Benefits of Showcasing

The Arts Touring Alliance is a Regional Presenter Support Network that, among its many member support programs/services, hosts an annual conference called Alberta Showcase. Held in Fort Saskatchewan at the Dow Centennial Centre, it brings together presenters (talent buyers) performers and promoters for a weekend of live performance, networking and professional development.  Artists perform (showcase) in front of numerous Alberta community arts presenters in the hopes of securing bookings. There is a Regional Presenter Support Network which hosts a similar conference in each province across the country.

A 15-minute sample of the artist’s show performed for a dedicated audience of presenters/buyers, giving them an idea of what they would be buying. The artist performs in a beautiful theatre with professional sound/lighting and technicians at their disposal.

• An opportunity to perform in front of numerous presenters who are looking to hire artists for a show in their Alberta community
• Access to an incredible network of presenters, promoters and other artists that would otherwise take years of effort to reach. It can be a game-changer for an artist who has put in serious time developing a show, but just doesn’t have the reach and relationships to turn that into a viable business.
• Help build grassroots following outside of major centres by helping you get into towns and festivals that are perhaps outside the typical touring hotspots, getting you up close and personal with the local communities
• Offers a trade show/contact room with booths for artists or their representatives to make new connections and have discussions with the presenters/buyers.
• Provides a great opportunity to gain many valuable contacts not just with presenters, but with many industry stakeholders.

            Artists chosen to perform at the Alberta Showcase conference must also be prepared to attend the entire weekend. It is of great                      benefit to you to do this as building relationships is a key part of getting a booking.

You must be a professional performing artist with a solid number of live performances under your belt.

You must submit a quality live-performance video with your application.

We host a stage for emerging artists that an artist can apply for if they are just starting out. The Arts Touring Alliance endeavors to offer an opportunity for young artists to perform as well.  So do consider applying if you fall into this category.

With an industry valued at over 4 million dollars in Canada, hundreds of performances are booked as a direct result of showcase performances. Presenters/buyers offer full artist fees for shows, which can range from $1500 – $10,000 per show depending on location, size of venue and size of band/group/cast.

Touring will always help build your following. The fact that the provincial networks reach into rural Canada allows artists to tour markets that they might not be able to otherwise. Additionally, the networks’ presenters are almost exclusively sit-down shows rather than clubs, so you are dealing with a more attentive audience.

Successful showcases can lead to successful tours. Based on interest generated at the conferences an artist can get their show booked for a tour of consecutive show dates within a given province (a tour could consist of 3-10 performances scheduled consecutively all in different communities).

In provinces such as B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and the Atlantic provinces the provincial support network acts as a liaison between the artist and communities/presenters/buyers to initiate the touring/booking process and coordinate or block book the tour dates. Block booking allows artists to create a tour with fewer off days than tours that rely on weekends. Some of these provinces will even help negotiate the contracts between artists and communities.

Artists who have previously showcased with us must wait a minimum of 5 years before applying again.