Written by Deputy & Artistic Director Taran Schindler
Last month I had the amazing opportunity to meet, hang out and learn from other music venue operators, talent agency reps and industry professionals from across the country. With support from our new granter, the Live Music Society, I flew off to New Orleans to attend the annual National Independent Venues Association (NIVA) Conference and inaugural Live Music Society Summit!
The Conference was a whirlwind. I met some of the bigwig talent agencies, learned about new tech for virtual presentations, and heard panel discussions about outreach methods and access to funding. There were fun discussions about ways to connect with your communities and even potential new ways to replace single-use plastics.
But, for me, most importantly, I was able to meet like-minded small venue operators (Caffe Lena, The Ivy Room, Fogartyville Arts, The Parlor Room to name a few). We sat in the newly renovated historic Dew Drop Inn Hotel and brainstormed new creative ways to bring innovative programming to our present and future audiences.
This was my first real trip to New Orleans. So yes, there was Second Line Parade led by the Rebirth Brass Band, followed by a show at the Republic (click here for a quick video clip of the show), a dinner at Peche, a relaxing browse at Crescent City Books and absolutely falling in love with the Spotted Cat Music Club on Frenchman Street!
Both NIVA and Live Music Society are organizations dedicated to protecting and fostering independent live entertainment venues. While Live Music Society is focused on small spaces, NIVA is much larger with a broader reach. In fact, it was through their advocacy – at the Congressional level – that many venues around the country, including the Grand Annex were able to return to life after the pandemic.
