IEBA 2009: October 11-13, Nashville, TN
Hotel and registration information will be sent to members in June. Sponsorship opportunities available now.

More than 500 live entertainment industry professionals will converge in Nashville at the annual conference of the International Entertainment Buyers Association October 11-13.

IEBA sets the stage for the next touring season with an exclusive first look at the hottest talent. IEBA’s annual conference has become the must-attend event featuring over three-dozen showcases from top artists to rising stars.

The annual IEBA Honors ceremony will be held Monday, October 12 at the famous Ryman Auditorium. Comedic phenom Jeff Dunham will honor industry legend Barbara Hubbard (named “Mother Hubbard” by Bob Hope) with the Harry A. Peebles Award for her more than 30 years as executive director of the American Collegiate Showcase (ACTS), a non-profit organization that raises scholarships for students seeking a career in performing arts. Dunham, who recently exceeded 400 million Internet views of his comedy clips and is a You Tube favorite, was a former winner of the ACTS showcase.

"We are ecstatic that Jeff Dunham will honor Barbara Hubbard, one of his mentors and an industry pioneer,” states IEBA Executive Director Tiffany Davis. “We are also thrilled to be holding this special event at the prestigious Ryman Auditorium for the first time.”

“This year’s conference will be our biggest and best yet with amazing talent, top-notch speakers and the most effective networking opportunity in the industry.”

More stars, honorees, speakers and talent will be announced in coming weeks.

IEBA pays tribute to the trailblazers of entertainment at the annual IEBA Honors ceremony. We salute those that have shaped where we are and those that continue to reinvent the entertainment industry. Past honorees have included: Loggins and Messina, ZZ Top, Patti Page, Loretta Lynn, Lou Rawls, Brenda Lee, Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper, Wayne Newton, Barbara Mandrell, Styx, Porter Wagoner, LeAnn Rimes, Johnny Cash, Ronnie Milsap and numerous others.

To view complete photos from the 2008 conference, visit our photos page.

In 2008, 500 IEBA members gathered at the Hilton Downtown Nashville to celebrate the brightest and the best of the coming year in live entertainment. Attendees enjoyed lively panel discussions, entertaining speakers and were introduced to some great new talent ready to head out on the road. The IEBA Honors ceremony hosted new faces in the industry while saluting those that continue to make a difference in the business.

If you didn't attend last year you missed the following: Loggins and Messina, Rick Springfield, Joe Piscopo, Crystal Gayle, Diamond Rio, Joe Nichols, James Otto, Ken Mansfield, Lee Greenwood, Darius Rucker, Jimmy Wayne, Josh Gracin, Zac Brown Band, Lost Trailers, Bucky Covington, Kimberly Kyaw, Jennifer Jay, Valerie Summers, Maria Brunner, Paul Moore, Greg Oswald, Rick Roskin, Dwight Wiles, Gary Weinberger, Ross Schilling, Karen Clark, The Oak Ridge Boys, The Outlaws, Sawyer Brown, Jack Ingram, Salvador, Locash Cowboys and many, many more.  For the full list of showcase artists, visit the showcase page.

2008 Conference Highlights

October 2008
Nashville, TN