Speaker(s): Dr. Durell Cooper, Founder and CEO, Cultural Innovation Group; Douglas Hagerman, Board Chair, League of American Orchestras; and Donna Walker-Kuhne, President, Walker International Communications Group, Inc

Friday afternoon’s general session will lead off with the League’s Annual Meeting, followed by an interactive session led by Donna Walker-Kuhne and Dr. Durell Cooper on the creation of strategies that integrate community engagement, inclusion, and marketing into new holistic approaches to audience development. It will cover the need to have courageous conversations with internal and external stakeholders, the importance of building safe spaces for communities in our halls, emerging approaches to audience and revenue growth, and bringing adjacent organizational disciplines such as artistic planning, marketing, and community engagement together to work ambitiously toward newly aligned goals.

Orchestra teams are encouraged to sit together. Re-Envisioning Audiences will include group discussions, collaborative activities, and Q&As. We will conclude with a summary of key takeaways, distilling the insights shared and providing actionable points for participants to implement in their audience engagement efforts. This session promises to be an enriching experience, offering valuable insights and practical strategies for organizations seeking to build the inclusive audience of the future.

This session is made possible by a generous grant from The Wallace Foundation.