National Conference

Save the Dates!

48^th National Conference & Theatre Tour

Sunday, July 7 - Wednesday, July 10, 2024
Theatre Ramble: Sunday, July 7 • EXPO: Monday, July 8
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Updated 03.25.2024

More conference details will be posted as they become available.
Registration for the conference and expo will open in May.

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Our 2023 National Conference in Kansas City was a great success, and we can't wait to get everyone together again this July in Milwaukee. The LHAT Staff is busy working with our Board of Directors to confirm all the details. We'll post more information here just as soon as it's available. Fees and schedules, along with session, Expo and hotel information will be available in late March, and registration for the conference and Expo will open in early May.

Why Should You Attend? In addition to Tools & Techniques sessions that will highlight best practices in historic theatre operations, programming, fundraising, marketing and more, meet, mingle and take advantage of the expertise of hundreds of your peers in the field during multiple networking and social events. We'll offer several historic theatre tours in downtown Milwaukee, and our optional pre-conference Theatre Ramble will offer an all-day tour of several historic theatres outside of downtown. Last but certainly not least, at our annual Expo, you'll have the chance to connect with many knowledgeable service providers and suppliers who have expertise in providing the goods and services that historic theatres need most.

The LHAT National Conference in Milwaukee will be the largest and most important gathering specifically designed for historic theatre professionals in the nation and we want to be sure you will be there with us!

This year's Call for Conference Education Session Proposals will be announced soon. We'll be looking for everything for this year's conference: panel discussions, lectures, hands-on learning… if you have something to share about historic theatre best practices, we want to hear from you! Start thinking now about what you can share with your peers about What Makes Really Successful Historic Theatres Really Successful?

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!