By Alfred Branch, Jr.

Sean Moriarty, president and CEO of Ticketmaster, will deliver the keynote address at this year’s National Association of Ticket Brokers’ annual convention and trade show, scheduled for July 17-19 at the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel.

The announcement comes on the heels of Ticketmaster’s stunning plan this week to buy the number two secondary ticket reseller TicketsNow for an estimated $265 million. Ticketmaster had struggled to attract significant interest in its secondary ticketing component, TicketExchange, as numerous ticket brokerages gobbled up portions of the fast-growing market.

"As a leader in the primary ticket sales industry, Sean Moriarty has acknowledged that sports and entertainment fans have embraced ticket resale," Tom Patania, President of the NATB, said in a prepared statement. “NATB is excited to have Sean Moriarty discuss his vision for the ticket resale industry.”

Dozens of brokers have angrily voiced their opposition to the Ticketmaster/TicketsNow deal, but the buyout, which could close within the next few months, pending federal approval, further validates the legitimacy of the secondary market, especially in light of all the controversy surrounding the Hannah Montana tour.

As president and CEO of Ticketmaster, Moriarty oversees all operational aspects of the worldwide company, including its global product and technology strategy. Parent company IAC/InterActiveCorp late last year announced plans to spin off the ticketing giant as a separate company. In addition, Ticketmaster has recently secured secondary ticketing reseller deals with the NFL, NHL and NBA.

Moriarty serves on the Board of Directors of iLike.com as well as several technology advisory boards. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of South Carolina, was an Exchange Fellow at the University of Warwick, Coventry UK, and attended graduate school at Boston University and the University of South Carolina. He was an early member of the original Citysearch technology team and served Ticketmaster's predecessor, Ticketmaster Online-Citysearch, as Director of Internet Systems for Citysearch and Vice President of Internet Systems for both Citysearch and Ticketmaster.com.