AVConnect Midwest

A one-day, in-person regional meetup for live event professionals focused on peer-to-peer conversations, practical insights, and local connections.

Ravinia Festival | Highland Park, IL | August 26, 2026

Agenda

Request to RSVP

AVConnect Midwest brings together venues from across the Midwest region to share ideas, learn from real-world experiences, and build connections that last beyond the event. This experience is designed to blend practical sessions, interactive discussions, and plenty of opportunities to connect and have fun with your peers.

What to Expect

Local networking

Connect over shared goals and honest conversations.

Interactive sessions

Discussions, workshops, and activities you actively participate in.

Takeaways you can use

Ideas and examples to bring back to your venue immediately.

Who Should Attend

If you’re shaping the strategy for how audiences discover your events, engage with your brand, and drive sustainable growth, you’re in the right place.

AVConnect Midwest is built for leaders and decision-makers across live events, performing arts, and attractions, including:

Executive directors, CEOs, COOs & managing directors
VPs, directors, and heads of marketing, revenue, or customer strategy
Senior leaders across ticketing, CRM, and digital
Audience, engagement, and operations leaders responsible for growth and performance

Agenda

Go beyond the standard “how-to” training. This is a day of sessions featuring experts and panelists demonstrating how to build connections and trust at every stage of the customer journey.

Session topics include audience behavior trends, its impact on your box office, how the attendee experience can make or break the entire journey, and more. We’ll wrap up the programming with an interactive workshop and give you tools to bring back to your venue.

All timings, speakers, and schedule are subject to change. Detailed schedule will be posted prior to the event.

Wednesday, August 26

Check-In

11:00am – 11:30am

Ravinia Festival Walking Tour

11:30am – 12:00pm

Lunch

12:00pm – 1:00pm

Session Programming

Creating Experiences Worth Leaving Home For: Lessons Across Live Events

What does great guest experience actually look like across different types of live events? Join leaders from Ravinia Festival, the League of Chicago Theaters, and the Chicago White Sox for a conversation on creating memorable attendee experiences. We’ll explore what great hospitality looks like across sports, performing arts, and concerts, where audience expectations overlap and differ, and how leading organizations are building loyalty through exceptional experiences that keep people coming back.

Jennifer Butler
Chief Guest Experience Officer
Ravinia Festival

Marissa Lynn
Executive Director
League of Chicago Theatres

Mike Mazza
Vice President of Ticket Operations
Chicago White Sox

Trends in Audience Behavior

In this session, we’ll reveal results from our new study which examines current audience behavior at performing arts organizations in 2026. What new trends are we seeing? Have there been any shifts in when audiences are buying tickets or what types of tickets they’re purchasing? Has recent economic and political uncertainty affected attendance or spending overall? Where are there areas of opportunity, and how do we capitalize on it?

Jonathan Carpenter
Program Manager, Performing Arts
JCA

Customer Support Excellence: AI and Live Agent Support in Ticketing

Discover how AI and live agent support work together to transform the customer experience. Learn how organizations are delivering faster response times, 24/7 assistance, and more personalized service while improving efficiency and controlling costs. We’ll explore how AI handles routine inquiries, where human agents add empathy and expertise, and why a hybrid support model is becoming the new standard in ticketing and customer service. Through real-world examples and practical insights, you’ll see how blending technology with the human touch creates better experiences for patrons and support teams alike. Whether you’re a customer service leader, box office professional, or theater enthusiast, you’ll leave with a clearer view of what’s next for customer support.

Alexis Mihajlovic
Director of Sales and Client Success
Spectrum Ticketing a division of MAI Voice

Brian Olson
Chief Technology Officer
Spectrum Ticketing a division of MAI Voice

Workshop: Winning Back the One-Time Attendee

Most patrons don’t return because of one big issue – they fade away after a series of forgettable or frustrating moments. In this hands-on workshop, participants will work through a realistic first-time attendee scenario to identify engagement drop-offs and redesign three high-impact digital touchpoints. Through small-group exercises and peer sharing, attendees leave with practical strategies and examples they can implement immediately to strengthen loyalty and encourage repeat attendance.

Spotlight Sessions

Take a closer look at the creative ideas driving audience engagement across the live events industry. In these short, focused sessions, a local venue will share a unique program, initiative, or offering that has helped them strengthen relationships with their customers, elevate the attendee experience, and keep audiences coming back. Walk away with practical ideas and real-world lessons you can adapt for your own organization.

Liz Lach
Producing Associate

Sara Schoenberger
Assistant Software Administrator
Marriott Theatre

Ben Koucherik
General Manager
Chicago Children’s Theater

1:00pm – 4:30pm

Experience Ravinia*

*Add-on requires separate registration

5:00pm – 9:30pm

Add-On: Experience Ravinia

After the day’s sessions, stay for the complete Ravinia experience and join us for the AVConnect Social & Dinner and a Ravinia Festival summer concert featuring Brandi Carlile.

The add-on experience grants access to the general admission lawn at the Ravinia Festival and to our private viewing space. Add-ons must be purchased by August 10, 2026. All individuals attending Ravinia Festival paid programming are required to register for the add-on.