DPAC Nominated For Theater Of The Year Award

The International Entertainment Buyers Association (IEBA), a leading trade organization for live entertainment industry professionals, has nominated DPAC for its top theater award.

IEBA announced its 2018 Industry Award nominations August 21, with DPAC joining six other venues as nominees in the category of the Ryman Auditorium Theater of the Year Award. IEBA members receive ballots to vote in all Industry Award categories, and the winners will be announced Oct. 2 during IEBA's 48th annual conference in Nashville, TN.

IEBA's Ryman Auditorium Theater of the Year nominees are:

• The Anthem - Washington, D.C. (capacity 6,000)
• Beacon Theatre - New York, NY (capacity 2,900)
• The Chicago Theatre - Chicago, IL (capacity 3,600)
• DPAC - Durham, NC (capacity 2,700)
• Microsoft Theater - Los Angeles, CA (capacity 7,100)
• Orpheum Theatre - Minneapolis, MN (capacity 2,600)
• Smart Financial Centre - Houston, Texas (capacity 6,400)

"Every day we are working hard to bring our guests amazing live entertainment experiences, and it's a testament to the entire team at DPAC, Nederlander and PFM to have our work recognized in this way by industry professionals," said DPAC's General Manager Bob Klaus. "We are honored just to be mentioned among this outstanding group of nominated theaters."

In DPAC's recently completed 10th season of operations under the direction of Nederlander and PFM, the theater held 219 events with a total attendance of 488,900 guests. DPAC sold out 130 performances, the venue's best ever for a season.

This is DPAC's first nomination for the IEBA honor; the venue also was nominated in 2014 and 2015 for the Touring Billboard Awards for Top Venue Under 5,000 Seats. DPAC is also consistently rated among the nation's top theaters by renowned publications such as Pollstar, Billboard and Venues Today.

"It's great to be nominated for this award," said Brad Saks, DPAC's Director of Programming. "DPAC has a terrific combination of loyal fans, a beautiful venue and a staff dedicated to creating the best possible experience."

Founded in 1970, IEBA is a not-for-profit trade organization for live entertainment industry professionals. With more than 1,300 members and represents billions of dollars in buying power, IEBA provides networking opportunities and continuing education to its members to strengthen relationships, foster growth and increase revenue for the live entertainment industry.