founder and Artistic Director of 2 Rivers Remix Festival, an all Indigenous FREE music and arts event, which includes The Movable Feast, a semi-nomadic music and arts micro festival event carried out with indigenous communities and territories, but open to all. She co-founded and is writer and vocalist in the Indigenous music and arts group, The Melawmen Collective. Her sociological thesis was on the impacts on family her father’s people and generation experienced, and focused on re’presenting’ stories of her people and territory, through creative means.
- Festival Environmental Sustainability
Presented by Sam Jensen
Sam advocates for sustainability in BC festivals. He helps co-manage the Green Team at Bass Coast & works with a handful of intimate electronic festivals. His presentation reframes sustainability as a vital component of holistic celebrations, emphasizing its impact on our larger social sphere where sustainability is a necessary social value. Moving towards a greener future, in the short-term it involves conversations and storytelling amongst festivals and commitment to ongoing attention towards sustainability. Long-term, standardization, financial incentives, and resource sharing will help BC festivals align their values to this shared goal of sustainability.
- Engaging Youth Demographics
Presented by Harpo Mander
Harpo Mander is a visionary, thought leader, community builder, storyteller, and cultural producer. She is the Executive Director of 5X, a non-profit organization serving young, hybrid South Asians in Metro Vancouver. She’s a proud kid from Surrey who loves conversations, creating space, taking space, and cultivating space. Harpo previously hosted a podcast titled, Brown Girl Guilt, where she spoke about her many experiences as a second-generation Canadian. In addition to leading 5X, Harpo is a well-known community leader, for which she received the Surrey Board of Trade’s 2021 Top 25 Under 25 award.
Saturday, October 14, 2023 - 5pm – 6:30pm
Kelowna Delta Hotel - Upper Terrace
Come have a drink with us, enjoy some appetizers and network in the Upper Terrace at the Delta conference hotel.
