Schedule

7:15 am - 8:15 am

Pre-Conference Theatre Ramble Registration & Breakfast

8:30 am - 5:15 pm

Pre-Conference Theatre Ramble

SOLD OUT! We have started a waiting list in case anyone cancels. Please email info@lhat.org to be added to the list.

Bus loads at 8:15 am; departs at 8:30 am
First come, first served; space is limited.
Optional Event - Requires Additional Fee

• Oriental Theatre - Milwaukee, WI
• Downer Theatre - Milwaukee, WI
• The Bend Theater - West Bend, WI
• Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts - Sheboygan, WI
• Skylight Music Theatre - Milwaukee, WI

11:00 am - 6:00 pm

Conference Registration

1:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Early Bird Education Session - SOLD OUT!

Historic Theatre Renovation 101: A Framework for Planning Successful Projects

6:15 pm - 8:15 pm

Opening Cocktail Reception & Welcome Dinner

Opening Reception Sponsor
ATG Entertainment

8:15 pm - 8:45 pm

2024 Awards for Excellence Ceremony

Awards Ceremony Sponsor
Kotobuki Seating International Inc.

8:45 pm - 9:15 pm

First Timer's Orientation

8:45 pm

Evening on Your Own
  (Suggested: Cocktails & Networking in the Hilton's Monarch Lounge) 

7:45 am - 3:30 pm

Registration

8:00 am - 9:00 am

Eye Opener Breakfast: Peer Discussions and Networking

9:00 am - 10:30 am

Facilitated Networking Breakouts

We'll kick off the first full day of the conference by doing what LHAT does best: sharing best practices from around the nation. We learned during the pandemic that LHAT Happy Hours were a way to stay connected and hear what others were doing to remain relevant in their communities. After a quick introduction, we'll divide into 4-5 smaller groups based on theatre demographics (TBA), so you can take a deep dive into any topic desired. Share things you have learned since the KC conference or ask questions about topics that are most important to your theatre's future success. Think of it as an in-person LHAT-CHAT Network!

10:45 am - 12:00 pm

Tools & Techniques Segment 1 Sponsor:
Stages Consultants

Tools & Techniques Segment 1

• Have You Tried Calling Shania? Booking 101
• How To Manage Your Theatre's Risk
• Nonprofit Board Governance Best Practices
•  Plaster Ceilings - A Basic Owner's Manual
• Structuring Sustainable Success: Building Functional Relationships Between Public Entities and Nonprofit Theatres to Ensure Longevity
• The Historic Theatre's Service to the Community

12:00 pm

Exhibitor Setup Begins

12:10 pm - 12:50 pm

Theatre Tour: Bradley Symphony Center

Walk 2.5 blocks from Hilton hotel to the theatre.

12:50 pm - 2:00 pm

Lunch on Your Own

2:15 pm - 3:30 pm

Tools & Techniques Segment 2 Sponsor:
ETC

Tools & Techniques Segment 2

• From Dark Theatre to Sellouts & Black Ink
• Historic Theatre Toolkit for Mindful Community Collaborations
• Marketing: What Works Best and Facebook Dark Ads
• Ready, Set, Go Sensory Friendly! Best Practices for Hosting Relaxed Performances
• Save the Money, Take Them to Coffee. How Donor-to-Donor Solicitation is Easier than Planning a Full Fundraising Event

3:45 pm - 6:15 pm

Meet the LHAT Service Providers EXPO & Reception

6:15 pm

Evening on Your Own

6:15 pm - 7:15 pm

Exhibitor Teardown

7:45 am - 3:30 pm

Registration

8:00 am - 9:00 am

Eye Opener Breakfast: Peer Discussions and Networking

9:30 am - 10:45 am

Tools & Techniques Segment 3A

• From "Shabby Chic" to "Simply Chic"
• Historic Theatre Accessibility: What MUST Be Done to Ensure Your Theatre is Accessible and Inclusive for ALL
• How to Have a Successful HR Strategy without Having a Dedicated HR Professional on Staff (will repeat after break)
• Time, Touch, and Treasure: Cultivation Strategies for Effective Fundraising (will repeat after break)
• Whose Show is it Anyway? A Panel Discussion on Venue Rentals (will repeat after break)

10:45 am - 11:15 am

Networking Refreshment Break

11:15 am - 12:30 pm

Tools & Techniques Segment 3B

• Enhancing Patron Engagement Through Integrated Technologies
• How to Have a Successful HR Strategy without Having a Dedicated HR Professional on Staff (repeated from earlier)
• Time, Touch, and Treasure: Cultivation Strategies for Effective Fundraising (repeated from earlier)
• Whose Show is it Anyway? A Panel Discussion on Venue Rentals (repeated from earlier)
• Workshopping a Building Masterplan: Writing the Script for Your Theatre’s Future (will repeat after lunch)

12:30 pm - 1:45 pm

Lunch on Your Own

2:00 pm - 3:15 pm

Tools & Techniques Segment 4

•  Film House Group Therapy
• It's ALIVE! How Vidiots Resurrected the Eagle Theatre
• Setting the Stage: Modern Marketing for The Historic Theatre
• Show Me the Money!
• Workshopping a Building Masterplan: Writing the Script for Your Theatre’s Future (repeated from earlier)

3:30 pm - 4:45 pm

Plenary Session: DEIB

Earlier this year, LHAT awarded grants to three LHAT Theatre Members and challenged them to improve their DEIB efforts. During this plenary session, we will learn about their progress and hope that their successes will inspire others to do the same.

Plenary Session Sponsor
The Compass Group, Inc.

4:45 pm - 5:15 pm

Cocktails & Networking

5:15 pm - 6pm-ish

Facilitated Networking Breakouts

We will divide into four or five rooms with LHAT Board Members and other volunteers to facilitate each group for a lively, anything goes conversation based on topics that you will be asked to suggest!

6pm-ish

Evening on Your Own

Optional: Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Game  (7:10 pm) - requires advance ticket purchase

7:30 am - 9:00 am

Registration

8:00 am - 8:45 am

Eye Opener Breakfast: Peer Discussions and Networking

8:45 am - 9:30 am

LHAT Annual Membership Meeting

LHAT Annual Membership Meeting Sponsor
OTJ Architects

9:45 am - 11:00 am

Tools & Techniques Segment 5 Sponsor:
AudienceView

Tools & Techniques Segment 5

• Capital Campaign Success Story
• How Historic Theatres Can Leverage Storytelling to Grow and Engage Audiences
• The Ramova Theatre: Assembling a Historic Renovation Project through Public-Private Partnerships
• Safeguarding Revenue: Navigating Chargebacks & Fraud in Historic Theatre Management

11:00 am - 11:30 am

Check out of Hotel

Store Bags in Ballroom (if applicable)

11:30 am - 1:00 pm

Downtown Milwaukee Theatre Tours 

On foot

• Riverside Theater
• Pabst Theater

1:00 pm - 1:45 pm

Closing Party

   At the Pabst Theater

1:45 pm - 2:00 pm

Return to Hotel - Conference Ends

Afternoon & Evening on Your Own