Arrangements have been made with eight nearby hotels, including the Marriott City Center which adjoins the Convention Center.
Dates for this next three years are as follow:
- September 23 – 29, 2013
- September 29 – October 5, 2014
- September 28 – October 4, 2015
IBMA Board Chair Stan Zdonik expressed the board’s enthusiasm for Raleigh in a press release:
“If we had designed a perfect venue for our events, it would look a lot like the facilities in Raleigh.”
Other factors that influenced their decision were listed as:
- A compact “campus” with options for hosting Fan Fest indoors or outdoors—or both, with more stage options
- A state-of-the-art, Silver LEED certified convention center that incorporates a bright and open atmosphere (lots of windows and solar panels on the roof!)
- Substantially lower hotel rates, with the host hotel at $139/night and other lodging in our block as low as $66/night. The Raleigh Marriott City Center is connected to the Raleigh Convention Center and the Sheraton Raleigh is half a block away across the street, connected by an underground walkway (both $139/night). The Clarion Hotel State Capital ($85) is five blocks away. MORE: The Hampton Inn Glenwood Avenue (1 mile, $139), the Doubletree by Hilton Brownstone (2 miles, $154), the Hilton North Raleigh (5 miles, $101), Holiday Inn Express-Suites NCSU (2 miles, $89.99), Red Roof Inn NCSU (1 mile, $65.99). Note: These rates will not be available until spring 2013.
- Plenty of parking at the Raleigh Convention Center, $7/day
- Free shuttle rides in downtown Raleigh to its five entertainment districts. This shuttle also has access to the Marriott, Sheraton, Clarion and Hampton.
- Free Wi-Fi for individual World of Bluegrass attendees in the lobby of the Raleigh Convention Center and in designated outside hotspots downtown
- Substantial savings and value from Raleigh both for individual World of Bluegrass attendees and for our trade association as a whole, plus help with media promotion and sponsorship connections
- A strong network of volunteers already working bluegrass concerts at PineCone events (Piedmont Council of Traditional Music)
- A performing arts hall-style venue for the IBMA Awards, with a few more (and softer) seats
- Accessible by air, interstate highway or Amtrak
The 2012 World Of Bluegrass will remain at the Nashville Convention Center, scheduled for September 24-30, and their offices will remain in Nashville for the indeterminate future.
More details scan be found at worldofbluegrass.org.
