Departure Conference Announces Bryan Adams, Tim Leiweke As Speakers For Toronto Event

Oak View Group chairman & CEO Tim Leiweke and music icon Bryan Adams are among speakers and other content announced for the inaugural Departure Festival + Conference covering music, art, comedy and tech May 6-11 at Hotel X in Toronto.

Co-owned and launched by Toronto-based Loft Entertainment and Oak View Group, Departure is the revamped multi-vertical conference and festival born out of the 42-year-old Canadian Music Week, which Neill Dixon sold last year. Oak View Group is parent company to Pollstar. 

Adams will be part of Radiodays North America (May 6-8), the leading conference for radio, podcasting and digital audio professionals, which was also a part of CMW.

Loft executive producer Kevin Barton told Pollstar, “We’re reverse engineering the way that they traditionally approached panels at Canadian Music Week, where we have a topic and give it to an individual. What we’ve done is, “What is it that you want to talk about? What is most important to you?” So, we’re preparing those individuals with more of a one-on-one deeper conversation for both of them.”

Barton also revealed that there will not be a Canadian Live Music Industry Awards (last year was the eighth annual), but live music will be represented at the Departure Awards.

“We are amalgamating multiple awards shows into the inaugural year for the Departure Awards,” he said.

The music festival will have more than 100 showcases, according to festival director Pat Murphy. There was no fee to apply and more than 1,000 submissions came in. The comedy arm is being handled by Bruce Hills, former president of Just For Laughs, who has been brought into Departure as executive producer for both the conference and showcases, including the popular Don’t Tell Comedy.

Of note, Departure has partnered with Canadian tech and innovation event Elevate, a thinktank that unites to solve society’s challenges. Co-founder and CEO Lisa Zarzeczny has also been tapped as a speaker.

Other names announced in this first round are tech thought leader Matt McGowan, GM of Snap Inc. in Canada; Toa Dunn, president of Visibility Media and former global head of Riot Games Music; Molly McPherson, a crisis communications expert ; Matty Matheson, renowned Canadian chef and restaurateur and actor/exec producer, The Bear; and platinum record producer T-Minus in conversation with Rap Radar podcaster Brian “B.Dot” Miller; trailblazer and advocate for Indigenous voices Shayla Stonechild; Emmy award-winning music supervisor Matt Biffa (Sex Education, Hacks, Harry Potter), and renowned photographer and creative director Danny Hastings.

“The two things that are really important to us are about honoring the past but once again looking forward to the future,” says Barton. “So although we have some heavy hitters in the industry, the discussions won’t be focused on what they’ve accomplished. It’ll be a nod and understanding of what brought them to this spot in their careers, then the future outlook. Sometimes with artists or executives, it’s not always a one-lane road; they have other things that they might be interested in and other thoughts about where the industry in itself might be headed towards.”

The comedy lineup will be announced in February and the music showcase following in March. Some premium music shows were announced, including Mustafa at Meridian Hall, and Death From Above 1979 for two nights at Lee’s Palace. Departure will also run special film presentations, such as Alex Ross Perry’s documentary/fiction drama Pavements, based on ’90s indie band Pavement. 

“I would say at least 60% of the conference is still music focused,” says Barton.