2025-09-19
17:32 MDT

“It’s showtime,” quipped the catering director on a recent Friday afternoon, as attendees to the 2025 edition of PodSummit YYC trickled out from the Flanagan Theatre, a 350-seater at The Grand, in the heart of Calgary, where they had just caught a live recording of CBC’s Crime Story podcast.

A long table brimming with hors d’oeuvres welcomed the small crowd into the subtly lit lobby, which quickly filled with the energetic chatter of approximately 100 guests. Some took a seat on one of the brightly coloured sofas spread across the space. Others studied a montage of early radio artifacts that the event’s organizers had installed by an exposed brick wall. The 113-year-old building forms part of the historic Lougheed Block.

An aspiring podcaster, who had travelled from British Columbia to attend the summit, thought the ambience fostered by The Grand was as intimate as a podcast.

Meanwhile, Tim Truax, CEO of PodSummit, mingled with guests at the reception, following a successful first day, confident that the technical aspects of the simultaneous presentations set to take place on Saturday were being looked after by the venue’s experienced team. “The one thing you don’t want to have to go wrong in a podcasting event is the sound,” he says. “Having the support of three techs in the Flanagan Theatre—lighting, sound and execution—has been incredible.”

Calgary’s oldest theatre is much more than a piece of architectural heritage; it fills an underserved niche in a city with a penchant for glitzy venues. “It’s an unusual space,” says Erynn Lyster, The Grand’s executive director. “There are not many spaces of this size in Calgary—it’s neither too big nor too small.”

Besides the Flanagan Theatre and its charming lobby, the iconic venue also boasts a 1,230-square-foot studio space that serves the needs of upstart artists, underpinning the important role The Grand continues to play in Calgary’s arts community.

“We contribute to downtown revitalization by nurturing emerging artists and arts organizations,” Lyster says. “We are focused on building capacity within the arts sector, so that people can start their careers at The Grand and move on to larger venues as their skills grow.”