After 12 years in Raleigh, the World of Bluegrass stay in Chattanooga starting in 2025 might be a lot shorter.
“It’s important for us to move around, to spread the music,” IBMA Executive Director Ken White said Thursday at IBMA’s town hall meeting.
But there’s no use saying goodbye to the new venue before saying hello. After a stay in Nashville, the move to Raleigh was supposed to be for three years as well, but the successful partnership was extended several times before the mostly amicable separation that was announced last year. So we’ll see what happens.
Among the new details announced at the session for IBMA members:
- As in Raleigh, the headquarters hotel will be a Marriott that is connected to the Convention Center by a walkway. In all, there are about 3,000 hotel rooms within 10 minutes of the Convention Center.
- The convention layout is all on one floor, which should be welcome news for older attendees and those hauling gear.
- There will be a street fair component of some sort, although White said details are still being hashed out. “There’s a lot of work left to be done,” he said. “There are so many details to work out.”
- The inaugural Chattanooga event will be earlier than Raleigh’s conferences had been, from September 16-20. That week would have conflicted with Americanafest, but that event is being moved. For the following two years, the annual party and conference will be held in mid-October.
- The IBMA staff and Chattanooga officials are exploring transportation options, such as shuttles and ride-sharing programs for attendees who fly into Atlanta or Nashville. Chattanooga has a small regional airport, but daily connections are limited and might not fit the schedules for many folks.
Chattanooga officials presented a gung-ho welcome at the start of the meeting, which included a video tailored specifically for bluegrass fans. It was entertaining, but the soundtrack was decidedly not bluegrass. Oh well, they’re learn.
