Emerge Music Conference splits event to November, next spring

Addressing and adjusting to a tragedy on the Strip, the Emerge Music and Impact Conference is significantly shaking up its schedule.

Rather than a three-day conference staged at multiple venues on Nov. 16-18, Emerge has consolidated its music showcases to a single event at Brooklyn Bowl on one of the event’s original nights. That show could well be a mix of performances and discussion from the stage.

The balance of the festival, with conferences and music performances, has been moved to April 6-8.

Acts that have already been signed to play the festival in November are now being sought to perform the one-off show at Brooklyn Bowl. The date has yet to be determined, but is targeted for Nov. 16, 17 or 18. A plan to address concerns for those who already booked tickets to the three-day event is being sorted out.

Some of the proceeds from that show are being donated to families of those who were affected by the shootings at the Route 91 Harvest festival.

Rehan Choudhry, the conference’s founder and lead visionary, said the Oct. 1 shootings on the Strip prompted the shift in strategy.

“Like many of our neighbors and partners, the recent tragedy and loss experienced in our hometown of Las Vegas has had us soul searching,” Choudhry, who announced Emerge in June at Vinyl at Hard Rock Hotel, said today via e-mail. “After some consideration, we decided that the inaugural Emerge will be stronger and more impactful if we make being good neighbors our priority in this moment, and then present our full program in the spring.”

Emerge was initially conceived as a far-reaching, three-day celebration of emerging artists and industry influencers. About 100 acts were being sought and signed to perform, including groundbreaking Las Vegas bands the Lique and Mercy Music.

Those who curated Emerge’s first lineup of acts include such Las Vegas live-event officials as Jason Gastwirth of Caesars Entertainment; Bobby Reynolds of AEG Presents; Kurt Melien of Live Nation; Peter Shapiro of Brooklyn Bowl; and Robert and Mac Reynolds of Reynolds Management, who represent superstar Vegas bands The Killers and Imagine Dragons, respectively.

Choudhry said the Emerge’s original concept of featuring 100 acts and 30 speakers had not changed with the split in the festival’s debut.

“Sparking conversation and change through music and culture is at the heart of Emerge,” said Choudhry, who founded Life is Beautiful and is also the former entertainment director at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. “We look forward to bringing that spirit to our city,” he said.

Venues already booked for the festival are being sought for the event next spring. Brooklyn Bowl, the Joint and Vinyl at the Hard Rock Hotel and Caesars Palace’s Absinthe Tent and Cleopatra’s Barge at Caesars Palace were all set aside for the Nov. 16-18 events.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.