Garth Brooks, Ben Farrell, Lon Varnell Enterprises, and Bob Doyle, ASCAP enjoy the moment being inducted into the IEBA Hall of Fame during awards ceremonies Oct. 11 in Nashville. (VT Photo)
REPORTING FROM NASHVILLE — The International Entertainment Buyers Association wrapped Tuesday, Oct. 11, with the awards ceremony, a highlight of which was an appearance by Garth Brooks, 2016 Hall of Fame inductee. He was joined by longtime promoter Ben Farrell, who promotes Brooks’ dates among others, and Bob Doyle, director of membership relations at ASCAP, as IEBA Hall of Fame inductees. The late Joe Harris, booking agent, was inducted posthumously.
While those inductees were known, the 2016 Industry Award nominees learned in Nashville who had won. That list includes:
Arena of the Year: BOK Center, Tulsa, Okla.
Casey Sparks, Jeff Nickler and Joe Giordano of BOK Center, Tulsa. (VT Photo)
Fair: Minnesota State Fair, St. Paul
Amphitheater: Ascend Amphitheater, Nashville
Casino: MGM Grand, Las Vegas
Mark Prows, MGM Resorts/T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.
Club: Billy Bob’s Texas, Ft. Worth
Theater: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville
Festival: Coachella, Indio, Calif.
Venue Executive: David Kells, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville
David Kells
Talent Agent: Jay Williams, WME
Promoter: Darin Lashinsky, NS2
Club Buyer: Roger LeBlanc, Madison Entertainment
Casino Buyer: Kell Houston, Houston Productions
Kell Houston
Corporate Buyer: Mark Letson, East Coast Entertainment
International Buyer: Michael Chugg, Chugg Entertainment (Australia)
Fair Buyer: Todd Boltin, Variety Attractions
Todd Boltin
Festival Buyer: Bob Babisch, Summerfest
Bob Babisch
Young Professional: Morgan Kenney, WME