Putting the OAK in WAA OAK!
Excursions kick off the conference with local experiences
Sign-ups for Excursions open the week of July 20 to registered conference attendees!
As a traveling conference, we want to be sure that we’re doing more than dropping in and out of the places that host us. At WAA OAK, thanks to our Host Committee made up of your locally-based peers, a range of Excursions provide a unique window into some of what makes Oakland and the wider Bay Area such an amazing place while also offering a great opportunity to connect with new and old friends.
From scoping out the halls that Zendaya and Alyssa Liu once roamed and getting behind-the-scenes at two of the city’s most compelling live venues, to a visit to the HQ of one of the world’s top PA-system creators, or a morning on the shores of Lake Merritt, you’ll be starting your conference week off right on the morning on Conference Day One. For those who are based in, or can get to, the area a full day in advance have an extra opportunity to get a bit further afield from Oakland; to wine, and performing-arts-center, country.
Dine-Arounds will take the hassle out of dinner as well: choose from a list of restaurants in the town voted Best Food City in 2024’s Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards (not an easy task!) and dine with your colleagues.
Excursions are subject to capacity limits, and free of charge, except where indicated.
Photo credit: OSA
A Visit to the Oakland School for the Arts
Located across the heart of downtown Oakland, Oakland School for the Arts transcends traditional arts-school educational models with a dynamic and unique approach to programs for design, visual, media, and performing arts. The Arts Pathways program gets students engaged with the wider arts industry. Chances are you’ve come across their alumni, from TV and film stars (Zendaya), Olympic medalists (Alysa Liu), Tony and Emmy winners and nominees, SF Ballet dancers, and more.
On this excursion, you’ll tour the school’s facilities, and hear about their approach to incubating the next generation of artists and arts professionals. Following the tour, we’ll join high school students in the historic Sweet’s Ballroom – a former nightclub that hosted a who’s who of great musicians starting in the Roarin’ Twenties, and now an integral part of OSA campus – for a student-led conversation with professionals in the WAA family about careers in the arts as part of the school’s Artist Speaker Series.
(Max Capacity: 30)
Lake Merritt Hike
America’s first National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Merritt is not only a key habitat for migratory birds, but a great spot for local-watching, as Oaklanders come out in force to bike, jog, and wander around the 3.5-mile lakeshore trail. With Host Committee member Greg Kastelman (Unbound Artists) as your guide, this low-key wander is a great way to kick off the WAA week in community the great outdoors. Grab lunch to go from a list of recommended spots to wrap the ramble al fresco.
(Max Capacity: 25)
Photo credit: Visit California
Photo credit: César Rubi
Meyer Sound Laboratories Visit
A global brand based in Berkeley, even if you haven’t heard of Meyer Sound, you’ve surely heard Meyer Sound, as they are a supplier of sound systems to a wide range of venues around the world. Meyer Sound gives WAA delegates a very exclusive opportunity to visit the company's Berkeley HQ, which is not open to the public, and experience the local-company-that-could's space and gear in action.
Founded in 1979 by John and Helen Meyer, Meyer Sound is the global leader and innovator in self-powered loudspeaker systems and active acoustics. Headquartered in Berkeley, California, with operations globally, the company is driven by a singular mission: to create the best sonic experiences in the world. With more than 100 patents and a legacy of breakthrough technologies—including the first dedicated loudspeaker processors and large-scale self-powered arrays—Meyer Sound combines scientific innovation with precision craftsmanship. Its premium systems power the world’s most iconic concert tours and festivals, theatrical productions, cinemas, houses of worship, educational institutions, and more. The company champions sustainable manufacturing and invests in the future of sound through education and global partnerships.
(Max Capacity: 10)
Photo credit: San Francisco Bay Ferry
Explore the Bay
So much talk about the Bay Area focuses on the land, but the Bay itself is a defining part of the landscape and history of this region. So here’s your chance to get out on the water: Hopping the ferry at Oakland’s Jack London Square, we head to SF’s Ferry Building – once the second-busiest travel hub in the world (behind London's Charing Cross Station) – explore the Embarcadero, and take in one of the best Bay views there is. $30 registration fee for our gracious tour guide. (Max Capacity: 20)
Thank you to the good folks at the San Francisco Bay Ferry providing tickets free of charge for our 10:05am journey!
Photo credit: Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts
Henry J Kaiser Center for the Arts Tour
Get a behind the scenes experience of one of the jewels of the local venue landscape, the Henry J Kaiser Center for the Arts. Newly-reopened, the five-venue event center was born as the Oakland Civic Auditorium in 1915, and today houses a 25,000-square-foot arena, a 1,500-seat proscenium theatre, a lounge, and 2 ballrooms. Step inside the historic spaces that hosted the Grateful Dead, Tina & Ike Turner, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Black Panther Party, Elvis, and many more. (Max Capacity: 40)
Photo credit: Christos J. Palios
Tour of the Paramount Theatre
Opened in 1931 as a movie palace, the 3,000+-seat Paramount Theatre is one of the finest remaining examples of Art Deco design in the country, and a National Historic Landmark. Join David, Paramount Theatre Curator and Restoration Specialist, on an exclusive look behind (and in front of) the curtain on this exclusive tour.
Please note: The Paramount Theatre does not have an elevator and stairs are required to reach some areas of the building. (Max Capacity: 25)