Two regional affiliates of Folk Alliance International — an association that seeks to foster and promote contemporary, traditional and multicultural folk music — have slated a first-of-its-kind inter-regional one-day conference. Co-presented by the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) and the Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA), the event will take place at Unity of Charlottesville in Charlottesville, Virginia on Saturday, Sept. 6.

The one-day mini-conference is designed to give artists, presenters, folk DJs, agents and others engaged in the business of folk music a small taste of what takes place during the organizations’ respective annual multi-day conferences. The day will feature workshops, panel discussions, networking, and a 10-act juried showcase. Registration for the day is $50, and includes all activities as well as lunch and snacks. Admission to the showcase only is $15.

A panel of folk DJs and concert presenters selected the following showcase artists: Beggar’s Ride, RJ Cowdery, Lynda Dawson & Pattie Hopkins, Friction Farm, Susan Greenbaum Duo, Jacob Johnson, Lulu’s Fate, Kipyn Martin, Grant Peeples, and Simple Gifts. Each will perform a 15-minute set. Rob Lytle and Hiroya Tsukamoto were named as alternates, and Lytle also will perform a short set.

Prior to the showcases, attendees will participate in a morning speed-networking session and then choose from among an array of five afternoon workshops and panel discussions.

Registration forms for the conference are posted in the Regional One-Day Conferences drop-down menu that appears on the left side of the NERFA website (www.nerfa.org). Admission to the juried showcases only will be payable at the door by cash or check.

Here’s the day’s lineup:

9 a.m Registration and Continental Breakfast

10 a.m. Welcoming Remarks and Introductions

10:15 a.m. Speed Networking

Have your elevator speech ready as you move around the room to interact with an array of music leaders. This fun, structured process facilitates introductions and short conversations between people who don’t know each other. It also enables you to get answers to your most pressing questions regarding booking, promoting, recording, and other aspects of the folk music business.

11:45 a.m. Two concurrent 75-minute sessions

Blues, Banjos and Ballads: A Musical Conversation on Regional Folk Traditions: North Carolina-based singer-songwriter and Piedmont Blues picker Jon Shain and Virginia-based multi-instrumentalist and historian Gregg Kimball will lead a conversation/demonstration on some of the region’s classic folk traditions and their evolution in America — including balladry, old-time country and Piedmont Blues.

On The Griddle: Folk DJs Peter Jones (WTJU-FM, Charlottesville) and Anne Williams (WNRN-FM, Charlottesville), along with presenters Michael Jaworek (The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA) and Scott Moore (Focus Music) will serve as panelists during an instant critique session. Attendees will get a sense of how a radio DJ decides which recordings to add for airplay and why a presenter picks one artist instead of another. Prior to the session, interested artists will provide conference volunteers with copies of their latest CD emblazoned with a sticky note indicating the track that they want evaluated. In rapid-fire fashion, the CDs will be played in the order in which they were received and panelists will share their thoughts after listening to the first 60 seconds of a song.

1 p.m. Lunch (included with registration)

2 p.m. Three concurrent 90-minute sessions

Online Communications and Promotion: Michael Kornfeld, a veteran New York-based communications and public relations strategist, leads a highly participatory discussion that will delve into such topics as electronic press kits (EPKs), netiquette, social media, websites, and how artists and presenters can partner on concert promotion.

Presenters’ Forum: Scott Moore of Focus Music facilitates a free-flowing conversation among presenters — including those from volunteer-run coffeehouse and concert series, house concert hosts and for-profit venues — on various topics of interest to them. Panelists will include Michael Jaworek of The Birchmere and Jeremiah Jenkins of Red Wing Roots Festival, among others.

Why FREE Pays: Michael Johnathon, a Kentucky-based singer-songwriter and host of the widely syndicated “WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour,” recognizes that we live in a world in which many artists tour extensively and make tens and tens of dollars. He urges artists to employ a new “free” business model to reach a larger audience with their music. In this workshop, he’ll suggest ways that artists can think differently and take their cues from Facebook, Google, Twitter and YouTube — all of which give their product away and, in return, reap huge profits.

3:30 p.m. Networking and Snack Break

4 p.m. Juried showcases (15-minutes per artist/act)

More information about NERFA, SERFA and Folk Alliance International is available online at nerfa.org, serfa.org and folk.org, respectively.

Editor’s Note: Besides presenting a session on online communications and promotion, I am coordinating this conference with the much-valued assistance of a small steering committee. I’m also an elected board member of both Folk Alliance International and NERFA.