Jazz Festivals Canada Networking and Tour Facilitation Services

Jazz Festivals Canada (JFC) networking and block booking activities are designed to reinforce the Canadian presenting circuit. The ongoing partnership between the 18 jazz festivals involved in the national presenters network facilitates collaborative programming that fosters the growth and vitality of jazz festivals across the country.

The presenting partnerships offered through the JFC network strengthen the contribution that jazz festivals make within their respective communities. Through block booking sessions the national network of presenters can develop tours that span from coast to coast, providing Canadian artists with the opportunity to perform in more remote communities outside of major urban centers. Collaborative marketing and communications initiatives enhance the awareness of the remarkable and unique jazz festivals that take place in communities throughout Canada.

The JFC network contributes to the success of its member organizations by providing guidance and professional assistance on how to effectively reach their objectives from both artistic and organizational standpoints. The services provided by JFC to jazz presenters across Canada helps to ensure that jazz presenting is successful in an increasing number of communities, contributing skills, advice, knowledge and information through programs and professional development.

Networking Meetings
Networking meetings are held in Ottawa in October each year. Network meetings provide an essential face-to-face forum for the sharing of best practices and professional development including specialized sessions on block booking, marketing, education and outreach, advocacy and fundraising. Network meetings are also an ideal place for focused discussion around strategies for building organizational capacity and stability. Network meetings provide an arena for both emerging and well-established presenters to work together as a group to develop effective solutions to ongoing challenges that all presenting organizations face.

Tour Facilitation Services
Annual block booking sessions are held in Montreal in November each year. Block booking sessions consist of four full days of tour routing and development.

JFC supports the Artistic Directors of member events throughout the booking process, including facilitation of block booking sessions, programming conference calls, and documentation and dissemination of tour routing information.

Programmers from JFC events are able to contact the Executive Director on an ongoing basis for access to accurate details around artist fees and contact information for agents, artists and managers. This information, which is housed in an extensive up-to-date database, is an invaluable tool for both larger, well-established festivals and emerging festivals wishing to increase their level of contact with representatives from management companies and international cultural agencies who will provide funds to support international tours.

Education and Outreach Activities
JFC provides support to members in their presentation of education and outreach programs. The network has also begun to support and implement such educational programs and activities on a national level. These activities include the Marilyn Michener Memorial Award at Humber College, in Toronto and the TD Canada Trust JFC Jazz Youth Summit at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival.

Presence at Industry Events
The second round of annual round of JFC networking meetings are held in conjunction with the Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference in New York each January. JFC purchases a booth at the conference each year where materials promoting the network and all member festivals are displayed. The JFC booth provides a great opportunity for members to meet and network with Canadian and international artists, agents, managers, fellow presenters and industry personnel. Displaying materials such as posters, festival program guides and collateral postcards at international industry events helps to raise both the individual and collective profile of jazz events across Canada.