NIVF - National Independent Venue Foundation

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NIVF - National Independent Venue Foundation

The mission of NIVF is to preserve & nurture the ecosystem of independent live performance venues & promoters in the U.S.

by supporting a transparent, competitive marketplace serving a diverse & inclusive community of artists, fans, and industry workers.

06/18/2026

Please give a warm welcome to Kolby! Kolby is our next participant for the Venue Operations eXperience program. He was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, and got into the DIY music scene after years of directing an art gallery (Memphis Art Salon) that eventually turned into more of a DIY space of his own. He really enjoys the creative scene in Memphis, especially the music, and he looks forward to seeing what he can contribute to make it even better!

Keep your eyes on our socials as we introduce the rest of our cohort!

Participant: Kolby Tipler
Venue: Bar DKDC
Graphic done by VOX Alumni Frankie Lander
Copy and post done by VOX Alumni Devan Starkey

06/17/2026

Introducing our next participant, AJ! AJ is from Knoxville, TN and she attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she earned her degree in Speech Pathology & Audiology.

Earlier this year, she launched a nonprofit dedicated to dismantling systemic barriers to fresh food access, which recently celebrated the opening of its first local farmers market. She is looking forward to meeting all the faces behind the scenes while working at one of her favorite summer activities in Chattanooga, the free concert series, Riverfront Nights!

Participant: AJ Jackson .jacksonn_
Venue: Riverfront Nights Riverfront Nights
Graphic done by VOX Alumni Frankie Lander
Copy and post done by VOX Alumni Devan Starkey

06/15/2026

Please say hello to our next participant, Jay! Jay is originally from California, but has lived in Larkspur, Colorado for most of her life and considers Colorado home. She jumped straight into the local music scene and worked her way into the industry through hands-on experience.A fun fact about Jay is that she holds a Guinness World Record! She placed Best in Show against 300 other horseback riders in the world's largest trail riding competition, which had riders competing simultaneously across multiple states.

Keep a watch on our socials as we introduce the rest of the cohort!

Participant: Jay Houston
Venue: Levitt Pavillion
Graphic done by VOX Alumni Frankie Lander
Copy and post done by VOX Alumni Devan Starkey

06/10/2026

Introducing Kalee, the next member of the 2026 VOX Cohort. Kalee is from Dillon, Colorado, and graduated from Colorado State University in 2025 with a Business Administration degree concentrating in Marketing. She was able to study abroad in England for 6 months in her junior year of college. She got to visit many amazing places in the UK and Europe, and her favorite experience was a van road trip with friends up to Scotland, and traveling all around the country for a week!

Participant: Kalee Padilla
Venue: Washington's
Graphic done by VOX Alumni Frankie Lander
Copy and post done by VOX Alumni Devan Starkey

06/09/2026

Our VOX participants have officially conquered Venue General Studies! 🎓 Now two weeks into their host venue internships, they're diving deep into Specialty Studies — and the leaderboard competition did NOT disappoint. Swipe to meet our top scorers! 👉
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🌟 CONGRATS, KYLA and KALEE! 🎉

Kyla McBride (SummerStage, NYC) took the #1 spot in Production & FOH Ops with a massive 49,100 points! 🎯 From prerequisites to General Studies, Kyla has been a force on the leaderboard — and now she's bringing that same energy to the stage. Watch out for this one. 👀

Kalee Padilla (Washington's, Fort Collins, CO) claimed the #1 spot in Digital Marketing with an impressive 39,900 points! 🔥 Kalee is proving that telling the story of live music is just as powerful as making it happen. We can't wait to see what she creates. 🎶✨

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🏆 Kudos to our Top 3 scorers across both tracks for Venue General Studies!

Production & FOH Ops
🥇Kyla McBride (SummerStage NYC)
🥈Sienna Dailey (Washington's FoCo)
🥉Jay Houston (Levitt Pavilion Denver)

Digital Marketing
🥇 Kalee Padilla (Washington's FoCo)
🥈 Emmy Bower (Washington's FoCo)
🥉 Sydney Beckmeier ()

These participants showed up, put in the work, and it shows. 🙌 We can't wait to see what you all do next! Powered by 🕹️

06/08/2026

Meet Sydney, the next member of the 2026 VOX Cohort! Sydney is originally from Vienna, Virginia, and is studying Music Business at Belmont University. Sydney hopes to one day own her own music venue, so she is really looking forward to getting hands-on experience at 3rd & Lindsley.

Give her a warm welcome, and keep your eyes on our socials as we introduce the rest of the cohort!

Participant: Sydney Beckmeier
Venue: 3rd and Lindsley
Graphic done by VOX Alumni Frankie Lander
Copy and post done by VOX Alumni Devan Starkey

06/07/2026

NIVF will be on the ground in Minneapolis, June 7-10, as proud sponsors of with . Stop by our booth ( #27 in Hennepin) to learn more about how we’re helping venues, promoters, and the next generation of venue staff and owners succeed. Let’s build what’s next—together.

Also - our VOX ‘26 cohort will be joining the live stream to learn with us!

Conference info & registration: nivassoc.org/conference

06/04/2026

Introducing our next member of the 2026 cohort, please welcome Janiya! Janiya is from New Albany, MS and she attended Mississippi State University for her Bachelor’s program, and will be going back this fall to get her masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. So far, she is looking forward to achieving new skills, connections, and friends in the VOX program!

Participant: Janiya Rutherford
Venue: Link Centre
Graphic done by VOX Alumni Frankie Lander
Copy and post done by VOX Alumni Devan Starkey

06/03/2026

Meet Kyla. Kyla is from Brooklyn, New York, and will be working in the production cohort for Summerstage! She attended University of the Arts for Music Business Entrepreneurship & Technology, and graduated with her Bachelor’s in 2023. She is looking forward to getting more experience and the opportunity to meet other liked minded creatives through the VOX program.

Participant: Kyla McBride
Venue: Summerstage
Graphic done by VOX Alumni Frankie Lander
Copy and post done by VOX Alumni Devan Starkey

06/01/2026

Introducing our next participant, Ashley! Ashley is from Tampa, Florida and she recently got her degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with a degree in Public Relations. She is most looking forward to gaining behind the scenes insight into live events and understanding how they are executed from a digital marketing perspective.

Please give her a warm welcome, and keep a watch on our socials as we introduce the rest of the cohort!

Participant: Ashley Morgan
Venue: Riverfront Nights
Graphic done by VOX Alumni Frankie Lander
Copy and post done by VOX Alumni Devan Starkey

Address

2412 Gallatin Ave
Nashville, TN
37206

Website

https://www.nivassoc.org/foundation

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