National Conference

About the National Conference & Theatre Tour

The League's annual conference is the largest annual gathering of historic theatre professionals, community leaders, and service providers and suppliers, attracting participants from across the U.S. and Canada for idea sharing and network building. Professionals, volunteers and devotees join together for four days of networking and peer information exchange, tools & techniques sessions, and tours of local historic theatres, plus events, banquets and receptions.

By defining our field, creating a shared vocabulary and identifying best practices, the educational components of the League's annual conference strengthen efforts to sustain historic theatres of various sizes, operating structures and programming philosophies. During theatre tours, docents emphasize how each venue has dealt with the specific challenges of sustaining their operations to serve their communities, now and in the future. The conference takes place in different locations across North America each year.

With more than 300 attendees from across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, LHAT's 2023 National Conference was a great success! Represented were more than 200 historic theatre owners, operators, volunteers and aficionados, along with 100 service providers and suppliers who are experts in our field.

In the heart of Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, the League offered four days of professional development, networking, theatre tours and more. More than 20 hours of Tools & Techniques Sessions highlighted best practices in historic theatre operations, film programming, fundraising, marketing, renovation, restoration, and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB). An additional eight hours were devoted to facilitated networking sessions which were broken into groups based on theatre types and sizes, plus different topics attendees said were top of mind at their theatres.

More than 75 people kicked off the conference on the ever-popular Pre-Conference Historic Theatre Ramble , visiting four theatres in Kansas -- the Aztec Theater in Shawnee, Liberty Hall in Lawrence, the Jayhawk Theatre in Topeka, and the Performing Arts Center in Leavenworth. The tour's last stop was at the Missouri Theater in St. Joseph, MO. During the conference, attendees were treated to tours of the Midland Theatre, the Uptown Theater, and the Folly Theater. The Folly, our 2023 Outstanding Historic Theatre Award winner, was the gracious host of our 2023 Closing Party, a grand Kansas City-themed end to this year's fantastic event.

Attendees celebrated excellence in the field at the 2023 Awards Ceremony and 41 exhibitors shared their products, services and expertise at the annual Meet the Services Providers EXPO. Attendees also met, mingled and networked during multiple networking and social events.

Special thanks to all of our National Partners and 2023 Conference Sponsors , plus our theatre tour hosts. Because of their generous support, the LHAT National Conference continues to be the largest and most important gathering specifically designed for historic theatre professionals in the nation!