IBMA World of Bluegrass Move to Chattanooga

So, the announcement was made this past week that the IBMA World of Bluegrass Conference will be held in Chattanooga, Tennessee for the 2025 through 2027 seasons. The choice surprised a few in the bluegrass community, as most thought that it would be moved back to Kentucky.

The IBMA stated that it would make the announcement much earlier in the year, so being this late made many lose interest in where the conference would be located in the future. Once the announcement was made that 2024 would be the last year that WOB would be held in Raleigh, North Carolina, the bluegrass community was talking heavily on a new location, which included Louisville, Lexington, or Owensboro, KY, Dayton, OH, or even St. Louis, MO. Very little talk was of Chattanooga, but one can see a few positives to the choice:

• More centrally located. While still in the South, Chattanooga is closer to other bluegrass-oriented cities such as Nashville, Knoxville, Louisville, and Dayton. As a mileage note, Chattanooga is about a 9.5-hour drive from Detroit, while Raleigh is closer to 13 hours (I still don’t plan on going, more on that later).
• Investment. Chattanooga is planning on investing $25 million into promoting tourist and convention marketing. We are fully aware that conferences such as WOB can pull in millions of dollars to a city’s economy, so I would venture that with WOB being there for three years, it will be a hefty return on investment, not even considering other conventions and tourism outside of WOB.
• Weather. During WOB’s tenure at Raleigh, there were two instances where hurricanes affected the conference, with one cancelling a large amount of events or forcing re-scheduling. A fan registered for WOB that just paid a few hundred dollars to attend, as well as hundreds more for hotel and food, expects a whole week of entertainment without Mother Nature screwing up things. Yes, maybe a day can be a disappointment (we’re used to it at bluegrass festivals), but to be in fear of dangerous weather the entire time is not worth the trip.

The first WOB in Chattanooga is scheduled for September 16-20, 2025. Oddly enough, that is usually the same week that the Americana Music Association schedules its AmericanaFest conference in Nasvhille. While there is not a lot of conflict, some bands and fans do attend both conferences, so one would wonder how much of a loss either association would feel if both were to be held on the same week. I would imagine that the AMA would probably hurt more, albeit not a large amount. Also, would anyone even consider the two-hour drive between the two cities to attempt to attend both? Highly unlikely.

As I stated above, I don’t plan on attending WOB in the near future, unless drastic changes are made in the philosophies of the IBMA, especially its political leanings. Because they moved so far left in thought since the George Floyd riots, I not only stopped becoming a member, but also resigned my position as a member of Leadership Bluegrass. Granted, I have also left the Americana Music Association for similar reasons, so whatever happens to the conferences over the next few years does not concern me. What I care about is the quality of music, not the diversity/equity of the artists. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at SPBGMA this past January because there was no politics, just a bunch of people enjoying music and jamming, and it allowed me to network without having to deal with conflicting attitudes.

In a related note to end this blog, I was going through some thumb drives a few evenings back, and came across a folder marked “IBMA 2011.” I believe this was one of the last years that WOB was held in Nashville, as well as one of the last times that I attended. One of the themes that year was Del McCoury’s 70th birthday. The Del McCoury Band performed live outdoors near the Ryman Auditorium and had a number of special guests, including Vince Gill, Sam Bush, Tim O’Brien, and Dierks Bentley. I actually got to hang out with Dierks for a while after his appearance, which he proved to be a true gentleman. I remember taking this photo and sending it back to two female co-workers. They were so jealous that they wouldn’t talk to me for days!

Chew on it and comment.