Thanks & Joy & Feedback!

Thanks to each of you for what you brought to the LMDA 2010 Annual Conference in Banff!

The feedback we heard from you over the course of the week was great and we are thrilled that as you return to your homes you are taking away a lot of fresh ideas, new connections, a renewed energy for your work and maybe even a bit of joy!

And it would be great to hear from you here about your Conference experience. Not only is it great to share your thoughts with your fellow delegates but it is also useful in our reports to funders and as we look ahead to future conferences.

Please contribute a comment here on this post with any thoughts you want to share, favourite memories or actions you plan to take based on the conversations at the Conference. You can also expect an online survey to come out for your feedback.

I want to say thanks again to the wonderful staff of The Banff Centre especially Kelly Robinson, Casey Prescott, Lee Cookson, Allanah Bellai, Sarah Iley and Mary Hofstetter. Remember to take a look at the wonderful programs they offer and spread the word about the beautiful facility.

And last but not least, thanks to the conference team who made this such a success: Bob White, Shari Wattling, Caroline Russell-King, Glenda Stirling, Amy Lynn Strilchuk, Vanessa Porteous, Michelle Kneale, Trevor Rueger, Dianne Goodman and Johanne Deleeuw. And the LMDA Exec and Board!

If you want to know more about our facilitator, Mr. Misha Glouberman. Or if you think he might be a good fit for an event in your area check out his website: www.collective-intelligence.ca

And thanks to all the supporters of this conference: The Canada Council for the Arts, LMDA Canada, Canadian Drama Foundation and Alberta Theatre Projects.

Thanks again and we look forward to seeing you all somewhere in this wide world soon!

Vicki Stroich

VP Canada and Banff Conference Chair

The Conference Bar

What you've all been waiting for - news on the Conference Bar!

While there are several places to grab a drink on campus, if you want to explore the night life in Banff a few minutes walk from The Banff Centre our Conference Bar will be The Rose and Crown Pub (202 Banff Avenue, upstairs.) It is a nice big pub. roseandcrown.ca

If you identify yourself as being with LMDA or at the LMDA Conference you will get 20% off food. A good deal on late night nachos.

Thanks to our fellow delegate Rachel Ditor for negotiating this for us.

See you all very soon!

Best,

Vicki

Conference Schedule & some helpful info

LMDA Annual Conference 2010

June 28 – July 1, 2010

The Banff Centre

Banff, Alberta, Canada

Conference description:

Over the course of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the conference will have a beginning middle and an end. It has been designed to get you talking and engaging with your fellow delegates through a series of interactive activities. The conference is participant driven in content but the format is designed and facilitated.

All you need to bring is the passions, experiences and questions that are driving your work along with a desire to connect with other delegates. Oh, and your curiosity and an open mind. In short, the “how” of this unique conference format will be facilitated but the “what” is up to all of us!

For long time conference goers this conference experience may remind some of the retreat style conference of Puget Sound with the opportunities to immerse yourself in the environment where we are gathered that so many of us appreciate in an LMDA conference. But with a new twist on the way we engage with each other.

Whether you have been to an LMDA conference before or this is your very first time, you will leave the 25^th Anniversary LMDA Conference in Banff with exciting new connections to your peers.

Conference Schedule Notes:

The times for the sessions may be subject to small changes. Any schedule changes will be announced at the conference and posted on the bulletin board in our space at the Donald Cameron Hall Banquet Room.

We have also arranged for time within this conference for U Caucus and Early Career Dramaturgs to meet one another. You will hear more about that the morning of June 29.

The conference spaces are all on campus where we will be in residence and eating together so it will be very easy to get around. You will get a campus map when you check in. You will also get an easy reference version of this schedule at registration.

Monday June 28, 2010

Banff Centre Check – in (Professional Development Centre)

Check in time at The Banff Centre is at 4:00 p.m. The check in desk at The Banff Centre is open 24 hours a day. So no matter when you arrive you will be able to check in.

3:00 – 6:00 p.m. Conference Registration (Professional Development Centre)

After you have checked in (or if you have already checked in) please visit our lovely welcome wagon table located next to the Check-in Desk between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. to pick up your nametag and everything you’ll need for the conference! If you miss this registration window, don’t worry; nametags and information will be available at the welcome reception and the next morning.

4:30 – 6:00 p.m. LMDA Board and Executive Meeting (Three Ravens Wine Bar)

5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Dinner (Vistas Dining Room)

7:30 – 9:30 p.m. Welcome Reception (Max Bell Building Lobbies)

A welcome celebration to introduce conference delegates to Banff, the Bow Valley and each other! Featuring a few short words of welcome, live music and lots of time to mingle, this is an opportunity to meet and greet your fellow delegates and raise a glass to our silver anniversary conference and the beautiful surroundings.

Tuesday June 29, 2010

7:30 – 8:45 a.m. Breakfast (Vistas Dining Room or Gooseberry Deli)

9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Conference Time! (Donald Cameron Hall Banquet Room)

Please arrive at 8:45 a.m. We will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. and it is important to have everyone there. This first session will lay out how the next two days will work.

Join your fellow delegates and facilitator Misha Glouberman as we meet one another, set out the course of our conference together and get started!

There will be breaks throughout the day and the Banquet Room will serve as our club house (of sorts) with conference merchandise for sale, Playwrights Canada Press books for sale and a table for you to put out any materials you’d like to share with the group. This will also be the home of the LMDA Oral History Project! We will be video recording memories from long-term and new members for our archives.

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch (Vistas Dining Room, Gooseberry Deli or Kiln Café and Coffeehouse)

Early Career Dramaturgs will have tables set aside for them on June 29 at Vistas Dining Room to have lunch together.

1:30 – 5:00 p.m. Conference continues (Donald Cameron Hall Banquet Room and various rooms in Max Bell Building)

There will be breaks throughout the afternoon and the Banquet Room will continue to serve as our clubhouse.

5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Wine & Cheese hosted by The Banff Centre (Eric Harvie Theatre)

Our gracious hosts at The Banff Centre invite delegates to join them for a wine and cheese to learn a bit more about the stunning facility and amazing range of programs that they offer artists and leaders from all over the world.

6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Dinner (Vistas Dining Room)

7:30 p.m. – whenever you want to roll into bed - Enjoy Banff! (various fabulous locations & activities – it’s your choice!)

Wednesday June 30, 2010

7:15 – 9:00 a.m. Morning Walk with Bob White (meet outside of Professional Development Centre)

The walk starts at 7:15 a.m. sharp. Join LMDA Board Member and (occasional) mountaineer Bob White on a relatively low impact walk through the woods. Gorgeous views and a wonderful opportunity to engage in conversation with your fellow delegates.

7:30 – 9:15 a.m. Breakfast (Vistas Dining Room or Gooseberry Deli)

9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Conference continues (Donald Cameron Hall Banquet Room and various rooms in Max Bell Building)

Please be on time as we will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. It is important to have everyone together at the start of the day. We check in with one another as a group and set goals for the final leg of our conference together before beginning the day’s sessions. There will be breaks throughout the day and the Banquet Room will continue to serve as our club house.

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Regional Lunch (Vistas Dining Room)

Join folks from your region at a table in Vistas Dining Room and share a meal with delegates from your part of the world.

1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Conference continues and concludes (for now) (Donald Cameron Hall Banquet Room and various rooms in Max Bell Building)

After two days of engaging with each other, we come together as a group once more.

3:45 – 5:30 p.m. LMDA AGM (Max Bell Auditorium)

LMDA Board and Executive report to and engage with members about LMDA programs and activities at the all-important general business meeting.

5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Free Time!

Take a walk! Take a nap! Get your banquet frock on! Get someone to help you tie your tie!

7:30 – 10:00 p.m. LMDA 25^th Anniversary Banquet (Donald Cameron Hall Banquet Room)

Cocktails at 7:00 p.m. A beautiful meal, great company and a celebration of 25 years of LMDA! Featuring presentations of the Elliot Hayes Award and the prestigious G. E. Lessing Award—and a few surprises!

Thursday July 1, 2010

7:15 – 9:00 a.m. Morning Walk with Bob White (meet outside of Professional Development Centre)

The walk starts at 7:15 a.m. sharp. Join LMDA Board Member and (occasional) mountaineer Bob White on a relatively low impact walk through the woods. Gorgeous views and a wonderful opportunity to engage in conversation with your fellow delegates.

7:30 – 9:15 a.m. Breakfast (Vistas Dining Room or Gooseberry Deli)

9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Conference wrap-up & looking ahead (Max Bell Building Room 252)

The final session! Join us as we look back at this year’s conference experience and look ahead to next year!

11 a.m. – 1 p.m. LMDA Board and Executive Meeting (Max Bell Room 252)

Happy Canada Day! Safe travels home!

A little glimpse at Banff...

Hello LMDA 2010 Conference delegates!

I am here at The Banff Centre for The Banff Playwrights Colony this month before you all arrive for the conference. There was the most beautiful view today from Vistas Dining Room and I just couldn't resist the opportunity to share a photo with you.

The weather in the mountains can be a bit unpredictable but the sun has been showing its face more and more lately! As you pack for the Conference, please take a look at The Weather Network website for an up to date forecast. www.theweathernetwork.com

See you in 28 days!

Best,

Vicki Stroich

VP Canada & Banff Conference Chair

The Journey: Share flight sales and car pooling info here!

By now you have all likely read the travel information available on the conference section of the LMDA site. If not, you should check out the link on this blog and read through the important travel information. The link to the Banff Airporter discount booking page for the LMDA Conference is on this blog, too!

Have you found a great seat sale to Calgary that your want to share? Are you renting a car at the Calgary airport or driving to Banff and have some room for another person? Looking for information about travel?

Please post a comment on this post if you want to share travel information or questions with your fellow delegates!

Safe travels everyone!

THINGS TO DO IN AND AROUND BANFF

If you are planning to stay on a couple of extra days to enjoy the beauty of Banff National Park, or if you find yourself with some free time, there are lots of wonderful things to do in the Banff area.

Here are some suggestions of where to look for things to do:

The Parks Canada website lists some great day hikes in the Banff area, as well as info on self-guided interpretive trails, and information about current conditions and safety tips. http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/banff/activ/activ1.aspx

The Banff area also boasts some fantastic white water rafting on the Kicking Horse River. http://www.wildwater.com/rafting-trips/

If you prefer something a little less adventurous, how about a beautiful gondola ride to see the sights from the air - http://www.explorerockies.com/banff-gondola/

or a dip in Banff’s famous Hot Springs - http://www.pleiadesmassage.com/banff/index.html

The Banff Springs Hotel is a lovely place to enjoy afternoon tea. - http://www.fairmont.com/banffsprings

And the hotel also maintains one of the best spas in Alberta - http://www.fairmont.com/banffsprings/GuestServices/SPA/

Banff has all kinds of restaurants and bars worth checking out, as well as lots and lots of shopping, if that’s your thing. Lots of info on wining, dining and shopping can be found on the Town of Banff website - http://www.banff.ca/visiting-banff.htm.

The Banff Centre has all kinds of entertainment, year round. Check out their website for listings of other activities going on at the centre during the time of the LMDA conference. Summer programming may not all be listed until June, so check back closer to the time of the conference for more details. http://www.banffcentre.ca/events/

July 1^st is a big holiday in Canada. It’s Canada Day, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the 1 July 1867 enactment of The British North America Act, which united two British colonies and a province of the British Empire into a single country called Canada. Canada Day observances take place throughout Canada. Activities scheduled in commemorate the day in Banff can be found here: http://www.banff.ca/activities-events/festivals-special-events/canada-day.htm

Bios - Who are you?

Often we arrive at a conference to find a handy list of delegates and bios waiting for us so we can peruse the who's who of names and accomplishments in our midst.

But we figured...why wait until we get to Banff to find out who will be part of the conversation?

If you are attending the conference and would like to share your bio with other delegates please post it in a comment here on this post. If you'd like to add contact information or a website, please include it in the comment as well.

We are all looking forward to learning more about you!

Vicki Stroich
VP Canada & Banff Conference Chair

Welcome to the Banff 2010 Conference Blog!

As you know, this conference isn't like any other LMDA conference you've been to; the content will utilize highly participatory formats to encourage a deeper exchange between particpants. There are no keynotes and no panels. Rather than gathering to listen to one key message and a handful of case studies, discussion will continually flow around a variety of ideas, questions, and inspirations that LMDA members bring to the table. Some sessions will be defined by each individual’s own passions, experiences, and specific interests...

Don't worry about how, just come with an open mind.

So we've created this blog to enable you to do what you do best: collaborate. This is a place where you can share inspirations, passions, and interests you look forward to bringing to the conference conversation. You can also share resources that you've found applicable to the conference. Found a great book that you were thinking about discussing? Post about it, then perhaps others will have a chance to read it before the conference. Found a great deal on a flight? Post about it, perhaps others from your area could use some help. Do you have a question about the conference that you think will benefit others? Post it... maybe, just maybe we'll answer you ;)

The nitty gritty about this blog:

• As an AUTHOR, you can create posts/discussion topics;
• As a READER, you can read and comment without signing up;
• You can use the links we have provided for conference information and travel (right side bar);
  
• You can view the complete list of posts (right side bar); and
  
• You can see some pictures of the beautiful Banff Centre.

If you would like to be an author or have questions about the blog, please send an email to michelle(at)urbancurvz.com

Happy Blogging!