Explore APAP|NYC 2026

APAP|NYC’s professional development offerings include activities attendees know and love, along with new sessions designed to serve current field needs.

• Plenaries that inspire and respond to the critical issues in the performing arts that matter most right now.

• Fieldwide Forums for arts professionals working in Youth and Family, Classical Music, Dance, Circus, and other areas to meet colleagues, share challenges and successes, and ask the big questions.

• Continuing Education and Learning Sessions that provide practical strategies, information, and resources for navigating the moment and understanding how to adapt to an ever-evolving field.

• Critical, Interactive Fieldwide Conversations that bring all of us (artists, agents, managers, producers, presenters, and more) together to discuss the future of programming, presenting, booking, touring, how we work, and how we do business.

• Special Events to strengthen and celebrate the field and the people and pathways that lift us up and carry us forward.

Connect with colleagues, share ideas, discover new projects, enjoy peer support, deepen relationships, and discuss issues in the field through networking opportunities at APAP|NYC. See below for details and application deadlines for various networking and discovery events featured at APAP|NYC.

• Affinity Groups are where you meet with YOUR people, based on shared function or identity and engage in more intimate conversations about shared interests. Good for introverts, too!
• Networking Forums and Consortia bring together colleagues from similar disciplines, regions, and more.
• UP NEXT! Artist Pitch Session where you can discover exciting new works and artists that are tour ready for the 2026-27 season. Applications open July 1, 2025 and close August 8, 2025. 
• Discovery Roundtables: Artists, Partners, and Projects
  • Works-in-Progress Pitch Session: learn from creators about new works in development and explore potential for creative partnerships. Applications open August 29, 2025 and close September 30, 2025. 
    
  • Collaboration Roundtables: Just SEW (Socially Engaged Work): an opportunity for artists and presenters who are making or supporting work rooted in community, activism, and/or social practice to connect and collaborate. Call for Topics opens August 29, 2025 and closes September 30, 2025.
• EXPO Commons with more than 300 exhibitors, this is where you can discover an array of artists and services, conduct business, and make new connections.
• Special Events like the APAP Honors Awards Breakfast and the Opening Reception are great opportunities to catch up with longtime acquaintances and make new friends.
• The Networking Lounge and Discovery Zone are just two of many spaces where APAP|NYC attendees gather to work and meet.

Review the Schedule-At-A-Glance for APAP|NYC 2026 to help plan your schedule.

For more than six decades, APAP has been committed to leadership development in the evolving ecology of the performing arts industry. Through programs devoted to emerging leaders and mid-career professionals, APAP provides ways you can expand and strengthen your leadership skills in a changing environment. See below for details and application deadlines for the following programs featured at APAP|NYC.

• Emerging Leadership Institute (ELI) for early-career professionals to develop their leadership skills and build their professional network. Applications open in late June 2025 and close July 25, 2025.
• UP NEXT! Artist Pitch Session for artists with ready-to-tour work to connect with presenters and collaborators. Applications open July 1, 2025 and close August 8, 2025.
• 5 Minutes to Shine for any performing arts professional with an inspiring story idea to share. Applications open August 4, 2025 and close September 26, 2025.
• Discovery Roundtables: Artists, Partners, and Projects
  • Works-in-Progress Pitch Session for artists and companies with projects in the development stages. Applications open August 29, 2025 and close September 30, 2025.
    
  • Collaboration Roundtables: Just SEW (Socially Engaged Work) for artists and presenters working in community, activism, and/or social practice. Call for Topics opens August 29, 2025 and close September 30, 2025.

Plus, join us for these special events:

• Annual Member Meeting is the APAP membership's opportunity to gather together, hear about the State of the Association, and then join a lively discussion.
• The APAP Honors Awards Breakfast. Colleagues from across the performing arts will celebrate those who have made an impact on the field and those who are shaping the future. Learn more about The APAP Honors.
• Mentor Exchange LIVE. APAP’s Halsey North Mentor Exchange Program features conversations between leaders in the presenting, booking, and touring field sharing what they’ve learned, what they’re observing in the field, how they’ve navigated change, and how they are addressing challenges in current times. 

Review the Schedule-At-A-Glance for APAP|NYC 2026 to help plan your schedule.

With exhibitors from around the world, the EXPO Commons is the leading global engagement hub for touring artists and companies, artist representatives, booking agencies, presenting groups, consultants, and vendors.

As a conference registrant, you can browse the 300+ booths in the EXPO Commons and meet the many exhibitors all in one place during dedicated EXPO hours. Starting in the fall, you will also have access to information about the exhibitors to help you make plans.

Learn more about exhibiting and the EXPO Commons here. 

APAP’s independent showcases connect those seeking new work with those producing world-class artistry in all disciplines and genres. Conference registrants have access to 1000+ showcases, in the Hilton and throughout the New York City area.

Showcase listings will be available via our online conference platform/app in the fall. Showcase listings provide information on the artists, when and where the showcases occur, genre, discipline, accessibility, and other showcase-specific details such as how to RSVP, booking fees, and much more. Showcase listings will be added on a rolling basis as the conference approaches. 

Learn more about showcasing and attending showcases here.

• July 16 (What is APAP|NYC?) - 2:00-3:30 p.m. (EDT) - RSVP here.
• September 24 (Exhibiting) - 2:00-3:30 p.m. (EDT) - RSVP here. 
• October 15 (Showcasing) - 2:00-3:30 p.m. (EDT) - RSVP here.
• October 29 (Programming) - 2:00-3:30 p.m. (EDT) - RSVP here.
• November 12 (Networking) - 2:00-3:30 p.m. (EST) - RSVP here.
• December 10 (Know Before You Go) - 2:00-3:30 p.m. (EST) - RSVP here.

Get ready for the conference! Review the Schedule-At-A-Glance for APAP|NYC 2026 to help plan your schedule.

The detailed schedule will be available to conference registrants in the fall, on the online conference platform/app.