Each year during the annual IBMA World Of Bluegrass Business Conference, a variety of educational seminars are offered for the benefit of the professional membership. Topics are varied, and are geared towards the needs and interests of artists, event producers, bluegrass associations and songwriters.

Topics this year included getting radio airplay for your CD (led by several prominent bluegrass broadcasters), health insurance issues for performers, and a business mentoring session with Mac Wiseman.

The seminars are also recorded for wider distribution, and this year’s are available now through IBMA. They are available on either CD or cassette, and are offered for $15 each, with discounts in quantity.

Though attendance at the seminars was restricted to the IBMA membership, the audio recordings are available to members and non-members alike.

You can find the ordering details, and a list of the seminars which are available, on the IBMA web site.

That’s the question that’s answered in the final installment of Wichita Rutherford’s IBMA video clips. It’s one of Wichita’s great True or Rumor podcasts. If you just can’t stay out the personal life of a bluegrass celebrity and have to know what Alison called her grandmothers, then you’d better click over to Wichita’s Blog, watch the video, and find out the truth from Alison herself.

Sadly, Wichita is saying this is the last of the video clips in the series. That saddens me because I was cheering him on in his Ricky Skaggs impression and really wanted to see him nail it. I just know he can do it.

To watch him try, and fail, a couple times you might want to watch those clips as well while you’re on his blog.

Here’s a nice group of photos from the Exhibit Hall.

Photos by Dave Carney © 2006

Lawson and Reno	Bull Harman	Dan Miller	Herschel Sizemore
The Huber Booth	Katy Daly	Bill Keith	Sewell and Leftwich
Reid and Baucom	Merriam and Bush	Ronnie Reno	Richard Gelardin
Danny Roberts	Roland White	The Smiths	Eberle and Vorndick

Here is a gallery of photos from the Wednesday Showcases, both official and after hours, here at IBMA 2006.

Photos by Tami Roth © 2006

Jeremy Garrett	Chris Pandolfi	Andy Hall	Chris Eldridge
Jesse Cobb	Chris Pandolfi	Downhill Bluegrass Band	Frankie Nagle
Audie Blaylock	Michael Cleveland	The Lovell Sisters	Rhonda Vincent
Donica Christensen	Daughters of Bluegrass	Becky Buller	Dale Ann Bradley