The National Association of Ticket Brokers (NATB) is a membership-based organization dedicated to boosting the stature, reputation and profile of ticket brokers and the secondary ticket market.
Founded in 1994 by a group of ticket brokers, the non-profit trade association works “to establish an industry-wide standard of conduct and to create ethical rules and procedures to protect the public and foster a positive perception of the industry.” The association admits new members through an invitation process and has a couple of hundred brokers in its ranks. It is governed by a Board of Directors with 13 members who together represent geographical regions around the U.S. The organization lobbies on behalf of brokers at the state and local level to help facilitate a positive business environment for the industry.
The group helped to educate the public during the “Hannah Montana” ticketing controversy, and in 2009 came out against the proposed merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation, partially because of negative statements made by Ticketmaster Entertainment CEO Irving Azoff against the secondary market.
In 2008, the group launched a commercial ticketing Web site where its members could sell tickets. As of March 2009, the President of the NATB was Tom Patania, owner of New Jersey-based Select-A-Ticket.
