Trombone Shorty photo: Sean O’Kane
Martina McBride
The International Entertainment Buyers Association (IEBA), the leading trade organization for live entertainment industry professionals, will hold its 44th annual conference Saturday, Sept. 27 through Tuesday, Sept. 30 at the Omni Hotel in downtown Nashville. Fifty acts, including nine Grammy-winning artists, will grace IEBA stages during this year’s conference. Among them are Erica Campbell (of Mary, Mary), The Fairfield Four, MCHammer, Tony!Toni!Tone!, Trombone Shorty, Foghat, Martina McBride, and The Features.
MC Hammer will perform on Sunday at IEBA. Hammer previously attended in 2012 to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Charlie Pride. Terry Bradshaw will no longer be making the keynote address, as we reported last week. Instead, Vivek Tiwary, a New York Times bestseller, Broadway theatre producer and CEO of Tiwary Entertainment Group Ltd. will bring IEBA 2014’s keynote address.
The annual conference will culminate with Tuesday’s Honors and Awards Ceremony where 14 industry honors will be awarded and The Doobie Brothers, Jim Halsey and Bob and Peggy Kaltenbach of Klein’s Entertainment will be inducted into IEBA’s Hall of Fame.
In addition to incredible live entertainment, IEBA’s annual conference provides targeted programming for the talent buying industry, featuring diverse and uniquely crafted informational panels with some of the industry’s leading decision makers and trendsetters. The conference addresses specific areas of the live entertainment business including arena tours, clubs & colleges, the casino business, corporate & private events, fairs, and all types of festivals. The conference is more than a state-of-the-industry consortium. Programming remains focused on buying and selling talent and addresses the specialized ways business is done in particular areas.
“As artists and managers continue to financially focus on income from touring, the pressure increases on agents and buyers,” said AEG Live/TMG Senior Vice President Ali Harnell, an IEBA Board Member and a nominee for IEBA’s 2014 Promoter of the Year. “Our segment of the music business is multi-faceted, but it’s very clear we buy talent and promote live entertainment events. Plans made by agents and managers only become tours when the buyers get on board. Acts move from one level of touring to another when buyers and promoters are willing to take that risk with them.”
IEBA’s annual conference provides an atmosphere that fosters networking and collaboration through roundtable discussions, intimate panels and IEBA’s well-known Agents Alley, a time for entertainment buyers and agents to discuss the specifics of the upcoming touring season. New to the conference this year is Promoters Alley, a meet and greet of the same style where promoters will spend quality time with their valued partners.
“Ours is a business based on relationships,” said IEBA Executive Director Pam Matthews. “And trade organizations build relationships within their industries.” IEBA Membership has increased 45% over the past year. This fact speaks to the importance of the organization to the industry and the importance of the touring business to the entertainment industry as a whole.
To reserve a spot, and for more information about the conference, visit IEBA at www.ieba.com
