The International Entertainment Buyers Association was formed in 1970. The organization, originally called the International Country Music Buyers Association (ICMBA), was conceived by two prominent talent buyers, Hugh Long and Harry A. "Hap" Peebles. Peebles and Long felt that the country music talent buyers needed a voice in the fair and festival industry that relegated country music to the smaller fairs and didn't see the potential of adding them to the roster of the larger state fairs. Hugh and Hap, both founding members of the Country Music Association (CMA), tied the first ICMBA meetings to the CMA's meeting schedule. After Hugh Long's untimely death, Hap Peebles served as president of ICMBA for six years and was chairman of the board for nearly twenty years. Eventually the two organizations grew to the point that a split was inevitable, and the board of ICMBA decided that there was a need to be inclusive off all types of entertainment, hence the change to the current organizational name-International Entertainment Buyers Association (IEBA).
 
In addition to Long and Peebles, other large contributors to the history of IEBA were George Moffett, Don Romeo, Bettye Kaye and Wilson Sparks. Early members include Lon Carnell, Bill Luther, Bill Pauley, Dean Fleenor and Smokey Smith.
 
For more details, see the timeline below.  
 

Currently ...

Celebrating it's 40th anniversary in 2010, IEBA and the organization's annual conference stand alone in the entertainment industry by showcasing the most diverse entertainment options available while striving to be the go-to organization for the entertainment community by offering continuing education and networking opportunities to its members.

The Future ...

This is an exciting time to be a part of IEBA.  Stay tuned for upcoming member events in your region, details on how you can influence the future of our business by mentoring a college student in your area, and more.

IEBA Historical Timeline

The organization is 40 years old, and there have been several relocations and leadership changes over the years. As a result, we have limited historical records in our files. Therefore, you will see that some years are missing entirely, and important milestones may be missing from other years.  We have done our best to provide you with the most accurate information that is available to us.  We apologize for the missing pieces. If you can fill in any missing information please contact us.