Attendees of the conference include delegates from student unions and student associations across Canada. This includes students, graduate students, and those in roles post grad as well as professional staff. Roles range from Vice Presidents and Presidents of student programming and clubs to Orientation Week leaders, marketing directors, and more. COCA offers each delegate regardless of their role a chance to not only sharpen their skills for their positions through ed sessions, but networking opportunities in regional meetings to connect even deeper with associations in their region facing similar challenges and trends in the programming space. Not to mention the chance to see up and coming talent touring campuses across the country.
Other attendees of the conference include associates that provide products and services to these unions. Some associates are the touring artist themselves, while others, like Degy may be an agency there representing their entire roster of touring acts and events. There are other vendors that attend separate from live entertainment, such as the Gambling Alliance Society, Big Tree Promotions for promo support, and Bounce who is a quickly growing community engagement & ticketing platform for the Unions as well.
There are many similarities between the programming for campuses in the U.S and programming for Student Unions and Associations across Canada. They both host large and small events, from major concerts and dance parties to speakers and comedians. Headphone Disco has continued to be a hugely successful event across both markets, as the feedback from many delegates this year is that their students really show up and “show out” for their annual Headphone Disco parties. They both also host national level talent for major concerts and comedy shows on campus to celebrate the start and finish of the year, Homecoming, and more.
One notable difference is how risk averse the buyers are across Canada. Events like sex toy bingo are a staple, while in the U.S this would be rarely funded by a university though many would argue students’ interests don’t differ drastically across both countries. We’ve also learned that Union autonomy in Canada often allows for a more flexible booking process as they often have fewer middle layers of approvals than Universities in the U.S.
Some of the most in demand style of events across Unions in Canada include programming Drag, Queer, and Gender-Inclusive talent, DJ sets, club/pub nights, and mental-health and advocacy focused events. While in the U.S, some of the most in demand performers/events include interactive programs (Headphone Disco, Boom Boom Bingo, Rhythmetrix), clean comedy (Michael Kent, Danny Franzese, Free Daps), and hands-on, DIY events (NatterDoodle, Plenty O’Cookies).
COCA 2025 was another great year of meetings with delegates and associates who I am lucky enough to call some friends! While we usually only see each other face to face every year on the dot for the conference, it really is a family like atmosphere where people of all backgrounds get to come together for the common goal of bringing unforgettable events to students across Canada.
Special shoutout to the folks to make COCA possible each year, from Jennifer Wanke to Crystal Benn, to Andy Hall running the Biz Hall, to Kyle Wappler’s long days as production manager for the showcases. And special shoutout to Danny Connelly as the National Conference Chair (and answering all my emails with questions about booth heights in the biz hall). All your hard work does not go unnoticed, and we are so grateful here at Degy for all that you do!