NIVA Announces Line-Up For Washington, D.C. Conference

The National Independent Venues Association announced programming for its second annual conference, which takes place July 10-12 in Washington, D.C. The NIVA Conference will take place across 12 participating NIVA venues, which include: I.M.P.’s 9:30 Club, The Anthem and its newly-opened The Atlantis, as well as Black Cat, Capital Turnaround, DC9 Nightclub, DC Improv, Pearl Street Warehouse, Pie Shop, The Pocket, Songbyrd, and Union Stage. 

The confab, which held its inaugural 2022 conference in Cleveland, Ohio, will include industry panels, networking events, nightly live music entertainment and the Independent Awards Gala. The conference will also feature U.S. Senators and Congressional Representatives, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, artists Matt & Kim and Christian McBride as well as representatives from the RIAA, Americans for the Arts, and SoundExchange among others.

Music performances slated for the NIVA Conference include Elise Truow, Catie Offerman, Rudy Love and The Encore, Ex Hex, Oh He Dead, Black Alley, Sugar Bear (of Experience Unlimited), Mambo Sauce, Gustaf, The JoGo Project + Greg Boyer, Black Folk Don’t Swim?, and The Owners, among others.

Curated panels will take place July 10 -11 on topics including marketing, industry diversity, mental health, safety, insurance, economic impact of live entertainment, booking, artist development, ticketing, and the role of live entertainment in policymaking, followed by the first-ever Congressional fly-in on Capitol Hill, July 12.  

NIVA, which formed in 2020 to help save independent venues hit hard by the COVID-19 global pandemic, represents independent music and comedy venues, festivals, performing arts centers and promoters throughout the U.S.  NIVA led the fight for, and the eventual passage of, the Save Our Stages Act, a massive $16.25 billion grant program that delivered critical relief to their constituency and beyond.

According to NIVA, its mission is to “preserve and nurture the ecosystem of independent live venues, promoters, and festivals throughout the United States. NIVA is committed to equity in its support and advocacy for independent venues and seeks to create and encourage opportunities for venues, promoters, and festivals owned, operated, and staffed by people of color, women, non-binary, LGBTQ+, veterans, and people with disabilities.”

For more information and full schedule go to https://www.nivassoc.org/conference.