More than 3,400 people are expected to converge on New York City, Jan. 6-10, 2012, for the annual conference of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP). Now in its 55th year, the global performing arts marketplace and conference will feature daily plenary sessions and a wide array of professional development workshops and forums. As in years past, exhibition halls will be teeming with booking agents and presenters eager to speak with them, and there’ll be a whole lot of networking opportunities. More than 1,200 artist showcases also are slated -- including dozens by performers from the folk, roots and singer-songwriter communities in the U.S., Canada and several other countries. [To read the article, click on the headline.]