Interim director Paul Schiminger and members of the IBMA executive committee were on hand to present a “state of the association” meeting and Q&A session this morning at the 2026 World of Bluegrass during the annual Town Hall Meeting. This is the only general membership meeting each year for the organization.
He indicated that numerous applications have been received for the Executive Director position. The application window closes November 4.
Paul started out the meetings talking about strategies for moving the association forward. How can IBMA serve its members? How can IBMA be sustainable? IBMA needs to diversify its revenue sources.
The World of Bluegrass raises a lot of money but uses up a lot of resources. Last year’s WOB had a grant from the state of Tennessee. But WOB also cost more than expected. Also, the grant was not available this year, compounding the cost issue. This is one of the challenges facing the organization. Schiminger said that the association has strong leadership with many different talents. All those talents will come together to create a sustainable business model for the future. The model for Chattanooga is different than the model for Raleigh. All of this leads to committees working to insure the future of IBMA.
Pete Wernick suggested an update that struck close to home for me. Have an easel with a band name at the various stages. It tells the fella that walks up to the stage after band introductions who is playing. That very thing happened to me at the international stage.
Deanie Richardson relayed that the youth council has been revived. Deanie has been instrumental in involving young musicians.
There was discussion about providing bands with information or methods to introduce IBMA to festival and show audiences. This was part of a discussion on how to build audiences.
Paul outlined the three-legged stool that is the umbrella of IBMA. The Association is the entity that serves the bluegrass community. The Foundation is the grant making arm. The Trust Fund helps musicians in time of need. Each serves a purpose and together serves the greater community.
It was brought up that the Folk Alliance does regional conferences and that the association might consider partnering in those endeavors.
There was also discussion about creating some sort of welcome for first timers to WOB. It was suggested that Ted Lehman’s How to Thrive at IBMA be updated.
The bottom line to this ninety-minute discussion was that IBMA needs to bring sustainable services to its members and that will mean adapting to the future.
This was one of the best townhall sessions in memory. It was upbeat with lots of positive suggestions and feedback.
A big thank you to the IBMA staff and board members. You are appreciated!
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