How to Make the Most of Idea Swap Recording

Idea Swap can be a whirlwind day. Whether you will be attending Idea Swap for the first time or the twentieth time, this session recording will help you learn more about NEFA, understand the goals of Idea Swap, and consider various ways one can participate in and experience the gathering.

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ADRIENNE PETRILLO: Before we begin this "How to Make the Most of Idea Swap" session, I would like to acknowledge the land on which NEFA's offices are based, which are the traditional lands of the Massachusett, Wampanoag, and Nipmuc people and we honor their ancestors past, present, and future, and recognize their continued existence and contributions to our society. At NEFA we believe that one of the roles of the arts is to make the invisible visible. We also believe that it is not the responsibility of those who have been made invisible to remind us that they are still here. We also acknowledge that all places where we provide support and hold events are indigenous lands and we offer our respect to those who have and continue to steward the land on which we meet.

Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Adrienne Petrillo. My pronouns are she/her. I'm the senior program director for Regional Grants & International Exchange. I'm joining today from Massachusett and Wampanoag lands. I am also joined by my colleagues, Falyn Elhard, Audrey Seraphin and Saejin Yoo. They will introduce themselves in the chat, and I invite you to do the same.

For today's session we will provide a little bit of context about NEFA's work and the Idea Swap event and then we'll move into a panel discussion with folks who have attended several Idea Swaps in the past. They'll share their experience. They'll talk about how Idea Swap benefits their work as well as help you to address any questions that you have. We will then ‑‑ at the end of the session we'll move into some small, very randomized breakout groups just so you have a chance to meet some folks before coming in person to Worcester. So it's just a chance for some informal networking. But first we'd like to talk to you a little bit about NEFA because we know people have different experiences with NEFA and different knowledge about NEFA and there are some contexts that might be helpful as you attend Idea Swap. Go to the next slide.

So NEFA has a range of grant programs and services. These include the New England States Touring, or NEST, program. This is the program that is connected to the Idea Swap. But we also have our CreativeGround resource which hopefully everyone knows about, which is our free online cultural directory. We also offer grant programs in public art, the National Dance Project, the National Theater Project, and we also run the Center Stage Program which is an international exchange program that we do in partnership with the Department of State. We are not going to go in depth about all of these programs today. We're really just focused on Idea Swap. But I do want to mention that these are all of the areas in which NEFA works. So Idea Swap and the NEST program are really our focus right now. But if you're curious about any of these other programs, you're more than welcome to look at our website, which each one has information about program deadlines, funding criteria, all of that sort of important details. It's all on our website. There's also contact info listed for the program staff. You're welcome to reach out to any NEFA staff who might be able to answer your question. So today we're going to talk about Idea Swap. We can go to the next slide.

So what is Idea Swap. So NEFA's 22nd‑‑that's a lot of years‑‑Idea Swap is the annual event for New England‑based nonprofit presenting organizations and touring artists to network and share ideas for touring projects. So we are bringing people together in part because we have a program called NEST.  And there are three versions of NEST: NEST 1, 2 and 3. Idea Swap is particularly focused on NEST 3 which provides grant support for presentation of artists from anywhere in the world. So could be from New England, could be from California, could be from Brazil. And those artists have to be touring to at least three communities across New England. And so the presenters that are bringing those artists to the communities have to work together in submitting a NEST 3 application. We did recently do a webinar about NEST 1, 2 and 3. We did that earlier in September. That is recorded and it's now posted on our website. So I encourage you to take a look at that if you have questions about the NEST program. But Idea Swap, we're really looking at NEST 3 and how to support the partnerships that are required for that grant program. Relationships formed at Idea Swap may also lead to NEST 1 and 2 applications and those versions of NEST are exclusively focused on New England‑based artists. However, because Idea Swap and NEST 3 is the one opportunity for presenters to bring artists from outside the region, those tend to be the kinds of projects that get a little bit more attention and conversation. And I will then pass it to Audrey to talk about the goals for Idea Swap.

AUDREY SERAPHIN: Thanks so much, Adrienne. Just waiting for myself to appear in the spotlight but I guess you can also just listen in the meantime. Hi, everybody. My name is Audrey Seraphin. I use she/her pronouns. And I am the regional – I am the Program Manager for Regional Grants & Initiatives here at NEFA. I use she/her pronouns.  And I would love to chat about some Idea Swap goals with you. So first, as Adrienne mentioned, the event was initially designed for folks to be able to find collaborators for NEST 3 grants. However, as time has gone on folks also use the event for a wide variety of purposes, including to learn more about what regional artists and presenters have in the works upcoming, as well as to connect with presenters and touring artists from across the region. There's a lot of networking opportunities as well as some collaboration on NEST 1 and 2 grants which, again, can't recommend that webinar enough. But those grants are exclusive for presenting New England artists, of which there will be many at Idea Swap. Also at Idea Swap ‑‑ if we could pop over to the next slide we can talk a little about who attends Idea Swap. So the folks who attend Idea Swap are presenting organizations. So those are groups that look to book artists to perform in their communities and venues. And these are going to be venues from hopefully all across New England of all different sizes. Touring artists and ensembles also attend Idea Swap. And those are typically artists in New England. We do get the occasional from outside. But folks who are NEST‑eligible artists, again New England State's Touring program eligible artists, attend this event as well. As do our staff of some of our sister agencies, such as service and advocacy organizations, including our six state arts agencies, occasionally send staff. And then of course, because this is our biggest event of the year, pretty much all of NEFA staff will be in attendance. So anyone you know at NEFA hopefully will be there. And I think we can go to the next. Thank you. So I want to go over some of the elements of the day just because it is a little bit of a change from years previous. We are going to start the day with, first, light breakfast and registration and some opening remarks. But then in the morning we'll actually be having a panel discussion on the state of the presenting and touring field. I know I don't need to tell anyone on this call that there's been a huge amount of change in the industry particularly post the outbreak of the COVID‑19 pandemic. And so we will be hearing from experts across the field, artists, presenters, agents, on what they're seeing and what we should ‑‑ and what comes next really for performing arts presenters. After that we will have lunch, which is also an extended networking period. And then after that, in the afternoon, we will have 14 project presentations. So presenters and artists submitted from all across the region to have an opportunity to speak to everyone at Idea Swap for exactly five minutes about the project that they are looking to present throughout New England often for a NEST 3 grant. Anyone who has attended Idea Swap knows those project presentations are very strict five minutes. So we'll take a break somewhere in there. But those presentations will be happening in the afternoon. And then at the close of the day there will be a networking reception in collaboration and sponsored by New England Arts Presenters which is a group of presenters who work to build the field from all across the region. Also happening throughout the day are CreativeGround consultations. That information will be going out soon on how to sign up. But as Adrienne mentioned earlier, CreativeGround is our creative economy database. And so if you have a CreativeGround profile or are looking to create one or, you know, want to learn more about how to use this free service, there will be the availability to sign up for one‑on‑one sessions with our creative economy team. And so those will happen ‑‑ they'll be sort of breakout opportunities to meet with them basically any time that not everyone is in the same room. So, you know, lunch, morning, afternoon, those kinds of things. And that full schedule will be coming out soon. Let me go to the next slide.

So again, name of the event, "Making the Most of Idea Swap." Our panelists will get into a lot more of how they have participated in the past and what they recommend for first‑time or new attendees, but these are some tips and tricks from NEFA staff. Last year was my first Idea Swap so I am still learning too. One thing we recommend is that you be curious. Folks are going to be there to talk about their work and so it's great to ask them about it and to learn more about what's happening in our region. When you are speaking about your own work, we would recommend that you share your story. Folks don't love a hard pitch or sell on artists’ work in these conversations. We have some networking bingo and a couple other tools to help people have more natural conversations. Idea Swap is really about all of the pieces of the field that are not transaction based. And so we encourage you to keep that in mind. Again, it's one day from I believe about 9:00 in the morning until 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon. So in that time we're asking folks to practice active presence. Obviously fall is busy for lots of us and, you know, things happen and we're human and we, you know, need to take breaks when we need to. But for the extent that you're able, we really ask that you leave your life/work commitments, laptop, when not using, out of the sort of Idea Swap space. Because a lot of that interaction with other folks is really what makes the day special. So yes, on top of that, participating in networking opportunities, including our extended lunch, including the reception at the end of the day. And then we also recommend that while lots of – while some folks will have lots of familiar faces in the crowd, we would ask that you make an effort to make new friends. If there's somebody who looks a little bit lost or like they are seeking conversation, perhaps you could go up to them and start one and just ask them about, you know, their art, where they're from, what brings them here. And yeah, those are, I think, all of the tips. If we want to go to the next slide. Yes. And so for any other Idea Swap related questions, this is a slide of our contact information, both e‑mails and phone numbers. If you get in touch with questions we will answer you. We will be ‑‑ as you can imagine now that we're under two weeks away working diligently on event prep, and I know too that we have the election on Tuesday and Veterans Day on Monday, so NEFA office is closed but we are very much online for when we need to be. So if you reach out to us, we will respond and are happy to talk further about anything Idea Swap related. Now, Adrienne, I believe I hand it back to you at this point in time.

ADRIENNE PETRILLO: Yes. I have the all important job of thanking our funders and sponsors. So our Idea Swap work and the NEST program are supported through partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts as well as the six New England state arts agencies. So they are critical to our regional work. We are also grateful for our sponsors for Idea Swap events, so Cozen O'Connor, Steps and Stages Coaching, Zevin Asset Management, Creative Study, New England Arts Presenters and Steward Cultural Development Group. So, you know, always, always thank your funders. I know everyone knows that. So I think with that we will transition to our panel discussion. And I invite you to put questions in the chat. If you have questions about NEFA or Idea Swap, you're welcome to put things in the chat. We will also take some time at the end of the panel discussion to open it up for questions or conversation. And I think we will just get our other ‑‑ we have three panelists joining us today who can also be spotlighted. So we're thrilled to have three very different perspectives on Idea Swap who are here to share their thoughts and expertise. And so we appreciate Marissa, Ian and Jessica all joining us today. So I'm just going to start with asking each of you to briefly introduce yourself, what you do, how long you've been attending Idea Swap and why you come to Idea Swap. And, Marissa, do you want to start?

MARISSA HUTTON: Sure. Be happy to. Hi, all, my name is Marissa Hutton. I use she/her pronouns. I'm located in Providence, Rhode Island which is the traditional lands of the Narragansett, the Wampanoag and the Nipmuc, and I am the managing director at FirstWorks which is, for all intents and purposes, an artist presenter but we do a lot more than that as many organizations do. My role as managing director I attend Idea Swap because it's a really fun way for me to be involved in some of the programmatic elements and the decisions that my team makes as well as the networking opportunities. This will be my fourth Idea Swap although I've been sort of in the NEFA world for longer. But, yeah, it's a great opportunity to see some old faces, meet some new people, and really get sort of a finger on the pulse of what's happening, what's coming around and what we should be looking for programmatically.

ADRIENNE PETRILLO: Jessica, do you want to go next?

JESSICA ROSEMAN: Hi, everybody. I'm Jess Roseman. I use she/her pronouns. I live in Lexington, Massachusetts, the land of the Massachusett and Pawtucket people. I'm an independent choreographer and a movement educator and now I'm in school, and a curator and an arts administrator. And this is my fourth year of Idea Swap. My first one was here on Zoom. And my second year I got to present a little bit. And my third year I didn't present at all, I just went, which was really fun. And I enjoy going. I feel it's important to go as an artist even if I'm not thinking about touring necessarily. I think it's a great way to feel connected with the arts community, not just presenters but other artists as well, and feel like the work that I'm – the creative work that I'm doing has a landing space. These are my people. This is my community. So I enjoy being a part of that at Idea Swap.

ADRIENNE PETRILLO: Thanks. And Ian.

IAN BANNON: Hey. My name is Ian Bannon. I use he/him pronouns. Here from Portland, Maine, land of the Aucocisco, part of the Wabanaki confederacy. I'm executive director of Mayo Street Arts. We are a small neighborhood arts center that presents a wide variety of programming. And as a smaller organization with very big aspirational goals, it's been great to go ‑‑ I think this will be my fourth time at Idea Swap as a presenter. Last year I did present – co-present with another organization from New England for a possible NEST 3 grant, which is a wonderful experience. I, like Jessica, am looking forward this time to just going and meeting folks and being in the room. So as a small presenter it's a great opportunity, especially, you know, up in Maine – and there are folks that come from even higher up in Maine with even less access to regular conversations with peers, to accessing folks who are doing amazing work elsewhere in the region, in the country. It's a wonderful way to get a window in to that work and also just to kind of connect with people in person in a way that you can't do over Zoom. You know, I think that the conversations that are had there are much more palpable than e‑mail threads and Zoom calls.

ADRIENNE PETRILLO: Thank you all. You're already starting to hit on some of the questions I was going to ask. And since relationships just came up, that is a big part of Idea Swap, really focused on networking and relationship building. So for each of you, just in your personal view, how do you recommend building relationships at Idea Swap? And especially we have a lot of artists who do come or this might be their first time and that can be a little intimidating. So do you have any thoughts also on how artists can approach the event and think about networking? But anyone want to jump in on sort of tips in terms of relationship building?

JESSICA ROSEMAN: I try and think of it as human to human rather than the artwork. So yeah, I think I've spent a lot of time thinking about what does it mean to tour, to be in another place. What is it about that place that's different from where I live. And so that leads into, if I'm thinking about my own experience as a mother, you know, as a Black woman living in a predominantly white town, all of these different things, or just even my upbringing, those are great ways to be able to ask questions of other people. And that just easily brings into conversation, because it connects to the work that I'm already doing and it's personal and it’s heartfelt and people like to talk about themselves anyway. So yeah, I've been – it's been fascinating asking presenters like, where did you grow up and what was that like and how does that affect what you're, you know, what you're doing now as a presenter or as an artist. I'll stop there.

ADRIENNE PETRILLO: That's great. Marissa or Ian?

MARISSA HUTTON: Yeah, to piggyback on that, I think for me it really goes back to what Audrey was saying. This is not ‑‑ I don't view Idea Swap as a transactional exchange. Even though they're framed as pitch sessions, there's really not a buyer and a seller in the relationship. And so building – I see it as community building in a lot of ways. We are all in the room for very different reasons but oftentimes very aligned reasons. And so the ability to lead with your story, who are you, not just as a professional identity but as a personal identity, what does the work mean to you, again as a person, not necessarily just, “oh, how will I ‑‑ how will I market this to my team or promote this in my community,” but really leaning into that. The personal narratives and the storytelling behind the – behind the work I think does get to that sort of human to human where we're all people working in this industry and at the end of the day there's a lot of commonality there.

IAN BANNON: Something that I think is super helpful. I love the fact that the bullet points that y'all shared started with being curious. And I think you guys just spoke to that really well. And I think that curiosity can be, again, before the event. There's Whova, which is an app. And I bet like half of the people, you know, are going, “I gotta get an app,” you know. Especially artists who are more often than not, you know, not super‑techie minded in many different types of practices. It's a pretty intuitive app but also it gives you a direct line to everybody who is coming. And so I think like being curious, putting some time in there allows you to go, oh, wow, this person is doing amazing work. I want to be able to meet her at the event. You know? And it might or might not happen, but knowing ahead of time like who is sparking your interest or who might be in that room or what their work – how their work resonates with your own can really help to position you to be able to take advantage of those, you know, happenstance conversations whenever they come up. We are ‑‑ as a small organization we work with a lot of emerging artists and, you know, we kind of help them and then they outgrow our organization. And it's really kind of labor intensive but lovely process that we're involved in. And we have begun to invite, as presenters, invite artists who are in our circles to come with us. And that way on the drive to and from Maine we're able to kind of prep each other and debrief. In the room I can go, “oh, yeah, you should go talk to so and so.” And we kind of can point people in each other's directions and back each other up. It's nice to have somebody in your corner so you're not walking into the room ‑‑

ADRIENNE PETRILLO: Great. And I heard -- Jess gave one tip of like asking people where they're from and how that informs their presenting practice. Does anyone else have like, you know, the question that they sometimes have in the back of their mind to ask people, or maybe the question you wish people would ask you. Like what's a question someone could come to Idea Swap with that might get a conversation started. 

MARISSA HUTTON: I feel like a lot of things spark off of sort of what are you excited about these days. Sort of like what's interesting or topical or present for you, and that could be, you know, art that you've seen, art that's in the room with us or, you know, a presentation that's been doing or something else. And sort of to Ian's point, it's really – it's lovely to see artists who you've worked with before doing other iterations of work or other work other places and be able to say, oh, my gosh, I've worked with them and they're fantastic. Or, you know, love this person or so and so. And so for me I think it is ‑‑ again, I don't occupy a solely programmatic space in my organization, so to me it feels like a really fun field trip where I get to live in the programming and see, you know, like, oh, my gosh, what have you been seeing, what are you interested in, what projects have sparked curiosity or joy or intrigue and sort of go from there. And I find that there's, you know, again, a lot of artists in the room, a lot of people interested in sort of like what's on top.

IAN BANNON: I think the ‑‑ a couple of questions that always catch my ear as a presenter are like, who's the community that you guys serve. And that might be my bias as a neighborhood arts center, but, you know, we present dance, we present theater, we present puppetry, we present all kinds of stuff but not all forms of those. And really we're looking for artists who don't just come and do a nice show and go away but somebody who is a teaching artist maybe or whose work involves members of our community. And that's something that NEST as a fund is really geared towards supporting, as well. One of the questions is apart from the performance itself how are you going to involve other members of your community. So I think starting from a place of like, who do we engage, and does my work engage those folks or not. Is this a group that really speaks to my heart is a great conversation opener. And also dreams that might be a little out of reach or like, what's your pie in the sky. Like what's your – if you have a show that you're doing now, why. Like, what's this building towards. Is this part of something bigger I think is always exciting for me. Or knowing that we could be a catalyst to help somebody achieve something that might otherwise be out of reach is something. 

ADRIENNE PETRILLO: And, Jess, I didn't mean to steal your -- your question. So if there's something else that you're thinking about too, please feel free to respond.

JESSICA ROSEMAN: You know, I don't know that it always leads to spark a ‑‑ generate a meaningful conversation, but I always want to know how people are doing that day in that moment. I feel like Idea Swap can be really overwhelming. There's so many people. There's so many different ideas, so much excitement happening. Yeah, to just take a little moment and say, you know, how are you doing? How are you feeling about this? What do you need right now? Maybe we should go outside. Or, you know, let's get a drink or whatever. Yeah. Finding ways to be present with people in the moment is great for me.

ADRIENNE PETRILLO: Yeah. And that overwhelm is real. We want to acknowledge that. You know, there's potentially 150 people in a room together for a full day, which also a lot of us don't quite do in the same way anymore. But it also, yeah, it's overwhelming. It is a lot of people. It is a mix of folks. Some people ‑‑ there are people in the room who have literally known each other for 20 or 30 years and then there are people who are coming in and don't know a single person. So it's a really big mix. And so does anyone else have thoughts on like just how you manage the overwhelm of that?

MARISSA HUTTON: Well, Ian mentioned the app which I do ‑‑ you know, think my first year on Whova I shared similar feelings. Sort of like, oh, gosh, this is a whole new platform and navigating. But it is pretty intuitive and I do feel sort of most grounded and prepared when I've looked at that in advance and sort of know who I'm expecting to see. There are like various sort of chat forums that pop up through there. People looking for rides. But also, you know, sort of like this is what I'm bringing. And so it is a helpful – I find it to be a helpful sort of precursor to the day and, you know, gets sort of the mental lubrication going but also some of that like foreshadowing of conversations I might have or think could be possible in the room. So I think it's a really – it's an effective tool and it stays active after Idea Swap which is great so you can go back and look at notes or try and find that person that you ran into in the lunch line or do all of those things. So, yeah, very helpful platform.

ADRIENNE PETRILLO: I have another question. Go ahead, Ian.

IAN BANNON: Yeah. I was just going to say, another note that's really important that y'all shared up front was just being present in the room, you know. Like being on your phone trying to sneak in e‑mail, it's already overwhelming and not being present is just going to be another stream of data trying to come at you. I think it undercuts what you're trying to do in the room and also doesn't allow you the free space that you might find moment to moment.

ADRIENNE PETRILLO: Great. So we've talked, you know, this is relationship building, it sparks things, it starts conversations. And I'm just curious whether each of you would have like a specific, I don't know, person you met, a conversation you had, maybe a relationship that came out of Idea Swap but maybe not. Like is there something that stands out to you from any of your past Idea Swaps about, like, oh, right, I sat next to that person or I stood next to that person in the lunch line and then four years later I'm still talking to them. Like is there any like – what's a specific kind of outcome you've had from Idea Swap?

IAN BANNON: I'll take the lead. Laura Sanchez is a Flamenco artist based out of Massachusetts and she's somebody who I like really clicked with a couple few years ago and had a great conversation and it wasn't the time. And then had another conversation last year where we got a little bit further. But then our local Flamenco community has just undergone this great transformation and period of growth. And so those just casual conversations and getting to know each other personally and of Laura's work and our work at Mayo Street Arts. When a few years later our local Flamenco community was in a position to be able to support a residency, take advantage of it and envision like a two‑step, you know, two‑year process, the groundwork was laid. And as soon as the community started to change I was like, yes, I've got something that could be a catalyst towards potential future collaborations. So that was something that was not at all agenda driven but it was that relationship ‑‑ 

MARISSA HUTTON: Two years ago – this is less a sort of professional connection that happened and more personal. But two years ago we were in Worcester and I took a wrong turn looking for the bathroom and almost ended up on stage and I ran into the artist Aaron Jafferis who is an incredible hip‑hop, spoken word, librettist, sort of all‑around cool guy, and I actually went to the same high school as Aaron many, many years ago but we hadn't talked in ages. And I had followed some of his work and we had one of these moments where you're sort of looking at each other going, wait a minute, I know you. And then it clicked. And we had just really wonderful conversation. I did not know he was going to be there. He was actually presenting on a new project, so we talked about the project. But just to me it was very representative of, again, the sort of community‑building opportunity across New England where people sort of resurface in different ways. And it felt really special. I brought the project back to FirstWorks. We have not been able to place it, but just really cool to sort of stir things up and think, oh, cool. Yeah, there are a lot of connections to be made here, new connections and sort of reengaging old contacts and friends and very cool to happen at Idea Swap.

JESSICA ROSEMAN: I can say, you know, we all have this experience after being on Zoom for so long. When you see somebody in person, and maybe you met them on Zoom but full‑body recognition is just a totally different experience. And maybe it's not recognition at all. I feel like my experience starting from 2021 Idea Swap is really that. And it does take years to keep meeting the same people. So 2022, I met Pam Tatge from Jacob's Pillow. And that was like ‑‑ she was at the top of my list, the person I really wanted to meet. And I got to meet her and I'm sure it was just sort of like, oh, yeah. I'm not saying that like she's like this. I'm saying more like there were so many people. There's no way she's going to remember me, and she didn't. And that was fine. You know, I met her again the next year and I actually went to the Pillow recently and got to talk to her and had that meaningful conversation, a little bit of context between us. Turns out we both went to the same college. And that was the time that we actually got to have a sticking conversation. So that was special. And so it wasn't meaningful to her to have met her at Idea Swap, but it meant a lot to me to have that opportunity and also to get comfortable with myself and what it was that I actually wanted to share with her. And so it's building and it's continuing to build, and hopefully if you ask me again in a year or two there will be something else to add to that.

ADRIENNE PETRILLO: Great. So this is, you know, part of the overwhelm and part of why it's a start of things is because this is one of the only regional gatherings that people have for in‑person for this slice of the arts sector. But there are other networks and conferences that exist. And so I'm curious for all of you, what are other conferences or networks that you're a part of that also support your work?

MARISSA HUTTON: I will jump in because I have been remiss in not mentioning it thus far. But one of the other hats that I wear is I act as the vice president of the board for New England Arts Presenters which is a membership‑based arts presenting affiliation group here in New England. And we have recently, if you have–maybe you're on our mailing list, maybe you’re not‑‑seen we've gone through some really exciting changes merging NEP, which was New England Arts Presenters ‑‑ excuse me, New England Presenters with APNNE to form NEAP, New England Art Presenters. And we're really excited about launching new affinity groups and doing all kinds of things. So just a general plug to get in touch with us or check that out. If you're interested, we define presenter pretty broadly. So really excited to have artists and individual sort of solo, independent producers trying that as well. And, ultimately, you know, have real aspirations for building out our resource libraries and all kinds of things. But in the meantime it's a great group of people to know and interact with, troubleshoot with, all kinds of things. We host ‑‑ we sponsor and host the networking event that happens at the end of Idea Swap. So I really encourage you to hang around and check in there. It's a really good group of folks who have sort of large budgets, small budgets, serve rural communities, urban communities, have specific genre focuses and interdisciplinary work. So it really spans the gamut. And so I find a lot of joy and certainly get a lot of help from that group. And that group also has a gathering at APAP, if you attend APAP. So we show up in a number of ways. But that's my plug for NEAP. Please check us out.

ADRIENNE PETRILLO: Thank you. And I will just note for anyone who is not familiar with the jargon and the acronyms which we love in the arts, APAP is the Association of Performing Arts Professionals that does the biggest booking conference in the US. That happens every January in New York City. It's about 4,000 people from all over the world, really, presenters, artists, agents, lots of other folks. So they are the service organization for presenters. So for anyone who works at a presenting organization, that is certainly worth checking out. Ian or Jess, any other kind of networks that are key to your work?

JESSICA ROSEMAN: I've been working with the network of Art Administrators of Color. It's a Boston‑based, run through Arts Boston organization. Not so much ‑‑ well, it's presenters and artists and it's ‑‑ they offer workshops and mentoring and a lot of process‑oriented support, and I really appreciate that. Yeah.

IAN BANNON: I'm a puppeteer and puppet nerd. And so as Maine's de facto puppet hub, that's where we find most of our community at this time. As members of Puppeteers of America, of UNIMA‑USA which is an international, more of an international focus. And then regionally Mayo Street Arts is one of four founding members of a group called Presenters United for Puppetry Arts. So we have ten‑ish members now, everything from larger like Art Zimmerson size folks to tiny little libraries who present on a carpeted floor. And that's a ‑‑ the single artistic focus allows for a lot of diversity in terms of the presenters and what we're looking for and able to support. But we've been able to leverage that into regional tours to bring folks down from Canada and, you know, from New York into New England.

ADRIENNE PETRILLO: Thank you. And if other folks in the audience, you know, have networks that you think people would benefit from knowing about, feel free to drop that in the chat. We do have a question that I'm going to read and get our panelists' take on. So as a small artist emerging in the New England touring scene, what should I bring to the Idea Swap to commit to the objectives of the day? Is it standard to bring marketing materials, business cards, QR code, you know, those sorts of materials? I can give sort of the NEFA answer. But I'm curious, for you all what is useful for you, especially for artists who want to bring materials.

JESSICA ROSEMAN: I'd say a lot of people bring a lot of materials. There are stacks of brochures and everybody is handing out cards and at the end of the day there is a lot left over. I am experimenting with just having a QR code on my phone so that if I want to exchange information with somebody, you can just, you know, go like that or they can scan it and get my info real quick and easy. It's just a little less expense on my end and an easier connection. I think people – dare I say it. I'm going to say it. I think people put way too much effort in the marketing and I don't know that it's necessary to hype it up in that way and invest. Not just monetarily but energy‑wise. I'm curious to hear what other people think about that.

IAN BANNON: I don't think that I've ever like tried to book somebody based on a brochure that I've picked up off of a table. Even if the photos catch my eye or something like that, you know, I might grab it. But really it is about the conversations that are had. But that said, we've talked about how many conversations you have and just being able to like reach into my pocket and be like, oh, shit, I wanted to talk to this person by the end of the day, right, is super helpful to at least have something that's concise, has your name, what you're doing and what you're looking to do. You know, whether it's like a brochure or a card or a handwritten card, you know, that talisman, I comb through, you know, the next week after I get home, or later that week after I get home. And some folks I know have slid through the cracks because I go, oh, I had this cool conversation with a violinist and, you know, I can't figure out who it was.

MARISSA HUTTON: Yeah, I would probably ditto that. I don't ‑‑ I don't think ‑‑ again, I don't think we've booked off of marketing materials that were picked up at Idea Swap but having some sort of physical reminder of the conversations that I had or the connections that I was interested in is helpful in the aftermath of Idea Swap where you're sort of unpacking “oh, that was that group and they were partnering there or they were interested in X, Y, Z.” Something physical even if it is like just a strict, you know, name, how to get in touch, that bit is helpful.

IAN BANNON: I think something that's not helpful is having like a laundry list of everything that you could do or, you know, try and say like, I have this multidisciplinary practice. We could do whatever you envision. You really need to paint a picture for folks. That specificity is what locks in. Not something that I can't necessarily conceive of right now. Conversations are great places to kind of unpack wide, open‑ended things. But knowing like so and so is a dancer focusing on this form, like, is very helpful to have that concrete hanger.

JESSICA ROSEMAN: A pen and paper is really handy. Bring a notebook. If somebody strikes your fancy, important to you, interesting to you, make sure you collect that information and then follow through.

ADRIENNE PETRILLO: Yeah. And that's basically what I was going to say as well, you know. We will have tables for materials but by the end of the day there's still a lot of materials on the table that we end up recycling. We do try to get people to take it back home with them, but we recycle a lot. So also think about the quantity of what you're bringing. And, yes, having a takeaway you can hand to someone is really great, but you certainly don't need to be investing in like a big, fancy marketing kit or bringing a ton of stuff. It really is about the conversation. Are there other questions for this panel about Idea Swap that anyone wants to drop in the chat? Or feel free to raise the hand feature if you would rather speak your question out loud. All right. Well, we will transition to breakout groups in a minute. Before we do that I just want to give a final word to our panelists and pose the question: what is one piece of advice you wish someone had told you before you came to Idea Swap?

IAN BANNON: I think being prepared for the amount of follow‑up. I forget ‑‑ I think, Jessica, you were just saying write it down and then be sure to follow up. Like I would book time the next day or later that week and just put it in your calendar now so that those conversations are still fresh in people's minds when you're reaching out. It doesn't have to be a lot. But just I'd love to meet you, we talked about this, when can we chat more, is super valuable if you had a concrete connection. And the timeliness of that certainly makes it more impactful.

JESSICA ROSEMAN: I would say check expectations of yourself and of other people. Like, I didn't feel that I would want to go to Idea Swap if I didn't have an hour‑long concert piece that I wanted to get out there, and I don't think that's really true. I think there are plenty of ways to be able to tour or network as an artist. And sometimes it's just a question of showing up and saying, you know, here I am, this is what I do and this is who I am. And then the same thing too. Your expectations of presenters, don't expect to get a gig out of going to Idea Swap. That's not really the goal. And I think you would set yourself up for being disappointed if that's really what you're looking for. Enjoy the time. Enjoy the relationships and the conversations.

MARISSA HUTTON: Nothing unique here but just another plug for, if you can, really take the day off of your usual e‑mailing or ‑‑ you know, don't try and step out and take a meeting. If you can. Because it is a lot. And I think the best way to sort of ride that wave is to stay in it. And so if you're sort of like half in, half out, it's going to feel more overwhelming and potentially disorienting. And, you know, you might miss the connection that you were hoping to catch. So really, if it's possible, think of it as an immersive experience and pause everything else that you can pause.

ADRIENNE PETRILLO: Great. We do have one more question that actually I think is a great question for this group to respond to. If someone is doing a project presentation at Idea Swap, any best practices or advice on those presentations? So as people who are sitting listening to presentations or have done presentations, what advice would you share?

MARISSA HUTTON: I think that, you know, it's always exciting to have a hook, whether that's a video or a visual or powerful, you know, anecdote or story that sort of comes with the project. There are a lot of them. So having something that sort of really pulls you into what you're pitching or what you're presenting is helpful. And then for me, again because of where I sit in my organization, I do like to know some of the things that you might know. Like, is it available for touring. Or what's the timeline on it being in development. So that we can get a sense of, like, oh, great, that's coming around. I need to talk to you pretty quickly because we could, we could fit it X, Y, Z places. Or it's like, oh, that's in development. That's going to be awesome. I'm going to start those conversations but it's more of a slow build. So I think ‑‑ I think sort of the mix of giving us the program juiciness and also really sort of conveying information about, like, yeah, we're ready, we're eligible, we've already got one partner on board, we're cooking and ready to go. That balance is helpful.

JESSICA ROSEMAN: I would say as an artist it's really helpful to have somebody there with you. I found it challenging to talk about my own work to a bunch of people. So I had a presenter/friend help me. Karen Krolak from Monkey House helped. And that also just gave another perspective, right, so I'm not just talking from my own point of view. But they were able to see what's the value or this is what's important and to share it in that way. And it's good support, too.

IAN BANNON: They're really short, they go fast, and don't try and cram too much in. Yeah. And I think beyond that just echoing what Marissa said about the logistical details. Awesome if I can see a video clip and hear you talk about your work, but if I don't know when I can look at how many artists do I have to feed and house, you know, it's harder to conceive of how that might happen. And unlike the other kind of ephemeral pieces, like moments of contact and relationship building that we've been talking about, a pitch is like something that's baked and ready to go. So really, like, I think the more specific you can be in that short period of time the better from a presenter's standpoint.

ADRIENNE PETRILLO: Those are all great tips. And I will just reiterate, lead with the art. That's why we're all here. That's why we all do this. That's what gets people excited. But as folks are saying, you know, if there are particular things that may influence someone's decision, you don't need to go through your tech specs, all of your pieces. But like you have 30 dancers who need to be sewn into their costumes? That's something people might want to know. You're only touring in the month of July? People want to know that. Like, if there are really specific things that can be good to share. And again, that can also all be in your Whova project as well. So we are going to move into some breakouts. I want to thank Marissa, Ian, and Jessica for joining us today. This has been a fantastic conversation. I think they provided a lot of good insight into Idea Swap. So we're appreciative of their time. So next we're just going to spend about 20 minutes or so in breakouts. These are very casual. It's really just a chance for you to meet some people before you show up in person so that when you do get there, maybe you'll do that – you'll have that body recognition from Zoom that Jessica was talking about. Maybe not! You never know. And so what we would like you to do in your breakout is to just share your name, any professional affiliation, pronouns if you would like, and what you are most looking forward to at Idea Swap. So we're just going to put everyone in some randomized breakouts. NEFA staff may pop in as well. You're welcome to ask questions of folks. And then we will just kind of come back at the end. But thank you all. Again, thanks to our panelists today. And, Falyn, whenever you are ready to hit go on the breakouts, please go for it.

All right. Thank you, everyone. I hope you were able to meet some new friends, maybe some old friends, in your breakout groups. Hopefully you met someone, now when you see them in person at Idea Swap it won't feel quite so overwhelming because you know at least one person.

So that concludes our session for the day. I want to thank my colleagues again, Audrey, Falyn and Saejin, for all of their work on this session, our incredible panelists with amazing advice, Jessica, Ian, and Marissa. And I want to acknowledge our ASL interpreters and our live captioner who have been with us today to make this session accessible. So just as a reminder, as Audrey said during the presentation, NEFA staff are here, we're around. You can e‑mail us. You can call us. If you have questions about Idea Swap in the next couple of weeks, just feel free to reach out and any of us are happy to chat with you. So thank you all for taking the time to join us today and we look forward to seeing you in Worcester.